HEATH — If the 22-year-old Heath Elementary School closes next fall, what do residents see as the best options for their children’s public education? How does the community feel about the possible school closure, and how can the community shape its future?
The Heath Education Task Force and the Heath School Local Education Council will be hosting four community conversations, where residents can give their opinions and learn more about the education decisions they may face at annual town meeting time.
The first of these conversations takes place Sunday from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Heath School. Child care will be available.
Other gatherings will be held as follows: Feb. 8 at 6:30 p.m. at the Heath Union Church, Feb. 12 at 3 p.m. at the Town Library (Sawyer Hall) and on Feb. 15 at the Heath School at 6:30 p.m.
“We want everybody involved in the conversation,” said Task Force Chairwoman Deb Porter. “It feels like the only way we will have an informed decision made.”
“Nobody wants to close the school, but if we have to close the school, we need to consider the best interests of our students,” Porter said. “I hope these conversations will allow us to face the facts and look at all the facts and options for education.”
The Heath Elementary School now has 31 students (two more Heath children enrolled this winter), and closing the sparsely populated school would save the Mohawk Trail Regional School District about $500,000.
