Some residents shocked by news of potential closing of Stewart Elementary
Sharon Nealer’s jaw dropped Thursday when she heard the news that Stewart Elementary School in Lower Burrell might close.
“I’m shocked. I think it looks perfect the way it is,” said Nealer, who was shopping along Leechburg Road just a few blocks from the school.
Burrell School District officials have 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,” Nealer said. “And won’t it overpopulate the other schools?”
District officials cited outdated building infrastructure and declining enrollment among reasons for considering a closure. Enrollment fell 20% between the 2003-04 school year and last school year.
Built in 1931, Stewart is the oldest school in the district. It educates about 260 students in fourth and fifth grades. At one time, it housed first through sixth grades.
Superintendent Shannon Wagner cited a number of problems with the building, including roof leaks, and “unusable space.”
Lower Burrell native John Jordan Jr., 40, who attended Stewart for five years, said 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?”
The district has paid for numerous upgrades and additions to Stewart over the years, Wagner said. She said the building is safe for students and staff but has outlived its usefulness.
District officials said an architectural firm estimated it would cost about $17 million to renovate the school.
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 Elementary and fifth grade to Huston Middle School.
The other option, for about $26 million, would add seven classrooms to Bon Air and keep fifth grade there.
Both of those options, Wagner said, 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 Stewart’s fate. If the district were to keep Stewart open, that $17 million renovation would be in addition to the HVAC costs.
A project to upgrade the HVAC system at the high school alone will cost almost $10 million, Wagner said.
By combining the already-planned upgrades with the closure of Stewart and addition of classrooms to Bon Air, the district could save money. Still, that doesn’t calm all of the residents’ concerns.
Nicole and Tim Coulter live near Stewart and have a child enrolled at Bon Air, less than a mile down Leechburg Road from Stewart. They worry about what will become of the almost 7 acres that includes Stewart’s 76,000-square-foot building.
“Will it be commercial or residential?” Nicole Coulter said. “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.”
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 shutters Stewart, the building would be closed 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.
“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.
“They are experiencing different stages of life that I don’t want my 10-year-old exposed to,” she said.
Most of the district’s teachers favor putting fifth grade at Bon Air and keeping the middle school as sixth through eighth grades, Wagner said.
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association, while not commenting directly on plans for Stewart, said whatever decision is made will be complex.
Factors the district has to weigh include enrollment levels and trends, academic programs and course offerings, age and condition of school buildings, transportation, staffing and finances, said Mackenzie Christ, senior manager of communications for the association.
District officials have said a closure would not result in job losses because employees would be transferred to other buildings.
Nevada Street resident Beth Nury has lived across from Stewart for more than 37 years. She and her neighbors first learned about Stewart’s fate Wednesday while reading a TribLive story. Since then, the street has been abuzz with concerns over property values possibly declining.
“I loved having a neighborhood school, and our biggest concern is that (redevelopment) 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. She 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,” Nury said. “It’s very quiet here except for children playing, and that’s a wonderful thing.”
Joyce Hanz and Kellen Stepler are TribLive staff writers. Joyce can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com. Kellen can be reached at kstepler@triblive.com.
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