Newton Independent
The Newton Community School District's "District Improvement Team" turned over its nearly year-long study on possible new elementary school boundaries and alignments to the Newton School Board on Monday in a report that identified several different ways for the "potential reinvention" of the district.
Team members, comprised of parents, teachers and school administrators of the district's five elementary schools, had been asked to present recommendations on new ways of aligning the Newton school system's five primary grade level attendance centers. The study, announced early this year, was conducted in an effort to meet the challenges the district faces due to long-term declining enrollments and uncertain on-going financial conditions.
Since its work has begun, the "District Improvement Team" has seen lower enrollment levels in the current school year, and the associated impact to the district's future state financial aid because of it, as well as the elimination of more than a million dollars in state funding resources for the current fiscal year.
In submitting its findings, the study committee noted that "(O)ur school district has the opportunity to carefully consider the current structure and the potential reinvention of our district. In the face of very challenging times we have the unique opportunity to truly advance and to improve the quality of services the district provides local students and the community. The district should continue to focus first on students and their learning. The development of the district as a key component of the community should also be considered as decisions are made."
Following is an overview of the four proposals presented to the school board on Monday night for review. The board plans to convene a subcommittee to study the recommendations presented. No time line was set on whether or when any boundary or alignment changes to the elementary schools might be made.
Alternate 1: Maintain Current School Structure.
Pros/Positives:
- Less short term controversy. Current set-up is familiar to all stakeholders.
- Maintain current relationships with students, families, neighborhoods and PTAs
- Student backgrounds and needs communicated among staff from grade to grade K-6
- Uninterrupted progression (building wise) from kindergarten through 6th grade
- Increased opportunities to learn from students of different ages
- Opportunities to establish peer tutoring, role models, mentoring, relationships, etc., between grade levels
- Siblings together in same building longer
- Transportation patterns for families already established (walking & riding)
- Busing expenses remain the same
Cons/Challenges
- Continued forced involuntary transfers of students due to uneven class sizes at individual buildings
- Continued enrollment decline and reductions will cause single sections in some grades in schools
- Class size inequities
- Class balance inequities in terms of academic abilities, behaviors, gender, etc.
- Lack of consistency of grade level curriculum across all 5 buildings
- Limited opportunities for ability grouping within each grade
- Limited opportunities for teacher collaboration within each grade level
- Difficult to reduce staff positions at all levels including support staff, teachers, and administration
- Inefficient from a cost standpoint
- Challenges with shared positions for special classes
Alternate 2: District is divided into two halves, each with a primary and intermediate building. This plan would also include an Early Childhood Center for all 4- and 5-year-olds in the district.
Pros/Positives
- Increase collaboration opportunities within grade levels
- Easier differentiation of instruction and academic ability grouping
- Increased opportunities for teachers to specialize and departmentalize in certain subject areas
- Increased flexibility for section adjustments
- Solves many current challenges facing band, orchestra and vocal music
- More consistency of curriculum and instruction in each grade
- Ability to disperse students with IEPs in more sections
- More balanced sections in terms of the number students, behaviors, academic abilities, gender, etc.
- Physical Education and Art can be offered more consistently and efficiently
- Can withstand enrollment fluctuation
- Staff development could be more specialized resulting in improved instruction
- Cost savings with reduced administration, support services, and instructors as well as more efficient use of facilities
- Streamline teaching assignments requiring fewer teachers, teacher collaboration
- Facilities could become more specialized (PE, LMC, etc. focused on age level appropriate material)
- Decreased/eliminated travel time for shared teachers
- Age appropriate learning centers
Cons/Challenges
- Increased travel for some students (transportation changes)
- Neighborhood concept expanded/altered
- Long term relationships impacted
- Siblings may be attending different buildings periodically even though same side of town
- One additional transition for students in their K-12 school career (two schools K-6 rather than one)
- Possible remodeling
- Neighborhood/family ties altered
Alternate 3: District is divided into two halves, each with primary and intermediate schools. All district 5th and 6th graders would be housed at the current Berg Elementary School.
Pros/Positives
- Increased collaboration opportunities within grade levels
- Easier differentiation of instruction and academic ability grouping
- Increased opportunities for teachers to specialize and departmentalize in certain subject areas
- Increased flexibility for section adjustments
- Solves many current challenges facing band, orchestra and vocal music
- More consistency of curriculum and instruction in each grade
- Ability to disperse students with IEPs in more sections
- More balanced sections in terms of the number of students, behaviors, academic abilities, gender, etc.
- Physical Education and Art can be offered more consistently and efficiently
- Can withstand enrollment fluctuation
- Staff development could be more specialized resulting in improved instruction
- Cost savings with reduced administration, support services and instructors as well as more efficient use of facilities
- Streamline teaching assignments requiring fewer teachers, teacher collaboration
- Facilities could become more specialized (PE, LMC, etc. focused on age level appropriate material)
- Decreased/eliminated travel time for shared teachers
- Age appropriate learning centers
- Minimal student movement over the years
- More of a middle school concept for 5-8
Cons/Challenges
- Increased travel for some students (transportation changes)
- Neighborhood concept expanded/altered
- Long term relationships impacted
- Siblings may be attending different buildings periodically even though same side of town
- One additional transition for students in their K-12 school career (two schools K-6 rather than one)
- Possible remodeling
- Neighborhood/family ties altered
Alternate 4: 100 percent grade-like centers (Example: All 4th graders in district attend the same school).
Pros/Positives
- Increased collaboration opportunities within grade levels
- Easier differentiation of instruction and academic ability grouping
- Increased opportunities for teachers to specialize and departmentalize in certain subject areas
- Increased flexibility for section adjustments
- Solves many current challenges facing band, orchestra and vocal music
- More consistency of curriculum and instruction in each grade
- Ability to disperse students with IEPs in more sections
- More balanced sections in terms of the number of students, behaviors, academic abilities, gender, etc.
- Physical Education and Art can be offered more consistently and efficiently
- Can withstand enrollment fluctuation
- Staff development could be more specialized resulting in improved instruction
- Cost savings with reduced administration, support services and instructors as well as more efficient use of facilities
- Streamline teaching assignments requiring fewer teachers, teacher collaboration
- Facilities could become more specialized (PE, LMC, etc. focused on age level appropriate material
- Decreased/eliminated travel time for shared teachers
Cons/Challenges
- Multiple transitions for students that would be attending several buildings over time
- Unfeasible logistics and expenses for transportation
In its report to the school board, the last alternative posed for consideration - individual grade centers - appeared pulled from consideration as unfeasible.
In addition, though not fully elaborated upon, a fifth alternative was described that calls for the elementary school system to be divided into two halves with each containing a primary and intermediate school with the fifth elementary housing the Basics & Beyond alternative high school, central office staff and the Four Oaks program.
Additional public input will be sought as the study moves forward.
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