Enrollment Numbers Support Campaign Against Elementary School Closing

The community group "Save NA Schools" says the most recent enrollment numbers, obtained under the "right to know" law, confirm what it campaigned more than a year for; closing an elementary school in the North Allegheny School District would lead to larger class sizes.

At the August 28 school board meeting, board President Maureen Grosheider acknowledged that conclusion, when she announced that the proposed closing of Peebles Elementary School was no longer on the table, and that the administration would instead work on a redistricting plan to better balance the number of students at each of the district's seven elementary schools.

Tara Fisher, who helped organize "Save NA Schools" and later went on to win both parties' nomination to a seat on the school board, was pleased the current school board is no longer looking to close Peebles.

"Elementary enrollment is continuing to grow, and, when classes operate within district guidelines, we don't have the capacity to close an elementary school," she said. "This is best illustrated by the fact we had 145 elementary sections last year and we have 155 elementary sections this year."

The recommendation to close Peebles Elementary was based on a projected decline in enrollment in the McCandless area.  However, according to enrollment figures from the district, Peebles, Hosack, and McKnight Elementary were the schools with the largest amount of growth.  The district's records show that 6 of the 10 new elementary sections were added at Peebles and Hosack.

Fisher says there is also growth in other parts of the district.

"The northern part of the district is also projected to grow with new housing plans like Ridge Forest and Venango Trails already underway," Fisher said. 

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