A member of the community asked us to post this letter to the school board:

August 19, 2013

To the ORCSD School Board and Superintendent Morse;

A rumor has been circulating among some of the parents within the ORCSD system that there are plans to resolve some of the “imbalance” issues between Moharimet and Mast Way Elementary Schools by having all of this year’s kindergarten students, no matter where they live, attend kindergarten at Mast Way Elementary School. If this is indeed a topic under consideration, I would like to speak as strongly as I possibly can against this proposed solution.

As a process, a short term solution and a long term solution, this plan raises more problems than it resolves.

In the short term, to propose a solution like this just a few days before the start of the school year is unsettling to any child. But to engage in such a last-minute proposal with kindergarten children, who are entering the school system for the first time, is intolerable. My son will be starting kindergarten this fall. For the past 6 months, if not longer, he has been looking forward to going to Moharimet Elementary School. He has been looking forward to taking the bus with his brother and sister, riding up to the school that he has been visiting for years as a younger sibling, walking the hallways that he now knows quite well to get to his kindergarten classroom, going out to a well-known playground at recess, and giving Mr. Harrington a high-five. Now, barely one week before school, you are going to say to him and to all of the kindergarten students who have been planning to come here that they need to go to a different school, walk through different hallways, see different staff members, etc. Oh, and by the way, don’t bother to get comfortable because it may only last for one year.

If this were to be proposed as a short term solution for the 4^th graders, it would still be a poor solution. They however have the advantage of not being brand new to school, of being significantly more mature, and of meeting friends who would then stay with them during the transition to the Middle School. The kindergarten students have none of these ameliorating factors.

In the long term, even if we are considering this as a plan for the 2014-15 kindergarten class, this is still a poor solution.

Kindergarten is, by and large, not about teaching children to read proficiently, to write clearly, or to learn addition and subtraction. It is about preparing children for the instruction that happens in first and second grade by getting them used to the environment and the structure of their school. This proposal does not allow that to happen, as it get them used to one structure and environment, but then promptly removes them from that structure and environment when they transition back to Moharimet for first grade.

 Kindergarten in our school district only lasts for 2 hours per day. What service do we do to our children if we even further restrict that time in order that they spend more time on a school bus?

At a meeting last spring regarding the imbalance of students between the two elementary schools, many people spoke about the value that is added by having 5 years at a specific elementary school This value is added by being with siblings, seeing the same teachers in the hallways year after year, engaging in multi-age collaborations and play, and developing a sense of emotional attachment to a place, is eroded when we send our kindergarten students to a different building.

At that same meeting last spring, it was brought up that there is a significant body of educational research showing that fewer transitions during the primary school years are beneficial to later childhood development and educational success. While the district may have concerns and issues regarding enrollments, facilities, and finances, the dominant logic we must always use when making decisions must be “Is this decision educationally sound? Will it lead to better educated students, and more confident young people who are better prepared to be responsible citizens?” In this particular case I can think of no reason to answer those questions in the affirmative.

 Finally, if indeed the Superintendent and School Board are talking about this transition as applying to the 2013-2014 school year, it is a horrible example of due process. The school year begins in just one short week. Plans are made. Schedules are set.  Staff has been hired. While the district may indeed have been caught by surprise by a recent surge of enrollments, discussing a shift like this at this late date suggests either a lack of respect for or unwillingness to engage with the community at large. It sets a terrible example for our children in terms of openness and transparency.

For all of these reasons, I fervently hope that the rumor that has been circulating is just that – a rumor.  

Respectfully,

Tuck Pescosolido

Special School Board Meeting Wednesday - August 21 RE: Enrollment

An out of turn school board meeting was announced and posted recently for August 21st stating the following:

The Oyster River School Board will meet in regular session in C-124 at Oyster River High School at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 21th, 2013, to discuss consideration of enrollment and options.

With the unexpected increase in enrollment at the elementary level - especially Moharimet - this is undoubtedly one of the topics that will be discussed.  

It is unclear what options are on the table.

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