Uniontown schools to keep Franklin open through at least 2026-27
Franklin Elementary School will not close at the end of the year.
Uniontown Area School District Board President Don Rugola said at Monday’s work session the board would need to deliberate more about consolidating district facilities before making a final decision. A final vote on closing the school had been set for March 23.
“We understand what this means to the community and to the students, staff and everyone else that’s part of it, and we believe that there is more that needs to be done and taken into consideration before any actions are taken,” he said.
The board has been evaluating potential school closures and consolidation in response to maintenance costs and dwindling enrollment numbers. The district’s enrollment had dropped by about 17% over the past 15 years, state enrollment figures showed.
In 2025, the board voted to close A.J. McMullen Middle School at the end of the 2024-25 school year.
Closing Franklin Elementary was a common element of options brought to the board by the firm Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates, which performed a feasibility study of consolidating schools in the district.
Rugola said the district would continue to look at building usage and potential closings, which could happen as soon as 2027. Over the next year, he said, the board members would discuss grade configurations, curriculum needs, transportation needs, facility conditions, technology and staffing.
“Anything that we do, regardless of what or where it happens, is not to disrupt communities, but it’s to ensure that our entire district remains strong, academically, financially and operationally,” he said. “…I will promise everyone this, we will continue to be transparent, we will continue to communicate, we will continue to listen, and we will make decisions that we believe are best for the Uniontown Area School District.”
Community members applauded after Rugola’s comments Monday.
Parents had mobilized against the Franklin closing, saying it would take away a necessary educational resource in the city, and circulated a petition calling for legal action against the district.
“Engage your community, get them involved in their children’s education more, so that it doesn’t come to where we’ve been over the last three months,” said Lyle Warren of Vanderbilt. “We all have lives. We all would rather be doing something else and have this all run smoothly.”