Voters in the Onteora Central School District will weigh in Tuesday on two propositions that could reshape the future of local education, including a plan to consolidate all K-12 students on a single campus in Boiceville.
The first proposition is a proposed $63.5 million school budget for the 2025–2026 academic year, a 2 percent increase from the current year. The second is a $70.5 million capital project that would expand the Boiceville campus, which already houses the middle-high school and Bennett Elementary. If passed, the district would finalize plans and secure state approval by early 2027, conduct bidding with contracts awarded within the voter-approved budget, begin construction in summer 2027, and aim to complete the project by the 2028–2029 school year.
Superintendent Victoria McLaren called the initiative a long-term strategy to strengthen academic offerings and respond to years of declining enrollment.
“Our students deserve the very best, and we believe the central campus will provide that,” McLaren said. “It’s not about the closure of the school, it’s about creating a central campus.”
If approved, the project would include 10 new elementary classrooms, a library expansion, science lab upgrades, a new track and turf field—the total project cost would not exceed $70.5 million, and would require a bond of $55.5 million. The state would reimburse up to 31 percent of eligible costs.
The outcome could reshape the district’s structure, prompting debate over consolidation, equity, and local identity. While the budget vote is routine, the capital project has drawn heightened attention. At the heart of the debate is Woodstock Elementary School, a one-story brick building constructed in 1950 that sits near the town’s gateway. Although the school is scheduled to close by 2028—following a 2023 school board resolution—some residents hope the vote could delay or reverse that decision.
McLaren clarified that a “no” vote would not necessarily stop the closure.
A Shrinking District
Enrollment in Onteora schools has fallen by half over the past 20 years. In 2003–2004, there were 2,160 students district-wide. Today, there are 1,041, according to the most recent enrollment data for April.
District-wide enrollment continues to decline. Phoenicia Elementary closed after the 2023–2024 school year, and while the Town of Shandaken had considered repurposing the building as a town hall, officials now say they are waiting for a potential tenant to come forward with a collaborative plan for the site’s future use.
“Keep in mind that within 20 years, the middle-high school building held more students than our entire district holds right now,” said McLaren. “So it’s not necessarily that we don’t have the space on that campus; we want to make the best possible space for our students.”
According to the nonprofit Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress, 46 school buildings have closed in the region since 1999. President and CEO of Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress Adam Bosch told The Overlook it reflects broader demographic trends.
“People are having much fewer children,” Bosch said. In Ulster County, like much of the United States, the birthrate has steadily declined. “The place you start to see that first is in your schools, and the next is the workforce begins to shrink,” added Bosch.
In the towns of Shandaken, Olive, Woodstock, West Hurley, and parts of Marbletown and Lexington, which the school district serves, the rising cost of housing and second home ownership has made it harder for young families to find affordable and stable housing options.
The School Board wrote in a statement to The Overlook that to balance class sizes for next year, “we will likely shift some of the students who are in the Bennett attendance zone to Woodstock.”
Divided Views
At public hearings, community spaces, and on social media, Proposition 2 has stirred emotions. Supporters say a unified campus will improve education and allow for more robust programming, particularly in special education, by placing all students and educators on a single site. They argue that consolidation would reduce the need for teachers and specialists to travel between schools, allowing for more consistent instruction, better collaboration among staff, and expanded services for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Opponents fear the loss of small schools and community identity.
Woodstock resident Martin Haber, a retired New York City teacher and former Onteora Central School District substitute, opposes the project.
“In terms of real estate and in terms of the whole feeling of Woodstock, it just bums me out in such a big way,” he said. “It feels like you’re robbing Woodstock of its real heart when you take an elementary school away.”
Some parents have organized campaigns to delay or stop the school closure. A group called “Keep Woodstock Alive” maintains a website, Facebook page, and regularly hosts events. Its appeal, simply, “Save Our School.”
Others say a unified campus is necessary for student success.
Faedra Dagirmanjian, an Olivebridge resident, supports Proposition 2 and has joined a grassroots campaign to raise awareness. Her daughter attended Phoenicia Elementary before it closed.
“I think if year to year they had more peers—not a bigger class size, but a bigger pool of kids—that would be a huge benefit,” she said.
Sierra Smith, an Olive resident, founded a Facebook group called Unify Onteora to support centralization. “I really hope that Proposition 2 passes… My biggest hope is for us to start feeling like one school community.”
A Broader Challenge
McLaren said she understands the community’s attachment to Woodstock Elementary.
“It’s a terrible loss to close a school,” she said. “It’s not an Onteora issue, it’s a state issue.”
McLaren and Assistant Superintendent Monica LaClair have given presentations on the vote at municipal meetings in Olive, West Hurley, and Woodstock.
If Proposition 2 fails, the Board of Education will review exit poll data, revise the proposal, and possibly reintroduce it for a November vote. Delays, she said, could raise construction costs.
Voting takes place Tuesday, May 20, from 2 to 9 p.m. at district polling sites at Woodstock Elementary School and Bennett Elementary School.
For more information, visit the Onteora Central School District’s website.
Amy Wu is a reporter covering Woodstock and Saugerties. Send correspondence to amy@theoverlooknews.com.