Kate Lisa is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media parents and guardians of children enrolled in the Coxsackie-Athens School District spent hours sharing their suggestions and grievances with school officials on Aug. 19, about the proposed reorganization of grades pre-K through four. The district August 3, held the first of several forums to discuss its plan which would send all students in pre-K through second grade to E.J. Arthur Elementary School in Athens and all third and fourth graders to Coxsackie Elementary School. Students in kindergarten through fourth grade currently attend classes in the school building located in the community where they live. Dozens of parents spoke for several hours at the board of education meeting last week about the proposed reconfiguration. The expressed concerns that the pandemic caused enrollment numbers to increase so class sizes will be impacted to the degree that one-on-one instruction would suffer; about young children riding the school bus for a greater distance and a longer period of time and more. Board of Education President Michael Donahue said school officials will continue to listen to parents and community members with their questions, comments and concerns, and conduct additional forums throughout the year to make an informed decision, The changes proposed would not be implemented during the current school year. “We’re going through the information-gathering stage,” Donahue said. The district is looking to reorganize its elementary buildings because of declining enrollment, the addition of a pre-K program and teachers' desire to have the same grade level under the same roof. The next reconfiguration forum will be held in late September. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.