By Jarret Liotta
Implementing a mindset of parity, the Board of Education’s new Community Advisory Committee (CAC) tonight pared down some of the options recently presented by Superintendent of Schools Colleen Palmer to address the crisis caused by closure of Coleytown Middle School (CMS) due to air quality issues.
Saugatuck Elementary School teacher Jeanne Bowles was elected to chair the CAC. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Jarret Liotta for WestportNow.com
At the same time it is setting out to gather more information on the viability of the remaining options before it presents the board with its recommendation in the next few weeks. It assigned subcommittees that will conduct research and present to the full committee.
“It’s a herculean task,” said Jeanne Bowles, math specialist at Saugatuck Elementary School and Westport resident, who was voted to chair the CAC at the Town Hall auditorium meeting. “There are so many moving parts.”
“I think everyone feels in the community that this is a lot to take in a short time,” she said.
CAC members unanimously eliminated what have come to be known townwide as Option 6 and Option 7, which respectively call for all middle school students attending Bedford Middle School (BMS) on the same schedule, and two separate sessions being held at BMS — a five-hour block in the morning for half the middle school students in town and another in the afternoon for the other half.
Option 3 was also eliminated, which involved Long Lots School (LLS) sixth graders attending Coleytown Elementary School (CES), while Saugatuck and Kings Highway Elementary sixth graders would go to BMS and Greens Farms Elementary would keep its fifth graders for an additional year.
Options 1 and 2, meanwhile, were combined into one. Like Option 3 they both included moving the Stepping Stones Preschool to a rented facility and keeping sixth graders at their respective elementary schools with the exception of either LLS sixth graders or kindergartners relocating to CES in each respective option.
The new committee takes a vote tonight. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Jarret Liotta for WestportNow.com
“I think it’s really paramount that all the sixth graders in our district have the same experience,” said member Elena Caggiano.
Member John Horrigan, teacher union head, said the concept of parity should be added to the list of metrics guiding their charge, as members consistently voiced its importance in considering the best option.
“I think parity-ism is almost more important than anything,” said member Don O’Day, noting all children should have the same experiences at their respective grade levels.
Member Joe Strickland, who was a dissenting voice on several areas of discussion, said it would be extremely difficult to find absolute parity.
“Are we assigning an adult concept, an adult worry?” he said, noting that the students would ultimately be resilient to changes, as they have been in the past.
“I think these kids are way more savvy than when we went to school,” Bowles said, noting comparisons and concerns affect them more directly.
“And they do have different social and emotional needs than we did 20 years ago,” she said.
“The adults are ultimately the stakeholders here as well,” Caggiano said. “It’s a parent community that’s very engaged.”
Strickland was also adamant that the possibility of returning students to CMS for next year — or even sooner — should still be under consideration.
Member Joe Strickland argued that students could possibly be returned to CMS this year. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Jarret Liotta for WestportNow.com
“There’s no reason we should let Coleytown Middle lay fallow,” he said, explaining that as a former facilities director for the school system he has experience in assessing buildings.
Palmer and BOE Chairman Mark Mathias stated at Monday night’s board meeting that it was virtually impossible to have that happen before next year, if even then.
“I think safe is a relative term,” Strickland said, noting that tests could show poor air quality at Saugatuck Elementary School, for example, based on its proximity to I-95.
The CAC broke into five subcommittees based on the five remaining options and will be making presentations on each at its next meeting on Thursday, Nov. 29. They will stay in communication through email and share findings during the week as well.
Meanwhile the public is invited to attending two meetings for public feedback on Tuesday, Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. at LLS, and on Wednesday, Nov. 28, at noon at Town Hall.
