Members
of the community will have several opportunities in the coming weeks to ask
questions and make comments on the Manchester School District superintendent’s
draft proposal for the next phases of redistricting. Nine forums have been
scheduled across the city, beginning on February 21 and ending on March 28. All
parents, guardians, school employees, students, and other interested community
members are welcome to attend any and all sessions. The full list of dates,
times and locations is below.
Dr. Bolgen Vargas introduced six draft
recommendations to the Board of School Committee:
·
Replicate Parker-Varney personalized
learning opportunities through an innovative network of the West Side schools
·
Establish grades 5-8 middle school
model
·
Reduce class sizes
·
Adjust the school feeder pattern to
send Beech Street and Wilson elementary students to McLaughlin and Central
·
Create preschool center at Memorial
High School
·
Repurpose surplus space at high school
level
The draftproposal is based on preliminary results from a comprehensive facilities
study conducted by a local firm, CMK Architects. Among the early findings,
there is enough space in the four middle schools to accommodate grades 5
through 8.
“A grades five to eight middle school
education model has proven to work in other districts, including our neighbor,
Goffstown,” said Dr. Vargas. “One of the benefits of establishing this in
Manchester is that it will free up much needed classroom space our elementary
school buildings.”
The additional space created when the
fifth grade moves to middle school will allow for smaller class sizes in
kindergarten through fourth grades.
Another highlight of the
superintendent’s draft plan is to create a preschool center at Memorial High
School, which has surplus space. Currently, preschool students attend five
elementary schools and the Bishop O’Neil Community Center. Centralizing the
pre-k programs would help teachers collaborate more and allow therapists to use
their time with students more efficiently. In addition, preschool
transportation services could be streamlined and cost less. Under the draft
proposal, the O’Neil Center would remain open for preschool.
Dr. Vargas will present detailed
elements of his draft recommendations at every forum and take feedback.
“Involving the community and addressing
concerns during this process is critical for success of any plan,” said Dr.
Vargas. “The feedback we receive will help shape the final recommendations.”
The superintendent will present his
final proposal to the Board of School Committee by early April.
Community Forum Schedule
February 21, 6-7 pm – Middle School at Parkside
March 7, 7:30 am – Webster Elementary School
March 7, 6-7 pm – Northwest Elementary School
March 8, 4:30 pm – McLaughlin Middle School
March 14, 6-7 pm – Beech Street Elementary School
March 15, 6-7 pm – Memorial High School
March 20, 6-7 pm – Hillside Middle School
March 22, 6-7 pm – Wilson Elementary School
March 28, 6-7 pm – Parker-Varney Elementary School
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