Central Cambria board gets feasibility study results, hears two scenarios for elementary grade mergers

Apr. 9—EBENSBURG, Pa. — Following months of anticipation, the Central Cambria School District board on Monday unveiled the results of a building feasibility study that examined enrollment projections and the necessity of operating two elementary schools.

The findings were shared during the board's committee meeting by two architects from Pittsburgh-area firm DRAW Collective, which was hired in November to conduct the study.

Principal architect Cassandra Renninger and associate architect Tricia Monaco presented two possible scenarios.

Under scenario "A," all grades, kindergarten through fifth, from the district's two elementary schools — Jackson Elementary School in Jackson Township and Cambria Elementary School in the Ebensburg area — would be merged at the Cambria Elementary School building.

Scenario "B" would include a stepped transition — starting with third through fifth grades merging at Cambria Elementary School, and possibly merging all elementary grades at that building later.

"Both scenarios 'A' and 'B' are viable," Renninger said, "but one of the things about scenario 'B' that we like is the fact that the stepped transition offers the most flexibility in terms of when the second step of the consolidation would happen."

She said that since the district's rate of enrollment decline may differ from projections, the stepped transition would allow time to react to actual changes.

Declining birth rates

The Pennsylvania Department of Education estimates that Central Cambria School District's enrollment will fall by more than 240 students in kindergarten through fifth grade over the next 10 years, with roughly 420 students lost across all grades for that time period.

Those numbers are based on declining birth rates, the architects said. About 10 years ago, there was a median birth rate of around 135 births per year in the district; that number has dropped to 86 in 2024 and is projected to decline to 80 by 2027.

As of the 2023-24 school year, there were 204 students at Jackson Elementary School and 443 at Cambria Elementary School.

Renninger said there is excess space at both buildings, based on DRAW Collective's study, but Cambria Elementary School could comfortably hold the district's total current elementary enrollment of 647.

A total merger — in the 2025-26 school year at the earliest — would result in 18 to 22 students per classroom for kindergarten through second grade, and 20 to 25 students per classroom in third through fifth grades, the architects said.

If just the third through fifth grades were merged at Cambria Elementary School, that would put 526 students in the building and 18 to 21 students per class, while 104 younger students would remain at Jackson Elementary School, based on 2024-25 numbers.

Capital improvements

Future considerations in the study included possible capital improvements at both buildings.

The architects said Cambria Elementary School, which was built in 1972, may need mechanical upgrades costing around $35,000 in the next three to five years, while improvements at Jackson Elementary School could cost an estimated $1.4 million in three to eight years to continue operation.

Additionally, although Cambria Elementary School's overall conditions are good and upgrades were completed in the early 2000s, the study found the cafeteria is crowded, the gymnasium is small, the library is under-utilized, and the classroom sinks are not American with Disabilities Act-accessible.

Other information covered included transportation impacts.

School district and First Student representatives said the morning commute wouldn't be a problem if there was any type of grade merger, but afternoon busing could cost more because of a cap on driver mileage per day in the collective bargaining agreement.

"I thought there was a lot of information for the board to consider," Superintendent Jason Moore said. "I think the board is going to have to look at the pros and cons ... but ultimately the board is going to have to make a determination of what's best for the greater good of the school district — not only the students, but the taxpayers who may be living on a fixed income who can't see large tax increases."

Moore added that the school board also has to be cognizant of property values, and he commended the architects for a well-done presentation.

Four residents addressed the board about the study. They asked questions about space usage, transportation and possible tax increases based on a merger or a non-merger.

"It's not all a money issue," board President Thomas Woods said. "We looked at this elementary consolidation from a teaching and learning (perspective), from a safety perspective, from an extracurricular activities perspective."

Residents for Jackson Elementary representative Carl Phillips said he was somewhat underwhelmed by the study. He said it lacked information on how much a consolidation would cost, and he said the board hasn't addressed how a merger could affect Jackson Township, where he lives.

Woods said the board was open to all possibilities regarding the future of the Jackson Elementary School building if some or all grades were moved to Cambria Elementary School.

Other information provided to the roughly 70 attendees included a 34-page frequently asked questions document that answered several questions and addressed social media rumors.

A public forum will be held at 7 p.m. April 29 in the high school auditorium to address the study and more.

The board approved a suspension of the regular public comment rules for this meeting, opting for 120 total minutes of discussion per topic and deciding that individual comments will be limited to four minutes to allow for more speakers; time may not be yielded to others.