District to Commission Study on Future of Binghamton Schools
The Binghamton City School District is preparing to seek a feasibility study to evaluate facilities and determine what will have to be done to meet future needs.
Dr. Tonia Thompson, the district superintendent, said a review will be conducted to assess school buildings and enrollment projections.
Speaking on WNBF Radio's Binghamton Now program, Thompson said she and the board of education are developing a request for proposals for the planned study.
Thompson said the evaluation will help to plan for the district's needs looking ahead a decade or so. She said the study will offer guidance on how facilities can best be used.
The district-wide review could help determine whether any schools could be candidates for closing or possible reconstruction.
The superintendent said she expects to present the request for proposals for a study to the school board in the next few months. She said the district could start seeking proposals for the work in the fall. The review itself likely would take about a couple of years to complete.
Thompson stressed there are no current plans to close any Binghamton schools.
MacArthur Elementary on the South Side is the city's newest school. It was built after the previous school sustained heavy flood damage in 2011. The new school has been open for just over two years.
Several of Binghamton's other schools are very old and are becoming increasingly costly to maintain.
Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com
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