To the Members of the Pine Plains Central School District Board of Education:

We, the undersigned residents, parents, guardians, and taxpayers of the Pine Plains Central School District, urge the Board of Education to vote NO on the proposed shuttering of Cold Spring Early Learning Center for the ‘26-’27 school year, scheduled for consideration on January 20th, 2026.

We oppose this proposal for the following reasons:

Vote NO while we lack all of the necessary research. A responsible decision requires a district-wide "right sizing" analysis, yet the current proposal focuses narrowly on shuttering Cold Spring ELC. The Board has not provided a comparative financial study of all district facilities and options for restructuring, or a deep-dive into alternative cost-saving measures—such as shuttering Seymour Smith ILC and expanding Cold Spring ELC, redistricting or reshaping where to send students within the district, or taking advantage of green energy initiatives. The Board must take the time to ensure that the final decision is the most fiscally responsible path in the longterm, rather than just a reactive closure.

Vote NO before understanding the impact on students. School closures are not one-time disruptions. Studies show that displaced students often experience a drop in test scores and a persistent 1.8% increase in absenteeism that can last for years. For our youngest learners, this instability at the start of their educational journey can lead to long-term declines in graduation rates and college eligibility. The Board has not released any kind of educational impact statement, even in the face of such high stakes for students. We need to be sure that savings from shuttering Cold Spring ELC are necessary and that the Board has considered the negative impact on students.

Vote NO without a future financial plan in place. The Board claims a closure is necessary to save $1.5 million in operating costs, yet simultaneously proposes consolidating students into Seymour Smith ILC, a century-old facility requiring millions of dollars in capital repairs. Shortly after Dr. Timm’s recommendation to shutter Cold Spring ELC next year, a board member suggested moving forward with the necessary project to replace the old asbestos floor tiles in Seymour Smith–a repair that will cost an estimated $760,000 for only two-thirds of the flooring and will essentially wipe out half of the expected savings of shuttering Cold Spring ELC for next year. It is also contradictory to claim a fiscal crisis requiring school closure just 90 days after the Board successfully campaigned to spend $9.1 million in cash reserves. Over half of this money was dedicated to upgrades on the high school athletic complex, representing the Board’s decision to spend funds on a “want” rather than a “need”. A responsible Board must conduct a full cost of ownership study of all buildings before acting. It is fiscally inconsistent and irresponsible to abandon a more modern asset like Cold Spring without first verifying if Seymour Smith is a "money pit" that will lack long-term viability and burden taxpayers with decades of debt.

Vote NO until there is a plan for how this will happen. The Board is rushing toward a January vote without considering the needs for relocating students by September. Currently, there is no documented plan for retrofitting Seymour Smith ILC for 4-year-olds—a facility the Superintendent admits was "not built for little people." How does the closure affect busing? Is the one cafeteria ready to feed an influx of students? Are classrooms that have remained empty ready for student use? Students and staff deserve a transparent blueprint that takes all aspects of daily educational life into account before a single student is moved, but the district does not have the time to create this plan from now to September.

Vote NO until the community’s voice is heard. The District’s proposal relies on feedback from only 22 forum and 78 personal surveys—representing a statistically insignificant 1.6% response rate from our 6,000+ residents. This data gap is the result of "Future-Ready Forums" that were poorly advertised and held on a timeline that precluded thoughtful community deliberation. By moving to a vote without representative consensus, the Board has failed to uphold the spirit of NY Education Law § 402-A, which mandates extensive community involvement and the investigation of educational impacts at least six months prior to any closure.

We are not presenting an opinion on 'if' changes are needed; we are signing here to state that the current process is incomplete. A school Board meeting its standard of care  should not vote on a closure without a statistical analysis of all buildings and closure options, a plan in place to enact such changes, or an understanding of what the community wants.

For these reasons, we respectfully request that the Board vote NO on this proposal and reconsider the matter only after further analysis is done and greater community engagement is allowed.

(We greatly appreciate the support of everyone, but please sign the petition only if you are a resident of the Pine Plains Central School District. Thank you!)