Date: Fri 07-Aug-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

schools-5-6-Reed-Michigan

Full Text:

Local School Planners Look To Michigan For Answers

BY KAAREN VALENTA

Facing an anticipated need for a new school, several representatives of the

Newtown school district will travel to Michigan in late September to look at

schools made up of fifth and sixth grades.

Superintendent of Schools John Reed told the school board Monday evening that

the district needs to do research now on the possibility of creating a grade

five-six school to alleviate expected overcrowding in the elementary and

middle schools.

"I think we need to go [to Michigan] and see firsthand," Dr Reed said. "We're

talking about spending $22 million [for a new school] so we need to do our

homework. Grade five-six schools are relatively new to Connecticut, but

Michigan has 19 of them."

Dr Reed said the delegation, yet to be named, would be made up of three or

four people. The district also is consulting with school officials in

Ridgefield, where construction of a five-six school also is planned.

The superintendent presented the board with an outline of the "pre-referendum

services" that will be completed within the next two to three months by

Kaestle Boos Associates, architect for the district's recent $26 million

expansion/renovation project at the high school and Hawley School. These

services will include a space utilization study focusing on using Watertown

Hall at Fairfield Hills as part of the new five-six school to house 900 to

1,000 students. No architect has been formally chosen yet to actually design a

new school.

This month, a committee chaired by principals Les Weintraub of Newtown Middle

School and Gary Hexom of Middle Gate School, and including staff, parents, and

a Board of Education member, will be formed. This group will study the

educational needs and organizational issues of a five-six school and will make

recommendations that will address "in significant detail" what the necessary

components of a successful five-six school will be, Dr Reed said.

Currently Newtown public schools incorporate grades kindergarten through five

in the four elementary schools, six through eight at the middle school, nine

through 12 at the high school. But Dr Reed said combining grades five and six

in a separate school not only would relieve anticipated overcrowding but also

works well academically.

"The instructional programs for grades five and six are easily and

appropriately integrated, ensuring a highly effective program that provides

students with a thoughtful, exciting and thorough education," he said.

A study done by Dr Bruce Bothwell of Focusing Consulting Associates in 1995

concluded that the district would not need a new school in the foreseeable

future. But by 1997 both Focus Consulting and the State of Connecticut made

significant changes in their forecasts, Dr Reed said.

"Usually a boom is followed by a downturn and a recession, but that hasn't

happened in Connecticut this time," Dr Reed said. "In 1995 there was virtually

zero impact [on the school population] from the sale of homes. By 1997 there

was almost a 10 percent increase."

Dr Reed described the state's projections as "even more startling." The

long-range forecast for the year 2004-05 showed an elementary enrollment of

2,678, an increase of 479 students over the number originally predicted.

"Middle school enrollment also showed significant increase," he said. "For

2000-01 the change was up 105 students to 1,163 students, and for 2005-06, up

236 students."

The new school was proposed after a space needs committee concluded in May

that the town will need another school by the 2001-02 school year. The

suggested site was the 19-acre parcel at Fairfield Hills that the state has

given to the town. Besides Watertown Hall, the parcel also includes a

maintenance garage.

Building a new school also would mean the district would avoid spending

approximately $720,000 for the conversion of the central office area to

classrooms, and a yearly rental fee of approximately $125,000 for central

office space, two "fairly big ticket items," Dr Reed said.

In June the Legislative Council added the proposed project to its capital

improvement plan so the school board could apply for state reimbursements by

the end of June. The school district expects to receive about $7 million in

state aid reimbursement for the anticipated $22 million project.

A final decision on the new school will be made by the town's registered

voters and property owners in a referendum.