- Current Bancroft population only
- Current Bancroft plus all pre-K programming
- Current Bancroft plus some of the pre-K programming
- Current Bancroft plus up to 200 additional students to be included via redistricting
- Current Bancroft plus all pre-K plus 100 additional students to be included via redistricting
These are just some of the options we will put on the list for consideration. If you have others, please come to the meeting on November 10th and share them with us! Or, feel free to add your ideas or comment on those listed here by posting a comment on this blog. I will continue to add options to the list as ideas come in.
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I support the “Bancroft + pre-K” option. With the preschool moved to the Bancroft campus, the Town could cap the number of K-2 students choosing to attend Shawsheen.
ReplyDeleteAdding another 100-200 students to Bancroft doesn’t particularly bother me in terms of population size (as long as class sizes are kept small-ish), although redistricting does worry me. I assume it’s more likely that students from other schools would be districted “in” to Bancroft, but is there a possibility that the Town’s whole student population could be shifted, thus shifting some Bancroft students “out” of the Bancroft district?
I would rather keep Bancroft School to include the current Bancroft Population. However, I realize that Shawsheen schoold has numerous issues which also need to be dealt with. I feel it would be alright to combine the Shawsheen Pre-K with Bancroft. This way our school could still stay on the smaller size and this would help with the issue of over crowding at Shawsheen.
ReplyDeleteBringing the whole Shawsheen school over is not an ideal situation as this would make Bancroft very large. Also, the majority of students at Shawsheen (147 or so) are from the West district. Therefore, they are not as likely to attend "Shawsheen" if it is located at Bancroft school, as few students from Bancroft, South & Sanborn attend Shawsheen due to the distance and the fact that their co-students are not from their neighborhood.
In keeping with a top priority to have a smaller "warm" elementary school, increasing the population size dramatically is not an desirable option.
Denise Wall, 2 Blueberry Hill Road
I was originally very apprehensive about building for more than the current Bancroft population (plus growth...500 students total), but new information has changed my mind!
ReplyDeleteThe MSBA has strict formulas for square footage and number of classrooms based on population. With a total of 500 students in K-2, this formula works out to only 3.5 classrooms per grade. Obviously, we would not build 1/2 classrooms, so in order to have four per grade, we would have to sacrifice somewhere else. What would we compromise on...cafeteria space, gym space, media center space?
After visiting several schools with the school committee on Friday, I am starting to think we may benefit greatly from considering a larger school...not only because it benefits the entire town, but because we may end up with a much more comfortable, user-friendly, and welcoming Bancroft!
Thank you to the School Committee and School Building Committee for this blog as it'll be an ideal way for residents and committee members to share ideas/concerns/suggestions/questions without having to wait until meeting dates (and helps those who might not be able to make meetings get information easily) -- I've already subscribed to the site feed. I wonder if, and when, a traffic study will take place, given that Bancroft is situated off of a small residential road; I'm sure it's in the works and will be interesting to get results about the impact of a significantly larger student population in this neighborhood setting. Looking forward to this open exchange of ideas.
ReplyDeleteIn the first comment above, the following question was posed:
ReplyDelete"Adding another 100-200 students to Bancroft doesn’t particularly bother me in terms of population size (as long as class sizes are kept small-ish), although redistricting does worry me. I assume it’s more likely that students from other schools would be districted “in” to Bancroft, but is there a possibility that the Town’s whole student population could be shifted, thus shifting some Bancroft students “out” of the Bancroft district?"
The short answer to this question is yes, it's possible that down the line there could be some redistricting that would shift some Bancroft students out of the Bancroft district when the new school is built. However, a decision about the specifics of any potential redistricting related to the new building would not be made until closer to when the building is actually opened.
It's important to note that redistricting is something any school district needs to consider periodically as its school-age population shifts and changes so that class sizes are kept as reasonable as possible throughout the district. Times of fiscal upheaval, such as those we are experiencing now, further exacerbate the challenge of keeping class sizes small. And certainly ANY time a new school is opened, enrollment should be reviewed throughout the Town; this is a lesson we learned during the High Plain/Wood Hill project. Therefore, no matter what size we build Bancroft, we should review district lines before the new building comes online.
That said, if we choose an option that increases Bancroft's current enrollment, the most likely redistricting scenario would be that students from outside the Bancroft district would be districted "in" to Bancroft.
What a terrific opportunity we all face to be proactive with master planning and visionary in green architecture. Both Bancroft and Shawsheen are over-crowded, structurally compromised and non-complaint with all regulations.
ReplyDeleteWhat better time than now to bring together our communities and seek the financial benefits of the budget surplus that would occur if we had one less school to operate in the town of Andover.
We should be aware that the MSBA no longer funds small school build-outs which means building a new Shawsheen isn't a viable option. Eventually, the mandate will be to close Shawsheen for safety reasons and our foresight will be rewarded through smaller class sizes for our children.
Thank you school committee for making this process indubitably transparent, especially regarding redistricting with the end goal of a balanced enrollment composition.
I very much appreciate the comments regarding increasing the population at Bancroft for the betterment of the town. I also agree that a larger school can provide an warm environment if well planned, and with excellent leadership. However, the impact of such a change on the neighborhood around Bancroft must be considered.
ReplyDeleteThe school is located in a very residential area, with many streets lacking sidewalks, and also many winding roads. As is, many cars speed around the neighborhood, particularly during the evening.
I do not think the neighborhood can support significant increases in traffic volume safely. In contrast to Wood Hill/High Plain, the relative size of the school lot is small in relationship to the abutters. In addition, unless there is a direct access created from Main Street, directing more cars through the neighbodhoods is of significant concern. Even now, on a rainy day, the parent pick up line, extends out the driveway. If there is work being done at a home on Bancroft Rd, the road essentially becomes one lane. These issues, and the impact of this on the Bancroft neighbors must be considered.
In response to Deborah Sloan's question above on whether and when there will be a traffic study: the answer is yes, there will be a full traffic analysis done as part of the Feasibility Study. It will be done after the School Committee makes a decision on the enrollment number for the new Bancroft; that decision will likely be made in early December.
ReplyDeleteI am a parent of children in the Bancroft district who will be attending the school in the coming years. I chose to raise my family in Andover, in large part, due to the school system. However, I am disturbed by the lack of quantified information made publicly available thus far in relation to the different proposals being considered. “Small-ish” class size and “We’re not going to create a 1,000-student school” are at best ambiguous and at worst misleading.
ReplyDeleteIn the interests of transparency, each proposal being considered by the school committee should be shown relative to its impact on all involved student populations. It is not unreasonable to expect a display of overall student population for each school and average class sizes by grade as they currently stand. Then, the incremental impact of each proposal should be displayed. If such numbers are not known then they should at the very least be estimated using clearly noted assumptions.
I do appreciate the work that the school committee performs. It is a thankless job but also an invaluable service to the community. However, a lack of transparency in the decision-making process can bring people to many different conclusions. For instance, I could conclude that it is for the purposes of keeping taxpayers such as myself uninformed, so that the school committee can push through whichever option it decides upon. Or I could conclude that such numbers have not been looked at, which would mean that the proper due diligence is not being performed by the school committee.
I have an obligation to my children to be skeptical of the process and to encourage the town to make the decision that is best for them and the other students of the public school system. I also have an obligation to my fellow taxpayers to make an informed decision that is based on objective analysis of the facts. Transparency as to the numerical impact of the different proposals would enable me to meet both of those responsibilities. Making a decision without seeing such analysis would be irresponsible.
Thank you for creating this forum for communication and I apologize for such a long message.
It would be very helpful to see a projected redistricting of students if Bancroft were to increase in size to see the affects on traffic patterns on these small streets and class sizes. Without outside constraints, smaller student:peer ratios increase the quality of overall education the children receive socially and academically at these young ages (just as smaller student:teacher ratios do). However, I can understand the economics of trying to maximize economies of scale under one roof.
ReplyDeleteThe one one one interaction with teachers or other students outweighs the benefits of having an oversized gym or cafeteria. Regardless of final numbers, the State regulations that mandate square ft per student should satisfactorily manage space requirements throughout the building. One would hope this would ensure gym or hallway sizes would not get compromised to the point where the children would feel scrunched or uncomfortable.
When determining population size, I would hope our School Committee will maintain its focus on how increases in population size will affect the quality of education for the students, neighborhood safety issues (e.g., traffic patterns), and building size on a site that has so many physical and environmental limitations.
Thank you for this blog and encouraging public input. I would like to suggest to all involved, that in looking at the district situation, please keep in mind that new housing developments (with government funding for low income housing) are hanging in the wings during the recession -- the building for these large complexes will certainly commence at some point, so, please factor in all these additional, future students into your planning. There is one pending on North St. for example. Every time our low income housing population dips below the 10% guideline, we know that developers are likely to come in and build complexes, so the 10% rule directly affects our school population. (If only the existing developments *stayed* affordable, we wouldn't have to keep seeing new buildings going up!) It would be great if the school committee could be keeping this issue on their radar and, I would even suggest, think about joining residents when we try to fight these huge developments that change our lives forever and that of our schools. Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with any discussions of closing Shawsheen. I can see the Pre-K being moved to the new Bancroft location and freeing up some space at Shawsheen for the K-2. I think that sending your child to Shawsheen is like getting the whole package. I have 2 children that have been/are going to Shawsheen and one more on the way. I can't imagine not being able to give my child the "Shawsheen experience". It is truly a gift. I hope whatever decision is made regarding the buildings that you keep in mind how it effects the children.
ReplyDeleteAs a parent of children who now attend Shawsheen and will attend Bancroft as our neighborhood school in the near future, I have to say that I am opposed to closing Shawsheen. I am also opposed to increasing the population of Bancroft.
ReplyDeleteThe size of the Shawsheen school and the fact that it is only pre-K through 2nd grade is what makes it such a great place for kids to learn. It has been so successful and a popular choice for Andover parents because it is an intimate learning environment.
Andover is very lucky to have had small neighborhood elementary schools like South, Bancroft, and Sanborn. As a parent and resident, I am opposed to making the Bancroft population any larger than the current one. It puts strain on the neighborhoods and residents surrounding the school site with increased traffic and noise. But even more importantly, it takes away the child's sense of fitting in and knowing the names and faces of his/her classmates and teachers. Do we really want our "neighborhood" elementary schools to become centralized like the High School, or more like a big city elementary school? I think not.
Many thanks for asking for parent/resident input on this very important decision.
I am a parent of two current Bancroft students and one future student.
ReplyDeleteI would like to see Bancroft maintain its current small size. Many children at this age, particularly those that are quiet, would be "lost" in a large school. A smaller school and knowing most of their peers,teachers and staff by name provides a warmer environment in which they feel more secure. The more comfortable the child feels, the better that they will be able to concentrate on learning.
Additionally, I think the neighborhood is best suited for a small school, considering the narrow surrounding streets, the Bancroft school lot size itself and the surrounding lot sizes.
I have a child who transferred into the Pre-K program at Shawsheen after first attending a privately run pre-k program in town. He had undiagnosed learning disabilities at the time. The private pre-k program didn't know how to teach him appropriately and was creating a great deal of stress for him. My pediatrician recommended we transfer him to the Shawsheen program. Both he and I instantly felt comfortable at Shawsheen. We got the support we needed from the faculty and the administrators at Shawsheen and he felt socially more at ease with children who were similar to him. The environment was geared to supporting children who may learn or process information in a nontraditional way as well as children who learn traditionally. If the Shawsheen program didn't exist, I don't know if we would have had a good option for him in Andover. Because the needs of children with disabilities can be so specialized, it may make more sense economically to keep a choice school which provides special needs services. That way there can be economies of scale achieved with the special ed personnel, the children may feel more comfortable in an environment which is geared toward their needs from the moment they walk in the door in the morning until the moment the leave at the end of the day, and the social and emotional needs of special ed children can be addressed more effectively when they are in an environment with children who are like themselves so they can have reciprocal and comfortable friendships. It could reduce out of district special ed costs if it met the needs of more special ed children and it could posssibly even be a source of revenue if it got a good reputation as a special needs school and were open for enrollment by special needs children who lived in other towns. It may be worth it to keep Shawsheen open and view it as an opportunity to revamp the special ed programs in the Andover to better meet the needs of the children in Andover so they don't feel they need to go out of district and achieve cost savings in that way.
ReplyDeleteIn the 11/17 School Committee meeting, I found Deb Silberstein's comment on maintaining equity throughout the school district in terms of size very appropriate. It was interesting to hear that High Plain was built for 534 students and enrolls 524 today. While the school system faces many challenges today because of economic times, it will be impossible for the town to solve all its capacity issues with a new Bancroft Building.
ReplyDeleteIt seems the School Committee should define capacity first (how crowded are the other schools?, will Bancroft solve those issues best?, can we continue to fund a choice school?, what new problems are created by overbuilding Bancroft?, is it more cost effective to remodel other buildings?, can portables cost effectively meet our needs during budget constraints?). Once the SC defines capacity, then determine what part of this issue can be resolved given the constraints of the Bancroft site.
The possible 40% state funding should resolve the original intent of this project - to correct the structural issues of Bancroft. There is still 60% of this project the town must fund itself. There are economies of scale, however, 60% of a larger project that won't solve the stated Shawsheen problem is still more money we spend in a terrible economy. I fear trying to solve all problems at hand with the Bancroft building will lead to decisions that could create more problems in the immediate future for the Bancroft School District and town (loss of educational quality in an Andover school district, creating an undesirable neighborhood school due to size, safety traffic concerns, environmental issues, future school problems that still exist, etc.).
I feel the SC should focus on the issue at hand and attack the Bancroft building with a more cost effective project at the original equitably projected 500 students. Otherwise, the School Committee may be creating a new and bigger problem with a building not designed properly for this district, site, or any student who would get redistricted to an oversized elementary school.