BOE considers closure of Westbrook Elementary School

The possibility of shutting down Westbrook Elementary School is under consideration by the West Milford Board of Education, along with the possibility of using the Westbrook building for the Highlander Academy program that is now housed in the former Our Lady Queen of Peace parochial school building in Hewitt.

Trustees will continue talks about the school district’s declining student enrollment and increasing operational costs before making any decision. In a tax bill breakdown in a report recently mailed to taxpayers, West Milford Mayor Michele Dale gave a cost breakdown that shows that West Milford schools currently take 55.1 percent of the town’s tax money.

The next regular Board of Education meeting is September 20 at 7 p.m. in Westbrook school Media Center. A live stream of the meeting will also be available.

Possible school closure discussions have happened several times over many decades with past school boards always finally bending to parent pressure to keep all six neighborhood schools open.

Consultant Ross Haber spoke of ways to cope with the district’s mounting cost problems and closure of an elementary school help alleviate the financial pressure. Haber has been West Milford’s demographics consultant for many years. State aid to West Milford schools decreased by almost $8 million over the past five years because of declining enrollment, adding to other rising cost burdens. For years trustees who have come and gone saw less home construction and student numbers decreasing and admitted that a school needed to be closed – something parents living in the neighborhoods where the targeted school were located would not hear of. Except for Hillcrest School (the first township-consolidated school dating back to 1946), all schools have remained open despite Haber’s earlier recommendations. Hillcrest has been shuttered and vacant for many years.

There have been discussions about expanding the Highlander Academy programs to meet needs of middle school students. Highlander Academy is for students in grades nine through 12 who need small and personalized programs in order to reach their full potential. Currently, Highlander Academy students are part of the student body of West Milford High School.

Academics are taught there by special education teachers who are highly qualified in their subject areas. Academic programs are developed through district individualized education plans (IEPs) and grade requirements. Small classes with paraprofessionals allow for academic and social instruction based on individual learning styles, enhanced through current technology.

A restructuring committee has been studying the progression of state aid cuts, increasing health care costs and higher transportation bills over the past five years. Haber said that district student enrollment decreased by almost 10 percent between the 2016-17 and 2021-22 school years. He expects that figure to decrease by about 8 percent more by 2026-27. Just one class, spanning kindergarten through fifth grade, had more than 230 students during the past school year, and just one in grades six through 12 had a class size below 230 students. It is expected that student enrollment per grade will eventually settle at around 200 students.

There have been stakeholder meetings in recent months, mostly attended by former and present district officials, who have spoken about possible concerns, such as effect on class sizes and moving students who would have attended Westbrook to other neighborhood schools.

Although closing a school might reduce administrative costs, numbers in the teaching staff may not be affected. The report went on to say principals, building aides and custodians would possibly be the areas where there would be job reductions.

Board Trustee Cortney Stephenson has indicated she will not vote to close a school. She criticized the administration for not preparing for the loss of state aid and addressing factors that have led to the current situation.