Neshaminy Votes To Close Heckman, Lower Southampton Elementary Schools

For the vocal group who wished to keep Oliver Heckman Elementary School in Langhorne open, Tuesday evening was rough.

The board voted 5-4 to close the school. Board members Bob Feather, Mike Morris, Ron Rudy and Robert Sanna voted against closing the Cherry Street school that has served the Neshaminy School District for roughly 50 years without any major renovations. In addition, the board voted with no opposition to close Lower Southampton Elementary School.

The decision came as part of an effort to consolidate and upgrade elementary schools in Neshaminy. The end goal is to save money on operations costs. Last year, Samuel Everitt Elementary School in Levittown was closed and was leased to the Bucks County Intermediate Unit. A new 900-student school is currently under construction at the old Tawanka School site on Brownsville Road in Lower Southampton. The new school is expected to open by the start of the 2016-2017 school year.

The aging Langhorne school needed a security vestibule, a new roof, handicap accessibility and many other costly upgrades, officials have said.

The majority of Heckman students next year will go to the new school at the Tawanka site and a smaller amount will be attending Pearl Buck Elementary School in Levittown.

Board member Tina Hollenbach, who voted to close the school, called Tuesday a “rough night.”

The deciding vote on the closing came down to board member Marty Sullivan of Middletown, who has two children who go to the school.

“I have to go home and tell my kids I was the deciding vote to close their school,” he said in an interview after the meeting.

Sullivan campaigned on a platform that he would not like to close the school but promised to investigate the merits, he said. In the end, Sullivan said he poured over the data, talked to district officials and put plenty of due diligence into Heckman before casting his vote.

After the decision by the board, parents and community members streamed out of the auditorium at Maple Point Middle School, a few in tears after the vote to close the school. One man in the lobby yelled “lair” and “backstabber” as he walked out.

Langhorne resident Doug Hanisch, a proponent of keeping the school open, said he believed a strong case was made to keep Heckman in operation for the future. He thanked “every man, woman and children” who helped run a “substantive campaign” to urge the board to keep the school open. He also thanked the staff at the school for their contribution.

“Why are we here? We have a room full of parents who love their children,” said Jack Higgins of Middletown. “Some people know the value of keeping a small school open.”

Keeping the school open would have been a boon to the local economy with students wanting to stay in the area and opening businesses, Middletown resident Ben Hoffman said.

“I have seen every elementary school in the Neshaminy School District. Heckman defiantly stands apart from every other school in the district due to one thing – the community,” said Joshua Wenstrup , a substitute in the district.

Despite arguments about the school’s community, location and condition, some spoke about the benefits that would come with closing a school.

Deb Harker of Middletown said she understands the comments about the community at the school but she laid out the financial argument. She said money for Neshaminy is limited and money saved by closing schools can be spent on educating the district’s students.

“This is not an easy decision and no one wants to close schools,” Steve Rodos of Middletown said. He added that he was in support of closing the school and felt all savings should be directed at educating students.

Former board member Susan Cummings and Langhorne resident Larry Pastor both separately urged the school board to make the decision that would be best for the district’s finances. Cimmings said any money saved is needed to keep the district providing education to all the students.

Board President Scott Congdon, who attended Heckman for a period of time in his youth, said he would have liked to keep the school open but it was not affordable for the district. He added that he would be for more school consolidation and construction of a new school in the Langhorne area in the future.

“Please understand, I’m not unsympathetic on this … if this is the worst thing that ever happens to anyone, you’re doing pretty good,” Langhorne resident Kevin Gallagher told the room full of Heckman supporters.