Large crowd of parents attend school board meeting amidst rumors surrounding Reserve Primary

SHALER, Pa. — More than a dozen parents voiced frustration during a marathon school board meeting in Shaler Wednesday night.

“Fix it; fix the problem,” one parent said. “Fix your education for your kids.”

A feasibility study on several schools in the Shaler Area School District recently came out and is sparking emotion. The study revealed Reserve Primary could be on the chopping block.

Parents packed the Shaler Area Middle School’s library, calling for transparency and demanding answers.

“Closing this would be absolutely detrimental,” one parent said.

A Reserve Primary graduate agreed.

“You’re not just impacting us, you’re impacting the whole community,” she said.

The feasibility study states that all schools in the district, except for Scott Primary and the high school, require “significant work.” The report goes on to say that the district has “significant financial constraints,” that the cost of construction has gone up over the last two years and that inflation has had a big impact.

The school board says declining enrollment could also be a big factor.

Superintendent Dr. Sean Aiken said no decision has been made on the school’s future and there likely won’t be one for another several months.

“We are going to take our time to have all the details to make the right decision,” he said.

One option is to shut it down and move students to another school. Other options include a full renovation and expansion of the primary school.

“None of these options are quick fixes,” Dr. Aiken said.

Parents don’t want it to close. They like the small-town feel of the school.

“There’s not another school in the district that has the impact like Reserve does,” one father said. “My daughter cried for an hour last night.”

There is no price tag yet on how much renovations would cost.

The superintendent plans on holding town hall meetings for parents to weigh in over the next several months.

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