West Babylon School District May Close Forest Avenue Elementary Due to Budget Issues, Lower Enrollment
In a surprising cost-cutting move, the West Babylon Union Free School District announced that it is weighing the possibility of closing Forest Avenue Elementary School, citing budget issues combined with lowered enrollment levels.
At a Tuesday, January 14 public meeting of the West Babylon Board of Education, board members discussed a summer 2024 study that revealed that the district currently has 761 less students enrolled when compared to 2010; this amount comprises the typical student body of an entire elementary school, they said.
In addition, a projected map of the next five years predicts that enrollment in the West Babylon district will continue to decline, with board members saying that this is drawing them to consider consolidation and cost-cutting measures in the form of eliminating one of their elementary schools - namely, Forest Avenue - leaving four remaining.
In addition, if closed, the vacant Forest Avenue campus could be leased out to any number of educational entities for additional district revenue, to the tune of as much as $800,000 annually.
A decision on the matter has not yet been made.