Sharon Nealer’s jaw dropped with surprise Thursday when she heard the news that Stewart Elementary School in Lower Burrell might close.
Nealer was shopping Thursday along Leechburg Road, just a few blocks from the school.
“I’m shocked. I think it looks perfect the way it is,” Nealer said.
Burrell School District officials scheduled a June 25 public hearing on the possible closure of Stewart, as required by law.
Nealer has lived in the district for a decade. She thinks the school serves its purpose just fine.
“I’m surprised. Why close it? I just don’t see the reasoning as it’s been there a long time, and won’t it overpopulate the other schools?” Nealer asked.
Joyce Hanz | TribLive
Sharon Nealer, a 10-year Lower Burrell resident, said she is shocked to hear that Stewart Elementary School could close.
But district officials cite outdated building infrastructure and declining enrollment among the reasons for considering a closure.
Since the 2003-04 school year, the district has seen a 20% decrease in enrollment through last year.
Stewart is the oldest school in the district, originally built in 1931, and educates about 260 fourth and fifth grade students. At one time, it housed grades one through six.
Superintendent Shannon Wagner cited a number of problems with the building, including roof leaks, unusable rooms and “dead space” created by decades of renovations and reconfigurations.
Lower Burrell native John Jordan Jr., 40, who attended Stewart for five years, said Thursday he is disappointed in the district’s leadership.
“I was shocked. It just sounds like they just want to tear the school down and not do anything about it,” Jordan said.
“They raise our school taxes and what’s it going for? Why did they wait so long to do something? Why wait until it’s too late? I am disappointed in the district leadership. It seems like they just do what they want.”
Wagner said the district hasn’t “waited” and has paid for numerous upgrades and additions to Stewart over the years. She said the building is safe for students and staff but simply has outlived its usefulness.
District officials said an architectural firm estimated it would cost about $17 million to renovate Stewart.
Some parents point out that cost is less than the price tags for the two options school officials are considering if Stewart is closed.
One option, for about $20 million, would move Stewart’s fourth grade to Bon Air and the fifth grade to the district’s middle school.
The other option, for about $26 million, would add seven classrooms to Bon Air and keep the fifth grade there.
But, Wagner points out, both of those options wouldn’t stop there. They also would upgrade the heating and ventilation systems in all of the district’s three remaining schools — a project district officials say must happen regardless of the fate of Stewart. If the district were to keep Stewart open, that $17 million renovation cost would be in addition to the HVAC project costs.
A project to upgrade the HVAC system at the high school alone, said Wagner, will cost almost $10 million.
By combining the already planned upgrades with the closure of Stewart and addition of classrooms to Bon Air, the district actually could save money.
Still, that doesn’t calm all of the concerns of residents.
District parents Nicole and Tim Coulter live near Stewart and have a child enrolled at Bon Air Elementary School, less than a mile down Leechburg Road from Stewart.
The couple worries about what will become of the almost 7 acres that includes the 76,000-square-foot school building.
“What will they do with this space? Will it be commercial or residential? I worry. I see all the abandoned buildings that we have in Lower Burrell and some are coming back, but, still, I don’t want to see this abandoned,” Nicole Coulter said.
The front portion of the Stewart property along Leechburg Road is zoned for commercial use, and the back portion is zoned for residential use, according to Lower Burrell Mayor Chris Fabry.
If the district proceeds with closing Stewart, the building would close by fall 2025 and the property would be listed for sale, Wagner said.
Not all parents are against closing Stewart.
Kelly Smith, whose daughter is in fourth grade at Stewart, said she understands a decision to close the school.
“The school is truly falling apart and the closure is necessary,” she said.
Like other parents, her biggest concern is keeping fifth graders in an elementary school and not in the middle school, where they might mix with older students.
“In my opinion, they are experiencing different stages of life that I don’t want my 10-year-old exposed to.”
Wagner said most of the district’s teachers favor putting the fifth grade at Bon Air and keeping the middle school at sixth through eighth grades.
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association, while not commenting directly on any plans for Stewart, said whatever decision is made, it will be complex.
“School closings and school reconfigurations are incredibly complex and difficult decisions for school boards and school administrators since they impact virtually every aspect of district operations,” said Mackenzie Christ, senior manager of communications for the association.
Christ said factors the district will have to weigh include enrollment levels and trends, academic programs and course offerings, age and condition of school buildings, transportation, staffing and finances.
District officials have said the closure of Stewart would not result in any loss of jobs, as employees would be transferred to other buildings.
Wagner said both of the options that would see Stewart closed include paving at Bon Air to provide additional parking.
Regardless, the closure of Stewart certainly would affect nearby residents.
Nevada Street resident Beth Nury has lived across from the school for more than 37 years.
Nury and her neighbors first heard about Stewart’s fate Wednesday reading TribLive. Since then, the entire street has been abuzz with what Nury described as concern over their property values declining.
“I loved having a neighborhood school, and our biggest concern is that it could be anything. What if it’s a commercial business? We have so many empty storefronts right now. I don’t think we need another one,” Nury said. “Also, the $17 million to renovate Stewart is the cheapest fix to this. If it will fix the problem, then do that.”
Nury had three children attend Stewart and plans to attend the public meeting in June.
“I do not want to see this become a big commercial lot or some high-rise go up there. Our property values could plummet,” Nury said. “It’s very quiet here except for children playing, and that’s a wonderful thing.”
