Been asking around how other school systems handle temporary or extended overcrowding - when this occurs suddenly in other school districts. Many of these districts found it financially and educationally reasonable to use temporary portable classrooms which can be rented, leased, or even purchased, if necessary. This gives them time to do long-term planning on how to adjust and address school classroom expansions and get parent and city/town consensus on final solutions.
Of course this kind of planning is foreign to our school administration - their knee-jerk solutions involve behind the scenes decisions with little or no public or parent input and whatever input there is - is basically for show and is totally ignored. -
There is an elementary school in the Bedford school system (the one that Taymore came from before coming here) where they experienced over-crowding so they installed several portable classrooms on site - then I heard that they just installed two additional ones at the same school - since they need more time to make a decision on building a 2nd level on the existing one or build a new school.
Why can't this be done instead of disrupting the entire Middle School and High School classes for years to come? The Winthrop Elementary School has plenty of outside space to add portable classrooms adjacent to one of the outside doors which would make access to these classrooms both efficient and easy.
Let's see what Taymore and company come up with at their June 11, Saturday morning - will only answer pre-screened questions meeting on school overcrowding and their recommendations. Chances are - you won't hear any creative or innovative ideas - just the same "I know what's best for you"! So they will end up disrupting the Middle and High School system, exposing younger kids to much older students (for good or for bad), and not considering more appropriate options.
Same old, same old, from this administration! Why are these people still here?
I haven't seen this seriously discussed for Melrose. I think Arlington is at least discussing it or was before taking back one of their buildings similar to getting use of the Beebe back. Bedford is a good example because they are actually doing it. I realize that it's probably not appealing but it should at least be looked at.
I will send a message about this potential option to them as an item to discuss but don't count on them mentioning it at the meeting. I'll be there to check on whether it is mentioned.
Thank you for calling it to their attention. If it's mentioned, I wouldn't be surprised to hear "we looked into ..." without anyone actually looking into anything.
The idea of 5th graders to the MS and 8th graders to the HS is ridiculous. Aside from the fact that neither the MS or the HS has the building capacity to handle another 300 kids, neither location even has enough parking for all the teachers moving to this complex. The mobile classrooms is the best way to handle this problem considering that the Beebe is off limits because of the long term lease.
This is all just a strategy to get the MEFers and young mommies in a tizzy and then Dolan will say they can fix this...if only we could pass an override. You watch.
This is all just a strategy to get the MEFers and young mommies in a tizzy and then Dolan will say they can fix this...if only we could pass an override. You watch.
The MEFers tizzy may come but it won't pass an override. Any attempt to put another one on the ballot is a far fetched idea and the political hacks know it. Defeat would be by an even wider margin this time around. Trust has been blow to bits. To put 5th graders in a middle school and move 8th graders to the high school is a moral issue. All educational and psychological theories would warn against this crazy idea. Qualified experts would explain the serious and permanent damage to children under this model. The meeting on Saturday is a "dog and pony show". The decision has been made and the Lincoln School session is a pretense at public input. The questions which will be asked have already been formulated by the hired PR firm. TIme "will run out" and the vote by the SC will be taken with tirades of rhetorical crap with Public Meeting Violated. But there might be a silver lining. Maybe the mommy/MEF tizzy-ness might force CT to hand in her resignation and Dolan to look for another job. The MPS are a mess and getting worse. Thank God my kids have graduated!
IMHO, sending 8th graders to HS is the most damaging part of the proposed plan. People mention K - 8 schools to justify the 5th graders going to the middle school. And that some communities have 5 - 8 middle schools.
NOBODY has 8th through 12 th grade high schools. NOBODY.
NOBODY has 8th through 12 th grade high schools. NOBODY.
That is exactly right. This threat of the administration, because that is in fact what this drama and manipulation truly is, constitutes one of the most brazen examples of how little the superintndent or any of the SC cares about the children and are only about their twisted political agenda. It's all a game, and they really don't care if it all backfires. None of them are smart enough to recognize or care about the harms that are guaranteed as a result of their political machinations, or those that have already taken place as a result of their squandering of trust. These are very bad people playing these games with the lives of our children and with the reputation and morale of our community. You may think they mean well, but you would be seriously mistaken if you are so willfully blind to what is actually happening.
O.k...show your concern by showing up at the June 11th meeting at 9am to voice your opinion....also don't forget to send them an email at:
ccasatelli@cityofmelrose.org, rdolan@cityofmelrose.org, mdriscoll@cityofmelrose.org, jdugan@cityofmelrose.org, ldeselm@cityofmelrose.org, rdolan@cityofmelrose.org, jmcallistergrande@cityofmelrose.org, eoconnell@cityofmelrose.org
Not sure if the MHS has more space than MVMMS but what about switching? 5-8 at high school site and 9-12 at MVMMS site?
I congratulate you for thinking "outside the box" unlike the current school committee and school superintendent, but there are so many structural and classroom reasons why this is impractical - one major issue with that type of change is - we just spent about 3-5 million dollars several years ago for those expensive STEM labs in the high school which would require having high school students traveling back and forth between the schools - not practical. But I commend you for creative thinking!
