Ellwood City Area School District and its Board of Directors hosted a public hearing Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the possibility of closing one of the district’s school buildings.
During the hearing, District Superintendent Amy Anderson, presented the three-building configuration options, which are currently under active review. Anderson presented five options including two scenarios for closing North Side, one scenario for closing Perry, one scenario for closing Hartman, and also a scenario that she labeled status quo, which basically means no change to the District’s current building configuration. (See the presentation here). (Find information about District Facilities Planning & Updates here)
Anderson said a final decision would be made at the earliest in February of 2027 and said careful consideration must be made as the district is facing significant financial challenges not just currently but also into the future.
“How did we get here,” she asked. “Financial pressures and decisions that have accumulated over time.”
According to Anderson, it isn’t one decision or one project or one program that has led to the financial current or future financial concerns of the district, but rather many factors including the general cost of operating schools. She explained that when expenditures exceed revenue or when the district is spending more than it is bringing in, it leads to a structural deficit and depletes the fund balance.
The district found itself in a $3 million budget shortfall in early 2026, and have since found $2 million dollars in cost reductions, but Anderson said that although the cuts have made an immediate impact, it is not enough for a sustainable plan into the future.
“We must continue making meaningful changes,” she said. “There’s a difference between finding savings and achieving long-term sustainability.”
For example, according to Anderson, the 26-27 budget is already expecting a budget shortfall of $1 million dollars. She said a plan must consider the District’s position in the next 5, 10, and even 20 years.
“We need to look at what will best serve the students in the years ahead,” she said.
Anderson said the District’s enrollment is set to decline by 16% from 2020 to 2035. By 262 students.
A Look At The Building Configuration Options
Option 1A Close Northside:
- Perry goes from 249 students and three vacant rooms to 270 students and zero vacant rooms.
- Hartman goes from 236 students and 7 vacant rooms to 418 students and zero vacant rooms.
- Lincoln goes from 658 students and 9 vacant rooms to 761 students and 1 vacant room.
Advantages:
- Creates a traditional Grades 6–8 middle-school grouping at Lincoln, aligned with many curricular materials and STEELS standards
- Current enrollment patterns, including the smaller Grade 1 cohort, may make this configuration workable for approximately the next four years
Considerations:
- Grade 2 would be divided between Perry and Hartman
- Separation of grade 6 students from older students
- Some floors have classroom specific equipment that can not be moved
- Art, Music, Computer, PE, and library programming would all require reassignment or additional planning
- Title Spaces may need to use the pods at Hartman
- May need to add additional lunch period at Hartman
- Restrooms at Hartman wil be busy
- May need to add an additional recess period at Perry and Hartman
Option 1B:
- Perry goes from 249 students and three vacant rooms to 224 students and two vacant rooms.
- Hartman goes from 236 students and 7 vacant rooms to 333 students and three vacant rooms.
- Lincoln goes from 658 students and 9 vacant rooms to 892 students and -5 vacant room.
Advantages:
- Keeps each grade level together — eliminates the Grade 2 split required under Option 1A
Considerations:
- Grade 5 students would attend Lincoln alongside students through Grade 12
- Significant classroom and staff movement needed to create age-appropriate separation at Lincoln
- Cafeteria capacity may require an additional (fourth) lunch period and additional monitors
- Playground and recess space would need to be addressed
- Title programming requires additional analysis — North Side and Perry currently operate as schoolwide Title schools
- Significant traveling teachers.
Option 2: Close Perry
- North Side stays the same – 2 open classrooms.
- Hartman adds an additional grade, going from 236 students and 7 open classrooms to 373 students and zero open classrooms.
- Lincoln goes from 658 students and 9 vacant rooms to 761 students and 1 vacant room.
Advantages:
- Closes the smallest instructional building in the District
- Maintains the existing K–2 configuration at North Side with no disruption
- Creates a clean Grades 3–5 configuration at Hartman
- Creates a traditional Grades 6–8 middle-school grouping within Lincoln
- Does not require Grade 5 students to move into the Lincoln high school environment
Considerations:
- Perry has been recently renovated, representing a significant prior capital investment
- Perry has the most land of the elementary/intermediate properties under consideration
- Future use or disposition of the Perry property would need to be determined — including potential concern about another educational provider acquiring the site
- Lincoln would still require classroom and staff movement to accommodate Grade 6 and create appropriate separation
Option 3: Close Hartman
- North Side no change
- Perry no change
- Lincoln goes from 658 students and 9 vacant rooms to 892 students and -5 vacant room.
Advantages
- Hartman has significant identified facility needs, including HVAC, safety, and security improvements
- Closing Hartman could reduce or eliminate a substantial future capital investment burden
- North Side and Perry experience no grade reconfiguration — continuity for younger students
Considerations
- Grade 5 students would attend Lincoln alongside students through Grade 12
- Lincoln age-appropriate spaces require planning
- Cafeteria, recess, circulation, and supervision needs at Lincoln would require extensive analysis
- Hartman’s HVAC infrastructure is connected to Lincoln — separating or capping the systems would require technical analysis
- Hartman and Lincoln share a connected campus, which may complicate future use, sale, or disposition of the Hartman building
Option 4: Status Quo
Advantages
- No Changes for Students or staff
Considerations
- Financial savings are voided
- Need to plan for expenditures for all four buildings
Thoughts From The Public
The District provided an opportunity for the community to provide input regarding the possibility of closing a school building through a survey offered to the public in October of 2026. Anderson said feedback from the public will be considered when a final decision is made.
Five members of the public spoke during the public comment period, some choked up and tearful. The overall theme from those that spoke was to move forward Status Quo.
Laura Goehring, district parent of two elementary students said that having three elementary schools is crucial to the development of students. She said that her family was considering private school for her children but actually chose public school because the class sizes in Ellwood City School District were smaller at the time. She worries that eliminating a school building will inflate class sizes. She also cited numerous programs that are unique to each school facility/staff and said it would be shame for any of that to have to be cut.
Two moms spoke out about putting younger students–as young as fifth grade–with upperclassmen who are more mature and on a different level. Both spoke about the fear of their kids being “groomed” by older students.
Megan Moore, a district parent, kindergarten teacher at Northside, and taxpayer said she can’t bear the thought of her young daughter being exposed to the older males in the high school. She said she recalls her own experience of entering 7th grade in a whole new world. Moore with tears in her eyes said she had a senior writing her notes when she was in 7th grade.
“I think about that happening to my own daughter,” she said as she fought back tears.
Francene Hunter, a 50 year tax payer in the district, and employee at Northside spoke on behalf of the students and also the staff. She said the talk of closing one of the district’s buildings is scary for staff and students.
“There are just too many unknowns,” she said.
A Timeline of Budget Events
November 2025: The Ellwood City Area School District’s Board of Directors voted 5-3 to Adopt a Resolution, as prepared by Bond Counsel, authorizing the issuance of General Obligation Bonds, in an amount not to exceed $11,905,000, for capital improvements to Hartman and Northside (Directors Kathy Galbreath, Kathy Tillia, and Kevin Boariu voted “No” on the motion. Director Norman Boots was absent from the meeting.) During the Nov 4, 2026 hearing, Anderson said that at the time of the decision, the Board was unaware of the District’s financial situation, which only came to light upon the release of the 2024-2025 financial audit.
April 2026: The district considered an employee furlough to address a budget shortfall. Ultimately the motion was defeated in a 4/4 vote. “No” votes came from Board President Kathy Galbreath, Board Vice President Norman Boots, and Board Directors Kathy Tillia and Nick Mancini. “Yes” votes came from Board Directors Jean Biehls, Claire Fauzey, Erica Gray, and Kevin Boariu. Board Director Jennifer Tomon was not present at the meeting. The consideration came to the table as the district realized it was facing a $3 million budget shortfall. Prior to the vote, District Superintendent Dr. Amy Anderson said the $3 million is a result of numerous factors which created a dependency on the fund balance. She said that no matter what happens, the district will continue to prioritize student needs and that they are determined to rebuild the fund balance. “We are committed to being transparent during this process,” she said at that time.
May 2026: The Ellwood City Area School District’s Board of Directors passed a preliminary budget—which called for a 4.9 percent tax increase—and authorized administration to work with PFM Financial Advisors LLC, as Municipal Advisor on a financing plan as the district at that time faced a more than $1 million budget shortfall. Melissa Maze of PFM said the financing plan is strictly a strategy for cash flow relief, not an overall solution. She said the key will be finding the structural balance. “This will buy you the time to make the structural changes,” she said.
June 2026: The Ellwood City Area School District’s Board of Directors voted unanimously (with Director Jennifer Tomon absent) to table a motion to approve the General Fund Budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year in the amount of $36,941,103.00, they did approve a tax increase. The tax resolution sets the tax rates for the 2026-27 fiscal year to include the ACT 679 $5 per capita tax, the ACT 511 $10 per capita tax (a shared tax by municipalities), property tax millage at 22.0800 mills, Earned Income Tax at .5%, Realty Transfer Tax at .5% and the Occupational Privilege/Local Service Tax at $5.00.
July 2026: The district heard a presentation by EDM consultant and ABC Transit on transportation review 2026 During a presentation on transportation review 2026, EDM consultant said the district is spending 3.59% of its budget on transportation at a cost of $1,141 per student. His suggestions to trim the transportation budget included: optimizing fleet usage; improving routing efficiency; controlling costs and increasing efficiency; enhancing safety and reliability; strengthening partnership with contractors; and planning for long-term sustainability. Some further suggestions included: vocation route consolidation; van route optimization; and future grade tiering (which according to the consultant might increase length of time, travel but would add 6th graders to the high school run and 5th graders on the elementary run. A three tier system would include runs for grades 9-12; 6,7,8; and then an elementary run).
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