FAQ: Grades 4-8 Configuration

The District previously operated this building successfully as a single Middle School with more students than are enrolled today. 

• In 2011-2012, the former Rondout Valley Middle School served 626 students in Grades 5-8.
• In 2012-2013, Rosendale Elementary School was closed and all of the District’s Grade 4 students moved to the building, which was reconfigured into two schools: the Intermediate School, which served Grades 4-6, and Junior High School, which served Grades 7-8. Under this configuration, 776 students in Grades 4-8 attended.
• Today, the combined Grade 4-8 enrollment of the Intermediate School and Junior High School has dropped to 608 students.
• Enrollment projections indicate that numbers are expected to continue declining in Ulster County and New York State.

When enrollment falls, many costs do not decrease at the same pace. Operating two schools within one building means duplicated administrators and support staffing, even as student numbers decline.

Reconfiguring to a single Middle School is a way to:

• Right-size our structure
• Keep resources focused on students
• Protect academic programs, extracurriculars, and supports over time
   

For students, the daily experience will look the same as it did previously, but there are meaningful benefits:

• One school identity, one mission, one leadership team
• Smoother transitions between grades
• Unified school identity and coordinated support services
• Greater consistency in expectations and school culture
• Long-term protection of academic programs, electives, clubs, and athletics by reducing overhead costs

The goal is to make a fiscally responsible change that strengthens, rather than diminishes, the student experience. Student supports, including counseling and special education services, will remain in place.

The Grades 4-8 Middle School configuration is effective beginning in the 2026-2027 school year.

No. There will be no changes to class sizes as a result of this reconfiguration.

No. All classrooms and instructional spaces will remain the same.

No. All current instructional models will remain in place:

• Grade 4 will remain self-contained
• Grade 5 will continue its team-based structure
• Grades 6-8 will continue subject-based instruction
   

No. There would be no changes to:

• Bus routes or transportation schedules
• Start and end times
• Lunch or recess schedules
   

No. All extracurricular programs will continue as they were previously offered.

In fact, reducing duplicated administrative costs helps the District preserve funding for these opportunities as enrollment continues to decline.
 

Staffing changes for the reconfiguration will occur through attrition, which means when someone retires or voluntarily leaves, a position may be restructured or left unfilled. This approach allows the District to plan responsibly while minimizing disruption and maintaining stability for staff and students. The full staffing and fiscal impact would occur gradually over several years as these retirements are realized. 

Separately from this reconfiguration discussion, a committee of stakeholders has been actively studying whether Grade 4 should be returned to the elementary schools, an idea that has been raised and is being explored further. While that decision was not part of this immediate reconfiguration, it does underscore the importance of planning for continued enrollment decline. The discussion on returning Grade 4 to the Elementary Schools is ongoing and would be considered separately as a potential Phase 2, if the reconfiguration is pursued.