OBSERVER Photo by Sara Holthouse The Clymer Board of Education discussed both the current status of the CSP Feasibility Study and enrollment numbers during their October meeting.

CLYMER — As the process of working on a feasibility study for a possible merger or reorganizational process between Clymer, Sherman and Panama schools continues, Clymer’s Board of Education also recently took a look at the school’s continuous decreasing enrollment.

During the October meeting of the Clymer Board of Education, President Ed Mulkearn gave an update to the board as to where the feasibility study process currently stands, saying there was a meeting with David O’Rourke, BOCES district superintendent, and the three schools and that everything is on track for the next joint board meeting on Nov. 13, in person at the Hewes Educational Center at BOCES. That meeting, he added, is when the presentation will be heard from the finalists for the Request For Proposals for the study.

“We also hired Shelly O’Boyle, former Superintendent of Frewsburg, as our CSP Merger Study Project Coordinator,” Mulkearn said. “That role is aidable through BOCES and she is going to do a number of things, but is going to be kind of the person that makes sure we’re all saying the same things and doing the same things and doing what we said we were going to do.”

Superintendent Beth Olson added to that, saying O’Boyle will coordinate all communications and be the point person between the three superintendents and districts.

Bids for the RFPs are due Friday and Olson said the three superintendents and board presidents will meet on Oct. 29 to look at the bids and evaluate them, and from there the finalists will be selected to present at the joint board meeting in November. The intent is for the schools to be able to make a recommendation to BOCES for them to then award the contract to do the study.

Later in the meeting, the board was presented with a chart from Olson, highlighting the current enrollment at Clymer Central School, which has seen a continuous decrease since 2021, according to the chart.

Current enrollment numbers are as follows: nine students in Pre-K, 15 in kindergarten, 17 in first grade, 15 in second, 10 in third, 21 in fourth, 15 in fifth, 19 in sixth, 17 in seventh, 29 in eighth, 35 in ninth, 26 in tenth, 35 in eleventh, and 30 seniors. The total number of students currently enrolled in Clymer is 293.

In 2021 there were a total of 377 students, followed by a decrease to 365 in 2022, 362 in 2023, 349 in 2024 and 329 in June 2025.

“You get below the 300 mark and it just gives you the willies a little bit,” Olson said. “I’ve been looking at it from class size individually, recognizing that especially in that seventh grade year we’ve gone from two sections to one section now. But now, to see it all compiled in one column and looking at the number, it’s just disheartening a bit.”

Olson noted that a big reason for the decrease is the incoming classes being smaller than the outgoing classes. The chart Olson provided also tallied the amount of students in elementary; 121, and high school; 172, along with four components of BOCES or Special Education students, Alternate Education students, Home Schooled students, and other public or private school students. Olson said the 10 BOCES students do get factored into the overall 293 number. The one ALT ED student is also reportable but the 39 homeschooled and one other public/private school students are not.

“So, it just goes to show that our numbers are not improving and if our efforts do not come to fruition we’re going to have to start doing something different,” Olson said.

How much tuition costs per student were then figured and discussed. Olson said all elementary classes are down to one session in elementary besides second grade, and fifth and sixth grade that used to be a team of four is now a team of two. There are two social studies teachers for high school, along with two English teachers, three math teachers, and three science teachers.

It was noted that year to year the amount of students per grade is staying relatively stable so it is not that students are leaving, but rather the school is losing a graduating class of 30 and bringing in a new class of 15 or less.

“So I try to share enrollment numbers each year at this time to just try to keep us focused on what we’re trying to achieve,” Olson said.

She added that she asked Panama and Sherman about their numbers the day before, and that there was a tally but they do not have their exact numbers quite yet. She said looking at the numbers from last year to this year, Panama was taking a significant hit because their graduating class was so large and they are also seeing smaller numbers coming in. Sherman, she said, is remaining relatively flat and making up the difference through tuitioning.

Losing Amish students in the beginning elementary classes was also discussed, as there are many different Amish schools in the area offering elementary classes now, and the two Amish students at Clymer are also in special education. Olson said she thought there are seven Amish schools now just in Clymer plus more in the surrounding communities.

“So, not to be doom and gloom, but just keeping it real,” Olson said.