Mt. Pleasant considers closing Rumbaugh Elementary School

Years of "difficult budgets and revenue limitations" have led the Mt. Pleasant Area School District to consider closing Rumbaugh Elementary School, Superintendent Timothy Gabauer said in a statement delivered at a public hearing on the topic this week.

"Building capacities throughout the district, along with the potential to combine resources enables us to consider this closure while improving the financial, academic, and social experience for our elementary students," Gabauer said in a statement to community members. "Rumbaugh has great potential to generate revenue for the district upon its closure in a variety of ways, including lease revenue or sale."

The district is considering several options that could involve redistricting elementary school boundaries, Gabauer said. All of those options would use "existing buildings with minimal or no physical alterations," he said.

The district operates a junior-senior high school, along with four elementary schools, including Rumbaugh.

Jamie Martines is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at jmartines@tribweb.com, 724-850-2867 or on Twitter @Jamie_Martines.