The Middle Ground

I decided tonight that I do not like to compromise.  I know I am capable of cooperating, working with others, giving in occasionally (though my husband might disagree).  But I really do not like to compromise when it comes to my children's education.

Before moving to Windham, we heard wonderful things about the school system.  I remember being shocked when I learned that there was no public kindergarten.  I worked for a really long time to change that, and thankfully we are finally building a permanent kindergarten addition to Golden Brook School.  Others worked hard to ensure that the Windham High School was built.  Both of these were needed and necessary additions to the District that were long overdue.

In the last eleven years, we have built a new school and an addition.  Yet all of this building was for kids that were not in the District to begin with.  In the meantime, Golden Brook School, Center School and the Windham Middle School facilities remained status quo, as our enrollments numbers in grades 1 - 8 continued to grow, and grow, and grow.  We have invested tens of millions of dollars to add space to the District without solving a single capacity issue.

This is when I get a little stubborn.  I think it is high time we invested money into grades 1 - 8.  Not just a few million, but enough millions to make a dent in the overcrowding, get art of carts, and make the Middle School, well, a Middle School. 

I attended a School Board Workshop Meeting last night where the Board spent the better part of an hour discussing spending ten million dollars to put 20 classrooms at the Middle School.  Thank goodness that idea was eventually shot down, because it would add no science labs, no core facilities, and no library.  My full report on the meeting will be available on www.windhamLINK.com in a few days.  Trust me when I say, ten million does not get you much these days.

As a member of the Facilities Master Planning Committee, I supported a full scale addition to the Middle School that would solve capacity issues and allow the Middle School to function as a true Middle School.   The Committee chose this option over building a new Middle School for many reasons, including the increased operating costs of adding another school, higher construction costs, and the concern of another school transition for students.

At the School Board Meeting last night, the idea was brought up to explore building a new junior high for just grades 7 and 8.  This was not an option the Facilities Committee had explored, and I have to admit it sparked my interest.  I still have concerns over costs and adding another school transition.  I also have grave concerns that we will make a significant investment in another new building, while Golden Brook sits virtually untouched after forty years.  But I have to wonder, could this be the middle ground?

The Board has not sought public opinion on any of the options presented by the Facilities Planning Committee because they are still trying to reach a consensus themselves.  Yet I see them speculating about what they think the public will be willing to spend (10 million, 20 million, 30 million) and what they think the public will be willing to support (an addition to Windham Middle School or new construction).   So I’ll put it out there – what would you do? How much are you willing to compromise? What is your middle ground?

If you are willing to share your thoughts, you can do so by commenting here and attending the November 1, 2011 School Board Meeting at 7pm at the Planning Department.  We need to start speaking up and speaking out for our children’s education.