A version of this story appears in TheDailyNorwalk.com.
A report presented to the Board of Education on Tuesday evening recommends building additions at five Norwalk elementary schools: Columbus, Cranbury, Jefferson, Naramake and Rowayton.
Partners for Architecture of Stamford was hired by the BOE in February to study space utilization and the impact of projected enrollment at all 12 elementary schools. The BOE commissioned the study because overcrowding is an issue at several of the elementary schools. During the presentation, Partners for Architecture noted that Rowayton, Jefferson and Naramake currently have portable classrooms. Several schools do not have separate art classrooms and must wheel art supplies from class to class on a cart. In one school, a closet is used as a special education classroom.
"We went through every space at every school, from the 100-year-old attic in Rowayton to the dungeon basement of Wolfpit," said Rainer Schrom, principal at Partners for Architecture. Mark Gorian, NPS facilities director, oversaw the study and accompanied Schrom to all 12 schools.
The report, which cost $38,000, recommends ways to reconfigure school space for maximum efficiency, as well as building the additions. "The report is a tool for future decisions and helps us to prioritize," said Superintendent Susan Marks, noting there are space needs at other schools also.
The report was commissioned, in large part, to determine how best to spend $6.2 million -- the remainder of a previous capital appropriation for school improvements. Additions at all five schools will cost $13 million, according to the report's estimates.
Mayor Richard Moccia, ex-officio member of the BOE, said, "We want to do everything, but we have to look at what we can do." He recommended moving forward on the capital spending as soon as possible. "We have to see where we can get the most bang for our buck." The district would need to request any additional funds during the capital budgeting process, said Marks.
Board Member Sue Haynie suggested looking into why students are transferring from their neighborhood schools into the overcrowded ones. Board Member Jack Chiaramonte said, "I know redistricting is an ugly word, but how else are we going to change things." Schrom said that redistricting was not part of the scope of the project.
The full report, including a school-by-school breakdown of needed improvements, is available on the Norwalk Public School website.
A report presented to the Board of Education on Tuesday evening recommends building additions at five Norwalk elementary schools: Columbus, Cranbury, Jefferson, Naramake and Rowayton.
Partners for Architecture of Stamford was hired by the BOE in February to study space utilization and the impact of projected enrollment at all 12 elementary schools. The BOE commissioned the study because overcrowding is an issue at several of the elementary schools. During the presentation, Partners for Architecture noted that Rowayton, Jefferson and Naramake currently have portable classrooms. Several schools do not have separate art classrooms and must wheel art supplies from class to class on a cart. In one school, a closet is used as a special education classroom.
"We went through every space at every school, from the 100-year-old attic in Rowayton to the dungeon basement of Wolfpit," said Rainer Schrom, principal at Partners for Architecture. Mark Gorian, NPS facilities director, oversaw the study and accompanied Schrom to all 12 schools.
The report, which cost $38,000, recommends ways to reconfigure school space for maximum efficiency, as well as building the additions. "The report is a tool for future decisions and helps us to prioritize," said Superintendent Susan Marks, noting there are space needs at other schools also.
The report was commissioned, in large part, to determine how best to spend $6.2 million -- the remainder of a previous capital appropriation for school improvements. Additions at all five schools will cost $13 million, according to the report's estimates.
Mayor Richard Moccia, ex-officio member of the BOE, said, "We want to do everything, but we have to look at what we can do." He recommended moving forward on the capital spending as soon as possible. "We have to see where we can get the most bang for our buck." The district would need to request any additional funds during the capital budgeting process, said Marks.
Board Member Sue Haynie suggested looking into why students are transferring from their neighborhood schools into the overcrowded ones. Board Member Jack Chiaramonte said, "I know redistricting is an ugly word, but how else are we going to change things." Schrom said that redistricting was not part of the scope of the project.
The full report, including a school-by-school breakdown of needed improvements, is available on the Norwalk Public School website.
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If they actually build 5 additions and stay within the estimated budget of $13 million for the entire project, I'll eat my hat. They will spend close to twice that amount.
ReplyDeleteWhy not spend a bit more money, build slightly larger additions, close two other elementary schools, and then redistrict the entire city? This way, underutilized schools can be filled, a few administrative and support positions can be eliminated, and the schools can be better balanced for both racial composition and size.
I for one am not interested in re-districting. I live where I live so my children can attend the schools closest to my home - we are .8 of a mile from elementary, 2 miles from the high school and 2.5 miles to the middle school. I do not want to pay the taxes I pay and have my school closed and my children bussed to some school across town. They should first address the problem of students going to schools outside where they live and make them attend the schools within their own neighborhoods. If a parent wants to have their student attend something other then their own neighborhood school then they should pay a fee - which can then be applied to any additions needed to over crowded schools.
ReplyDeleteMaybe... just maybe... we should start with getting all the kids who live in the districts to go their home schools. NOT be transported to others b/c theirs is in need of omprovement. Then we could get the ones who are at Marvin who attend there but physically live elsewhere (Grandmas, Aunt Louis, etc) made to move to their home schools, and then decide what schools populations really are. And save the $$ it's costing the schools to transport them individually from other schools and focus on improving our schools. Transferring out of "in need of improvement" schools is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it is ridiculous, it is certainly costly, but it's mandated by NCLB. You can thank George W. Bush for that one.
ReplyDeleteAddressing the out of district students, including those who drive in daily from Bridgeport using phony addresses as described by the previous poster, is another issue.
We need to address the issue of all out of district (Norwalk) students who are not attending the schools in their neighborhood as well as those students who may not live in Norwalk.
ReplyDelete