Demographic Advisory Committee

1. Demographic Advisory Committee Thomas Barry Rebecca Kalagher LeAnn Beaulieu Bonnie Mazzoli Maureen Brennan Timothy Neville Daniel Coogan Jennifer Rancourt Chad Ellis Matthew Sylvester Glenn Hart Robert Tkacz

2. Demographic Advisory Committee • Committee Charge • Busing • High School Option • Middle School Option • Elementary School Options • Summary

3. Demographic Advisory Committee • Original Charge • To investigate the configuration and utilization of school buildings to see if educational benefits and/or cost savings can be realized. Cost savings should not be realized by sacrificing the education of the students. • Modified Charge • BOE via Finance Committee • To investigate if cost savings can be realized from efficiencies through redistricting or transportation reductions to meet the 2009-2010 budget, including redistricting using fewer elementary schools.

4. Demographic Advisory Committee • Modified charge criteria • Needed to be implemented by September. • Needed to supply cost savings for projected multi-million dollar budget shortfall, while minimally impacting education. • Needed to have flexibility for magnet school or parochial school changes. • Needed to be implemented with minimal expense.

5. Busing • 41 Buses in use. • Each bus costs the district $40,000 + fuel • Number of buses per tier currently: • High School – 36 • Middle School – 27 • Elementary School – 30 • Parochial – 11 • Suffield Vo-Ag/Cheney Tech – 4 * Parochial buses run concurrently with Elementary School.

6. Busing Conclusions • Nearly impossible to examine busing scenarios based on current “by hand” methodology. • Recommend purchasing bus routing software. • Software will pay for itself with the reduction of one bus. • Software costs approximately $30,000 + yearly maintenance fees (~ $4,000). • The timeline for implementation is approximately 90 days • To eliminate a bus, a route must be cut from the elementary or parochial runs.

7. Busing Conclusions • Explore Busing Waiver • High school students who use alternate transportation could waive bus use. • 3-day notice to return to bus transportation. • Would eliminate stops which saves time and money (fuel). • Possible elimination of some bus routes. • More efficient use of bus space.

8. High School Option Consolidate High Schools • 2,087 students projected for 2009-2010 in high school • Requires 84 classrooms for homerooms at 25 students each • Insufficient space in either building to accommodate current enrollment and curriculum

9. Middle School Option Create 6th-8th Middle School • 1390 projected enrollment for 2009-2010 • Grades 7 & 8 remain team-based • Grade 6 continues with elementary curriculum for 2009-2010 • In future years, Grade 6 curriculum will need to be revised to follow Middle School format. • Likely to have insufficient space to accommodate current enrollment and curriculum • Requires extensive investigation and planning • Cannot be accomplished by September 2009

10. Elementary School Options Criteria • Strive for class size • K to 3 -- 20 students • 4 to 6 -- 24 students • Classrooms are reserved for Art & Music • Out-of-district students are returned to “neighborhood” school • Flexibility to accommodate new enrollments from parochial schools

11. Elementary School Options • Redistricting all nine schools • Closing one school and moving some 6th Grade to JFK • Closing one school and redistricting with remaining eight

12. Elementary School Options: Redistricting Redistricting 9 Elementary Schools • 2008-2009 K-3 class size • 18.5 students average • 12-24 class size range • 2.74 standard deviation • 2008-2009 4-6 class size • 20.6 students average • 15-25 class size range • 2.34 standard deviation

13. Elementary Schools Options: Redistricting

14. Elementary School Options: Redistricting Redistricting 9 Elementary Schools • Improves class size balance (smaller variation) • Contiguous boundaries may save bus routes. • Without busing software difficult to quantify • Savings not realized without increasing class size • Entire district affected

15. Elementary School Options Additional Criteria • Vacated building must be used for educational purposes to avoid payback to state • Suggested uses for vacated building • House all Pre-K Classes, including students on Head Start waiting list • Economic Stimulus package? • An administrator, secretary, and nurse would be needed. • Relocate Transitional Learning Academy from leased space • House district Elementary Librarian

16. Elementary School Options Assumptions on closing a school • Smaller schools (Alcorn, Enfield Street, Hale, Stowe) • Better efficiencies and flexibility with larger schools

17. Elementary School Options • Alcorn • Pros • More evenly distributes the minority population • More evenly distributes socio-economic diversity • Cons • Family Resource Center would have to move out of area of greatest need • Eliminates full-day K for Alcorn students • Adds mid-day door-to-door K runs • Adds 4 bus runs • Removes programs from students who need it most • Breakfast program • ERFC

18. Elementary School Options • Stowe • Pros • Borders other large elementary schools with available classrooms ( Parkman and Eli Whitney) • If 6th graders go to JFK majority of students would be walkers • Same or possibly fewer buses • Cons • Self-contained SPED rooms need to be relocated

19. Elementary School Options • Enfield Street and Hale • Pros • Similar to Stowe, but need more investigation • Cons • Hale is geographically isolated

20. Elementary School Options: Close an elementary school and movesome 6th grade to JFK • Transfer all K-5 students to in-take school(s) • Transfer 6th graders from affected schools to JFK • Isolate from 7th & 8th graders • Assumes all out-of-district students in affected schools are returned to their neighborhood school

21. Elementary School Options: Close an elementary school and movesome 6th grade to JFK Close an elementary school and move some 6th grade to JFK • Only affects 2-3 schools • Class sizes approximately 18-23 students • Some K-6, some K-5 schools • Has been done in Enfield during remodeling of Alcorn from 1992-1996

22. Elementary School Options: Close an elementary school and movesome 6th grade to JFK Estimated Cost Savings

23. Elementary School Options:Close an elementary school and redistrict with 8 • Redraw all district boundaries with 8 elementary schools • All out-of-district students are returned to their neighborhood school prior to new boundaries being set (for planning purposes) • Busing software must be purchased to effectively plan bus routes in a timely manner.

24. Elementary School Options:Close an elementary school and redistrict with 8 • Affects all schools • Boundaries can be set such that • Districts are contiguous • Class sizes are better balanced • Class size still meets “strive to” number • Possible to accomplish by September 2009

25. Elementary School Options:Close an elementary school and redistrict with 8 Estimated Cost Savings

26. Summary • All options will be disruptive to students, parents and staff • Busing software MUST be purchased to realize efficiencies • These scenarios do not consider long-term planning for education such as: full-day K, universal pre-school, or grade reconfiguration • Implementing any option by September 2009, requires an immediate decision

27. Thank You Questions?