REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

TOWN OF JAY, ESSEX COUNTY, NEW YORK
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The Town of Jay is seeking proposals from qualified consultants to complete an expedited Economic Impact and Alternatives Analysis related to the potential closure, consolidation, or relocation of elementary school programming currently serving the Town of Jay.

The study will evaluate economic, demographic, community, educational, fiscal, and municipal impacts and identify practical alternatives that may preserve an elementary-school presence in the Town while addressing school district fiscal concerns.

Proposals are due by 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 2, 2026.

Specifications are available from the Office of the Town Clerk, Carol Greenley-Hackel, P.O. Box 730, 11 School Street, Au Sable Forks, NY 12912, by calling (518) 647-2204, or at www.townofjayny.gov.

Proposals must be clearly marked:

“Sealed Proposal – Town of Jay – Economic Impact and Alternatives Analysis.”

The Town of Jay is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages participation by Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs) and other disadvantaged business enterprises.

The Town reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to make an award determined to be in the best interests of the Town.

TOWN OF JAY, ESSEX COUNTY, NEW YORK

School Closure RFP Final

Economic Impact and Alternatives Analysis for the Proposed Closure of the Town of Jay Elementary School

Issued by: Town of Jay, New York
Issue Date: August 20, 2026
Proposals Due: September 2, 2026, at 2:00 p.m.
Anticipated Notice to Proceed: Immediately following selection
Draft Report Due: Within 30 calendar days of Notice to Proceed
Final Report Due: Within 7 calendar days following receipt of Town comments

1. Purpose

The Town of Jay is seeking proposals from qualified economic development, municipal planning, education policy, rural development, or multidisciplinary consulting firms to conduct an expedited independent analysis of the economic, demographic, community, educational, fiscal, and municipal impacts associated with the potential closure, consolidation, or relocation of elementary school programming currently serving the Town of Jay.

The AuSable Valley Central School District is currently evaluating long-term facility and fiscal options. The Town understands that no final closure decision has been made. The purpose of this study is therefore not merely to quantify the impacts of closure, but to provide decision-makers with an independent assessment before an irreversible decision is made and to identify practical alternatives that could preserve an elementary-school presence within the Town or otherwise achieve the District’s fiscal objectives with less community impact.

The Town considers its local elementary-school presence to be critical civic infrastructure whose impacts extend beyond the school district’s operating budget to housing, population retention, workforce recruitment, property values, local businesses, municipal services, transportation, family decisions, and long-term community viability.

2. Scope of Services

The selected consultant shall complete the following tasks.

A. Baseline Community and School Analysis

Establish a current baseline for the Town of Jay and the affected school community, including:

Population and household trends;
School-age population and enrollment trends;
Birth and demographic trends;
Housing production, housing availability, vacancy, and affordability;
Workforce characteristics;
Commuting patterns;
Local business activity;
Municipal tax base and property values;
Recent and planned housing and community-development investment;
Geographic distribution of affected students;
Current school transportation patterns and estimated travel times; and
The role of the elementary school in community identity, family retention, and local economic activity.

B. Economic and Community Impact of Closure

Analyze the short-, intermediate-, and long-term impacts of eliminating an elementary-school presence serving the Town of Jay, including reasonably quantifiable impacts upon:

Population retention and future household growth;
Attraction and retention of families with children;
Residential property values and marketability;
Local housing development and investment;
Employer recruitment and workforce retention;
Local businesses and household spending;
Municipal tax base;
Community services and nonprofit organizations;
Transportation costs and student travel times;
Childcare and before/after-school needs;
Employee and household commuting burdens;
Community cohesion and civic participation;
Potential impacts upon vulnerable and lower-income families;
Environmental and transportation impacts associated with increased busing; and
The long-term competitiveness of Jay as a year-round community.

The analysis shall distinguish between savings realized by the school district and costs shifted to families, municipalities, and the broader community.

3. Alternatives to Closure — REQUIRED

This is a principal component of the assignment.

The consultant shall not assume closure or consolidation is the only feasible outcome. The report must develop and evaluate specific alternatives capable of reducing operating costs, increasing enrollment, increasing building utilization, generating revenue, or restructuring programming while retaining an elementary educational presence in the Town of Jay.

At a minimum, alternatives should evaluate:

Maintaining the existing elementary configuration;
Alternative grade configurations;
Shared elementary programming among communities;
Magnet or specialized instructional programming;
Accelerated or advanced elementary programming;
Outdoor, environmental, Adirondack, STEM, arts, agricultural, or place-based education programs capable of attracting or retaining enrollment;
Districtwide school choice or modified attendance zones;
Pre-K/UPK expansion;
Childcare or early-childhood programming co-located in the school;
BOCES or shared-service programming;
Special education or regional instructional programming;
Community-school models;
Adult education or workforce programming during non-school hours;
Municipal or community use of unused portions of the building;
Leasing portions of the facility to compatible public, nonprofit, childcare, or educational users;
Energy, staffing, transportation, procurement, or administrative savings;
Shared staffing or cross-building staff models;
Revenue-producing uses of available space;
State, federal, philanthropic, or economic-development funding;
Housing and family-attraction strategies intended to stabilize or grow enrollment;
Partnership with the Town of Jay or other public entities where legally permissible; and
Any other alternative identified by the consultant that could materially reduce the projected fiscal benefit attributed to closure.

For each viable alternative, the consultant shall identify:

Estimated savings or revenue; implementation costs; enrollment implications; legal or regulatory issues; implementation timeframe; potential funding sources; educational advantages and disadvantages; and overall feasibility.

The final report must contain an Alternatives Matrix comparing closure against each practical alternative.

4. Independent Review of Claimed Savings

The consultant shall independently evaluate the financial assumptions associated with closure or consolidation.

The analysis should distinguish:

Gross projected savings;
Actual recurring net savings;
One-time transition costs;
Transportation increases;
Capital improvements necessary at receiving schools;
Staffing reassignment versus actual eliminated positions;
Building security and maintenance costs after closure;
Insurance and utilities;
Debt service;
Potential disposition costs;
State aid implications;
Costs of maintaining a vacant building; and
Any financial effects that may reduce the actual savings attributed to closure.

The Town specifically seeks to understand the true net annual savings from closure compared with less disruptive alternatives.

5. Educational and Student Impact

While this engagement is principally an economic and community analysis, the consultant shall identify reasonably foreseeable student and family impacts, including:

Transportation time;
Earlier pickup and later drop-off;
Class size;
School capacity;
Special education implications;
Extracurricular access;
Parent participation;
Attendance;
Student transitions;
Impacts on younger children; and
Educational opportunities gained or lost under each alternative.

6. Legal and Procedural Review

The consultant shall work with, or include within its team, qualified New York education-law expertise sufficient to prepare a procedural memorandum identifying:

Authority for a New York central school district to close or reorganize a school;
Required Board of Education actions;
Applicable Open Meetings Law requirements;
Whether any voter approval is required for particular alternatives or associated capital actions;
The applicability and implications of Education Law §402-a;
Applicable State Education Department procedures;
District obligations relating to transportation, student assignment, special education, and facility use;
Rights and opportunities for public participation;
Available administrative or judicial review following a final closure decision; and
Actions the Town and affected residents should consider taking before any final Board vote to ensure that economic and community impacts and reasonable alternatives are part of the administrative record.

This component is intended as a planning and legal-process analysis and shall not substitute for advice from the Town Attorney or specialized education counsel.

7. Stakeholder Engagement

Given the expedited schedule, the consultant should conduct focused engagement rather than a lengthy public planning process.

At minimum, the consultant shall interview representatives of:

Town of Jay;
AuSable Valley Central School District;
Affected parents;
Teachers or school staff;
Local businesses and employers;
Housing and community-development organizations;
Emergency services;
Childcare providers; and
Other affected municipalities as appropriate.

One public or virtual community input session shall also be included.

8. Deliverables and Schedule

The selected consultant shall provide:

Initial Data and Information Request within three business days of Notice to Proceed.
Preliminary Findings Memorandum within approximately 21 calendar days of Notice to Proceed.
Draft Economic, Community and Alternatives Report within 30 calendar days of Notice to Proceed.
Alternatives Matrix and Executive Summary suitable for public distribution.
Legal/Procedural Memorandum.
Final Report within seven calendar days following receipt of Town comments.
Presentation of Findings to the Town Board and, if requested, the AuSable Valley Central School District Board of Education or at a community meeting.

Because the District anticipates additional fiscal analysis in November 2026, the Town considers timely completion essential.

9. Consultant Qualifications

Proposals should demonstrate experience in one or more of the following:

Rural economic impact analysis;
School district facilities or consolidation analysis;
Municipal economic development;
Rural demographic analysis;
Public finance;
Educational planning;
New York school district policy;
Housing and workforce analysis; and
Community impact analysis.

Multidisciplinary teams are encouraged.

10. Proposal Requirements

Proposals should be concise and include:

Understanding of the assignment;
Proposed methodology;
Work plan;
Expedited project schedule;
Project team and qualifications;
Comparable projects;
Three references;
Fixed or not-to-exceed fee;
Identification of any legal or education-policy subcontractor;
Confirmation of the proposer’s ability to meet the required schedule;
Executed Non-Collusion Bid Certificate as required by New York State General Municipal Law §103-d; and
Executed Certificate of Compliance with the Iran Divestment Act as required by New York State General Municipal Law §103-g.

11. Proposal Submission

Specifications are available by contacting the Office of the Town Clerk, Carol Greenley-Hackel, at P.O. Box 730, 11 School Street, Au Sable Forks, NY 12912, or by calling (518) 647-2204. Specifications are also available on the website at www.townofjayny.gov.

Sealed proposals must be received by the Town of Jay no later than 2:00 p.m. on September 2, 2026.

All proposals submitted in response to this notice shall be marked “Sealed Proposal – Town of Jay – Economic Impact and Alternatives Analysis” clearly on the outside of the envelope, with the proposer’s name and address.

Proposals shall be submitted to:

Carol Greenley-Hackel, Town Clerk
Town of Jay
P.O. Box 730
11 School Street
Au Sable Forks, NY 12912
Phone: (518) 647-2204

In addition to the proposal, the proposer shall submit an executed Non-Collusion Bid Certificate signed by the proposer or one of its officers as required by New York State General Municipal Law §103-d. The proposer shall also submit an executed Certificate of Compliance with the Iran Divestment Act signed by the proposer or one of its officers as required by New York State General Municipal Law §103-g.

12. Evaluation and Selection

Selection will be based upon the following criteria:

Understanding and methodology – 25%
Relevant rural, school, and economic experience – 20%
Ability to meet expedited schedule – 15%
Qualifications of project team – 10%
Cost – 30%

Total – 100%

The Town reserves the right to conduct interviews, request clarification, negotiate scope and fee, reject any or all proposals, waive informalities or technicalities, and make an award deemed to be in the best interests of the Town.

The successful proposer will be notified promptly following selection and must be prepared to enter into a contract with the Town of Jay and commence work immediately upon issuance of the Notice to Proceed.

13. Equal Opportunity

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the Town of Jay affirmatively states that, in regard to any contract entered into pursuant to this solicitation, without regard to race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, or other protected status, disadvantaged and minority- or women-owned business enterprises will be afforded equal opportunity to submit proposals in response hereto.

Dated: August 20, 2026

Carol Greenley-Hackel, Town Clerk
Town of Jay, Essex County, New York
P.O. Box 730
11 School Street
Au Sable Forks, New York 12912

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS – Economic Impact and Alternatives Analysis