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Neighborhood school idea presented to the public
There has been much talk recently about introducing the neighborhood school model into the Quincy School District.
Neighborhood schools would attempt to evenly distribute students in grades K-5 or K-6 throughout Pioneer, Mountain View, and Monument elementary schools.
Superintendent Burton Dickerson stressed during a pubic forum on Monday, May 23 that this model is only being investigated as a possibility and that the outcome will not be determined until all information and data has been gathered and weighed.
A grade span committee will explore similar models in other districts, such as Moses Lake, Wahluke, Ephrata and Selah. They are assigned to weigh the pros and cons of the neighborhood school model, and to also get feedback from staff, parents, and the community on how the system is working for them. The committee is required to respond with a full report by September 2011, with a recommendation that will be given to the school board. The committee consists of four parents, who will explore demographics.
As Dickerson pointed out as well, we don’t have to look very far to find an example of a school that works similar to a neighborhood school, when George Elementary School is in our own back yard, and has functioned quite well housing grades K-4 for many years. So far the information from George Elementary points to a neighborhood school having many benefits for the children, including cross-grade mentoring and tutoring, and an enhanced self-esteem and security due to the fact that the transitions from one school to another are kept at a minimum and will not be so traumatic for the student.
Also, as Dickerson noted, parents would have more time to develop relationships with teachers and principals, and feel that they could be more involved in the schools. On the down side, there are staff changes, and possible negative influences from older students in some cases. Most intriguing is the cost that could incur to simply make the whole school grade-level friendly.
This would mean lowering or raising the water fountains, changing or buying smaller desks and chairs, and other items that would need to make a school physically ready for the students it would house.
The following are some breakdowns of how possible neighborhood school models may play out: 1) The no-change option; 2) Three K-6 schools, to be established for the school year of 2012-2013; 3) Three K-6 schools some point beyond 2012-2013; 4) Three K-5 schools, one 6-8 (to be implemented at time of new school construction). There is a final option to change to all K-8 schools (to be implemented at time of new school construction or later). One parent, Betsy Kennedy, was concerned that many students the same age wouldn’t get to know their peers and may be limited to the friendships they have as a result.
“Big changes in a growth-based pattern are what led us to the two-grade configuration we have now. Eventually we will have to come up with some kind of plan,” said Dickerson.
