The Warwick School District is operating in excess capacity with an average of eight to 10 schools more than needed, according to architect and educational planner Edward Frenette, a senior …
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The Warwick School District is operating in excess capacity with an average of eight to 10 schools more than needed, according to architect and educational planner Edward Frenette, a senior representative with Symmes Maini & McKee Associates. SMMA is the long-term planning consultant firm hired by the School Committee to develop a 10-to-20-year Comprehensive Long-Term Master Educational and Facilities Plan for the district at a cost of $238,243.
The revelation came Tuesday night, during the first of six planned public meetings, including the first of four workshops between SMMA and the School Committee. The public was invited to attend the workshop and ask questions, as will be the case with all future meetings.
“This is an interactive process,” Frenette said. “We need to build trust to do this properly. Without trust, we won’t get the answer we need.”
Frenette began by providing some background on SMMA and the work they’ve done. Based out of Cambridge, Mass., the firm has completed 21 master plan studies, 55 additions and renovations, and 32 new construction projects in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Regarding the Warwick study, Frenette said his firm has completed 36 interviews, interviewing approximately 107 individuals from faculty to staff to administration, 26 facility visits, both during and after school, and has engaged in comprehensive demographic studies.
“The purpose of these workshops is to understand the criteria to be used in evaluating the master plans and to understand the alternative master plans under consideration,” he said.
Frenette said criteria includes: excess capacity; parity across schools and sub-districts; technology parity and enrichment; effective educational delivery; sixth grade enrichment; ninth grade transition; as well as to investigate more and better criteria.
Frenette said he’s asking people to make decisions without all of the data having been gathered.
“It’s better to think about issues now while the data is incomplete because it won’t change; it’s too big,” he said. “Eight to 10 schools is a big number.” The city has three high schools, three junior highs and 17 elementary schools including the Drum Rock Early Education Center.
Frenette said the district population is decreasing by four to six full classrooms every year.
One audience member asked about the level of population loss and why it’s happening.
“There’s a more dramatic loss in secondary than primary, but overall it’s dramatic,” Frenette said. “I’ve been doing this for 40 years and your excess capacity is at the outer limits of what I’ve seen.”
Frenette said the population of Warwick is decreasing and stabilizing as a function of an aging population.
“Most cities in Rhode Island are gaining population, most towns are losing, and you’re stabilizing or losing,” he said.
When asked if the airport and it’s planned expansion was a factor, Frenette said it has an effect but it’s miniscule compared to the aging population.
Frenette said capacity of schools is reported every year as part of an asset protection plan.
“We have done nine to 10 studies since 2007 and it’s been our experience that excess capacity is always a high number because the schools have been used in different ways and educational spaces have been tucked in here and there over time,” he said. “The spaces are being used ingeniously; they’re not wasted, but you need to start rethinking how to apply that ingenuity in a different way.”
Frenette continued, saying, “I’m trying to get you to embrace the notion that you have excess capacity; don’t run from it.”
In addition to declining population, Frenette said the sixth grade is suffering because it’s still part of the elementary system.
“To be competitive, you need to start thinking about sixth grade enrichment with the middle school model,” he said, adding that could be sixth through eighth grade or fifth through eighth grade.
Frenette said there are three levels of a master plan: the base level, which at a minimum would provide protected and safe facilities that foster a healthy learning environment; what you want to do beyond that; and what you really want to do. In determining what level the district wants, there are a number of master plan alternatives to consider. They include: consolidation of secondary schools; consolidation of primary (elementary) schools; consolidation of both secondary and primary schools; creation of a middle school (6th-8th grade), with two magnet high schools with ninth grade academies (to ensure a smooth transition from middle school to high school); creation of a broadband middle school (5th-8th grade), with two magnet high schools with ninth grade academies; creation of three magnet middle-high schools, with ninth grade academies (6th-8th grade and 9th-12th grade); and explore more and better master plans.
Frenette described Toll Gate High School, with the nearby Warwick Area Career and Technical Center, as a magnet high school because it pulls in students from all over.
School Committee Chairwoman Jennifer Ahearn asked about the parity of delivering technology in the schools.
“You do not have parity. There’s quite a difference from school to school; more so at the elementary level,” Frenette said.
There was also a question about how much sixth grade is suffering and which middle school model is better, 6-8 or 5-8.
“Most research indicates sixth through eighth is the best option,” Frenette said. “Fifth through eighth is usually done to solve facility problems, such as overcrowding.”
Frenette said transitioning to the middle school model is easy to accomplish.
“If you don’t do it immediately, it should be in your sights for future plans sooner rather than later,” he said.
School Committee member Terri Medeiros said no matter what the committee decides; someone will be concerned.
“The middle school endorsement is a big change for everyone,” she said. “How many teachers need to be re-certified for middle school endorsement, how many teachers would we use and how long will it take to get that new endorsement?”
Frenette said if the community doesn’t embrace the politics as well as the needs, goals and objectives of teachers, the plan would fail.
“One of my skills to try to reach consensus on all this,” he said. “The master plan should not live and die on a middle school, I’m not trying to sell that. My job is to get you to focus on Warwick’s educational future.”
Frenette said every master plan that is evaluated would come with a price tag, including cost of any necessary repairs, additions or remodels, as well as the cost of doing nothing.
“It will be comprehensive enough to make a decision,” he said.
When asked how long it would take to implement a plan, Frenette said it would be too disruptive to consolidate simultaneously kindergarten through 12th grade, nor can you convert to a middle school model overnight.
“A modest plan, with not much change, would be fortunate to be up and [fully] running in three years and it goes up from there, depending on your ambition,” he said.
One audience member said, as a teacher, she was concerned the 107 people that were interviewed represents less than 10 percent of the school population.
“Our department head was interviewed before they could discuss with their teachers to have them represented,” she said. “I’m concerned that everyone is not being represented with the small percentage of interviews.”
In response, Frenette explained the interview process.
“The first third of interviews, we’re finding our way; you know more than us,” he said. “During the middle third, patterns start to emerge and consensus is observed. During the last third, those patterns become boringly repetitive – they are heard over and over again.”
Frenette said it’s important that those patterns are driven into the firm to give them confidence to stand before the community and present the data.
“If we interviewed another 100 people, it wouldn’t change the patterns or consensus,” he said.
Frenette closed by saying, “Some day you will want reimbursement from the state and you won’t get it to repair buildings that aren’t being used.”
Frenette said Warwick needs to start addressing its issues.
“You don’t want to be forced into it,” he said. “You want to do it in a methodical, organized, educationally-sound way and tonight was the first step of that.”
One audience member said he believes there’s a feeling of mistrust among the community, having gone through a number of contentious and heated discussions regarding potential consolidation scenarios in recent years, and suggested publicizing meeting dates well in advance to generate public buy-in.
“Let people prepare mentally for what’s going to happen as well as the cost to the city of doing nothing,” he said. “Get the information out, publicize it and let’s get the ball rolling.”
The man continued, saying, “All tonight’s agenda says is SMMA Workshop. If you didn’t know who SMMA is, you won’t know what the meeting is about.”
Ahearn responded, saying, “We’re doing the best we can to get the information out there. This meeting came together last Thursday, as there are a lot of people involved and I had to confirm the date with my colleagues.”
Ahearn said there would be three more workshop meetings between SMMA and the School Committee, two additional open sessions with just the public, and a tentative additional meeting with the mayor and City Council.
The workshop meetings will be held in the Toll Gate High School cafeteria at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 11, Monday, May 18 and Wednesday, May 27. One public open session will be held at Warwick Veterans Memorial High School at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 21 and the other will be held at Pilgrim High School at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26. The public is invited to attend all meetings.
11 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
genereux
It is my understanding that the 8-10 schools too many includes all buildings in the district. Warwick Lake Ave administration building and John Green are not exempt.
Thursday, May 7, 2015 Report this
Justanidiot
One big warehouse would do fine. You could cut down on all the administration, overhead, and excess teachers. One teacher plus two aides per grade should be fine. If you need help with the younger kids just have the older kids step in. This is the future for these kids anyway, so why not prepare them for it and save the taxpayers a ton of money.
Thursday, May 7, 2015 Report this
patientman
It looks like the volunteer commission wasn't a bunch of amateur idiots after all. The school board has failed the city badly. In not hiring this firm instead of the volunteer board, or standing by the group of people they tasked with this job long ago. Well done board. You're a special kind of stupid.
Thursday, May 7, 2015 Report this
CameronClueless
hey Bachus, how's that "whole enchilada" tasting now?
Thursday, May 7, 2015 Report this
JohnStark
Agree with patientman, this will be a $350k replication of what was recommended nearly 18 months ago. At the same time, I was a big skeptic of SSMA, but they seem to be telling it like it is. I would take exception to only one thing purported by the firm. According to the Census Bureau, since 1990, Warwick's overall population has declined by 4%, while the RI's population has increased by 4.7%, Over that time period, every New England state gained population. So why has Warwick's population declined? And why does it's school-aged population continue to decline precipitously in the face of rising population elsewhere and nearby? And why, in a city that now spends $18,000 per student, does Warwick now have an adult population that is less well educated than the RI average (and the RI average is the second lowest in New England)? One begins to formulate a picture of Warwick as a very expensive, yet poorly educated population that is simply not attractive to those very few who are looking to move to RI.
Thursday, May 7, 2015 Report this
Justanidiot
The other way to look at this is that Warwick has 8 to 10 schools that could be used to attract new families to move to the city. Invest in the future instead of shuttering up the buildings or turning them into fire houses or art studios.
Why is everything put into a negative light? If you want to run government like a business, do so and do something with your excess inventory instead of setting the arsonists to work.
Friday, May 8, 2015 Report this
davebarry109
I get tired of saying this. As a taxpayer, stop taking years to make a decision. CLOSE THE DAMNED EXCESS SCHOOLS.
Friday, May 8, 2015 Report this
markyc
Here's a thought: Phase 1: Warwick has three high schools & three junior high schools-DECIDE which one of each to close OR do as previously planned; renovate Vets as a junior/middle school & close Aldrich & Gorton junior high schools( school year 2016-2017).
Phase 2: Involve the teachers/union in the public process of certifying where needed to convert to a desired NEW middle school model(grades 6-8) OR keep the junior high model "as is"(2018-2019 school year). During this phase/process it can be determined either through teacher attrition(retirements, etc.) how many teachers/support staff will/are expected to be needed for the foreseeable long term. This should allow for a minimum of layoffs/restructuring as well as flexibility to make "adjustments". 8-10 schools, at least presently, appears high; maybe close one high school & one junior high(or a reconfiguring to a net reduction of 2); & possibly 3 elementary schools being closed on a transitional/phased in process by 6/30/20.
This SHOULD allow for minimum staff layoffs/reduction/displacement & also free up funding over time to provide a better quality education for ALL Warwick students.
Monday, May 11, 2015 Report this
wheelchairman
The plan to shut down Aldrich and Gorton Junior High and turn Vets into a large middle school is the best plan for the city. In addition we could sell the land which Aldrich and Gorton sit on and use the money we get to build new schools or renovate existing schools. I'm a bit disappointed that it is taking so long for this to get done. How much money has been wasted to come to the exact same conclusion that we are now back at? We elected you to lead, not be popular. Get on with your jobs or let someone else do it.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015 Report this
JohnStark
If you want to get an idea of just how rusted-out the Warwick public schools are, simply review the district's current Strategic Plan. 17 pages of hip acronyms (MTSS, RTI, BPIS), trendy references to "..closing the achievement gap" (i.e. make dumb kids smarter while encouraging smart kids to go to Hendricken or LaSalle), and the requisite complaints about a "...lack of funding" as if $18,000 per student just isn't enough. The most glaring issue confronting the schools, plummeting enrollment, earns three sentences in the 17 page document. And what Action Steps is the district taking in the face of plummeting enrollment? In the proud tradition of government-run anything, they're going to continue to have a committee. Swell. The fact that the phrase "Academic Excellence" appears nowhere in the document is also telling. Bottom line: If ever there was a document that captured the beaurocratic naval-gazing that has become government-run education, it is the document that guides the sad, rudderless state of the Warwick public schools.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015 Report this
thepilgrim
Why is Warwick losing poulation? Because there are NO jobs. And why are there no jobs? For two primary anti-business reasons: the democratic party and unions.
I remember when the Warwick High Schools had DOUBLE sessions and each high school had 3000 students. Now they are down to 1000. Rhode Island has always had the 2nd worst economy in the nation next to Mississippi. If one tries to open a small business in warwick, then the owners will be tortured by taxes and by a ridiculous minimum wage. Warwick, RI is a city run by socialists.
Thursday, June 4, 2015 Report this