Elmhurst parents raise capacity questions
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| Click image for full presentation (PDF 1.1Mb) |
At last Wednesday's Portsmouth school finance meeting, a group of Elmhurst parents gave the committee and school administration a PowerPoint presentation they had put together detailing concerns about the planned closure of the school. They provided a copy which you can download through the link at left, and I've pulled out what, in my mind, is the killer chart.
There is no question that the Navy Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process is happening, nor any question that it will bring new staff to Newport. What the Elmhurst team did was drill down on the statistics and provide numbers that challenge those provided by the Navy to Portsmouth Superintendent Susan Lusi. If the group's estimates are correct, the BRAC could potentially bring over 700 school age children to Aquidneck Island.
In the plan to close Elmhurst currently being discussed, with 4th and 5th grades moving into the Middle School, the district would only have about 120 seats excess capacity, the Elmhurst presentation points out. Without knowing how many families would actually end up in Portsmouth, the group argues, closing the school now would create the risk of being unable to accommodate students without repurposing non-classroom space (like science labs) or using temporary trailers.
You may not agree with all the assertions in the Elmhurst presentation. I challenged them on one of their bullets about the possibility of cost savings through IT staff reductions (Portsmouth has 4 FTEs and 2 Technology Integration teachers to support 466 staff and 2,878 students, according to numbers provided by the district; that is substantially below industry standards for support ratios which range from 60-80:1). To their credit, they immediately conceded the point.
I suspect that the finance subcommittee and the administration will be addressing questions raised by this pack in their meetings this week, Monday and Tuesday at 5:30 at Town Hall.
Let me just add a personal note. I spoke with Kelly Heitmann, the president of the Elmhurst PTO, Liz Harris the Vice-President, and Jonathan Harris, who is leading the group that put together the presentation. What I heard was a concern for all the kids in Portsmouth schools and a very clear awareness that the comments of a few people at meetings about test scores and property values were not helpful. I think they've done a lot of thoughtful work here that deserves consideration, and I urge parents of Hathaway and Melville students to read with an open mind.
As Heitmann said in her blog, "I hope that those who are pulling for Elmhurst remember — we are not competing school against school, or administration against parents, or school board against administration, or any other combination thereof. We are here to find common ground, work toward a positive solution we all can walk away from and feel confident we pushed for our concerns to be met, and those with differing views heard those concerns."
Comments
MomOf3
Mon, 03/16/2009 - 10:10am
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Playing the devil's advocate
Several things come to mind when reviewing the presentation:
1 - Why would an additional administrator be needed at the middle school if the 4th and 5th grade were moved there? In the past - when the 5th grade was originally there - 2 administrators were sufficient - and from what I understand putting the 4th and 5th grade at the middle school would bring the population back to its capacity when just the 5th grade was there before. So why an additional administrator?
2. - IF the 4th and 5th grades (along with 1, 2 and 3 from Elmhurst) were relocated...what would happen to those PTO funds...could not some of that be put toward "relocating" playground equipment? Throughout my years in this school system the PTOs have always provided some funding for playground equipment and upkeep.
3. - IF the BRAC would bring so many kids into the school system that we would not have room for them in 2 elementary schools (assuming that Elmhurst is closed) and the middle school, then shouldn't we plan now for a new building (or we may end up with continuing to use the Elmhurst school building and making major investments in it).
4. - IF the housing at Melville is used - and that brings in an estimated 41 children under 11....how many (what percentage) would be of school age?
5. - Under the heading "options for other savings"...as much as I would like to see salary freezes...in reality - does anyone really think this is a possibility?
...I'm just asking...
John McDaid
Mon, 03/16/2009 - 11:10am
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...and playing it well
Hi, MomOf3...
You raise some very good questions, and I look forward to hearing what the finance committee and administration have to say. I did want to chime in on a couple of points.
1 - Why would an additional administrator be needed at the middle school
I tend to agree with you on this, and while it is clear that some administrative capacity will be shifted, I would suspect that could be shared roles rather than a couple of FTEs. Where I do question the administration estimates is in the cost of cutting a librarian. I absolutely oppose this, since librarians at the elementaries are crucial in delivering technology and media literacy curriculum. We're in the middle of a move to national technology standards, and cutting staff who deliver this doesn't make sense to me.
2. - IF the 4th and 5th grades (along with 1, 2 and 3 from Elmhurst) were relocated...what would happen to those PTO funds...
Hate to see the PTOs relied on for yet another operational item, but yeah, that would work.
3. - IF the BRAC would bring so many kids into the school system that we would not have room for them in 2 elementary schools (assuming that Elmhurst is closed) and the middle school, then shouldn't we plan now for a new building
Agree completely. This, to my mind, is the core of the presentation, and represents new data that the Facilities Committee needs to incorporate as they consider long-range plans.
4. - IF the housing at Melville is used - and that brings in an estimated 41 children under 11....how many (what percentage) would be of school age?
Good question. If I understand the analysis in their presentation, there's no way to tell how many are younger than 11 but older than 4.
5. - Under the heading "options for other savings"...as much as I would like to see salary freezes...in reality - does anyone really think this is a possibility?
The school committee probably can't comment on things like this due to ongoing negotiations, but I think that the possibility may be greater than you think. The NEA local was very reasonable in the rollover of the contract last year, and I think anyone who reads the paper can see the situation we are in as a town, as a state, and as a nation. We are also in a much better position than some neighboring towns in that we have a school committee and administration that has a positive and constructive relationship with our teachers. If you're a long-time reader, you know that I have the utmost respect for teachers and believe strongly that they deserve to be compensated as the professionals they are. That is not incompatible with the recognition of the fiscal reality we find ourselves in right now, and the sense that all municipal employees are going to be asked to pitch in.
Cheers.
-j
Multiple disclaimers: I am an appointed member of the Facilities Committee. I am a volunteer member of the PSD technology committee. My wife is a teacher (in Massachusetts). I like pie.