Dickerson's Monocacy Elementary School could close and merge with Poolesville Elementary School as early as August, a move that the school system says would save $1 million a year.

Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendant Jerry D. Weast announced his recommendation to shutter the 48-year-old school due to low enrollment and consolidate it with the Poolesville cluster's only other elementary school to parents and staff Friday afternoon. The proposal was spurred by low enrollment at Monocacy, available space at Poolesville and the opportunity to cut the school systems' costs and provide more educational opportunities for Monocacy students, according to Weast's recommendation.

If the consolidation is approved by the Board of Education, Monocacy students in kindergarten through fifth grade would be relocated to Poolesville at the start of the 2010-2011 school year. Enrollment at the consolidated school would range from 500-520 over the next six years.

"I am aware of how difficult it can be for a community to have a school closed," Weast's memo states. "However, I believe the educational benefits for students who will be consolidated at Poolesville Elementary School are significant. In addition, the net annual cost savings of one million dollars — that will result from the closure of Monocacy Elementary School — is a major benefit as well. In this difficult budget environment we must take actions that can reduce costs."

The 12-page memo, dated today, does not specifically address staffing other than to say that "support staff costs can be significantly reduced" by the consolidation. Monocacy has a principal, 16 teachers and two "other professional" staff and 10 staff in supporting services such as paraeducators, media assistants, secretaries and building services, according to school system documents.

The school board will discuss procedures next month, and host public hearings Nov. 11 and 12, according to the memo.

An advisory committee of representatives from both schools will be formed in early December and report to Weast and the Board of Education at the end of January. The board is expected to hold a public hearing in February and vote on Weast's proposal the following month.

Small schools can have academic and programmatic issues such as fewer options for students and often struggle to offer a variety of extracurricular activities and balanced class sizes, according to the memo.

Monocacy, which opened in 1961 in the rural upcounty at 18801 Barnesville Road near the Frederick County line, has had declining enrollment in recent years despite busing in students from the Poolesville service area, according to the memo. It has 176 students, 124 less than the school system's desired minimum enrollment for elementary schools and down from 298 in 1999, according to the memo.

Poolesville Elementary, which opened at 19565 Fisher Ave. in 1960, has capacity for 549 students and 387 enrolled this year, down from 487 in 1999, according to the memo.