FAQ

Frequently Ask Questions

This page provides answers to commonly asked questions about the Deposit CSD and Hancock CSD feasibility study. As the study progresses, additional questions and responses may be added based on feedback from students, staff, families, and community members. Our goal is to provide clear and accurate information to help keep the community informed throughout the process.

Ask YOUR Questions!

If you have a question about the feasibility study, we encourage you to submit it using the form below. Questions gathered through this form may be used to help guide future updates to this FAQ page and support continued transparency throughout the process. We appreciate the thoughtful questions and perspectives shared by students, staff, families, and community members.

Ask YOUR Questions!

Q: Is a new school building being proposed in the merger study?

A: No, there is no proposal for a new building.

Q: Will the local libraries have to close?

A: No. There are different ways that the libraries could restructure and stay open.

More investigations about how this could look are being done at the State level.

Q: Why can’t we just continue to share and send teachers back and forth throughout the day?

A: Depending on the subject area and size of the classes, teachers are scheduled to teach the students in their home District for multiple periods/day.

The current shares have been decided based on caseload, type of position, and/or the amount of time NYS requires students to experience a specific subject. In many cases, shares aren’t possible.

Q: What is the financial status of both districts right now?

A: Both districts are fiscally stable at the current time. However, both districts are facing yearly challenges based on rising costs and lowered income.

The State has threatened to take away funding from Districts that have experienced lower enrollment over the years which would result in a loss of $800K for Deposit CSD and $2.7M for Hancock CSD.

Q: Is it true that the Districts have debt?

A: Yes, both Districts have some debt.

Districts borrow money for things like buses and facilities projects. This debt is carefully planned and is aligned with aid generated by the capital projects or bus purchases.

This aid is included as revenue. Keeping a steady flow of debt and state aid allows the districts to keep tax levies at a more consistent rate.

Q: Why do we have to take on the other district‘s debt in a merger? that’s not fair.

A: : Don’t forget that capital projects and bus purchases also generate income in the form of State aid—and in some cases, a lot of it!

Facilities projects previously done in one district will bring in an additional $3.6 million dollars of income in the event of the merger.

Also, the community members should look at the assets that will be combined/inherited in a merger: buildings, staff, tax base, and state aid. If the districts merge, “What’s mine is mine” must be “what’s ours is ours," just like we share pride in our merged athletics.

Q: How can we trust that the new board will make good decisions if we merge?

A: The taxpayers will elect the new board.

It is critical that only people who have the best interests of our students in their hearts and minds are elected to these seats. Electing community members who don’t believe in the merger will only create barriers for the new District to thrive.

Q: What about transportation? I don’t want my child on a bus for a really long time.

A: As part of the study, both Districts are being examined with regard to the transportation needs of all students to get a accurate understanding of how much (if any) extra time students would need to be on a bus if they were going to Deposit/Hancock from the opposite town. Factors such as school schedules, number of drivers, number of buses, and starting locations are being analyzed to find the best possible solution.

Keep in mind that not all students would need to be shuttled to a different location.

More information to come on this at the completion of the study.

Q: Will students from Pennsylvania be able to attend the new District?

A: Yes; students from Pennsylvania could pay tuition to attend the newly merged school District as they currently do.

It would be up to the new board to decide if they wanted to allow PA students to attend/pay tuition, and it would be up to the Pennsylvania school to decide if they want to send their students to the new District.

Q: What does the voting process look like?

A: After the merger study is shared publicly with the boards of education on June 9, the boards may decide to go ahead with the “straw vote."

This is a non-binding vote that allows the public to show whether or not they support the merger.

This could be done by petition, but both Districts believe that it is important to have an actual vote to assess support. This will likely happen in late July 2026.

Open Communication, Transparency, and the Nature of our FAQ

This FAQ section will continue to evolve throughout the feasibility study process. As new questions and topics are raised by members of the Deposit and Hancock communities, additional information will be added here to help keep everyone informed.

Community members are encouraged to submit additional questions to help guide future updates to this page.

We encourage community members to check this page periodically for updates!

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Frequently Ask Questions

Ask YOUR Questions!

Top Ten Frequently Ask Questions

Q: Is a new school building being proposed in the merger study?

Q: Will the local libraries have to close?

Q: Why can’t we just continue to share and send teachers back and forth throughout the day?

Q: What is the financial status of both districts right now?

Q: Is it true that the Districts have debt?

Q: Why do we have to take on the other district‘s debt in a merger? that’s not fair.

Q: How can we trust that the new board will make good decisions if we merge?

Q: What about transportation? I don’t want my child on a bus for a really long time.

Q: Will students from Pennsylvania be able to attend the new District?

Q: What does the voting process look like?

Other Frequently Ask Questions

Open Communication, Transparency, and the Nature of our FAQ