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Top Story 2012: Ridgefield Eyes Closing Elementary School

RIDGEFIELD, Conn. – As the end of 2012 comes into view, The Ridgefield Daily Voice is looking back at some of the year's biggest stories.

Ridgefield residents filed into East Ridge Middle School for one of many public meetings held by the Facilities Committee to discuss the possible closure of one of the towns six elementary schools.

Ridgefield residents filed into East Ridge Middle School for one of many public meetings held by the Facilities Committee to discuss the possible closure of one of the towns six elementary schools.

Photo Credit: Alissa Smith, file photo

Discussion of closing one of Ridgefield’s six elementary schools has been going on for over a year and has included several public meetings, studies and a committee. In November, the Board of Education decided to hold off on a decision until the end of 2013.

Originally, the decision was to have been made at the end of this year, however, the Facilities Committee informed the board that the student population wouldn’t decrease enough until the 2014-15 school year.

Parents and other residents had few positive things to say about the closing of a school. Many said the potential savings wouldn’t be worth the disruption to the children. The Facilities Committee predicted a savings of around $1 million a year, which one parent calculated as $100 per taxpayer in town.

The committee also announced that of the six elementary schools, Farmingville and Scotland are the two they would recommend if a school had to close. At the board’s final meeting of 2012, it decided to schedule a redistricting survey for mid-2013 to provide the most up-to-date information about where children live, where they currently go to school, where they could go to school and if the board could redistrict rather than close a school.

The subject of closing a school came up when the Board of Finance asked the Board of Education to find places for cuts.

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