Following a contentious public session, the Charlotte School Committee decided to close the elementary school in a 2-1 vote on February 12. The decision was motivated in part by the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the school, which has failed to obtain public support for a budget for the current school year after five separate votes by residents of the town.
      "For years, I've been a staunch advocate for keeping Charlotte Elementary open," wrote Jen Brown, president of the Charlotte School Friends who was unable to attend in person, in a letter read during the opening of the meeting. "However, the trials of the past year have led me to reconsider my stance. The difficulties we have faced are multifaceted, including but not limited to the absence of long-term experience among staff, dwindling morale and an overarching feeling of defeat."
      "The uncertainty looming over our school has cast a shadow on our students' lives, affecting their well being, their outcome and their outlook on their futures," Brown continued. "The closure of Charlotte Elementary is not a defeat but an opportunity to realign our priorities for providing the best possible education for our children."
      Those present were given two copies of the school budget for FY 2024-25, one of which would apply if the school was kept open, and one of which provided hypothetical estimates if the school was closed, as compiled by AOS 77 Business Manager Chad Allen. Both budgets reflected the recently announced state subsidy, which is $89,777 lower than the previous year due to student enrollment decreasing and property valuations increasing.
      If the school was closed, the total cost of education in Charlotte could decrease by $185,306 to approximately $689,000, with an associated decrease in local taxation of $126,866 to just over $476,000, but those figures will change if additional children move into the town. There are currently 23 elementary aged children in Charlotte, 12 of whom are attending the school and 11 of whom attend other schools in the area or are digital students. Allen budgeted for two "ghost children" who may move in but cautioned that "you can eat through $126,000 really fast" depending on the needs and number of incoming children.
      "People will move here," Allen said. "Once you have school choice, your enrollment will increase." A resident of Robbinston, where the elementary school was closed in 2015, Allen pointed out that the town received an influx of 25 children in two years' time.
      Another factor impacting the uncertainty of the estimate is the particular tuition cost of the schools students opt to attend. The estimated budget used the state's average elementary school tuition, which is $11,446, but that cost varies from school to school, meaning education costs could go up or down as a result.

Residents offer input
      Residents on both sides of the issue were present during the meeting and shared their concerns. "I think we ought to take a hard look at tuitioning the kids," said selectman David Frost, speaking in favor of closing the school. "Every year [enrollment] gets lower and lower. Do what's best for the community and the kids."
      "What are we going to deny them if we close it?" posed David Burggraff. "They aren't going to get the individual attention they get here." Burggraff shared that he recently adopted his grandson and Charlotte Elementary was the first school where he had felt comfortable. "It's not a one-size-fits-all situation."
      "I don't know who would want to live in a town without a school," said Herbert Clark, who was on the school committee in Charlotte for more than 50 years. He elaborated on the pleasure of attending a Christmas concert where the "kids are serious when they sing," compared to media spectacles on television. "We're in a mess now," he concluded.
      "I love this school. It was great," said Stacey James, but she said that it has changed over the years. She and her husband Jerry withdrew their son from the school last year because he was the only student in second grade. "There's a social aspect to learning." James also maintained that the school offers little beyond the basic curriculum, limiting student opportunities.
      Others emphasized what they saw as a lack of vision for the school. "What's on the horizon for the school?" asked Lisa Dereszewksi. "What's the five-, 10-, 20-year plan?"
      School committee Chair Janet Moholland replied that they can only go by the numbers they have currently for the town and cannot anticipate how many students will be coming in or withdrawing. "Nobody could have predicted this year," Moholland said, referring to student enrollment at the school dropping from 17 to 12 for the current year.
      The owner of a farm, Dereszewksi said that they've been visited by other elementary schools in the area, but not Charlotte, reflecting what she sees as a lack of engagement with the community. "We want to make it so people are dying to enroll at Charlotte school."
      "Once you close a school, it's hard to reopen it," said Amy McDonald. "It's a much more long-range question than 17 kids or 12 kids. We need to have a long-range consideration of what the town needs."
      "I know it's what I looked at when we moved here six years ago, whether there was a school or not," said James Stewart, who said that closing the school would effectively be "mortgaging the future."
      With public comments closed, committee member Linda Fitzsimmons made the motion to close the school. Moholland seconded the motion "with deep regret," while committee member Krista Vining Means voted to keep the school open. The passing of the motion was met with a solemn silence by the approximately 50 people in attendance before they began to disperse a few moments later.
      According to state law, the residents of Charlotte have 30 days from the date of the school committee's vote to create a petition on the closure. If the petition is signed by 10% or more of the town's residents, the decision to close the school will be reconsidered by a vote of the town's residents. Town petitions have been successful in some areas, including in Wesley, where the town voted to keep the school open despite having no enrolled students this year.
      If the closing stands, Charlotte Elementary will remain open through the end of the current school year but will not reopen in the fall.