Big Changes May be Ahead for Bell & Seven Bridges

Students going to the Chappaqua school district's middle schools could be in for major changes under new plans that were unveiled Monday night.

The proposals, introduced to parents and teachers at what will be the first of many "Knowledge Cafés" to get community input on major topics, call for changes to grade configurations, a new schedule model or a mix of both.

Four scenarios were introduced to the community. The first is a status-quo option, in which students at and will continue to attend each school from grades 5-8, with eight, 40-minute class periods and a 40-minute lunch. The second option keeps the same schedule but shifts the grade order so that one middle school houses students from grades 5-6, with the other for 7-8. The third scenario calls for a major rescheduling, with six, 56-minute minute periods and a 30-minute lunch. That version would keep the current grade configuration, while the fourth option would implement the new scheduling but coupled with a 5-6 school and a 7-8 one.

The intent in looking at making changes was to look at what's best for the students, while also looking at the district's fiscal picture. What was also notable is what was left out. Despite interest from some in the community, McKay explained that there , as enrollment will not drop by enough over the next five years to justify it.

According to projections, enrollment at the middle school level will drop from 1,325 this year to 1,196 for the 2016-17 school year. The numbers are based on projections as recently as Oct. 5 of this year. In addition, the district updated a 2008 capacity study that it originally did for the Chappaqua Crossing review. It was found then, and again now, that there is not enough room for holding students in the event of middle school consolidation.

“There’s no way we can close a school," said John Chow, assistant superintendent for business. Chow presented the findings, while McKay concurred, arguing that combining the schools could be technically feasible but would diminsh academic quality and come with overcrowding.

In total, the student population this year stands at 4,083, according to Chow, higher than the 4,055 students in the schools for the 2002-03 school year, the last before Seven Bridges was opened.

The idea of having two middle schools in the district has never sat well with some residents. The original $56,779,000 bond that included the Seven Bridges construction only passed narrowly in June 2000, and some have even called for selling Bell, based on comments made through a local online media outlet.

The models given would produce varying amounts of savings. Model 1, being the status quo, would not change expenditures. Model 2 would result in cutting two to three jobs and having a net reduction of $100,000, due to $200,000 in higher busing costs due to the 5-6, 7-8 grade configuration. Model 3 would result in savings of $500,000 to $600,000, with five to six job cuts. Model 4 would save the same amount as Model 3, and while it would result in seven to eight job cuts, the new grade configuration would lead to a $200,000 rise in busing costs.

Changes in Learning Give Rationale for Longer Periods

In explaining the rationale for looking at longer class periods, Superintendent Lyn McKay noted a changing academic environment that favors more in-depth work. A teacher, McKay explained, needs to explain things directly to students, demonstrate the material, guide students, then lets them work independently. Shorter periods can limit this approach.

“It is difficult to fit all of that into a 40-minute period,” McKay said.

Michael Rettig, a scheduling consultant who worked with the district throughout the year on new models for the middle schools, noted that the current schedule allows for flexibility in course offerings and flexibility in joining two classes into 80-minute "blocks" between teachers, but that its short time frame can be challenging.

“I would question how much deep learning you can get in that amount of time," Rettig said.

The proposed schedule change for models three and four, while allowing for more time in "core" subjects - those are English/language arts, math, science and Social studies - would result in less class meetings for "encore" subjects. These subjects include music, physical education, world languages and a series of 9-week rotational courses, such as health, consumer science and art. This would be caused by fewer meetings per week. For example, PE and music would go from every other day to every three days.

Other issues would be in eliminating an academic extension period, as support services would become integrated into the corresponding subject matter classes. Reducing the lunch period would also present a challenge, Rettig told folks in the crowd.

This combintion of period length and lunch time could be adjusted, according to McKay. She told attendees that she is questioning the proposed shorter lunch.

New Grade Structures: Is It Socially Disruptive? Does it Help with Social Continuity?

The district's interest in having a 5-6 school and a 7-8 one is not new. It had been looked at more than a decade ago when the district proposed the building of Seven Bridges, but it was determined then that having transitions every two years would be more disruptive for students than giving a four-year middle school experience.

This same concern was raised by Rettig when he presented the models. After folks at several seated tables, including parents, administrators and teachers, got to give their impact, McKay disclosed that she prefers keeping the 5-8 model but wants to hear from the community about what to do.

Parents giving their feedback at the tables - district prinicipals and administrators served as table leaders - offered both takes.

Marc Lichtenstein, a father with kids at Seven Bridges and Westorchard Elementary School, feels that the current model works fine. Several who wrote down their thoughts on a paper table cloth also expressed concerns over continuity.

Janine Rosenblum, a mother with two kids at Horace Greeley High School and her youngest at Roaring Brook Elementary School, noted the fact that the 5-8 model splits Roaring Brook students between Seven Bridges and Bell, a redistricting decision that was controversial when the district established the attendeance boundaries in the early 2000s.

"It really affected Roaring Brook," she said. While her kids were not personally affected, she said that others were. She would support the 5-6 and 7-8 model as a way of undoing the split.

One woman in the audience noted that doing transitions isn't much of an issue if what it's like between the schools is similar, unlike transitions from other major school levels. She also felt that there could be benefits in having students travel in the same group. Rettig, in his presentation, also noted that having a single student cohor can be positive.

Former school board member Janet Benton, who served from 1999-2011, was one of the members who supported building Seven Bridges, which was accompanied by establishing the 5-8 arrangement. Present at the meeting, Benton said she would like to see the grade configuration kept the same, citing the transition concerns raised.

"I think much of it still holds true," she said about the arguments against having a 5-6, 7-8 model, both now and a decade ago. Benton, however, expressed an interest in looking at a new schedule, saying there are "really good reasons" to consider it.

Going Foward

Once administrators get public feedback from the Knowledge Cafés, they will present the findings to the school board at its Nov. 15 meeting. It is hoped that action can be taken in conjunction with the 2012-13 budget. The next major Knowledge Café topic will be on Dec. 7 and cover budget planning.