By EVAN NEMEROFF
At a December school board meeting, Superintendent Dr. John Fitzsimons acknowledged that in light of the economic crisis and the fact that the district is set to lose $1 million in state aid next year, he needed to find a way to cut costs.
His solution: relocate all fifth-grade students to the middle school and close one of the district’s four elementary schools, placing all pre-K through fourth-graders in the three remaining elementary schools. This, Fitzsimons said, would save the district nearly $1.5 million, and help alleviate the economic crunch. “If we could spend less money and protect sufficient dollars to conserve essential programs, it makes sense to close a school and relocate the fifth-graders,” Fitzsimons said.
While the school board approved closing one of the elementary schools, a decision on which one it will be has not yet been made. The process of moving the fifth-graders to the middle school, however, has already begun.
Many local parents said they are worried about the ramifications of the decision. The biggest concern for district parents seems to be the age difference between fifth-graders and eighth-graders. “I am certainly not convinced that it is educationally and socially sound to place 9- and 10-year-old children with those who are far more advanced socially, emotionally and physically," said a concerned sixth-grade parent. "Our children grow up fast enough, and additional exposure to inappropriate language and behavior that is exhibited by some students can only be detrimental to our youngsters.”
Some parents say they are worried about problems that may arise if students with a range of ages use the same buses and facilities. To combat any problems during the transition, Lawrence Middle School Principal George Akst said, “We are going to set up cameras on all the buses and have assigned seating. The kids are supervised by the bus drivers, who do a good job working with the middle school. We have not had issues with any of the sixth-graders, and with added security, there will be success having the fifth-graders in the middle school.”
Fifth-graders will take over one wing of the second floor of the middle school, where the administrative offices used to be. The cost of converting the offices into classrooms is estimated at $90,000.
Akst took the Herald on a tour of the new classrooms, and described what the school has to offer. “The fifth-graders will have a tremendous opportunity here at the middle school, with programs they did not get at the elementary schools,” he said. “Students will have art, music, second language and home careers as electives. There is also a larger gym facility. ... The children will have an exciting schedule that everyone should look forward to.”
There will be eight classrooms of fifth-graders, with a maximum of 25 students each, as well as a separate special-education room. Fifth-graders will be kept separate from seventh- and eighth-graders, but will share the second floor with sixth-graders. They will use the cafeteria and the gym at different times than the other grades, Akst explained.
Fifth-grade classes will function as self-contained units: Whenever a class moves to another room, Akst said, the teacher will walk them there. Language and health teachers will come to the classrooms so students don’t have to leave. And at least one of the school’s three full-time guards will always be posted in the fifth-grade wing.
Barry Ringelheim, a familiar face at school board meetings, said he doesn’t understand why a student enrollment and school capacity study conducted last year by an educational support services company, Stanton Leggett & Associates, is being ignored. “The report shows that there is inadequate space for fifth-graders to be placed in the middle school,” Ringelheim said. “The report showed the board members that the cafeteria and the library do not have the capacity to hold enough students if the fifth-graders are housed there. I don’t understand why our taxpayer dollars are being spent on studies that the board doesn’t even follow.”
Fitzsimons, who disagreed with the study’s conclusions, said that in 1996, the middle school housed more than 1,700 students. Only 700 students now use the building, and Fitzsimons said he believes there is plenty of space for 200 fifth-graders starting next year.
“We aren’t building any new rooms — we’re simply renovating the school like it once was,” he said. “The [Stanton Leggett] report stated that we can fit the students if we relocate offices, and that’s what we’re doing. We even have space for an additional classroom if we need it.”
The superintendent said he is confident that this change will work for the Lawrence district and its students. “There is no place where parents put a higher level of trust than schools,” Fitzsimons said. “Change is invigorating, and the kids will be fine. This will be a positive experience for the fifth-graders.”
Comments about this story? ENemeroff@ liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
