Could Penns Valley close this elementary school? A public hearing is scheduled
The Penns Valley Area School District is moving forward with early plans to close an elementary school that has seen dwindling enrollment numbers.
The district’s school board voted Wednesday to advertise and schedule a public hearing at which administrators will present a proposal to close Miles Township Elementary School and community members can provide feedback and comments. The hearing is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Monday, May 12, inside Penns Valley Junior-Senior High School’s auditorium.
The board is not expected to make any decision on the proposed permanent closure of Miles Township Elementary for at least three months after the hearing, setting up a potential approval date just days before the 2025-26 school year begins on Aug. 26. It remains unclear when the district would close Miles Township Elementary if plans are approved.
Speaking during public comment, district parent Scott Martz encouraged the board to allow Miles Township Elementary to remain open for at least the 2025-26 school year. Avoiding a potential school closure for the next year would give parents more time to adjust to disruptions, including new bus routes, and provide administrators enough time to execute the closure with fully formed plans for the building and the district’s families in mind, he said.
“It is apparent it’s going to happen. Miles Township is going to close,” Martz said. “The key word I want to bring up to the board, because I know there is a proposal to vote on that, is ‘eventually.’ I’m hoping that we take our time with that and really look into it. I think it would be a big mistake to look into next school year and close that school.”
Fewer students at Miles Township Elementary
District administrators have not yet shared specific reasoning behind the proposal to close Miles Township Elementary or plans for students, faculty and staff who might be affected by the move. Board discussion at Wednesday’s meeting made it clear that a dwindling student population is creating issues for the district and the school, which already transferred its nine-student 2024-25 kindergarten class to Penns Valley Elementary this year. That trend will continue next year after the board approved two separate measures that will send more Miles Township Elementary students across the district for the upcoming school year.
Miles Township Elementary’s nine incoming kindergarten students will move to either Penns Valley Elementary and Intermediate School or Centre Hall-Potter Elementary School for the 2025-26 school year. According to Superintendent Brian Griffith, the district plans to divide its estimated 78 incoming kindergarten students between four sections at the Penns Valley and Centre Hall elementary schools.
The board also approved a motion that will assign and transfer Miles Township Elementary’s estimated 16 or 17 third grade students to Penns Valley Elementary and Intermediate School, which is currently slated to instruct 24 such students for the 2025-26 school year. That would effectively split the district’s third grade students with Centre Hall-Potter Elementary School, which expects to instruct 42 third grade students next year.
Approved motions to move some Miles Township Elementary students throughout the Penns Valley district leave the school with just pre-K, second and fourth-grade classes during the 2025-26 school year.
School board member voices concern
Kimberly Domin was the lone school board member to vote against all three measures presented Wednesday — both student transfers and the scheduled Miles Township Elementary hearing. (Board member Karla Groy was absent.) While reading a statement before the board, Domin said that considerations to potentially close the school are happening too quickly.
“I’m not naive, and I know Miles Township will probably be closed one day. My concern is, ‘Why are we pushing it through now?’” Domin said. “The timeline that will be established with an affirming vote tonight means that the vote on closing the school will come just right before the start of a new school year.”
“I know that closing Miles Township is inevitable, but I want it to be a reasonable closure,” Domin continued. “I want it to be decided with input from all the stakeholders. I want students, staff and even community members to have a chance to celebrate the last first day at Miles Township. If we vote yes tonight, that will be taken from them.”
Domin claimed staff at Miles Township Elementary requested a meeting with the board to discuss the potential closure of the school. Board members on Wednesday appeared largely unaware of such a request, which Griffith, the superintendent, said he did not receive.
Regardless, the board expressed strong interest in meeting with the school’s employees as the district receives feedback and information regarding plans to potentially shutter Miles Township Elementary.
“If we vote yes tonight, we have our public comment, and we still have the opportunity to vote no on closing the school,” said board member Domer Smetlzer. “That’s what this is all about, right? To gather information from the public, the students, the parents, the faculty and the administration. But if we don’t open the door for that, we’re never going to get that information.”
Griffith encouraged the board to continue seeking community input by meeting constituents where they are, whether that be school classrooms, board events or even fire hall meetings.
“I think a hearing is a really good idea,” the superintendent said. “Beyond that, going out and not necessarily asking people to come in is really important as well.”
This story was originally published April 24, 2025 at 11:55 AM.
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