8 March, 2011
Dear Editor,
Over the past several weeks, many letters have been written about neighborhood schools, understandably based on emotion and assumptions. I would like to share some facts (and some assertions), for voters to consider for March 21 and 28.
Districted Elementary Schools perform equally well in towns similar to Hopkinton. Neighborhood schools in towns with low poverty and high performing school systems exhibit little or no difference in school performance. For example, neighborhood schools within the towns of Wayland (2 districts), Westwood (5 districts), and Lexington (6 districts), received the exact same AYP (Adequately Yearly Progress) rating from the Massachusetts Department of Education.
Home values are influenced by distance from a school and district performance, not the age of a school building. According to a paper by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia (2006), values are influenced by performance at the High School level, not the Elementary School level. Distance from schools is consistently cited as a factor influencing home value, while the age of a school building is never cited. If we were to build another grade-level school at Fruit Street (which is not an option), we would harm home values on the other side of town. More importantly, children would be on the bus for a very long time, it would be costly, and there would be 24 buses traveling Fruit Street instead of 8.
The disparity among classrooms and conditions within Center School is dramatic. Much attention has been given to the potential lack of parity between Hopkins, Elmwood, and the Fruit Street School. Absent from the conversation is the existing lack of parity at Center School. Depending on a child’s classroom and needs, their educational experience is very different. Classrooms vary significantly in size and many are too small for today’s instruction; in the winter, some do not heat past 60̊, while others do not cool below 78̊. (It’s much hotter in the warmer months.) Children receive tutoring and services in public spaces, which interfere with efficacy and comfort. The building is not ADA compliant, and so on...
None of these significant problems exist at Elmwood or Hopkins, the classrooms are larger, and potential parity issues will not impede best practices in teaching. Unlike at Center, parity can be achieved. Elmwood and Hopkins should be improved. But the need for improvements should not prevent the replacement of Center School.
Most towns have neighborhood schools, and are able to build and repair schools as needed. If we fail to support our neighbor’s school, they will not support ours. Perhaps this is why districted towns are able to build and repair schools; and they, too, must do so one at a time. Perhaps Center School is still in use because we are not districted K-5. I suspect that if any of us had children attend Center School for 6 years, we most certainly would have advocated for change before now.
Hopkinton is not too small to district. With 1,534 K-5 students, we are the largest non-districted community of 36 surrounding communities. Six communities with fewer students are already districted: Canton, Dedham, Northborough, Sharon, Wayland, and Westwood. We are too big not to district.
Our Grade sizes are too big. Over the years, our schools have ballooned from 80 children per grade to 230 - 300 per grade. Our youngest students are experiencing the dynamic of a large school setting. A small school dynamic is created with longer grade spans and smaller grade sizes.
In small schools:
• Children feel safer and more connected to peers and teachers because they attend the same school for many years.
• Parents have time to build a stronger connection with teachers and administrators.
• Teachers report greater sense of efficacy, job satisfaction, and connection with students and parents.
• Academic and socio-emotional programs have more continuity because teachers can communicate across grade levels and see what works and doesn’t work as our children grow.
Our children receive an excellent education in spite of our fragmented grade spans, not because of them. The teachers and principals we credit for doing such a wonderful job educating our children, tell us that time spent on transitioning would be better spent teaching curriculum.
Now is the time to build. The current cost of building is favorable: construction bids are extremely competitive, the reimbursement rate (44.7%) is high, and interest rates are low. What is the cost of delay? In 2005, Wayland failed to pass a new high school by 2 votes. The cost, then, was $57 million dollars. In 2009, when the school passed, the cost was $70.8 million. That’s four years and nearly $14 million dollars. Additionally, if our interest rate goes up by 1%, which is likely as the economy improves, the cost could increase by approximately $3million dollars. It is not fiscally prudent to delay. The proposed annual tax increase: $254 for the average valued home (or $53.70 for every $100,000 of assessed value) is quite manageable for most residents.
After waiting ten years, our community finally has the opportunity to replace a failing structure and adopt a better educational model for our children. Please support the construction of a new elementary school at the March Special Town Meeting and Special Town Election. Our youngest students are counting on you.
Esther Driscoll
24 Appaloosa Circle
