RUMFORD – SAD 43 parents and residents are invited to attend a special informational meeting Tuesday that could determine the future configuration of the district’s three elementary schools.

Up for serious consideration is the use of Virginia Elementary School, the smallest of the three, with a current enrollment of 111 pupils in kindergarten through grade five. Enrollment has dropped from 183 since 1989.

“This is a big issue for parents. This has to be resolved. It’s not healthy for the students or staff,” said Superintendent Jim Hodgkin of the discussions over the years of the possible closure of the school.

Closure is not necessarily the issue this time.

Hodgkin plans to present figures showing the decline in the number of elementary students over the past decade, and the possibility that all kindergarten through grade five students could be housed in Rumford and Meroby elementary schools. Virginia elementary may be used for other programs in the district.

Student census data has shown a decline in the elementary age group from 848 in 1994 to 607 students as of Oct. 1, 2004.

“There is nothing wrong with Virginia Elementary School, but we must look at the needs of the district, the decline in student enrollment and ways to save money,” he said.

He estimated a possible savings between $80,000 and $180,000 if Virginia Elementary School is changed from an elementary school to a site for the district’s Day Treatment Program and Alternative Education Program.

The Day Treatment Program for kindergarten to eighth grade is housed at Meroby. If more space becomes available at Virginia Elementary School, that program could be expanded to include grades nine to 12 and to include special needs students from nearby districts.

The Alternative Education Program is housed at the Mexico Recreation Center for grades nine to 12. If more space is available, the program may be expanded to include a similar program for district middle school students.

He said $250,000 has been put aside in the 2003-2004 budget for renovations that may be needed at the three elementary schools if all elementary students attend two of them and Virginia Elementary School is used for special programs.

Other advantages include greater consistency and flexibility of class sizes and scheduling. Now, students at Virginia Elementary School receive art, physical education and gifted-and-talented services from teachers who travel between schools.

He said, too, that the issue should be resolved relatively soon, and certainly no later than March because of the budget implications for the 2004-2005 operating year.