NORTH KINGSTOWN SCHOOL
COMMITTEE
Worksession Regarding
Reconfiguration of Schools
Monday, May 20, 2002 7:00 PM
Location: NKHS Media Center 150 Fairway Drive, North Kingstown
“Challenging Student Excellence” |
I.
Pledge of Allegiance
I. Call To Order The meeting was called to order at 7:02 PM.
A. Roll Call Present: Chairperson Lynne Haft, Vice Chairperson Karin L. Forbes, Dr. Denise Coppa, Dr. Janice DeFrances, Carol H. Hueston, Michael R. Northup and Patricia E. Watkins
Absent: Cathy Kaiser, Jamestown School Committee
Administration Present: James M. Halley, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools, Daniel J. McGregor, Ph.D., Director of Pupil Personnel Services, Barbara A. Fitzsimmons, Ed.D., Curriculum Director, Joseph F. Quinn, Jr., Director of Administrative Services, William J. Daly, Director of Human Resources and Karin Pierson, Supervisor of Transportation
II.
Correspondence The school committee received
great amounts of correspondence on the topic of reconfiguration.
III.
Reconfiguration of
Schools
· Stony Lane’s 1995-96 schedule was provided to the committee to show what scheduling was like for an elementary school with 387 students.
· An e-mail from Ann Ruzanski stated that with the gym being used as a gym, there are nineteen classrooms available to be used as classrooms at Fishing Cove School. The library and art room are separate from that.
· The version of Plan 7 with Wickford Elementary School intact (attached to the minutes) was presented to the committee as per Dr. Coppa’s request. This plan leaves two classrooms at DES, a need for a classroom at Forest Park, leaves two classrooms at Hamilton, four classrooms at Quidnessett, one classroom at Stony Lane, and two classrooms at Wickford Elementary. There is no preschool in this plan because Fishing Cove School is closed. The preschool would have to be placed in one of these schools. There is very little flexibility.
· Cost information was provided for:
1. Plan 7: Classroom Figures with Mixed Time Kindergarten with DES and FPES Fourth and Fifth Grade in QES, QES K-3 to FPES, WES to FCES.
Food Services 10,000 No budget impact. $15,000 is budgeted annually for Food Service for equipment replacement.
Administration (268,000) Saves the administration costs of one school.
Teachers (26,581) .5 FTE under budget.
Busses (60,000) Saves the Kindergarten run.
Furniture Expenses 22,200 Desks/Chairs 3,000; Dividers for loft 19,200
Playground Improvement 10,000 No budget impact. A furniture budget for each school is included in the budget.
Total (312,381)
Budget Impact (332,381)
2. Plan 13: Half-Day Kindergartens to local schools, DES K-2 to Fishing cove with full day Kindergarten.
Food Services 10,000 No budget impact. $15,000 is budgeted annually for Food Service for equipment replacement.
Administration --- No financial impact.
Teachers 26,581 .5 FTE over budget.
Busses 100,000 Cost of busing walkers.
Furniture Expenses --- ---
Playground Improvement 10,000 No budget impact. A furniture budget for each school is included in the budget.
Total 146,581
Budget Impact 126,581
If we split the population at Davisville Elementary School for Plan 13, the funding for COZ will be somewhat compromised. Plan 13 is not necessarily a one-year plan.
3. Plan 14: Fishing Cove Remains Kindergarten, Spot Redistrict DES
Food Services --- No financial impact.
Administration 53,162 Needs a teacher to administer Preschool Services (Special Education Coordinator)
Teachers --- No financial impact.
Busses --- No financial impact.
Furniture Expenses --- ---
Playground Improvement --- No financial impact
Total 53,162
Budget Impact 53,162
· Dr. McGregor had this input on the Preschool Program.
PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS
At this time there are three remaining proposals for grade reconfiguration (plans 7, 13, and 14). Only one proposal (plan 7) would involve moving the preschool out of Fishing Cove School due to grade K-5 configuration. The grade K-3 configuration schools would be better suited for a preschool program rather than a K-5 configuration. The two schools with a K-3 configuration are Davisville Elementary and Forest Park. A more desirable configuration would be PK-2 in these two schools.
While both of these schools (Davisville Elementary and Forest Park) are in the same section of town, the location of the preschool classes at these two schools does allow for two (2) entry points for preschool children into the district. Due to the continuous enrollment of preschool students throughout the school year, two (2) entry points would allow for more efficient processing of evaluations by the staff to determine eligibility for services.
Another factor in locating the preschool at Forest Park and Davisville Elementary is the low enrollments these schools would offer versus the substantially higher enrollment projected for Fishing Cove School (373).
Both schools would have sufficient space for all therapies (OT/PT/Speech) and storage for the specialist’s equipment/materials due to the additional classrooms freed up with the 3rd graders removed from Davisville Elementary to Forest Park.
An analysis of the students projected for the preschool program in September warrants the following programs:
A) Forest Park – There would be a self-contained preschool classroom that would service eight (8) students combined with a morning and afternoon session (3 all day, 5 are ½ days);
B) Davisville Elementary – The integrated preschool program (up to seven (7) special needs children with up to eight (8) typically developing peers would have a morning and afternoon session. Currently only one special needs student would need both sessions and five (5) special needs students need a half day session. Both sessions already have eight (8) typically developing peers enrolled for September.
Five (5) students requiring a transitional kindergarten special education program will be serviced at Davisville Elementary School. All students in this program are integrated in the kindergarten classes to the greatest extent possible. Davisville Elementary would offer full day kindergarten which would allow for team teaching and the opportunity of a student attending both sessions (two (2) of the five (5) students need both sessions.).
Again, there would be sufficient space for therapists due to the availability of classrooms vacated by the third graders.
After a decision has been made by the school committee on the grade configurations at each school, the entire support services staff (OT/PT/Speech, etc.) will be redistributed based on the services identified in each child’s IEP.
Play ground equipment and appropriate fencing will need to be made available at both schools. Bathrooms will need to be modified to include toddler-sized toilets (2 at each school).
Additional equipment for sensory integration programs at both facilities will require additional pieces of adaptive equipment.
We are projecting that the costs of equipment, bathrooms and playgrounds will be as follows:
OT/PT
Equipment $ 1,800.00
Bathroom $ 1,400.00
Playground $13,000.00
Dr. McGregor recommends placing the preschool program at Forest Park and Davisville Elementary with a Pre-K to Grade 2 configuration, not a K-3 configuration. Ms. Watkins thought the purpose was not to put new programs at Davisville Elementary School. Dr. McGregor said that the enrollment is lowest there and they have full day kindergarten. There are three options with plan 7:
1. Move the TIK program (Transition into Kindergarten) out of Fishing Cove and leave preschool at Fishing Cove with 19 of 19 classrooms utilized, or
2. Move Grades 4 & 5 from Fishing Cove Elementary School to Quidnessett and have preschool at Fishing Cove, or
3. Move DES and FPES grade 3 to Quidnessett and put preschool at DES and FPES.
These options have been discussed with SELAC. The SELAC had a proposal that was read at the meeting. Their main concern is the desire to not separate the self-contained and integrated classroom programs. SELAC’s program proposal follows as read by Pam Weiger.
Please consider the below proposal for the Special Education Pre-school Program.
I. In-House service/Davisville Elementary
a. Self Contained Pre-School
b. Integrated Pre-School
II. Out of Building/Forest Park
a. Community IEP Children (Lynn Bushoven)
b. Transition Kindergarten
c. YMCA
III. Benefits in placing Out of Building at Forest Park
a. Relieve the bottle neck effect of services for special education programs
b. Limit travel time for Therapists in servicing Outside placements
c. More effective split of Special Education Population
d. YMCA can house a large majority of community IEP/504 students
(Pre-school IEP/504 students with limited needs can attend YMCA preschool where therapists are located in that building.)
IV. Benefits in Placing In-House Service at Davisville Elementary
a. Preserves the unique preschool program that is working well for the children it is interested for.
b. Allows for transitions between two environments as needed
c. Does not violate a “Least Restrictive Environment Program”
d. Therapists located in 1 (one) building
e. Better split of Special Education Population
f. Permits transitions beneficial for the child versus transition times regulated by different buildings, busing and scheduling.
g. YMCA cannot be used as a district classroom in when integrating self-contained children.
(In referral to using YMCA as a role model for the Self Contained Preschool program.) When you place a child who is being serviced at the school, you need to have a district teacher present in the school service program versus isolating 8:00 AM/ 8:00 PM self-contained students in the building.
Ms Weiger was asked by the chairperson if the SELAC would prefer Plan 14: Keep Fishing Cove as it is, Plan 13: Kindergarten to grade two DES population at FCS, or Plan 7: Kindergarten to grade two at FPES and DES. Response: SELAC prefers a K-2 building or a K-3 building if the preschool program and kindergarten are moved out of Fishing Cove.
· With Plan 14, which students would be redistricted? There are 34 students. Students on Old Baptist and Davisville Road that chose DES when they had a choice of FPES or DES two years ago will move from DES to QES. Students at 6101 Post Road will move from DES to FPES.
· Under Plan 13, would the third grade still have Title I services? At FCS, Title I percentages has Fishing Cove School with grades 1 & 2 at 53%; and DES grades 3-5 at 34%. Third graders would not lose any funding.
· Plan 14 is a “suggestion” of how this plan might work out. Redistricting would be brought before us. The rooms used at DES are brought down to 11 with one left over. They are using 14 now.
Following the rescission of DES’s grades four and five moving to QES, Glenn Stinson and the people at DES attempted to find a short-term compromise solution to give everyone something other to look at. This is a variation of Plan 5 (attached to the minutes) with 21 students from Lenox Court moving from QES to WES and 20 students from State Street moving from QES to FPES. This opens enough seats at Quidnessett for Davisville’s grades four and five. This is intended as a short-term solution until FPES and DES could be brought up as a K-5 school; no longer than three years for a timeline. There are some positives to it and some negatives to it. It places kindergarten in the home schools for half day kindergarten, keeps WES open, retains Title I and COZ services in DES, it works in a six school model and impacts relatively few families. It redistricts two neighborhoods now attending QES. It is within budget with half-day kindergarten and ninety teachers in six schools. Every school is tight, class sizes are high, and the preschool and special education program will have to be absorbed since these programs are not addressed in the plan. It leaves nine classrooms open in the district.
Discussion: Want to avoid fixing one school and burdening other schools. No preschool in this plan and class sizes are big. This is similar to the plan that was rescinded with some spot redistricting. We could go for renovations and a bond issue with this plan to get things going with a six-school plan. However, we still have an empty school sitting there, so we have to look at both sides. It maxes out WES- no classrooms left over. FPES has one empty classroom. WES wants to implement the SmART program and this may have space implications. Thank you to Davisville for the plan.
IV.
Open Forum on the
Topic of Reconfiguration
The following comments and concerns were voiced during the meeting.
· A meeting was held where at least 20 people attended who represented seven elementary schools, the concerned citizens of Davisville, NEANK, SOS and other groups. A discussion took place that focused on what is the most equitable solution for all the students in the North Kingstown elementary schools. All want neighborhood schools, seven elementary schools with half day kindergarten through fifth grade, redistrict the entire town as this gives us a chance for a long term plan, a grandfather clause where people affected this time won’t be moved again, ask the planning board to tell people in new developments to go to schools where they can be accommodated, equitable distribution of poverty in the schools; and DES, FPES, and WMS facility improvements. This scenario works forever. It will accommodate full day kindergarten down the road and can accommodate K-6 to relieve middle school overcrowding in a couple of years.
· Concern regarding the SmART and SPECTRA program.
· Where in the Growth Management Report, the Capital Improvement Report or the Full Day Kindergarten Report does it say to close Wickford Elementary School? Do Fishing Cove School’s problems take precedence over Davisville Elementary School’s problems? The athletic director has a new secretary?
· Will there be an open forum after the last best offer?
· Change should happen for something of value; should have started last September. Vote for the budget cut.
· Appalled with pairing; don’t see any educational value with pairing. With closed to open classrooms, some kids will get lost.
· Documents are not available tonight. Why pair open and closed classroom schools? Moving kindergarten to the elementary schools should be addressed in the budget. Plan 7 is irresponsible; moving 30% of the town’s population; take more time if you need it.
· Mr. Jay Ficazzola handed out an Impact Consideration re: The Proposed Subsidized Housing Development Impact Assessment.
· Comments regarding the class sizes of kindergarten under Plan 7, school capacity information needs updating, pairing and closed classroom requirements, DES needs to be kept as a neighborhood school, and if Fishing Cove is an elementary school, will there be an art room, a music room and a computer lab? Response: Yes.
· This process is backwards. Open forum should have been at the start of the meeting; did not spend enough time studying this.
· We need a town-wide decision.
· Want seven schools K-5 and to be the same as everyone else in this town.
· The kindergarten numbers at FPES are very high; Does not want pairing.
· In favor of neighborhood schools, please make this your priority too.
· Comment regarding the closing of WES. The questions have just begun to be asked.
· The will of the people is clear. Asked the school committee to honor it by rejecting pairing. If you impose pairing, school committee legitimacy will be compromised.
· Switching schools every 1-2 years doesn’t work; the fourteen proposed plans lack conceptual ideas, there is no long-range focus.
· An excerpt from a letter by Melissa Croteau was read by Mr. Berry:
The following is a list of positive things our school (Davisville Elementary School) has to offer and what it could gain in your decisions.
¨ We are making great progress as a community that is coming together to rebuild our neighborhood and our school. Don’t break us apart. Keep our facilities available to all in our community.
¨ Our COZ is essential in our community. Please keep it available to all of our families.
¨ Chapter/Title I is essential to our grades K-3. Please make it available to all of them.
¨ We have a great group of kids and staff at our school who are living everyday knowing something is definitely happening to us whether it happens to other schools or not. Please understand what this is doing to them and once a decision is made, provide the necessary support and guidance, they will need. This is extremely important since Dr. Power is not here to do that.
· We want seven schools; gradually move kindergarten back to the neighborhood schools; leave DES kindergarten and preschool at Fishing Cove School. Do you have all the information you need to make a sound and proper decision Wednesday night?
· Comments regarding long bus rides, appalling conditions at Davisville Elementary School. What if parents file a federal lawsuit against the community under the 14th Amendment for failure of equal protection under the law- is this a successful way of getting something done that should have been done in the first place?
· Many questions have not been answered such as bussing, full day or half day K, elevated title I services at QES with DES and FPES grade 3 moved to QES. Regarding money to renovate Fishing Cove- put it into DES.
· Repairs at DES have been too long in coming. Help DES stay alive for the future.
· Testing the full day K pilot program has too many variables with pairing. Do not vote for Plan 7.
· Regarding redistricting and transitions, do not want a temporary solution.
· Have you ever surveyed the principals regarding pairing? Principals should have some say; keep seven neighborhood schools.
· Plan 12 addresses all concerns.
· Is Plan 7 a short tem solution or a long term solution? Restructure the budget.
· Give consideration to how you redistrict DES in terms of diversity of population.
· Against pairing and spoke regarding equity issues.
· A 1996 Condition Report on Facilities was provided. One million dollars was diverted from school repairs to put into the high school; comment regarding Medicaid reimbursements.
· Plan 7 is still changing depending on where the preschool is located. Last Wednesday night, the preschool was located at Fishing Cove School under Plan 7. Response: Tonight, under Plan 7, we have a recommendation to place the preschool at FPES and DES and we may have to move the third grade at FPES and DES to Quidnessett. Depending on where DES and FPES third grade is, the plans could be referred to as Plans 7A and 7B. There are two issues with all of these plans- the configuration and the location of the preschool.
· No pairing. The school budget is $44 million- find $275,000 somewhere else.
· Why sacrifice a world class educational system?
· In Plan 14, which students will be redistricted?
· Comments regarding school focus and magnet schools. DES has a lot of issues.
V.
Comments
·
Dr. DeFrances
asked for input and comments from teachers and administrators. We’ve heard from some, but not all. We welcome it and welcome parent comments.
·
Dr. Coppa: A lot of parents aren’t represented here
tonight. Many have pleaded to push for
full day kindergarten. “We are elected
to serve the people at large.” There
are more issues that maybe haven’t been represented at these meetings.
·
Pat
Watkins: Whatever the decision is ,
this is the first part of a two-part process.
Need to address September and then look at a long-term solution for
North Kingstown.
·
Carol
Hueston: Every member is voting his or
her conscience.
·
Karin
Forbes: The committee probably should
have discussed the Growth Management, Capital Improvement, and Asset Management
reports more. We represent the entire
district. “We want what’s best for your
children.”
·
Lynne
Haft: The number of e-mails from
parents wanting full day kindergarten is huge.
Half want pairing as much as not.
Regarding Wednesday’s meeting, there will be a half hour limit for the
open forum with no one speaking who has spoken tonight. The committee agreed to that.
VI.
A motion to adjourn
was made by Pat Watkins and seconded by Carol Hueston (7/0) at 11:58 PM.
Respectfully
submitted,
_______________________________________
Donna
F. Keough
School
Committee Secretary