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Not sound practice. I know several of the following points have been noted in the Keene Elementary Ad Hoc Advisory Committee notes, but I thought I would add my two cents here about why I believe having narrow grade spans are not what is best for the children of Keene.

While there are a number of different opinions on what should be done in the Keene schools, I don't think anyone disputes that our decisions have to be driven not by finance but by what is best for the children.  Educators know that children (and families) thrive on relationships.  Building and maintaining positive relationships between school and home is neither easy nor fast, it requires time, patience and hard work.  As the parent of a 2nd and a 4th grader, I know my own children were in 2nd grade when they began to feel a full part of the school community- to understand the traditions and processes unique to the school. 2nd graders thrive on routine and predictability- developmentally, the stress of being asked to change schools just at the time one was beginning to feel at home would impede learning and would be counter-productive to the goals of the school. Stress is a real factor with children and their education. Transitions can be very difficult for children, especially at a young age. If Keene was to go to a K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 model then children would be facing a major school transition every three years of their educational career. As a result, I believe student learning in Keene Elementary schools would clearly suffer with a narrow grade span school system.

My professional career is in education and has centered on building a strong culture within a school and classroom. I have taught second and third grades (currently a multiage 2-3) and I was also a school principal for several years. Part of my principal internship was in a narrow grade-span school system. A strong school culture is built with hard work and high levels of involvement by families (parents and students), classroom teachers, specialist teachers, support staff, and administrators. The benefits of the K-5 (or even better- the K-8) system are multi-fold.  Students have the opportunity to know one another and be known well by the adults in the building.  They have the opportunity to mentor and be mentored across grade levels.  They have a chance to learn together across a longer developmental span, without disruption, providing for better learning and support.  No one group of children needs these things more than children who are struggling early in school. Response to Intervention (RTI), 504, and special education services are key to helping children who are struggling in school. While vital during all grades, all three of these services are critical in the second to third grade transition which involves huge jumps developmentally in math and in reading. In addition these two years can be very important years in the SPED identification process. As a result, I believe the effectiveness of RTI, 504, and SPED services in Keene Elementary schools would clearly suffer within a narrow grade span school system.

Students, teachers and schools all need to work together to create an effective learning environment in which children can thrive. In this day and age where all adults are working more hours, being pulled more directions, and have more stress than ever, a large number of families in Keene would have a more difficult time staying involved in their children’s lives. Imagine having a 2nd and 4th grader in two different schools. Which PTA meeting do you attend? Volunteers are critical to elementary grades K-5. So which school do you volunteer in? You now have two open houses to attend. If the children are on a 504 or IEP you now have two sets of OT, counselors, SPED teachers, etc. to work with. What about school plays- you now have to attend two different nights. Picking up children becomes more difficult- how can you be two places at one time? This all becomes even more difficult if you have a middle school student. As a result, I believe family involvement in Keene Elementary schools would clearly suffer with a narrow grade span school system.  

For all the reasons stated above, I believe following a narrow grade span is not sound pedagogical practice for the children of Keene.

Hello everyone,
If you were unable to attend the community forum on March 15, 2011, you may watch a recording of the meeting on Cheshire TV (Channel 8) on Sun. 3/20/11 at 8 pm, Tue. 3/22/11 at 7 pm, Thu. 3/24/11 at 7 pm or or Sat. 3/26/11 at 12 noon.

Many thanks to Cheshire TV.

All the materials, research, etc. that I have seen appear to be pointing in the same direction, the elimination of staff and, probably, one of the current schools. We can tweak and pinch pennies forever, but the big monetary amounts are locked up in these items. Painful as this is, we should acknowledge that this is a step that private businesses, faced with similar cost structure issues, are forced to take on a regular basis. Having said that, it matters very much how it is done. I would be extremely disappointed if it all boiled down to seniority issues, as these things often do. As a starting point how about this? Size the staff appropriately for all functions. The highest performers should be incented to stay. The lowest-performers should be incented to leave. The school board and/or principals should know where everyone stands on the scale. I read one post on this site about a school that appeared to be in horrible disrepair (filthy attic, bats, no insulation...). Maybe that's the school to close or maybe there is another that is a better candidate because of long-term cost issues. That should be researched much the same as the middle-school issue was. Just my thoughts. Thanks for the opportunity.

Hi, I attended the forum last night and was impressed by the work that's been done. The core values that you have developed truly can guide the school decisions. As you showed us the pros and cons of the various choices, I was struck by how some of pros as well as cons apply to Keene and some do not. For example, with regard to the narrow vs. wide grade span plan, how many familes really stay in the same school for more than two-three years tops? Although these forums will always have at least one parent passionately defending their own child's wonderful 5-6 years in their neighborhood elementary school, I'll bet you could find as many parents who were happy to switch schools. Beyond that though,if we consider what the research tells us about children, they do best with good teachers at each grade level. Most kids who go through the same elementary school will have about two years with a less than ideal teacher situation. I'm not dissing teacher at all--far from it---I'm talking about the match between teacher and student style. Teaching today is harder than ever before. There is more to teach and more ways to teach it. The children are in general less eager to listen closely and follow directions. (Many social factors are the reasons for this.)I think that having teachers confined to three grade levels will certainly provide opportunities for more collaboration, more motivation, and more understanding of each individual child because more teachers at that grade level will be able to offer perspective to each other.

And what about principals? Schools need leaders who can protect and nurture the best teachers and bring the middle-of-the-road professionals along in ways that pay off for the kids and that do not penalize the top teachers by putting all the tough kids, or all the kids whose paretns requested them in their rooms. Principals need to be closer than ever before to what is going on hour by hour in their schools.

The argument about playing in neighborhood where there is a neighborhood school may be another

We hear that Keene’s cost per pupil is significantly higher than the state average. Can that per pupil cost be broken down further and compared to components of the state per pupil average? For example, do we have the data to individually compare per pupil costs of building operations, administration (personnel as well as a comparative look at insurances i.e. Workers Comp costs), capital equipment, consumable materials, support services, teaching staff, etc.? It may be that this more detailed comparative analysis could help prioritize our cost saving efforts, while upholding the values identified in the first community forum.

i will not be able to attend the next meeting, but have been to the previous two. my suggestions pertain to the franklin school. i believe that an energy audit would reveal huge expenditures due to no insulation in the ceilings and poor windows and doors. the attic is filthy and full of bats and bat guano which probably makes its way into the school air. some basic building maintenance and cleaning would go along with upgrading the overall weatherproofing and insulating to save money and enhance the general comfort of staff and students. another suggestion that i have is to offer early retirement to some of the faculty that are making the highest salaries and hiring some young, energetic teachers to replace them. this would save money AND enhance the quality of education, not to mention bringing in some freshness. the teachers should not have computers on their desks in the classroom because it is a distraction for them and a psychological barrier between the students and the teacher. there are many places in the school where the staff can access computers without having it right on their classroom desk. thanks for considering my suggestions.

Just wanted to say that as a parent of two kids in the elementary schools -- but also a taxpayer who is feeling the pinch -- I appreciate the opportunity to address this issue together as a community (and not just "behind closed doors"). We have some difficult decisions to make!