The meeting is taking place because the NASD requires more classroom space and they opted to build a new Middle School (MS) for 7th & 8th grade students to gain it. To build this facility, they decided to convert the current Middle School into an intermediate school (IS) for 4-6 grades. The elementary schools will remain as is but have K-3rd grades.
What we know:
- Academic research shows that grade level groupings do not have a significant impact on learning, what does is the curriculum and the teachers.
- Physical building cost and annual operating costs increase as the grade levels increase.
- NASD has had significant annual expenditure increases and its new threshold will be less than 5%. If it goes over that amount the budget will go to a voter referendum. School spending must be watches as carefully as possible.
Length of school day/start and end times. These have not been confirmed. The current structure has elementary (8:05-2:05) and secondary (7:35-2:44). Buses run first from secondary to elementary in the morning and vice-versa in the afternoon. If the times remain, the IS will need to be in one or the other. Most won't want their 4th graders on buses with 12th graders. If it stays on elementary schedule the question of getting students to the school will be an issue because they will be traveling much further than if they went to a regional elementary.
Potential Problems:
New Transitional Year. Students will now need to transition from a regional elementary to a district wide school in 4th instead of 6th grade. They will also transition again in 7th and 9th. Transition years are traditionally more difficult/challenging for students.
Transportation/Pick-up/Drop-off. NASD will be busing at least the same number of students a further distance based on the new arrangement. Further, the Gardens, Friedenstahl Avenue, Tatamy Road, and East Lawn Road will experience significant traffic as a result of the new building and parent pick-up/drop-off. Compounding the problem will be the challenge faced by families with multiple children in different buildings. Again this will depend on time, but the challenge will be the same. A family with three children can easily have each in a different building.
What we Get: A lot.
- The new MS will accommodate up to 1340 students. This means up to 670 enrollment per grade 7-8 (current average 400).
- The IS will accommodate up to 1256 students. This means up to 420 enrollment per grade 4-6 (current average 341).
- The elementary buildings will accommodate up to 2200. This means up to 550 enrollment per grade K-3 (current average 315).
The new building more than meets our space needs.
What else we get:
Because the students are older, more facilities are included in the building and surrounding grounds.
Outside:
- Two ball fields with a practice field through the outfields are located at current clipper field.
- Two soccer/field hockey fields to the north of the new building,
- One soccer/field hockey field to the south of the new building
- An all-weather track and playing field to the west (not Andrew S. Leh Stadium).
The following take two stories:
- Swimming pool
- Gymnasium
- Auxilary gym
- Auditorium
- Stage
- Cafeteria
- Library (media center)
- Band room
- Entryway
- A weight room
- Locker rooms
- Team rooms
- Choral room
- TV studio
- Video lab.
- Of this total, 20.5% is for 33 traditional classrooms. In addition to these classrooms there are 11 rooms for special ed., esol, world language, and speech and there are 8 science labs.
- The building administration and guidance office is staffed for 14 and is 5,020 square feet (360 sq. ft. per staff member), larger than the library, which is 3,429.
Tonight's meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. and will be held at the Nazareth HS Large Group Instruction Room.
6 comments:
Is it a done deal, the new MS? Could that land purchased be used to build a new elementary that could house the Tatamy, Stockertown and Upper Naz students and other students from drafting new boundaries? Resulting in no revsion to current MS, allowing younger students to stay in their elementary schools two years longer, and isn't an ES less expensive to build than a new MS? Or is it ridiculous to think of two elementary schools so close together? Shame the land across from Shafer and the old MS building were sold years back to "a developer" very shortsighted but water under the bridge-would like to hear from anyone who knows if the new MS is a done deal or if other options are still being considered...
This is great that we get this fancy new building with all the bells and whistles. It is also great that it will carry a hefty price tag, given the fact that NASD is over budget and we will most likely see major tax increases over the next couple of years. That will really foster growth in both commercial and residential development in the area.
It is great to see that the new building will decrease the burden on the elementary and middle schools, and even give us quite a bit of room for growth.
Has anyone taken a realistic look that if the new school ever actually gets built, and the void of classroom space is filled by new students, what will the ultimate impact be upon the high school?
It is already pretty well utilized, and all the students at the lower levels will have to go somewhere.
My general thought is that NASD has not given total thought to a growth plan (we sure know they aren't paying much attention to the spending one).
This district could be facing a major financial crisis in the next couple of years, and we the taxpayers are the ones that will suffer for it.
They seem to be putting the cart before the horse.
Ross excellent work on your presenting the facts and questions to generate responses and idesa.
I FOR ONE DON'T LIKE THE IDEA OF MY CHILD CHANGING SCHOOLS EVERY 2 YEARS AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE. ALSO DID THEY CONSIDER BUILDING ANOTHER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. SOUNDS LIKE THE MAIN FOCUS OF THIS NEW SCHOOL IS ON THE EXTRA'S. IF WE HAD A NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BUILT I AM SURE IT WOULDN'T HAVE TO HOUSE A WEIGHT RM, LOCKER ROOMS, TEAM RMS,
TV STUDIO, VIEO LAB, SWIMMING POOL, ECT...I THOUGHT WE NEEDED ANOTHER SCHOOL TO ACCOMADATE MORE CLASS ROOMS TO TEACH THE BASICS. HOW MANY MORE CLASS ROOMS COULD WE PUT IN THIS SCHOOL IF WE DIN'T HAVE ALL THE EXTRAS THAT TAKE 2 STORIES. I WONDER WHAT THE COST OF THE 33 CLASS ROOMS IS COMPARED TO ALL THE EXTRA ROOMS. THIS ALL SOUNDS EXTREME TO ME. ALL THIS FUSS AND MONEY TO HOUSE 2 GRADES DOESN'T MAKE MUCH SENSE TO ME. WHY NOT A SCHOOL WITH A BASIC GYM...WHY DO WE NEED AUDITORIUM WHEN WE ALREADY HAVE 2 IN THE HS AND MS. I AM NOT IMPRESSED WITH ANY OF THIS.
All the comments posted here ---and more ---need to be addressed to the schoolboard!!!!! anonymous comments don't count. YOU need to stand up and be heard in public!
why don't all of you show up at a school board meeting and voice you opinons. instead of attacking via a blogger
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