The Norfolk School Board ended a years-long slow walk to consolidate surplus schools on Wednesday by voting to close nine buildings, most in the next five years.
Only school board member Tanya Bhasin opposed the plan. She signaled her vote in an earlier afternoon work session, claiming the promised savings were unclear and that she was uncomfortable closing Norview Elementary School next year until seeing the results of district-wide rezoning due in early 2026.
"While I know decisions have to be made, I'm honestly disappointed with the way this whole process has been going on for the last several months in general, and the communication, the way we've received data," she said. "Right now, we are being pressured to do this quickly, with no real evidence of what the cost savings are going to be."
According to a report from a school system consultant, closing an elementary school would save the district a little more than $1 million annually.
“Our hands have been forced with this plan, but we have gone through many iterations of this plan, and I stand fully behind it,” Chair Sarah DiCalogero said before the vote. “But our kids are resilient, and they will bounce back quicker than the adults.”
The vote came more than two months after an Aug. 1 deadline originally issued by a City Council resolution passed in March calling for a closing plan.
For years, as student populations plummeted, Norfolk Public Schools has delayed closing unneeded buildings, which its consultant estimated could have saved $70.6 million between 2018 and 2022, according to the city council resolution.
That resolution required a minimum of two schools to close per year starting before the 2026-2027 school year, "until the number of school buildings no longer exceeds the amount needed" and threatened to change the lump sum appropriation the city provided schools, which exceeded the state's legal minimum requirement by $67 million in the current year's budget.
Under the plan approved Wednesday, school closings would begin next year with Norview Elementary School and the Willoughby Early Childhood Center. Nine schools will be closed overall and five additional schools will be repurposed. One more will be rebuilt and another will be renovated. The final plan went through a handful of iterations, including one proposed by Bhasin and board member Jason Inge that never made it to a vote.
In 2027, Tarrallton Elementary, Granby Elementary and the Ghent School would close under the plan. Students in Ghent, which draws from across the city, would be moved to the Rosemont building, which would continue to house the Rosemont Academy of International Studies for grades 6-8. Administrators would move out of that building to make room for international studies students, Young Scholars students and Ghent students.
P.B. Young Elementary, which is adjacent to the Young Terrace public housing complex, would tentatively close in 2027, but that could change depending on Young Terrace’s redevelopment schedule. School board members want students to move before demolition begins.
Lindenwood Elementary School would be repurposed to accommodate staff from Rosemont. Oceanair Elementary School would be repurposed for students from the Willoughby Early Childhood Center. Where students from those schools will land depends on the rezoning study.
In 2028, the building housing the Southeastern Cooperative Education Programs (SECEP) would close and Chesterfield Elementary would be repurposed for those programs. The relocation of those students also would be determined by the rezoning results. A new Jacox Elementary would be built.
In 2029, the Berkley Early Childhood Center would close. In 2033, the technical education center would close and move to Lake Taylor High School, which could be renovated.
Board member Ken Paulson said he reluctantly voted for the plan, decrying the process. He noted that changing demographics means there will be more school closure discussions in the future.
"I don't think we have informed a lot of the citizens as best they could have been informed," he said. "We have to do better going forward."