As State College Area School District reviews its District-Wide Facilities Master Plan (DWFMP) with a focus on the needs of four elementary schools, one concern that has emerged among some State College residents is the future of Corl Street Elementary.
On Monday night, the members of State College Borough Council added their voices to those expressing that concern.
Council members unanimously agreed to send a letter to school board president Amber Concepcion advocating that Corl Street and another elementary school located in the borough, Radio Park, be renovated and expanded, rather than closing and sending their students to other schools.
‘By reinvesting in high-performing, walkable neighborhood schools at the heart of our community, council believes these elementary schools provide the district and the families living in the neighborhoods around the Corl Street and Radio Park schools with flexibility to accommodate long-term enrollment changes and attract additional families and students to the district,’ the letter, read by council president Tom Daubert stated.
‘As the school board is currently reviewing the DWFMP, council strongly supports the importance of neighborhood-based elementary schools and the retention and expansion of Corl Street School as the heart of Greentree and Holmes-Foster neighborhoods. Council also supports the addition and expansion of the Radio Park School in the College Heights neighborhood of State College. Young families choose to move to these neighborhoods in large part because of the location of a walkable neighborhood school that is among the highest performing in the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
The issue was first raised before borough council during public hour of its June 6 meeting.
Daubert and council member Cathy Dauler recently met with Concepcion, board vice president Jim Leous and district superintendent Bob O’Donnell to discuss the DWFMP, among other district matters that intersect with the borough, such as Memorial Field renovations and the State High project.
‘We have and continue to respect [borough council’s] role and perspectives regarding important decisions such as those that our school board faces,’ O’Donnell said. ‘Thus, we look to our municipal leaders for their thinking, especially when decisions involving their respective parts of our community are involved. Our Board continues to be very focused on the elementary school planning process and will continue to show all of the related details to the entire school district community.’
The DWFMP review is focused on potential renovation or construction for Corl Street, Houserville and Radio Park elementary schools, as well as determining if Lemont Elementary should be consolidated with Houserville, an option that’s been considered since 1999. The four schools were all built in the 1950s or earlier and haven’t undergone renovations since the 1960s.
District business administrator Randy Brown said last month that closing Radio Park is unlikely since the district does not own other real estate in that attendance area and the cost of real estate in the College Heights area is high.
Corl Street presents challenges, however. The school has lower enrollment than other district elementary schools and the site is restrictive, not leaving much room to expand. The site, at least for now, also is subject to code and zoning requirements that could further restrict how the school could be expanded.
‘There are some zoning constraints related to the site in terms of redeveloping it at this point, the key one being the maximum 20 percent coverage by the building on the lot,’ Borough Planning Director Ed LeClear said. ‘That will lead to some issues in terms of the solutions the design team may have for what they do on the site. Those solutions may lead to higher costs, in terms of potentially having to go up. They might have to go to a second story because they can’t necessarily do the addition they might need at the first story. There are a couple other issues — amount of parking, front yard setback.’
LeClear said if council does wish to amend zoning, it should direct the planning commission to begin work on it soon
‘The timing of this is important because the design team is working in June, July and probably early August on cost evaluation and design, so if we’re not able to at least give an idea that we’re moving forward with a potential amendment on the zoning ordinance to change those things, then you may see designs or options curtailed by current zoning.’
Council member Evan Myers said he did not believe zoning amendments should be a hindrance at this point, and that State High project matters were approved before necessary zoning issues were addressed.
Myers and fellow council member Theresa Lafer both said they have gotten the impression that some school board members had already decided they would close Corl Street.
‘I do think the school board had its mind made up and was sort of surprised that not everybody jumped on board,’ Lafer said. She added that though the district has spoken about potentially closing the school as a matter of efficiency, she finds it inefficient to spend money and time busing students to other schools. About half of Corl Street students walk or bike to school.’
District administrators have repeatedly said that possible closure of Corl Street and moving students to other schools is at this point only a potential option and that they will continue to evaluate all options as the review continues.
‘The district continues to look at both options related to the Corl Street facility, repurpose and renovate,’ Brown said this week. ‘Once further cost analysis and demographic data are available, the district will be in a position to make a recommendation to the board for the master planning process.’
Several residents of the Holmes-Foster and Greentree neighborhoods spoke at Monday’s council meeting in support of keeping Corl Street open.
Rebecca Wilson Lundin said she moved to State College because of Penn State, but since leaving the university decided to stay and make her career and home in State College. She moved to the Holmes-Foster neighborhood largely for her family to be a part of the Corl Street community.
‘I’ve been privileged in the past year to be part of conversations with a lot of people… about various efforts in State College to revitalize the town and to recruit and keep young professionals in situations like mine,’ she said. ‘Having strong neighborhoods in this downtown area and having strong neighborhood schools is one of the best ways we can continue to do that.
‘I’m confident my kids would get a great education at any of the State College area schools. We have a great school system overall but i think they will have a better neighborhood and community experience being at Corl Street.’
District administrators and board members have been holding public meetings for input on the DWFMP throughout the late spring and early summer. Additional meetings are scheduled for
• July 18, Ferguson Township Elementary School
• Aug. 15, Mount Nittany Elementary School
• Sept.19, Location TBD
Each meeting will begin at 7 p.m.
‘As we hoped, the borough residents have been very engaged in this planning process. They’ve been very helpful for us to ensure that we are thoroughly investigating all of the options for the different projects being considered,’ O’Donnell said. ‘Because the outcome of the elementary facility planning process stands a chance to impact several of our elementary attendance areas, I hope that more of our community members will engage so that our Board and administrative team hears the thinking from many more stakeholders.’
