Williamsport grapples with those questions as it resumes a debate over its eight remaining elementary schools. A panel of citizens and educators recommended two years ago that the Woodward, Sheridan and Lose schools be closed because of falling district enrollment and the desire to focus on keeping remaining schools equally up to date. Now, another panel is to review those recommendations to see if anything has changed before the school board actually decides. It could vote in March to close Woodward next year. Votes on the other two could not happen until next year, with closings the following year.
Parents besiege the board, arguing that smaller is better.
That causes fewer parents to select it for their children, so enrollment drops even faster. Many think that s part of a devious plan. They talk of educators trying to force us into fancy super schools. If all three closed, and district enrollment levels off, local schools will average just over 500 kids. In many cases, that is far fewer than when today s parents and grandparents attended school.