Uniontown school board votes 6-3 to close A.J. McMullen Middle School
A.J. McMullen Middle School in Markleysburg will close at the end of this school year.
In a 6-to-3 vote on Monday, the school board for Uniontown Area School District decided to move elementary students to Wharton Elementary and sixth, seventh and eighth grade students to Marclay Elementary.
Board members said the decision comes after years of declining enrollment at the mountain-area schools, culminating in the vote to close A.J. McMullen.
Susan Clay, Kenneth Meadows, William Rittenhouse, Don Rugola, Daniel Venick and Terry Dawson voted in favor of closing the school, while John Holt, Adam Hull and Jon Tanner voted against it.
Fewer than 250 students are enrolled among the three schools, with about 150 at A.J. McMullen, according to Superintendent Charles D. Machesky.
Before the vote, Courtney Fisher of Markleysburg was critical of the board’s handling of their decision making process.
“We didn’t feel that the board was open and publicly discussed the options on the table, in the open,” Fisher said.
Jessilyn Holp offered a similar criticism of the board during public comment, noting that “91 days have been filled with confusion about what is really going on.”
“At a May (school board) meeting last year I said that we knew big changes were coming and there will be people who aren’t about them, but just remain transparent. And while I know Mr. Rittenhouse would say (school board members) have been nothing but transparent, I don’t think the majority of us on this side of the room feel that way,” she said.
Board members were given several options during the voting session.
If the board would have voted to keep A.J. McMullen Middle school open, they could have then voted to close Marclay Elementary and Wharton Elementary.
Board member John Holt, who was designated to read the action item to the board members refused, stating he could not because ‘I don’t agree with any of the options.”
Hull and Tanner joined Holt in voting against the proposal.
The next vote, which could only have taken place if the vote to close A.J. McMullen had passed, was to seek a bond not to exceed $7 million to convert the Marclay Elementary to a middle school and build a new gym. Machesky asked the board to table that matter for a further discussion citing his feeling that the money was “excessive.”
However, since the vote for the $7 million bond had already been motioned to be voted on, it could not be tabled and was ultimately, unanimously voted down.
No teachers are expected to lose their jobs due to the school closing, Marchesky said, because of several retirements planned for next year.
After the vote, Fisher once again used the public comment session to plead for transparency.
This is going to be a huge transition for the mountain community, especially for those with special needs children who are used to certain schools and certain routines, Fisher said.
“I know this is just step one. I know a bunch of us want to know what the next steps are and what you guys are planning on doing next,” she said.