Schools discuss redistricting contingency
Published on May 26th, 2004
STONEHAM, MA - School Committee member Cheryl Walsh took over the gavel from Marc Grimaldi last Thursday and will act as the School Committee's new chairman for the upcoming year. David Sheils stepped into the role of Vice Chairman.
While the School Committee fully backs a proposition 2 1/2 override that will be put to voters on June 15, it still must consider a contingency plan in the event that the override fails.
The town will ask voters to override proposition 2 1/2 to fill the $2.9 million town-wide deficit. Without such, the School Department alone will be looking at a $1.4 million deficit going into the 2004-2005 academic year.
Superintendent Dr. Joseph Connelly summarized the budget situation at last week's meeting. Earlier this month, Town Meeting voters approved an FY05 school budget of $22,391,284, which represents a 1.86 percent increase over the current year budget, but that number is contingent on an override.
If voters decide that the override is not the way to go to solve the town's financial woes, then the School Committee must go to plan B, a plan that calls for reducing the budget to $20,941,284, approximately $450,000 lower than the current year.
The impacts, the School Committee said, are great and include underutilization of four new elementary schools, reduction of staff, and possible redistricting. Another option that the committee will investigate, since it has been voiced to members by the public, is closing Colonial Park School.
"No one should think for one minute that we're crying wolf or that any of these impact issues are smoke and mirrors...They're real and, unfortunately, if the override should not pass, education in Stoneham, I believe, will not continue to be progressive," said committee member Marc Grimaldi.
Sections of the town's new elementary schools will largely go unused for lack of staffing, including art rooms, music rooms, gymnasiums, library/media centers, computer labs, reading rooms, and health/science labs.
"I don't think the town of Stoneham envisioned this for these new schools," Connelly said.
Furthermore, the town has just begun to pay its share of the $46 million price tag for the schools and is fortunate to be one of few towns to have already started receiving its 63 percent state reimbursement.
Connelly also stressed that the elementary school rebuilding project has been well managed, and has added greatly to property values, morale, and quality of education in Stoneham.
"The four new schools are not driving the budget gap the town is experiencing...I hope that the town will support these schools continuing to operate at the standards and level they have for these first two to three years, by voting on June 15."
Reductions of 45.9 more positions is another consequence of a negative override vote. The eliminations include 7 high school teachers, 9.1 Middle School teaching positions, 10 elementary classroom teachers, 8 elementary teaching specialists, 1 Middle School administrator, 2.4 elementary technical aide positions, 3 elementary classroom aides, 1.4 program supervisors, and 2 custodians. This is addition to the 7.5 positions already permanently eliminated.
As a result of staff cuts, classroom sizes are expected to grow. South School would lose classroom teachers in grades 1, 2 and 4; at Robin Hood School, grades 2, 3, 4 and 5 would each lose a section; and one section each of grades 2 and 3 at Central School would go as well as a half of one Kindergarten section. In some cases, class sizes could climb to as high as 33 students per class. Colonial Park would only lose a half of one Kindergarten section. With just two sections of each grade, it was decided that Colonial Park could not sustain similar cuts, since to do so would bump up some class sizes to well over 40.
Clearly, classroom sizes would not be balanced across the district as the School Committee has strived to do since drawing up new district lines several years ago. Other basic assumptions on which the School Committee bases its decisions include that all elementary age siblings attend the same school for their entire elementary education, each elementary school have access to similar services and resources, and each elementary school's district lines be based on geographic boundaries.
If the vote on June 15 fails, Connelly said, "there could potentially be some drastic changes to these conditions."
To address enrollment balance, building principals have identified neighborhoods for redistricting. It is proposed that, if necessary, some of next year's South School students in grades 1,4 and 5 would move to Central and Colonial Park School districts. Likewise, some Robin Hood School students in grades 3 and 5 would be moved to Central School, and about 16 Central School students from grades 2 and 3 would move to Colonial Park. In some cases, the students identified have elementary-age siblings and families would be given the option to move siblings as well.
Connolly called this plan "a major departure" from the neighborhood school concept Stoneham voters called for when approving the elementary school rebuilding project several years ago. In addition, redistricting of a certain number of students would need to be evaluated each ensuing year to make sure enrollments remain balanced.
Due to the disruption this could cause, Walsh stressed the importance of letting the affected families know of this possibility as early as possible, should the override not pass.
"Out of all these cuts, this one is the most emotional for me," she said. "I feel for the children, I feel for the parents...I personally will continue to fight to make sure that we get this override passed because I do not want to break the heart of even one child."
Not surprisingly, the idea of redistricting did not go over well with some in attendance.
Green Street resident Terri Ghannam was unsure if her neighborhood would be affected but told the committee that she would not redistrict her child.
"I will fight tooth and nail to make sure (my son) continues to go to Central School from now all the way to fifth grade...If I'm one of these people, I'm going to fight it."
Having extensively researched the town budget, Ghannam said she knows there are more budget areas where the town could save money.
"Why are you putting this on the backs of the children and not on the backs of you?"
McArthur Road resident Susan O'Neill doesn't favor redistricting either.
"When you redistrict a child, it does not go away the first three weeks. It takes a good six months, if that, and then they lag behind..And then you're going to do it again the following year?...We have neighborhood schools. We have to figure it out."
Committee member Marie Christie said that another consequence would be students traveling all around town to get to school
"Stoneham will be a traffic nightmare."
The option of closing the Colonial Park School as a cost savings measure has surfaced as well.
Sheils said that any savings realized from closing the school might be mitigated by the possible loss of state reimbursement.
"My first reaction is I think the state would then withhold reimbursement, so I don't think that fiscally that would be a sound decision....I think the neighborhood school program is critical...I'm dead set against (closing the school) but if I've got to defend that position...I think it's right to have a whole answer."
"It's an option I have not had a great deal of time to explore," said Connelly, but added he will contact the Department of Education to find out more about any impact on Stoneham's reimbursement.
Fieldstone Drive resident Laurel Schippa was adamant about the unfairness this option.
"I'm angry and I am shocked...There is a certain faction of this community that every time there is a budget crisis they scream 'let's close Colonial Park.' It's time to bury the hatchet...We voted on four neighborhood schools...Closing Colonial Park is certainly not a way to deliver equal education to every neighborhood."
Finance Board member Richard Gregorio told the School Committee recently that if the $2.9 million override passes, it will solve the shortfall of funds for the next few years. If it fails, the town will then look for an override again next year or cut even more staff.
Assistant Superintendent Joseph Casey urged the public to contact the School Committee and Administration as well as speak to their neighbors about these issues.
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