DaytonDailyNews.com

PHILLIPSBURG — Phillipsburg Elementary parents — many of the nearly 200 who oppose the closing of their school — met with school administrators and school board members Thursday night, Jan. 15.

The closing of Phillipsburg and its merging with Union Elementary is part of Superintendent Doug Lantz's plan to reposition the Northmont school district.

Parents said they want the board to postpone closing the small community school while more time is spent going over the plan's details.

"We all understand the board is in a tough position financially," said Brian Peffley, spokesman for a parents' group. "What we are looking for is the details. Will this mean that there will be more overcrowding at the other schools? ... We all think Phillipsburg is a special place."

The parents presented a number of questions focusing on the school's rural nature, the benefits of a community school versus a consolidated school, loss of local control, larger class size and a longer bus ride.

"This is not going to be an easy move," said Craig Vaughn, one of the parent presenters. "Without a core, villages tend to disappear."

This week, Lantz presented the plan to the school board as a road map to move the district through the tough economic conditions, at the same time maintaining the district's highly ranked educational programs. The state has ranked the district as "excellent" seven consecutive years."

Closing the small elementary school would save the district $500,000 annually, according to school officials. The savings, they said, will be critical as the state deals with a projected $7 billion deficit over the current two-year budget.

School leaders throughout Ohio are expecting major cuts in state aid to public schools as Columbus deals with the deficit.

Lantz said Phillipsburg was chosen because of its declining enrollment and the age of the building. The 1919 school was once Phillipsburg High School. Its enrollment has dropped from 340 students in 1978 to 197 this year.

School leaders have said the building needs hundreds of thousands of dollars in improvements. Going from seven elementary schools to six makes sense in tight economic times, Lantz said.

"It's not a short-term savings," he said. "This is a savings that will last for years."

Lantz told the gathering that Phillipsburg was chosen for those reasons.

"We wanted to avoid splitting up kids to several schools," he said. "And there is a connection between the two communities."

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2290 or dpage@DaytonDailyNews.com.