Central Cambria School District officials eye Jackson Elementary

Administration shares rationale for plan to close school building

EBENSBURG -- Citing declining enrollment and operational costs, among others, Central Cambria administrators presented the district's rationale for considering the closure of Jackson Elementary School during a public hearing Thursday.

In the 2024-25 school year, grades three through five consolidated with Cambria Elementary School, on the same campus as the district's middle and high schools in Cambria Township, leaving Jackson Elementary to serve kindergarten through second grade students.

The move came after the district completed a 2024 feasibility study to examine operations and sustainability at both elementary schools. At that time, the board decided to pursue a stepped transition rather than consolidating all students to Cambria Elementary at once.

Now, the district's proposal is to move forward with the transition by relocating Jackson Elementary's K-2 students to Cambria Elementary, while preserving options for continued educational use of the Jackson Township-based school building -- either through preschool offerings by outside providers or expanded programming connected to Admiral Peary Area Vocational Technical School.

Declining enrollment

In the 2023-24 school year, Central Cambria's K-5 enrollment was 647 students, down 34 students from the 2018-19 school year's 681 enrollment.

In the current school year, the district's K-5 enrollment across both schools is 606 students, according to the district's presentation during Thursday's hearing. Of the 606, Jackson Elementary's K-2 enrollment is 79 students.

If the status quo continues, the 2027-28 enrollment for Jackson Elementary would be 65 students, and space exists at Cambria Elementary to house those students, according to Superintendent Jason Moore, who said birth rates in the district have "taken a nose dive" in the last few years.

Having all elementary students under one roof would mean the district could make better use of its financial resources, Moore said, noting most of the district's budget consists of personnel-related expenses.

The educational advantages of having one elementary program at Cambria Elementary includes more balanced grade-level sections and more consistent peer group sizes; greater ability to coordinate intervention, special education, Title I, related services, specials and student support in one location, district officials said in their presentation.

It would also include less duplication of staffing and building level services across two small elementary operations; more flexibility to respond to enrollment changes without maintaining small sections; and strengthening curriculum alignment, collaboration and equitable access to services, officials said, noting the projected savings in operational costs from having only one elementary school.

Central Cambria officials project the district would save nearly $11.8 million over the next 10 years, primarily due to staffing efficiency and avoiding duplicated operating costs, according to Moore.

Central Cambria has already pursued other cost-containment measures by eliminating administrative positions through attrition, entering a solar power purchase agreement, reducing bus runs where possible and purchasing items in bulk, including paper and bathroom products, said Business Manager John Link.

Still, even after a tax millage increase, the 2026-27 budget showed expenditures exceeding revenues by about $1.1 million, Link said.

District officials said a recurring operating deficit cannot be sustained indefinitely by drawing down reserves.

According to the district's data, its fund balance was $9.1 million in 2022; $6.8 million in 2023; $5.5 million in 2024; $4.6 million in 2025; $3.5 million in 2026, and it's projected to drop to $2.7 million in 2027.

Additional revenue alone will not solve the district's deficit problem, and recurring costs need to be reduced, district officials said, noting Central Cambria has been doing more with less and the current financial picture is not a result of overspending.

The budget pressure is driven by recurring operating costs that are increasing faster than the revenue Central Cambria can reasonably expect to receive from local, state and federal sources, according to Moore.

"Our costs are increasing much faster than our revenue is coming in," Moore said. "The only real way to reduce costs is to have fewer people."

Some of the major drivers of the structural deficit include rising costs for employee health insurance, transportation, special education, cyber charter tuition and utilities, district officials said.

According to the district's presentation, maintaining the status quo would risk program cuts, larger classes, higher tax pressure and less flexibility to absorb other unexpected costs.

Public comment

District resident Robert Sekerak and Jessica Davis, the sole art teacher for both elementary buildings, were the only two people who presented testimony for the board's consideration.

Sekerak raised concerns about transportation, stating some of the current Jackson Elementary students could spend about 40 minutes on their daily commute to and from school every day.

Secondly, the district needs to look for more cost savings in its budget,

Sekerak said, adding his daughter is a Jackson Elementary student who loves her school and doesn't wish to see it close.

"Look at everything before that decision is made by the board," Sekerak said of closing the school.

Davis said she sympathizes with Jackson Township residents who don't want to see their school close, but she agrees with the board on its position that closing the school is "something that needs to happen for our students."

If parents can give their kids an understanding of what's happening, it'll give them the confidence they need to handle the transition, Davis said.

"Your kids will absorb whatever you're projecting. So if you're projecting anxiety and that they're not going to be able to handle it, they're going to take that as, 'I'm not going to be able to handle this,'" Davis said.

Davis claimed other teachers support the consolidation and feel it needs to happen.

"I feel like Cambria Elementary is a wonderful place, and I can't wait for us all to be together," Davis said. "So I would just ask, although I sympathize, just please tell your kids to look forward to it as much as they can because, again, they will absorb whatever you are projecting."

The school board will consider the district's presentation, its 2024 feasibility study, testimony, written comments and other information before making any final decision regarding Jackson Elementary's future.

By law, the board must wait three months before making any formal decision about closing the school, according to board solicitor Carl P. Beard.

Moore said that means the fate of Jackson Elementary will not be decided until the board's regular meeting in February 2027 at the earliest. If that scenario plays out, and the board were to vote in favor of closing Jackson Elementary, the change wouldn't be implemented until the 2027-28 school year, Moore said.

In the meantime, the district welcomes written public feedback and encourages concerned residents to give public comments at any future board meetings.

Thursday's hearing is available on the district's website.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.