Falmouth School Committee Juggles Space Needs

FALMOUTH- For nearly two decades, Falmouth Public Schools have been struggling with ways to cope with space limitations in their buildings, but as of yet no solution has been found to the problem.
This week the Falmouth School Committee heard about some possible solutions, for both the short and long term, from the district’s space committee.
These might include next year shuffling all fourth grade classes at both the North Falmouth and Mullen-Hall, both elementary schools, to the Morse Pond School, which now has all middle schoolers in fifth and sixth grades.
Beyond that, there are multiple options, that could be implemented in either 2010 or 2011, according to school officials.
One would include locating the district’s preschool and kindergarten classes at the Mullen-Hall School. This proposal has four elementary schools, housing first through sixth graders, a junior high school, and a high school.
Another would consist of four elementary schools for preschool through third grade, two middle schools, housing fourth through eighth graders, and a high school.
The final option would include four elementary schools for preschool through third grade, one fourth and fifth grade school, one sixth through eighth grade school, and a high school.
Andrea B. Schwamb, chairman of the space committee, presented details of these options to the school committee at its meeting Tuesday night.
The space committee, which includes district administrators, principals, teachers, parents, and school committee member Donna Mattison-Earls, was formed this past fall, drawing upon work done by last year’s instructional space committee as a starting point.
The focus of this year’s work, Ms. Schwamb said, was the short-term goal of eliminating overcrowding at the Mullen-Hall and North Falmouth schools. The long-term goal, she said, was to alleviate space issues while also tackling the multiple transitions from school to school that students, and parents, endure during their time in Falmouth.
Since October, Ms. Schwamb said, the committee has met five times, with three of those meetings at the schools that would be directly impacted by the short-term solution of having Mullen-Hall and North Falmouth school fourth graders, roughly 190 students, moved to the Morse Pond School.
“This would solve the overcrowding that currently exists in those two [elementary school] buildings,” Acting Superintendent Marc P. Dupuis said.
A benefit to this change, he said, would be that those fourth graders who moved to the Morse Pond School would now have access to a dedicated art, computer, and music room, which is not available at their current schools because of space issues.
However, Ms. Schwamb said, the district may decide to delay any short-term move in the hopes that a long-term solution is arrived at in either 2010 or 2011.
While the space committee came up with three long-term options, Mr. Dupuis said, there were others discussed that were not preferred by members for various reasons.
One of the nonpreferred options, which would have five schools for preschool through sixth grade along with a junior high school and a high school, he said, would not have eliminated the issue of overcrowding.
Ms. Schwamb added that the committee also was against eliminating full-day kindergarten, increasing class sizes, and building onto current school buildings. When asked why by school committee member Judith Fenwick, Ms. Schwamb replied that the first two have long been priorities in the district, with small class size often touted by teachers as a necessity.
Ms. Mattison-Earls noted that increasing class sizes would not provide enough space to reduce overcrowding.
As the longest-standing member of the school committee, Susan E. Augusta said this has been a reoccurring problem in the district. She expressed frustration that there has been no viable solution for, at least, the 17 years she has served.
She argued for one option not mentioned, which would include five schools that serve preschoolers through fifth graders, one school for sixth through eighth graders, and a high school.
She said that was a suggestion made years ago to alleviate space issues in the district, but it was met with opposition from faculty. She wondered if there might be support for that now.
In addition, she said, the short-term solution, utilizing the Morse Pond School to house additional elementary-level classes has been done before.
Ms. Mattison-Earls, a former teacher at the Mullen-Hall School who has long advocated addressing space concerns, said the solution worked well when Mullen-Hall was being renovated several years ago.
She said any long-term choices need to be researched further. “We need to have data and a lot of conversations with staff and parents, because we will be making some tough decisions,” she said.
Any decision, she said, has to also take into consideration the negative impacts that multiple transitions between schools have on students. “It behooves us to look at that as part of the long-term planning,” she said.
School committee member Samuel H. Patterson Jr. challenged this assertion, asking for specific examples, rather than generalities, of how transitions are negative, and how significant that impact is.
Director of Pupil Personnel Services Mary E. Larrivee offered multiple examples, noting that in the district’s two-year schools, students often spend half their first year getting accustomed to the building. The second half of their last year, she said, is often spent transitioning out. This can lead to anxiety for students, as well as parents, she said. 
That is even more pronounced with special education students, she said.
It also impacts parental involvement, she said, because schools are always trying to recruit volunteers for parent teacher organizations, but by the time they do, they are gone.
Overall, she said, “I would advise to cut out one transition [in the district], no matter how we do it.”
Among the questions Mr. Patterson asked was whether the space committee had any preferences for long-term solutions. As of this point, Ms. Schwamb said, there were no specific recommendations.
This frustrated Mr. Patterson, who said, “I don’t think it is right to force this onto us,” arguing that the space committee needs to come up with a recommendation, and justification, and then the school committee could vote upon that.
The school committee did not vote on any proposal this week and members will discuss the matter at either their next meeting on Tuesday, December 9, or at the latest, Tuesday, January 13. When it is discussed, Mr. Dupuis said, the space committee will have a recommendation on short-term solutions, while continuing to determine what the best options are for the long term.
“There is a lot more work to be done because these are major changes to the structure of our school system,” Mr. Dupuis said. “This is a very, very complex problem and it evokes a lot of emotions.”

BOX
Some Options To Deal With School Overcrowding In Falmouth Schools
Short Term
• Move all fourth-grade classes at both North Falmouth School and Mullen-Hall School to the Morse Pond School, which now has all middle schoolers in fifth and sixth grades.
Long Term
• Move all the district’s preschool and kindergarten classes to the Mullen-Hall School. There would then be four elementary schools housing first through sixth graders, a junior high school, and a high school.
• Have four elementary schools for preschool through third grade, two middle schools, housing fourth through eighth graders, and a high school.
• Have four elementary schools for preschool through third grade, one fourth- and fifth-grade school, one sixth- through eighth-grade school and a high school.