Brunswick Parents to Hold Forum on School-Reorganization Proposal ; Some Are Leery of Plans to Close Two Schools and Build a Larger One, Saying Academics May Suffer.
Posted on: Sunday, 15 January 2006, 15:00 CST
By DENNIS HOEY Staff Writer
The superintendent's plan to reorganize Brunswick's four elementary schools is drawing criticism from some parents, who say that closing two neighborhood schools and moving older students into a larger school might not be the best course. A group of parents has organized a public forum for Monday night, when a panel of education experts will discuss the implications of closing the Longfellow and Hawthorne elementary schools and putting all Brunswick third- through fifth-graders in a new elementary school.
Superintendent James Ashe's proposal, which needs approval from the School Board, calls for construction of a school large enough to accommodate 700 children. The remaining elementary schools, Jordan Acres and Coffin, would be for kindergarten through second grade.
Parents and other residents describe the changes as major in a town where small neighborhood schools have existed for decades. They want officials to look at the consequences of closing two schools and opening a larger school, which would be financed with state aid in 2007.
"We feel the superintendent is trying to push through his idea," said Alison Ferris, who helped organize Monday's forum. "He is not giving the public enough time to consider what the consequences might be. There are more options than what the superintendent is proposing."
Monday's forum is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the Curtis Memorial Library. Ferris said the panel will include Dr. Andrea Loeffler, a local pediatrician; John D'Anieri of Harpswell, a designer for expeditionary learning schools; Charles Dorn, a professor of education at Bowdoin College; and Charlotte Agell, a teacher and children's author.
Ashe said the School Board will hold a public forum on his plan Wednesday night. He said he will be unable to attend Monday's forum, which was not organized by the School Department.
Ashe said the parents group is well-intentioned but should consider his plan, which would eliminate 16 portable classrooms, close the town's two oldest school buildings and lead to construction of a school large enough to accommodate a sudden influx of students.
Ashe said he is concerned the closure of the Brunswick Naval Air Station in 2009 will create a glut of affordable housing that could attract young families to Brunswick.
A new building would also eliminate many of the equity issues that plague some schools, Ashe said. For instance, pupils from the Hawthorne School must be bused to the Coffin School for physical education classes. Also, school lunches are cooked off premises and trucked into the Hawthorne and Longfellow schools.
"I just feel this would be a neat way to take care of a lot of these issues," Ashe said.
Dorn, one of the panelists, is urging school officials to examine the effect of creating a 700-pupil school, saying national research has shown that pupils in larger schools underachieve academically.
"What we have in Brunswick is a legacy of neighborhood schooling. It makes sense to some degree," Dorn said. "This proposal would move our grade three through five students to a much larger school. Are we paying enough attention to the impact that might have on student achievement?"
School Board member Bob Morrison plans to attend Monday's forum. He hasn't made up his mind on Ashe's plan and wants to hear what panelists have to say.
"I think it is really important that we listen to what people in the field of education have to say," said Morrison, a former school superintendent.
Parents like Ferris and Sarah Laurence say a better option might be closing Hawthorne and keeping Jordan Acres, Coffin and Longfellow open as elementary schools. That would still allow for construction of a school for kindergarten through fifth grade.
"This is a huge change for Brunswick," Laurence said, referring to Ashe's proposal. "For decades we have had a system of K-five elementary schools. Before we make a change like this, the public needs to be informed."
Staff Writer Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 725-8795 or at:
dhoey@pressherald.com
Source: Portland Press Herald
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