We, the concerned parents, residents, and neighbors of East Smithfield, Ridgebury, and Ulster, are standing together to fiercely oppose the proposed closure and consolidation of S.R.U. Elementary School.The Athens Area School District Board of Education recently approved a timeline to potentially close our neighborhood school to address district budget deficits. While we understand that managing a $47 million budget requires tough choices, balancing the books should never come at the direct expense of our youngest, most vulnerable children.Closing SRU Elementary and busing our kids to Athens will hurt our community in three devastating ways:Unacceptable Bus Commutes: Elementary children, from Pre-K through 5th grade, will be forced into significantly longer daily bus rides to reach a centralized campus. Exhausting travel times harm a child’s sleep, focus, and academic potential.Destruction of a Critical Community Hub: SRU serves a high percentage of economically vulnerable families. For parents facing limited transportation options, moving the school far away removes their ability to volunteer, meet with teachers, or easily pick up a sick child.Crowded Classrooms: Consolidation threatens the highly personalized 13:1 student-teacher ratio our kids currently benefit from, risking overcrowded rooms and strained resources at Lynch-Bustin Elementary.Our rural neighborhoods pay school taxes to support our schools, not to watch them get stripped away. The board has until the legal waiting period ends following the September 28 public hearing to make their final decision.Sign this petition today to demand the school board explore alternative budget cuts and vote NO on the closure of SRU Elementary. Let’s pack the room on September 28 and keep our neighborhood school open!"