Board Member Wants Details on Longfellow Proposal

By Andrew Wind, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa

Feb. 27–WATERLOO — Board of Education member Lyle Schmitt is seeking more information on Longfellow Elementary School’s proposed closing ahead of a community input forum Thursday.

“I think everybody knows I’m a neighborhood school proponent, and so it kind of tugs on my heart to have a school closing on the agenda at all,” Schmitt told the board Tuesday.

But he acknowledged concern over a 315-student decline in Waterloo Community Schools’ enrollment during the last three years. Another 125-student decline is projected for next year.

“So, we have in fact lost a school,” he said, noting new elementaries the district has built are designed to hold up to 450 students. “We can’t ignore that fact.”

The proposed closing was unveiled last week as part of an effort to bridge a gap of up to $1.5 million in the 2008-09 budget. Students would move to five other elementaries, depending on where they live. Teachers would be transferred to other schools.

“We anticipate class size would either improve or stay the same,” Superintendent Dewitt Jones said with those changes.

Longfellow, with 263 students this year, was targeted because it has little possibility for enrollment growth, unlike three other schools that were considered. A savings of $407,000 is estimated through reduced operational costs and elimination of nine support positions — including the principal.

“We don’t expect those people not to be able to find other positions in our district,” said Jones.

The proposal also includes r

educing district staff by the equivalent of 14 full-time teachers through attrition — not replacing those who retire or take other jobs — rather than layoffs. That would save another $630,000, for a total of at least $1.04 million.

“This is not an easy recommendation to make,” said Jones. “But the alternative to this recommendation would be to have more people (teachers and other staff) cut out of the district. …

“We intend to meet our goals to balancing the budget one way or another.”

No one from the public came to speak about the issue at the meeting, which was rescheduled from Monday due to inclement weather. The board is not expected to take any action on the recommendations until March 10.

Schmitt posed a number of questions to Jones, including where district enrollment has dropped by attendance area.

“I think we need to confirm that, that there is a shift in where the kids are,” he said. Schmitt also wanted to know what scenarios district administrators have considered that would reverse the declining enrollment trend.

Jones said changes would be looked at in that part of the district “if in fact the Logan Plaza area develops. … You have to go where the kids are.”

Schmitt questioned what would happen to a shuttered Longfellow if no immediate use was found for the building.

“There would be absolutely no reason to get rid of that property,” said Jones.

The proposal does include a potential use for the building: relocating Expo High School. The alternative high school has a waiting list and is currently in a smaller building on Franklin Street that doesn’t include room for expanded programs. One would allow district eighth-graders to transition immediately to Expo rather than waiting until they have issues at East or West high schools.

“Having a freshman program would be a tremendous opportunity for Expo,” said Jones.

Several other board members acknowledged how hard their eventual vote would be.

“We’re talking about some difficult decisions tonight,” said Mike Young. However, he added, “This district has made a commitment to keeping

its financial house in order.”

Contact Andrew Wind

at (319) 291-1507 or

andrew.wind@wcfcourier.com.

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