Central Cambria board approves reconfiguration of elementary schools; third through fifth grades to be combined at one building

May 14—EBENSBURG, Pa. — Starting next school year, all Central Cambria School District students in third, fourth and fifth grades will attend Cambria Elementary School in the Ebensburg area.

The Central Cambria School District board approved the long-suspected reconfiguration of the district's two elementary schools by a 7-1 vote at Monday's meeting. Patricia Allbaugh cast the sole "nay" vote and Matthew Sinosky was not present.

The move means third- through fifth-graders who, under the district's current configuration, would have attended Jackson Elementary School in the Mundys Corner area of Jackson Township will instead go to Cambria Elementary School.

Elementary school consolidation of any level in the district has been opposed in recent months by some Jackson Township residents.

"The new reality of a combined third through fifth elementary school system is not without understandable angst and questions," board President Thomas Woods and Vice President Paul Seymour said in a joint statement.

"The board is sympathetic to these fears and emotions. Clearly there are logistics that need to be ironed out. ... There will be growing pains; however, we will creatively and energetically meet those challenges."

Before the vote, Woods said he believes the change will allow teachers to collaborate more and allow the district to be a good steward of community resources. He said he believes combining grades at younger ages would be psychologically and socially better for students.

He also pointed to declining enrollment and population throughout the region as a reason to make the difficult decision.

Cambria County is expected to face a 9.2% drop in population by 2050, according to the Center for Rural Pennsylvania.

District data shows Central Cambria has experienced an enrollment decrease of 11.95% in the past 10 years, from 1,715 students in 2012-13 to 1,532 in 2023-24, with further decline expected. The school board has raised the tax rate by one mill in that time period.

'I think it's not OK'

After the vote, more than 20 of the roughly 55 people in attendance walked out of the meeting, with one departing person shouting, "Embarrassing."

Carl Phillips, chairman of the group Residents for Saving Jackson Elementary, said he was not shocked by the decision.

He and his group have been vocal about their disapproval of any changes to Jackson Elementary School, and he said Monday that he thought the decision to reconfigure the grades was rushed at the end of the school year.

Phillips said he thinks the adjustment will be "terribly hard" for students and that the district should have waited until next year. He also said he was concerned that the combination of grades could lead to the closure of Jackson Elementary School.

Dandelion Heit, a fourth-grader at Jackson Elementary School who will now attend Cambria Elementary School in the fall, was stunned by the vote.

"I think it's not OK to shut down our school," she said.

Her mother, Megan Heit, was also upset about the decision. She said she thought the school board didn't listen to Jackson Township residents' concerns and that the reconfiguration of grades was the plan from the start.

Superintendent: Due diligence done

After the meeting, Superintendent Jason Moore said that Jackson Elementary School would not be shutting down any time soon.

He said the school board and district administrators did their due diligence. Merging third through fifth grades at Cambria Elementary School was the right move, he added, especially considering declining enrollment figures and the results of a feasibility study that showed the Cambria Elementary School building was in better shape and required less work.

Moore recognized the issue was an emotional one, but he said to those worried about Jackson Elementary that the building would remain open for as long as possible.

One use being considered for the Jackson Elementary building is early childhood education classrooms, but that has not been finalized.

Moore said students from Jackson Elementary would be bused to Cambria Elementary for tours near the end of the school year, and parents will be invited to explore the building during the summer. Everything will be done in phases, he added.

Also on Monday, the board approved a proposed budget with a 1.75-mill tax increase, to a total rate of 57 mills. Expenditures are projected to be $27.5 million, with revenues expected to be $26.8 million.

In other business, the school board accepted the resignation of Director of Pupil Services and Operations Chris Santini effective June 30. The former high school principal has accepted a job as the superintendent of Bald Eagle Area School District in Centre County.

The group also restored the director of maintenance position and transitioned Cambria Elementary School physical education teacher Ted Rakar into that role.

An informational item on the agenda said by not replacing Santini and moving Rakar, the district is expected to save about $135,518 annually — a continuation of strategic financial and personnel moves to help offset growing expenses and the district's debt to the CPV Fairview Energy Center power plant.