I won’t be able to attend the meeting this Saturday so I wanted to send along my thoughts on the document detailing the classroom configurations. First, I’d like to say that I’m disappointed by the document and the format for the public inquiry. If this is truly a public inquiry, families should be able to come to the meeting and discuss this issue openly. Why must questions be submitted in advance and live questions only allowed “if time permits”? I’d like to know how many questions have been submitted, and the content of these questions made available to the public. How will the SC decide which questions to address and which to ignore? Additionally, the public inquiry affects the entire MPS community and should be available for viewing by all the families unable to attend on Saturday morning from 9-11.
I feel the Pros and Cons presented in the document are inconsistent and appear skewed toward making the 5th and 8th grade move viewed in a favorable manner compared to the other options.
There is no mention of the MS and HS needing upgrades to be “educationally comparable to other building i.e. furniture and equipment, technology, curriculum resources, staffing,” Yet these deficits are highlighted for reasons not to use the Franklin ECC. How will the Middle and High School get smart boards, furniture, equipment and technology, curriculum resources, staffing and not mentioned CLASSROOMS to support approximately 600 additional children and why is this not a concern but, it’s a concern if the ECC is used as a site to house Kindergarten students?
There is also no mention of a “need to assess impact on traffic and neighborhood with larger enrollment” and “need for additional parking options for staff and families” if moved to the MS and HS yet, these are highlighted as issues if an addition is added to the Winthrop. The document minimizes the traffic issues of approximately an additional 600 children attending the Middle/High School complex by only offering “impact on traffic drop off and pick up” but not a need to assess impact of traffic and impact of traffic on neighborhood with larger enrollment or the safety of children.
The document offers supporting information as it relates to the move of 5th and 8th grade students to the MS/HS complex but offers no supporting information on schools and districts using modules and their impact on the schools and students. The school I attended 20 years ago had modules and they worked out just fine. Instead of housing 1 stationary class in the module, my school used them as part of the rotating schedule so that all students had an opportunity to experience the module. This implementation could also be used at our elementary schools. Elementary Schools should be sharing resources and expertise and the students do move about the school and from class to class so there is no reason why this could not work and be a positive experience for all the students.
The space concerns for housing the modules seems overstated. All Elementary schools other that perhaps Lincoln have plenty of open space for modules yet the document states that there is “limited lot and field space at all elementary schools.”
I’m opposed to using 8th grade teachers at the High School, based on their certification not their experience and expertise. It’s well documented, even publically by the SC that the HS always takes a hit when changes are made. One thing the HS does not need is teachers with little or no experience teaching HS courses.
Recently voted in is a later start time for the Middle and HS. The document makes no mention of the issues surrounding 5th graders going to school at a later time and how this will potentially affect families. Was the model of 5th graders attending school at a later start time considered when the start later task force reviewed the impact of this change on our community?
The document makes no mention of how 5th grade students will safely get to and from the Middle School. Our Elementary Schools are neighborhood schools. Meaning, most families live within close proximity to the schools. Moving 5th graders to the MS means, many will need to walk to and from the school and at a very young age. Are they ready and will they be safe? The document highlights schools offering a 5-8 Middle School model but offers no information on whether these other schools and districts offer busing or a safe way for 5th grade children to get to and from school.
We already know that streets surrounding the the Middle and High School complexes have many safety concerns, especially no crossing guards at the cross walk in front of the middle school. Also, the Knoll parking area is a hazard for young children as our newest and most inexperienced drivers – high school students park in the Knoll.
Let us not forget to keep this issue in perspective. The elementary population increase I believe requires an additional 2-3 classrooms for the next few years. Disrupting the educational experience of 600 students compared to getting 3 modules for about 75 students seems like a no brainer to me.
Many good points written here. There is definitely a bias in the presentation on the web site.
If 5th graders go to middle school it only adds 300 students to the area - too much, I agree. There is no way middle school could house from 5th to 8th grade, even though they present it as such. The middle school would have to be 5th to 7th, and the 8th grade would go to the high school. Problem is that there isn't space at the high school for 300 more students. It doesn't even house the ones there now.
They should put the modules at the elementary schools. They could use them at Winthrop, Hoover and Roosevelt for music rooms and art rooms, opening up classroom spaces there. There is less space at Horace Mann and Lincoln, but modules could be put there, too. All students would have equal music and art rooms across all the elementary schools and classrooms would be open to put in kindergarten and first graders.
They should put all the modules at the Hoover. It's the smallest school but with plenty of land. They could add 4 or 5 modules there and all the new kindergarten classrooms could be created there, with room to grow for a few years.
Principal Corduck could easily handle the additional students. She has more experience than the Lincoln and Roosevelt principals who each have more than 400 students already so it would make it more equitable for her to have 400 instead of giving more to the other two.
Stop the BS, you should be in charge of this project. Excellent points all around. I hope the SC reads every single word you submitted. The issue you cite with 5th graders walking to school is a very good one - and the parking...
The modules seem like the best choice from almost every angle - and using them for specials, or health instead of as a classroom makes so much sense.
I think Hoover would be an excellent location. They could simply pave another 20 foot section all the way across and retain all the parking - and keep their large fields viable.
And just think - when this group moves on to the Middle School, where they will again be a giant class (which apparently isn't of any concern) they can just move the modules with them.[:)s]
Won't be any problem by the time they get to middle school. The parents that could afford to move here "for the schools" will move away exactly because of them. They will by the time their kids get to middle school and realize they've been sold a bill of goods.
Please go to the meeting if you are able to attend. This is really important. I will be there, and I hope many other people show up too. Even if it is a done deal already, we should be heard on the subject. Get up and go!
Will somebody please explain to me where the 300 8th graders are going to fit at a HS that is already too small for the current 9-12 population? Where will they find classrooms, lockers or space in general when the space simply does not exist.
I have never known of a school system to house 8th graders with the general population of a 9-12 HS. Many High Schools separate Freshman in their own building or space. Why would Melrose want to do this to 8th graders who are emotionally and educationally immature compared to the rest of the 9-12 students?
Anyone else notice that the mayor said nothing has been decided, but the vote is this Tuesday? When asked about costs, he said the numbers are very preliminary so they didn't have any slides with those costs disclosed. Yet, the vote is still this Tuesday. So they are voting without knowing real cost or do they really know but won't give us the numbers?
Then the mayor told us he would be voting for the modular option. In other words, if the others vote for moving grades 5 and 8, not his fault. But we know he runs that SC anyway. I hope that the mod option wins but prepare for the moving option folks.
So, it seems that a decision was made. Seems to me where the mayor stands on this whole issue, so if they move these children, the 8th grade to the highschool and the fifth graders to the middle school, where does that really put us? The question becomes, what is the cost of all this? The question becomes, what is the impact of moving the fifth graders to the middle school? Seems to me the form that they are using right now, is they're afraid of the public asking serious questions and getting answers. So basically in very simple language, they don't want any parent to have a say in this whole thing. This is not only about moving children around, how about the impact on families when this happens. As we all know, there are different issues at the middle school, and the same at the highschool. I think that if the school committee, our superintendent and our mayor should not vote on this, until they have a few more meetings and the public can weigh in on this and have questions answered. Why does this have to be done so quickly? All of a sudden, we need to move students around? Here's the irony of this whole thing; we don't have a hell of a lot of money. Look at how the budget process has gone. Let me break this down so all of you can understand. How in the hell can we do all of these changes that they are thinking about doing when money is so tight? I think that we have trouble coming our way. The one thing that I will say, thank god my children have all graduated from the melrose high school system. I'm surprised our superintendent hasn't looked at what they do in Bedford. Where she was employed at. I have some serious doubts about what she would like to do. As we all know, I believe she lives in Salem. I don't think she's well connected to Melrose. I think the Mayor is hiding on this one, from basically what I read on the board on regards to how he is going to vote. There was is if the vote goes the other way it's not his fault. But it will be his fault. Because he seems that he does not want to give up his numbers, theyre big numbers. No matter what model they use. So heres the butt of my message to you. All of you should be on the phone calling the mayor, the superintendent and the school committee and send them all emails on how you feel about this. If we are going to do this right, there should be atleast 3 or 4 public hearings where people can speak. and get there questions answered. But maybe we have a bunch of cowards here, that don't want us to hear the truth. The truth of the whole matter, this didn't happen over night, this has happened over time due to all the buildings going up. I'm talking about condominiums, and all those zoning changes that have happened so this can happen. Im getting a little off track so lets get back. Our city is growing, and we don't seem to have enough space for the students, the bigger question becomes, how much room do we actually have in the highschool? Not alot. But how about the middle school? How much room do we have there? I think what's going on here, they're not going to tell us. But anybody whos been in the highschool, middle school, and all the grammar schools we know the answer. Our politicians are trying to pull a quick one on us. So folks, if you care, about what's going on here, for your children, this is a time for you to use your position, to force these folks to have a few more meetings before the vote is done. That's how it's done here, when the pressure is put on the elected officials, to do what has to be done right, just look at whats going to happen, this coming week. The board of alderman has to vote on a water thing. They have to vote one way or the other to hopefully get the water rates controlled and manageable for the citizens. Make sure your voices are all heard. This is not about you, this is about your children, attending grammar school, middle school and highschool. The impact will be on you too, not just your children. That's all.
Get the message....the water and sewer fiasco is a major reason that the override failed....citizens wil not vote for any increase in taxes for anything because no one trusts the numbers games, the elected politicians or the incompetent, unqualified staff.....the schools will get no additional money until the water billing system is restructured and fixed and the politicians get backbones and stop lying...