In revealing the results of a long-anticipated study at the Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, March 6, a utilization management consultant said that it would be feasible to shutter Cold Spring Early Learning Center because of a sharp decline in enrollment in the Pine Plains Central School District.
Dr. Ross Haber, who was hired in late 2024 by Superintendent Brian Timm through the Western Suffolk Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), told board members that moving pre-K through first-grade students at Cold Spring into Seymour Smith Intermediate Learning Center — currently serving grades two through five — was a viable option. “It would become the elementary school,” he said via Zoom.
Haber, who analyzed school floor plans, room inventories, and schedules, said the district has ample underutilized space. “There’s plenty of room to maintain low class sizes, and you wouldn’t have to cut programs,” he said. He also suggested that the consolidation could yield savings on transportation and maintenance costs. Additionally, Haber said, the district could consider renting or selling Cold Spring to generate income.
In citing the drop in enrollment, from 1,393 students in 2004 to 783 this year, Haber said, “That’s one school full of children.”
According to Haber, future district enrollment is projected to remain stable over the next five years, with marginal growth to 803 total students. “What that means is that whatever decisions you make based on my report will be sustainable into the future,” he said.
The study will soon be available for public view on the district website. “It’s not easy to close a school building,” Haber said. “I’m a former teacher and school administrator; I know there’s memories attached to Cold Spring. But the students won’t be split up and the community will be maintained. It’s a win-win.”
Board Vice President Joseph Kiernan said, “It’s one thing to look at the raw data — the picture is compelling. But intangibles like outdoor space are important, too. We need community feedback in an inclusive, transparent process.”
Board member Fred “Chip” Couse remembered when Cold Spring closed for financial reasons 30 years ago.”It was done over just three or four school board meetings; that was too short a time,” he said.
Timm agreed that the school board needed to digest the findings. “We have enough time to plan,” he said. “Unless there’s a catastrophic problem with Foundation Aid” — state funding that provides 50% of the school’s $8.5 million budget — “we can sustain things as they are through next year, using all three buildings.”
To foster community engagement in decision making, Timm said he plans to host several forums; he also will present the year’s budget workshop highlights to town boards in the school district. “I can guess that busing will be an area of concern if kindergartners have to be on a bus with fifth-graders,” he said. “But most school districts already do this.”
In other business, Director Janine Babcock presented the Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) projected 2025–26 budget. PPS includes special education, English as a New Language, the Astor Mental Health Clinic, and other services; it serves 120 students in the district and 23 students outside the district. The projected budget was $3.11 million, an increase of $285,117 over last year.
Business Official Laura Rafferty reviewed the BOCES 2025–26 draft budget. BOCES provides a variety of resources such as special education, career training, and printing services — including the budget newsletter. Next year’s projected expenses are $4.06 million, an increase of $346,444.
Timm discussed the board’s busy schedule. “At our March 19 meeting, we’ll review our first 2025-26 school budget draft, discuss the tax levy and […], the [retiring] of five buses and the purchase of three new ones,” he said. Further fiscal plans must wait until after April 1, when Gov. Kathy Hochul’s 2025–26 final budget is expected to be passed by the New York State Legislature. “Then we’ll discuss the second draft at our April 9 meeting,” he said. “The final budget will be adopted on April 22.”
Timm will be meeting with school administrators this week to discuss the future of summer school. “Enrollment is declining but the number of adults helping has remained the same,” he said. “It is becoming a costly program to continue, although some students will need summer school. I’m not sure what’s going to happen.”
Finally, the school library will be closed for the month of April for renovations; board meetings will be held in the auditorium.