FCSD hopes surveys about Hillcrest give direction

Hank Murphy

     The Florence County School District sent out more than 500 surveys on Jan. 28 to people living in the former Hillcrest attendance zone in an attempt to gauge interest in re-opening the school for elementary children.

     As of Tuesday, the district already had heard from 18 residents, some of who favored re-opening the school while others offered no opinion. A few respondents issued replies tantamount to “take a hike.”

The school district is in the early stages of determining staffing needs for next year and its annual budget. School officials need to know by Feb. 15 if re-opening Hillcrest is feasible, according to school Administrator Tom Woznicki.

School officials want feedback from parents with school-age children who would consider sending them to Hillcrest as well as from parents who would not send their children there, Woznicki said. The school district also wants feedback in general from people living in the Hillcrest attendance area, he said.

No matter the viewpoints, school officials want to know them. Woznicki said.

“If it’s positive, if it’s negative, if it’s neutral. The very fact that someone cares enough to put the piece of paper back in the envelope and mail it, I find to be reassuring and encouraging,” Woznicki said.

To re-open Hillcrest, the school district would need 15 to 20 pupils within a three-grade range, such as 15 in the 4K, 5K and first-grade range. Essentially, school officials would consider any grade grouping up to sixth grade as long as the grouping was contiguous.

Hillcrest was closed in 2004 as a cost-savings measure as the school district wrestled with intense budgetary problems. The move prompted scores of Aurora parents to send their children to school in Niagara. In a given year, roughly 60-70 Florence County school children attend school in Niagara. With state funding tied to enrollment, the situation has been costly for Florence County, but a boon to Niagara.

As of Tuesday, the school district had received 18 responses. Most were neutral, and several encouraged the district to re-open Hillcrest. A few respondents said nothing would shake their commitment to Niagara.

“My wife and I no longer have children (or grandchildren) in school, but we will encourage our neighbors to support re-opening Hillcrest School,” one respondent wrote.

Another replied: “I would never take my kids out of Niagara and put them back at Hillcrest. Niagara is a good school. What would keep Florence from closing Hillcrest a year later? No thanks!”

When asked about that point, Woznicki replied: “We won’t make promises we can’t keep. Our promise is we’ll look at it every year; we’ll look at it fresh with new eyes. If it can be done, it will be done. If it can be continued, it will be continued.”

In the meantime, Woznicki said he is eager to read more survey responses.

“I’m looking forward to getting more back. I don’t think people should be afraid to tell us what they think.”