Scranton School District proposes closing Bancroft Elementary, moving fifth grades

George Bancroft Elementary School would close and some fifth graders would move to intermediate schools under a proposal presented to the Scranton School Board on Monday night.

The district’s financial recovery plan calls for consolidating and reconfiguring schools to save money and make the best use of available facilities. For more than a year, officials have studied enrollment numbers, evaluated capital improvement needs and considered staffing and transportation costs. Phase one, which would take effect at the start of the 2021-22 school year, includes:

Closing Bancroft and moving its students to Isaac Tripp Elementary.

Closing the annex to John G. Whittier Elementary School.

Moving fifth grades to Northeast and South Scranton intermediate schools. Fifth graders in West Scranton would stay in their elementary schools until the district can complete work at West Scranton Intermediate in a future phase.

Some reconfiguration of special education classes to allow for classroom space.

Bancroft, built in 1928, needs at least $1.9 million in repairs. The Albright Avenue school — one of the smallest in the district — has 226 students, with a capacity for 300.

“We have excess capacity, and that means that at some point we have to consolidate our students into schools we can repair,” Director Ro Hume said during the virtual work session.

Not including kindergarten students, the district projects Bancroft will have 150 students when its fifth grade moves to the intermediate school next year. Together, Bancroft and Tripp would have 675 students, plus kindergarten, in the fall. The West Scranton school, built in 2011, has a capacity of 1,000 students.

The move would require two additional school buses, projected to be $110,820, but would save on salaries and benefits of two teachers and one clerk — $161,704. The district would also save on utilities and plans to sell the building.

“It’s important for us to realize the amount of buildings we have we can’t afford,” Superintendent Melissa McTiernan said. “If we decide to keep this building, eventually we’d have to put money into it.”

The proposed 2021 budget, which last month showed a $4.1 million shortfall, does not reflect the reconfiguration proposal. The district must hold a public hearing on the school closure, likely to be scheduled for January, and a board vote could come in April.

Moving fifth grades will also allow the district to end its $57,288-a-year lease with St. John Neumann Parish and eliminate nearly $40,000 in annual utility costs for the Whittier annex building. Fourth grade would move back into the main Whittier building, and fifth grade would either move to Northeast or South, depending on where the student lives.

Fifth grade students from Adams, Armstrong, Bancroft, Morris and Prescott would go to Northeast, and students from Kennedy and McNichols Plaza would move to South.

The district would need to finish environmental abatement work in the 1904 section of Northeast, estimated at $250,000, before being able to accommodate fifth grade.

The move for fifth grade would allow greater opportunities to address students’ academic needs and greater exposure to arts classes, McTiernan said.

2019 audit and 2021 budget

The district ended 2019 with a positive fund balance of $1.4 million — the highest fund balance since 2006.

In the first audit of the district by firm BBD, the 2019 financial statement shows the district “turning the corner,” according to Carl Hogan, a principal with the firm and the audit’s lead preparer.

“Hopefully we can see the district continue to build on that,” he said.

Business Manager Patrick Laffey and other staff continue to work to balance the 2021 budget, which directors must approve by the end of the month.

The district plans to capitalize the first year of new debt for the capital improvement plan, meaning the district will defer about $1.1 million in payments in 2021. The decision will add an additional $600,000 to the debt, to be paid off over the next 20 years. If the district does not need the money in the 2021 budget, the funds will be used for future capital improvement projects.

Laffey remains hopeful that the district’s annual tax anticipation note comes back with a lower-than-expected interest rate, which will also lead to savings.

Board reorganization

{span}{span}The board’s annual reorganization meeting preceded the work session. Board President Katie Gilmartin will serve a second term, after a 9-0 vote. Catherine Fox will serve another year as vice president, with a 6-3 vote. Three directors — Hume, Sean McAndrew and Tara Yanni — voted for Yanni for vice president.{/span}{/span}

{span}{span}Gilmartin thanked everyone in the district for their work during an unprecedented year.{/span}{/span}