1/29/26: PSA

Dear Members of the Pine Plains Community:

After providing additional consideration to the public commentary and concerns that have been circulating on social media and shared with us at our open meetings, we are writing to share that we are recommending that the Board undertake the formation of the advisory committee that is recommended pursuant to New York State Education Law Section 402-A.  The advisory committee is to be comprised of a wide cross-section of stakeholders and will be tasked with analyzing what is in the best interests of the district as concerns both building utilization and educational impact of a potential school closure.  While we have already undertaken a significant amount of work towards this end based upon the detailed studies that demonstrate a significant decline in our enrollment, we welcome the additional procedures recommended by Section 402-A and undertaking the collaborative approach recommended by that statute.  As we finalize the agenda setting for our next Board meeting, given that we plan to recommend the formation of this committee, we will be postponing any further consideration of a school building closure until after the committee has had the opportunity to analyze building utilization and educational impact.  We believe that this meets our fiduciary duty while at the same time continuing to look at ways to ensure that the District is able to provide a robust educational experience for all of its students.

Thank you,

Amie Fredericks and Dr. Brian Timm