A Portable Solution

At the last School Board Meeting, I learned that the School Board is considering putting a portable at Windham Middle School to handle some of the overcrowding in our District.  The Administration presented the Board with a quote of $3.6 million to purchase a 12 classroom portable.  That amount includes $400,000 for site work, $2 million for classrooms, $600,000 to rebuild fields, and $150,000 in contingency funds.  When questioned, the Administration commented that we could lease a portable for approximately $1.5 million less, but the exact figures were not known.

This begs the question, “Why was a lease option not presented as well?”

For a price tag of $3.6 million, is the District considering a 12 classroom portable placed at the Middle School a permanent solution to our capacity issues?  This would take care of the current fourth grade, whose enrollement numbers are 253, the highest in the District.  It would also mean that the current third graders, who are now split between Golden Brook School and Center School, would be in a portable at Middle School.  Is this what you want for your children?

My three children are ages 11, 9, and 3.  My eleven year old is in sixth grade and has threatened to pirate this blog and write a post about the overcrowding at the Middle School.  My 9 year old is in fourth grade, and when she plays school at home, art and music are on a make-shift cart.  Neither of them benefited from public kindergarten and now one of them will most likely be in a portable for fifth grade.  Keep in mind that there will be no improvement to the core facilities at the Middle School.  We will be adding 250 students and still only have half a library and the school will still not be a true Middle School.

In the time my children have been in the District, I have seen enrichment at Golden Brook shift from a program for gifted children to a school wide program.  I have seen World Language and Enrichment disappear from Center School because of space issues.  I have seen children being tutored in hallways, libraries turned into make-shift classrooms, and playgrounds turned into parking lots.

None of this is critical to an adequate education.  Yet all of it is part of the education I want for my children.  I want our Middle School to have Tech Ed and Consumer Sciences.  I want enrichment programs and inquiry based learning.  I joined the Facilities Master Planning Committee and worked along with Administrators, School Board members, Principals, Directors, and community members to ensure all of this was part of the Master Plan for our district.

I am afraid if we purchase a portable and put it at Windham Middle School, future Boards will use this as a permanent solution to our capacity issues. 

This is not the answer for Windham and not the answer I want for my children.  Now is the time to think about what you want for your childen.  I encourage you to email School Board members or attend the November 1, 2011 School Board Meeting at the Planning Department at 7pm.  Together we can make a difference.