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During a town hall meeting on Friday, Dec. 6, Mount Vernon City School District officials discussed reconfiguration options that include the potential closures of Cecil H. Parker School, Mount Vernon Honor Academy, and Mount Vernon Leadership Academy.
The session, held at Graham School and on Zoom, marked the second community forum on the topic, district officials said.
According to Acting Superintendent K. Veronica Smith and other officials, Mount Vernon is one of only three districts in New York State designated as having significant fiscal distress by the State Comptroller’s Office. Officials said the district faces challenges such as declining enrollment, aging buildings, and high operational costs under its current K-8 neighborhood school model.
Officials also said Mount Vernon’s student population has steadily fallen, dropping from over 10,000 students in past decades to approximately 8,000 students in 2016. Current projections estimate enrollment could decline to 6,000 students by 2027 and fall further to 5,100 students by 2033. Officials added that no data suggests future increases.
During the meeting, two new reconfiguration proposals were presented:
The first option would keep four schools—Graham School, Pennington School, Lincoln School, and Benjamin Turner Academy—serving K-8 students. Denzel Washington School of the Arts and Mount Vernon STEAM Academy would become grades 7-12 schools. Mount Vernon High School would remain a grades 9-12 building but incorporate the grade 7-8 Academic and Career Exploration (ACE) program. Other schools would be designated as Pre-K to grade 6 or K-6 buildings.
"This model would allow for each student to attend a school in close proximity to their home," district officials said.
The second proposal focuses on creating two middle schools for grades 6-8, with Rebecca Turner Academy and Nelson Mandela/Dr. Hosea Zollicoffer School as potential candidates. Denzel Washington School of the Arts and STEAM Academy would transition into grades 6-12 schools. Mount Vernon High School would continue serving grades 9-12, with ACE students in grades 6-8 also attending. The remaining schools would become Pre-K to grade 5 or K-5 buildings.
"The district needs to move forward with a plan that is sustainable to ensure it has a solid future for Mount Vernon students," officials said.
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