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Date: Fri 09-May-1997

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Date: Fri 09-May-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

schools-Oxford-high-school

Full Text:

Oxford Eyes NHS For Some Of Its Students

B Y D OROTHY E VANS

Oxford students attending Newtown High? It could happen.

Newtown Board of Education Chairman Herb Rosenthal told board members Tuesday

night about a proposal from Oxford Public School administrators concerning a

possible transfer of 100 Oxford students into Newtown High over a four-year

period, from 1998 to 2001.

"They are testing the waters," Mr Rosenthal said.

The Oxford students would be admitted in four successive waves, beginning with

the enrollment of the first group of 25 freshmen in the fall of 1998.

As the students advanced alongside their Newtown peers, they would presumably

graduate from Newtown High four years later, at which time no new students

would be admitted.

The cycling of the 100 Oxford students through Newtown would take seven school

years to be completed.

Transportation costs would be paid by Oxford and, beyond that, each student's

tuition payment (also paid by Oxford to the town of Newtown) would amount to

approximately $8,300 per pupil - a figure that could swell town coffers by

$200,000 during the first year alone.

By the time 100 Oxford students had been enrolled, even if tuition were raised

only slightly, there could be an infusion of nearly $1 million tuition money

as general revenue for the town's use.

"To be honest, we're looking for what's in it for us," said Newtown's

Superintendent of Schools John Reed.

Peak Population In 2001

"I urge you to think about this," said Dr Reed, as he posted high school

enrollment projections for the next eight years.

He reminded board members that the new high school addition was added with

space allowed for long term increased enrollment. For the next two or three

years, at least, there would be room to accommodate Oxford.

The school now enrolls approximately 1,100 students. After the new addition is

completed, its capacity will rise to 1,500, Dr Reed said.

During the year 1998/99, Newtown High School is projected to enroll between

1,134 and 1,167 students, so 25 more students from Oxford wouldn't have much

impact educationally or on space availability.

But looking ahead to the fourth year of the cycle (2001/2002), adding a total

of 100 Oxford students when Newtown High is already projected to be enrolling

between 1,261 and 1,337 - then the numbers become problematic.

"Anything over 1,400 looks high," Dr Reed said.

Yet, the timing of the seven-year cycle might just work out.

As the Newtown student population continued to rise, the Oxford numbers would

go down after that fourth year, because the first wave of Oxford students

would be graduating.

"Based on current enrollment projections, there is no possibility [the

acceptance of Oxford students] could be sustained" beyond that point, Dr Reed

said.

For the short term, however, "both towns might benefit," Mr Rosenthal

summarized.

Why Come To Newtown?

From Oxford's point of view, the tuition proposal makes excellent sense.

Too small to afford building its own high school, Oxford must now send

students across town lines to Seymour High School.

The Seymour school system has been rated by the state Department of Education

as being three Economic Reference Groups (ERG) below Oxford. As a result, many

parents are electing to send their students to private schools, or they are

going to Nonnewaug High School in Woodbury or to vocational technical schools.

An Oxford school planning committee has recently recommended that the town

look into regionalization with Seymour, with the idea of building a new high

school that would serve both towns.

"If regionalization is voted down, they have one year to implement [another

plan]," Mr Rosenthal said, adding Oxford is also looking into sending tuition

students to Shepaug High School, as well as Newtown.

Oxford likes Newtown for several reasons.

"They feel Newtown is a closer match to Oxford" than to Seymour, Mr Rosenthal

said, not only because their curricula are similar, but because the two towns

have a similar socio-economic profile.

Newtown, Brookfield and Bethel are grouped together in the Department of

Education's ERG B, while Oxford is in the ERG just below that, or ERG C.

Seymour is three groupings below Oxford in ERG F.

Big cities such as Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport are in the ninth and

last group, or ERG I.

Board Debates Money

After listening to Dr Reed and Mr Rosenthal, Newtown board members debated the

pros and cons of the Oxford proposal.

While they were willing to help a neighboring town, they expressed severe

doubts about how the Oxford tuition money would be spent, once it came to

Newtown.

Certain expenses involving the additional students would be inevitable.

"We'd have to hire at least two teachers for each of the first four years," Dr

Reed estimated.

And what if a bad budget year meant the Legislative Council cut the Board of

Education budget so deeply that the Oxford money was swallowed up in the

town's general fund to offset a rise in taxes.

Class sizes would have to be watched closely, Mrs Hills said. Newtown students

shouldn't be made to bear the brunt of a bad budget year.

Mr Rosenthal suggested the Oxford tuition funds might be protected in some

way, to ensure Newtown students would see the benefit.

Charles Nanavaty said one method of earmarking the money would be to spend it

on identified educational needs, such as technology.

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