After the rise in budget cuts, decrease in enrollment, and loss of funding, the School Committee made the difficult decision to shut the Fort Barton Elementary School. The rural town of Tiverton until now had three elementary schools; Fort Barton, Pocasset, and Ranger. Fort Barton was named after the Fort Barton memorial and is nestled in the small residential area of Stonebridge. Diane Farnworth, Chairperson of the School Committee, was open to answering a few questions about the decision behind it. First and foremost, Farnworth explained that the town has been debating over this idea for over a year, and the causes behind it boiled down to rising costs and lowering enrollment. Specifically, from 2004 to present, there has been a 21% decrease in enrollment, a decrease in aid from the state, and the costs which are projected to rise even higher have combined with the losses making the school more of a hindrance.
Farnworth also wanted to emphasize the point that although Fort Barton “has a long history of great culture and educational results”, it is due to the people within the walls of the building rather than the building itself. In fact, Fort Barton is the smallest of the three elementary schools, with the least amount of land.
The coming steps to shut down Fort Barton have already begun, which is “to approve the move of grade 4 to the middle school”. This may seem odd, but the Middle School has enough space for the students and the School Committee and administration has been working closely to make the transition as smooth as possible.
Although people are talking about the shut down of Fort Barton, the building will continue to be used for educational purposes, but sized down. Farnworth also would like to address the idea circulating of the possible influx of students into the school system with the new housing developments in progress. She points out that “If and when some of this student influx becomes a reality where our existing capacities are a concern, we can and will reopen the school”.
Fort Barton stood as a pillar of the community for many years, but the closing of the school doesn’t mark the end of the era, rather a continuance where the building will continue to be used in an education way, only on a smaller scale. The closing will begin at the end of this year, allowing the community to transition into two elementary schools which will play host to children kindergarten through third grade.
