Burrell School District responds to questions on Stewart Elementary's fate

Burrell School District Superintendent Shannon Wagner used questions submitted by the public to clear the air as questions swirl around a potential closure of Stewart Elementary School.

District administration recommends closing Stewart in the 2025-26 school year due to a decline in enrollment, student needs and the condition and age of the school.

The school board held a meeting in June to take comments on the fate of Stewart and, although a final decision isn’t expected until late September or early October, Wagner asked residents to submit questions about the district’s plans. She used the questions to provide an overview of why the district recommends the school’s closure.

The building

Selling Stewart could provide funds for improvements in the district, Wagner said. By closing Stewart, the district could save about $200,000 in operating and maintenance costs.

Stewart was built in 1931. It would cost about $17 million to renovate the building.

Wagner said that if Stewart closes, the hope would be to sell the property and have a taxable entity use it to increase tax revenue for Lower Burrell and the school district.

“The goal would be to find a buyer with the financial means to purchase Stewart and a vision for utilizing the property to benefit the community,” Wagner said. “This could include considerations such as the preservation of historical elements, the creation of new job opportunities or the enhancement of local amenities.”

The district would be responsible for maintenance of Stewart until it is sold.

The numbers

If Stewart were to close, the district is looking at two potential options to send fourth and fifth grade students to Bon Air Elementary and add seven additional classrooms to that building; or place fourth grade students at Bon Air and fifth grade students at Huston Middle School.

Despite districtwide enrollment declines — Burrell has seen a 22% reduction in student enrollment over the past two decades — having those additional classroom at Bon Air could be advantageous for the district in the future, Wagner said. Having the additional classrooms allows fifth grade students stay at Bon Air for an additional year instead of transitioning to Huston Middle School, and it also helps if district enrollment were to increase.

“Ultimately, the decision will likely hinge on weighing the potential benefits of adding rooms against the current enrollment numbers and future growth projections,” Wagner said.

Moving grade levels between Stewart and Bon Air isn’t a long-term solution to declining enrollment, student needs or the conditions of district buildings, Wagner said.

“Simply shuffling students from one school to another without addressing these underlying issues does not benefit anyone,” Wagner said. “The district should focus on long-term solutions that address the root causes of these problems rather than just moving students around for the sake of doing so.”

No staff would be cut if Stewart closes. Wagner said the district already has adjusted its staffing in response to declining enrollment.

She said that in 2011, Bon Air and Stewart were reconfigured from two kindergarten through fifth grade buildings to the current K-3 and 4-5 model, which led to a decrease in the number of homerooms at each grade level. Burrell also has reduced some support and administrative staff positions.

Transportation

Closing Stewart would require a review and adjustment of student busing, Wagner said. The district will consider, and potentially relocate, bus stops for students to travel to their schools.

Plans for pickup and drop-off at Bon Air depend on which grade levels are housed at the school. Pickup and drop-off procedures at Bon Air would largely stay the same if the school has kindergarten through fourth grade students, and Wagner hopes they would even be improved after a paving project at the school.

If Bon Air absorbed fourth and fifth grade levels, building additions would be necessary and there would be modifications needed to pickup and drop-off, Wagner said. Those potential modifications weren’t outlined by the district.