Letter to the Editor: Don't Change Wrightstown's Grade Configuration

Editor:

The Council Rock School Board voted on November 6th to remove all modular classrooms from student use in the 2015-2016 school year. In the modular reduction plan proposed by Superintendent Mark Klein, Wrightstown Elementary School will be reconfigured to a K-4 school, and 5th and 6th graders will be moved to Newtown Elementary School.

Currently, the district standard for elementary schools is a K-6 model. The numerous benefits of K-6 elementary schools were outlined by administration just this year in the Council Rock District Elementary Vision Statement, which can be found by clicking here.

With the proposal to re-configure Wrightstown against this lauded district standard, the school board is on the cusp of approving non-conforming grade configurations as a method of managing capacity. What is framed as a “Wrightstown” issue is, in fact, a district issue. With this move, the school board signals its approval of the administration to utilize other non-conforming grade configurations as a means of addressing capacity issues within every school in the district.

Perhaps a school has an usually large 3rd grade which should be split into four sections, but they don’t have a free classroom in the building. This would allow the administration to move that 3rd grade to another school that does have capacity. Perhaps a school has an influx of ELL students and needs to hire an additional ELL teacher and thus find space for her. This would allow the administration to move Kindergarten from the school to free up the classroom.

These are just two examples of how opening the door to non-conforming configuration could be implemented to manage capacity issues. If it’s acceptable to move Wrightstown students from this district model, have no doubt that board members will find it equally acceptable to do to other students within the district. This will result in an overall degradation of the excellence in education we now enjoy, opens the door to a hodge-podge of grade configurations as our elementary school model becomes more fluid in the face of capacity shifts.

I urge all Council Rock taxpayers to contact the School Board and let them know that you believe in the integrity of a K-6 elementary experience. Let them know you believe all students in Council Rock are entitled to a standardized grade configuration. Take note of the board members who agree to the change in configuration and vote accordingly in the upcoming elections.

Let them know either by email boardmembers@crsd.org, or by speaking at the meeting on 1/22 that you believe that all students in Council Rock deserve the same elementary experience, and that changing one specific school’s grade configuration outside the district standard is not acceptable.

Heather Oberhau

Wrightstown, PA