CROYDON — The future of the Croydon Village School will be up for debate at the annual school meeting on Saturday, March 15.
Among the topics on the agenda are two bond proposals, one for renovations to the one-room schoolhouse — often referred to as “Little Red” — and the second for an addition with two classrooms.
“We have worked on this for a few years, trying to satisfy as many people as we can and whichever plan the town selects, the administration and the School Board feel confident that we can deliver a high quality education,” School Board member Aaron McKeon said. “We just want the town to tell us what they prefer because there are varying opinions in town.”
The first article under consideration is a $335,000 bond for the “design, permitting, construction and equipping for repairs to the single room schoolhouse.”
The second article is an additional $1.24 million bond proposal to add two new classrooms to the schoolhouse, which would increase taxes between $1 and $1.55 per $1,000 of property value, depending on whether the town supports a separate article to offer preschool to families who would pay tuition, McKeon said.
“Basically the two options we are presenting to the town are: Do you want a one-room schoolhouse that can accommodate two grade levels (preschool and kindergarten) or do you want a bigger school that can accommodate up to five grades?” McKeon said. “If you want a smaller, one-room school vote ‘yes’ on the first and ‘no’ on the second, but if you want a larger school, vote ‘yes’ on both.”
Also on the warrant is an article that would pay tuition to send fourth graders out of the district. Currently, the one-room school educates students in grades K-4, with fifth grade and above sent to other districts.
The chances of getting state school building aid are low, but there could be an opportunity for funding related to the historical nature of the building, which dates back to the late 1700s, McKeon said. Some federal grant money might also be available.
During board discussions and several public forums, the board heard a mix of opinions with some favoring a bigger school while others supported keeping it one room, McKeon said.
A survey of residents found 67% of respondents wanted to keep “Little Red” in service as a school, that 65% favored adding preschool, and that maintaining the tax rate was a top concern, McKeon said.
“The administration also very strongly desired one building instead of two,” he said. “So, those became our guiding principles as we narrowed it down to the two choices we are asking the town to decide between.”
The school currently serves 24 students in grades K-4.
If the first bond passes but the second fails, the school would remain one room for either preschool and kindergarten, or kindergarten and first grade. All other students would be tuitioned beginning in the 2026-27 school year.
McKeon said the downsizing option, reducing the school to two grades, would actually have a negative tax rate impact of about $2.60. He said there would be lower support staff and administrative costs, and the district would realize additional revenue with the preschool.
If both articles, which require a 60% majority for passage, are defeated, there is money in the operating budget to cover some needed repairs to the school, which would be done piecemeal over time, McKeon said. Needed repairs include accessibility upgrades, adding or replacing insulation, repointing the brickwork, refurbishing the bell tower, upgrading life safety systems, replacing the roof and repainting the trim.
A modular building at the school would be removed under all scenarios, regardless of the outcome of the vote.
With the removal of the modular building, the renovation-only plan would reduce total square footage to about 1,100 square feet, whereas the renovation plus expansion plan would maintain roughly the same square footage in one consolidated, permanent building.
The administration and School Board both recommend tuitioning grade four to take effect in the ‘26-‘27 school year (likely five students) to other schools because models show that around that age students do better academically and socially when they are grouped with older children not younger, McKeon said.
The tuition article must pass if the voters are to consider the next article, which is to offer preschool. The school could accommodate up to 14 preschoolers depending on how many other students are enrolled, but a safe estimate is seven preschoolers, McKeon said.
The annual school meeting is Saturday, March 15 at 1 p.m. in the fire department. It follows the annual town meeting at 9 a.m. in the fire department.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
