An FAQ on Maybrook School

Maybrook parents and teachers had a good question and answer session with Superintendent Richard Hooley Tuesday.

To read the summary of the meeting, you can see my article from Thursday’s paper.

However, there was more to me said than that. Here’s a run down of some of the questions and answers that Hooley gave, with some information from School Board President Bob Santo peppered in.You can also check out what people are talking about at the Facebook group: Save Maybrook Elementary School.

If Maybrook closed, would the class sizes at Berea and Montgomery Elementary Schools be larger?
Assuming the current population of students in all schools, yes, class sizes would be larger, school board president Bob Santo said. The district goal has been to keep the classes below 25.

How would the district determine where a Maybrook student would go?
The school board would have to create a redistricting map that divides the village into two zones, Hooley said. One zone would be for kids who would attend Berea and the other zone of students would attend Montgomery Elementary School.

Wouldn’t closing Maybrook increase busing costs?

Yes, the district would add two new bus routes, Hooley said. The savings of eliminating staff positions would outweigh the added transportation cost. Using a rough estimate, each teaching position costs about $80,000 in salary and benefits on average, Santo said.

Would the Maybrook building be closed?

No. Hooley said that the building could be used for offices and maintained in the hopes that it could one day reopen as an elementary school.

When are the next meetings?

A community meeting on Maybrook Elementary School is Tuesday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. at the Maybrook Senior Center.

The first Community Advisory Budget Committee Meeting is Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. at Berea Elementary School. Subsequent meetings are Feb. 16, March 1 and March 15.