Opinion: We Are The Reason

I have lived in Windham since 2001 and I have been actively involved in promoting education initiatives in Windham for over ten years. I served for sixteen months on the 2010-2011 Facilities Master Planning Committee, which was made up of community members like myself, School Board members, principals, administrators and an Architect and Engineering firm that actively participated in all of our meetings. Voters had authorized the expenditure of $300,000 to develop a comprehensive Facilities Master Plan which allowed us to work with the artchitects to fully vet ideas and concepts and to understand the costs involved. Our Facilities Master Planning Committee presented our findings to the School Board in the fall of 2011.

The Facilities Master Planning Committee recommended a phased approach that would begin with an addition to the existing Windham MIddle School and then an addition to Golden Brook School. However, the School Board at that time felt that the Committee’s recommendation was too costly for an addition and recommended putting a Warrant Article on the Ballot that would appropriate funds securing a gauranteed maximum price to build a new 7/8 Grade Middle School on London Bridge Road with fields that could be shared with the High School. In March 2012 this Warrant Article failed. Subsequently, in 2013 the School Board put a Warrant Article on the Ballot to build a new 7/8 Grade Middle School. This warrant article also failed.

Over the years, I have watched the ebb and flow of solutions to a problem that has not gone away and continues to plague our District. In the last ten years we have had five Superintendents and countless School Board configurations, each with different a goals. That is a fact that will not change and yet School Board members will continue to change, each with their own idea of what is important. The constant has always been us parents and community members who support education with our vote. I think it is important for everyone to understand the history and realize we are the reason our schools are overcrowded, not the School Board. We failed to support School Board and administrations efforts to build a new school 2012 and again in 2013.

In 2014, a new Cititizens Facilities Committee was formed. This group has been meeting since April of last year and is recommending a significant renovation and addition to Golden Brook School as well as renovations to the Middle School. The recommendation they are preparing to present to the School Board has not been vetted by an Architect and Engineering firm yet because funds had not been appopriated until this fiscal year. Known as Option 2, this plan will bring Pre-K/1/2/3/4 Grade all to Golden Brook School (resulting in 1000+ students and staff), move Grade 6 to Center School so it would be Grades 5/6, and keep Grades 7/8 at Windham Middle School and make the Middle School a “true” middle school.

No one has any true idea what Option 2 will cost. And as far as I know, there are no other options being considered to compare it with. Right now all I can ask is, “Does it meet the educational needs of our children? At the end of the day, do we want an elementary school with 1,000+ students? Will this affect test scores, our childrens behavior and learning environment, our property values?” These are just some of the questions I have about Option 2 and would like to see considered as part of the School Board’s review process.

I have heard several people say that the new School Board needs to do something to fix the overcrowding in our schools. Let me be the first to tell you the solution does not lie with the School Board. Previous Boards have tried. Ultimately the solution lies with us, the voters. It is critical that we speak up, become informed and take part in the process. I encourage you all to attend the School Board meeting on Tuesday, April 21, 2015 at 7:00 PM to learn more about Option 2.