FACILITIES STUDY
Facilities Study Now Underway
At it's November 8th, 2011 meeting, the Board of Education hired a consultant group from Questar III BOCES to perform a study to determine the most efficient use of the school buildings in the Chatham Central School District.
The facilities study group from Questar III is now at work within the District, visiting our buildings and focusing on how the physical utilization of building space can best support a 21st Century education program for the students of Chatham.
The District is undertaking the facilities study to determine the feasibility of consolidating the District from three school buildings into two school buildings. The study will provide logistical data on how District facilities are currently utilized, the potential cost savings closing a building would realize, and the impact closing a building would have on the buildings that remain.
The questions to be answered by the study are:
1. Can our educational program be delivered in two of the existing three buildings?
2. If so, which two buildings should be utilized?
3. How should the program, grade levels, and space be configured to best achieve District programmatic goals?
4. Will there be any cost savings to such a move?
The team will supply data on the current and recommended future use of existing District space. They will also make recommendations on any necessary changes to the existing space, or what new construction might become necessary to support their recommendations.
After the study has been completed in the spring of 2012, the District will hold community discussions to determine the best actions for our students, our educational program, and our community. No decisions have or will be made about consolidating buildings until the study has been completed and these discussions have occurred.
This webpage will be updated with information related to the facilities study, as it becomes available.
Documents
- Superintendent's Letter to Parents- March, 2011
- BOE President's Letter to Editor- March, 2011
- Board Presentation on Facilities Study Process- January 11, 2011
Enrollment Projection Study
Separate from, but related to, the facilities study is an enrollment projection study the District completed at the end of 2011.The number of students attending classes at Chatham in the future will have an impact on how our schools are configured. According to the study's projections, Chatham can expect to see a gradual decrease in enrollment over the next decade.