Cuyahoga Falls board asks staff to explore repurposing Shanae as district studies elementary consolidations

Cuyahoga Falls City School District officials on June 25 asked staff to continue studying options for consolidating elementary schools and to explore repurposing the Shanae Learning Center instead of closing one of the district’s six neighborhood elementary schools.

Superintendent Dr. Celico presented data showing long-term enrollment declines, facility capacity, transportation impacts and estimated operational savings as the board discussed next steps. Board members agreed to prioritize the topic at the July 9 meeting so staff can return with boundary and transportation analyses.

The presentation compiled multiple factors the board’s policy suggests for school-closing decisions, including building age and condition, square footage and “big-ticket” system needs such as boilers, roofs, playgrounds and air conditioning. Dr. Celico noted the district has Office of Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) facility studies available for each building and emphasized that the presentation focused on empirical data while acknowledging the emotional and community impacts of any closing. “No one ever wants to arrive at this,” Dr. Celico said when describing the difficulty of the decision.

Why it matters: Cuyahoga Falls has lost students over the last decade and faces funding pressure. Dr. Celico told the board the district’s enrollment has declined about 24% over the past 10 years; an outside demographer’s projection supplied to the district estimates a further decline of roughly 351 students (about 9%) over the next 10 years. Those trends affect classroom capacity, transportation routes and staffing, and they were central to the board’s discussion about whether to close or repurpose a site.

Key details from the superintendent’s data presentation included building-by-building capacity and room counts: Lincoln showed the largest available classroom capacity (about seven rooms that could be used for classrooms, with a possible eighth); DeWitt had an estimated one to two spare rooms; Preston three to four; Price had effectively no spare rooms; Richardson roughly four; and Silver Lake one to two. Dr. Celico and staff also ran class-size assumptions (kindergarten targeted at about 22 students, early grades at 22–25) to estimate how many classrooms would be needed if students were redistributed.

Transportation and redistricting were repeatedly raised as constraints. The district’s bus count per elementary building varies (for example, DeWitt was shown with three buses and Lincoln with two); the transportation supervisor, Margie, is preparing alternative boundary maps and route scenarios the board requested. Board members cautioned that adding students to a building can require additional bus routes, drivers and monitors, and that those operating costs must be counted against any savings from a closure.

A specific option the superintendent asked the board to consider was repurposing the Shanae Learning Center rather than closing a neighborhood elementary. Shanae currently houses an alternative program and a preschool; superintendent staff proposed relocating Shanae’s programs into another elementary building, selling the Shanae property and using proceeds to offset district costs. Dr. Celico said that would avoid removing a neighborhood elementary from the district’s roster and could preserve the community stability associated with an active school building.

Board members signaled support for studying that path. Board member Mr. Gomez said the repurposing approach would keep current school sites available for future capital planning — including any eventual bond measures — and would “not tie the hands of future boards.” The board did not adopt a final plan or approve closures at the meeting; instead members voted to place the elementary-building discussion at the top of the July 9 agenda so the superintendent and staff can return with redistricting scenarios and transportation cost models.

What’s next: Staff will supply revised boundary maps and transportation impacts for the narrowed set of potential buildings (the transportation supervisor will focus analysis on the three buildings the board most recently identified), and the board expects to continue public engagement once lines are redrawn. Any formal closure or repurposing decision would require subsequent board action and public notification.

Clarifying note: The presentation separated recurring operational savings estimates (salaries, benefits, equipment) from nonrecurring capital investments (roofs, HVAC, large renovations). Dr. Celico said the operational savings data were illustrative and that staffing implications will depend on contractual bumping rights and attrition, not on an immediate layoff plan.