Posts Tagged ‘closing’

It can happen in North Allegheny, too.

Posted: September 24, 2012 in Other Districts
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To see the video, click the link below.

A school district closes one elementary school– and experiences over-crowding in the remaining elementary schools.

BROOKFIELD –  A “class-size controversy” at one school district – just months after a school was closed.

Hillside Elementary was closed because of budgets and shrinking attendance.

But now parents are frustrated because of over-crowded classrooms  “We have voiced our concern on that and hoping that  they’d add another teacher,” said parent Jackie Smith.

Jackie Smith’s concerned about her daughter’s fifth grade class.

It’s one of four at Swanson Elementary pushed to it’s maximum size.

“I certainly don’t like that there are 30 kids in the class.”

The school added nearly 60 students in the past two and a half months forcing the district to add “sections”.

Tonawanda Elementary is in similar shape.

“So we’re going to look at whether those are permanent students or if it’s a one year kind of anomaly,” said Keith Brightman, assistant superintendent of finance, budget and human resources at Elmbrook’s School District.

The hike in enrollment comes on the heels of Hillside Elementary’s closure this spring.

District leaders consolidated for budget reasons.

Brightman said the closing of Hillside did not directly impact Swanson and Tonawanda’s class sizes.

Parent’s aren’t so sure.

Brookfield Elementary absorbed students from Hillside.  But redistricting sent some Brookfield students to Swanson.

Jackie Smith understood Hillside’s closing.  But she fears the district failed to address the impact it would have on other classrooms.  “We’re adding 50, 60, 100 kids to your school, but we’re not hiring any more teachers,” she said.

The district budgeted for six “place holder” teaching positions for possible changes in enrollment.  It ended up having to add more but did so at the younger class levels which are priority for smaller class sizes.

In fifth grade classes it will add an assistant after exploring the options, said Brightman.

“Usually those are qualified teachers in those positions in our district so that’s a very viable solution given that they’re just above our max thresholds.”

Not all parents find that an acceptable solution.

They’ll get to voice their concerns at a school board meeting next Tuesday night.

Superintendent’s Coffee on Thursday, September 20

Posted: September 19, 2012 in Take Action
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You are invited to attend the Superintendent’s Coffee.

Attendance is not limited to NA parents– but is open to the entire community.

• Meet District Administrators.
• Hear an overview of key information for parents.
• Q & A will close the session.

Bradford Woods Elementary School • 41 Forest Road • Bradford Woods, PA 15015 • 724-935-5081

School Board Meeting on Wednesday, September 19 @ 7:00pm

Posted: September 18, 2012 in Take Action
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Please attend the September school board meeting. We need your support at Wednesday night’s (tomorrow) school board meeting.

The meeting will be held at the Central Admin Office, located inside of Carson Middle School, at 7pm.  The address is 200 Hillvue Lane.

The representation we have there tomorrow night is critical! Please tell 3 people– and have them tell 3 people. We need to be accurately represented.
Many parents have signed up to speak regarding the recommendation to close Peebles Elementary, elementary class size, and our on-going request for the school board to appoint a committee of local residents including parents, financial professionals, teachers, and local leaders to find more appropriate solutions to district’s challenges.

Your attendance will speak volumes.

Message for the NA Community

Posted: September 17, 2012 in The Impact
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MESSAGE FOR THE NA COMMUNITY:

The proposal to close Peebles Elementary is about a new model for elementary education across the district that will increase class sizes in EVERY elementary school. It is a district-wide issue and we need to gain district-wide support.

More specifically, closing Peebles is part of a plan to maximize utilization of the elementary buildings by increasing class sizes. Out of the 145 elementary sections, 7 are currently above 30. The board can redistrict to correct this problem and create equity across the schools. Closing Peebles will allow them to increase class sizes in EVERY elementary school to their new “target capacity” after the redistricting.

This is about 30 students becoming the norm for grades 3-5 instead of the exception. The exception (7 out of 145 sections) is fixed by redistricting. Closing one of the seven elementary schools means going to a new model of 30 students in all intermediate grades (3rd-5th) across the district.

We need to argue that larger class sizes make it more difficult for teachers to effectively teach curriculum and gives them less time with each student. This is extremely detrimental at the elementary school level where kids are just being introduced to the educational model and structure. In addition, adding just one or two kids to a classroom can greatly increase the classroom complexity for the teacher given each kid has a different ability to learn, different social/emotional background, and different set of needs.

We need to ADVOCATE REDISTRICTING to create more equity across all elementary schools and better utilization of “excess capacity” in some buildings, but to LEAVE PEEBLES OPEN so that class sizes don’t swell beyond a reasonable level after the redistricting.

Trib, Post Gazette: Parents Voice Concerns

Posted: September 13, 2012 in Press Coverage
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Parents of North Allegheny students to voice concerns over a recommendation to close Peebles Elementary

North Allegheny hears case to keep Peebles Elementary open

NA Residents for Neighborhood Schools

Posted: September 7, 2012 in Letters, Take Action
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Welcome to SaveNAschools.  

This blog was started to be a resource for the community of North Allegheny School District –a community made up of parents, neighbors…taxpayers.

As many of you are aware, North Allegheny School District is now seriously considering a new course of action aimed at lowering costs.  This new plan would be executed prior to presenting a referendum to tax payers that voluntarily raise taxes to support North Allegheny School District. While being fiscally responsible is an admirable, and certainly the correct thing to do, the  recommendation to close Peebles Elementary School comes at a time when the average elementary class size in the district is increasing past Pennsylvania Department of Education Guidelines.

We hope to provide concerned residents with information regarding the recent recommendation to the school board, offer opportunities to become involved in the effort to save our NA neighborhood schools, and keep residents aware of the latest announcements from the school board as their plan moves forward.

The Story:

On August 22, 2012, Jon Thomas  of  Thomas & Williamson ( a construction program management company) recommended to the North Allegheny school board to close Peebles Elementary School.  Citing excess capacity across the district, increasing costs, decreasing state funding and a projected budget shortfall for the 2012-2013 school year,  the proposal was made to close Peebles at the end of this school year.

At the school board meeting, there was no discussion about how closing a well attended, structurally sound school would save the district significant funds- especially since any savings would likely be off set by the cost of renovations to increase capacity at the other district schools.  In fact, Mr. Thomas acknowledged that it was difficult to  recommend closing Peebles since it was last renovated in 1999.

Concerned parents of Peebles Elementary students, in cooperation with parents from Hosack Elementary school, want to hold the school board accountable.

Faced with elementary school class sizes that are already above the Pennsylvania Department of Education guidelines in many elementary classrooms across the district:

  • We want the school board to directly address how closing a neighborhood school will help the district save substantial funds- when, Mr. Ray Gualtieri, NA Superintendent, by his own account, admitted that closing an elementary school would only save $220K a year.
  • We want to understand why other cost savings opportunities have not been explored.
  • We want the school board to demonstrate how they plan to effectively fill our schools past the point of realistic capacity.
  • We want to know how the school board plans to promote continued equity across the district.
  • We want an explanation as to how we can expect our property values to remain strong if we are no longer competitive with neighboring school districts that offer reasonable class sizes and neighborhood schools.
  • We want to know why the school board hired a firm with a potential financial interest in facility rehabilitation and construction to make recommendati0ns regarding construction and consolidation of schools across the district.
  • We want to understand why- after numerous statements from Mr. Gualtieri throughout the Fall of 2011 and Spring of 2012, that North Allegheny would not move to close any elementary schools prior to a referendum, why this recommendation was announced without notice on August 22, 2012.
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