Educational Forum About Proposed Plan for Full-Day Kindergarten and Elementary School Consolidation

WINDSOR RESIDENTS INVITED TO EDUCATIONAL FORUMS ABOUT PROPOSED PLAN
FOR FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN & ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION

First Forum is Tuesday, March 1

All Windsor residents are invited to attend one of a series of three community Educational Forums to learn about the Windsor Board of Education’s proposed plan for Full-Day Kindergarten, Elementary Consolidation, and Grade Reconfiguration.

 People are invited to attend any of the following three forums:

·      Tuesday, March 1 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Sage Park Middle School at 25 Sage Park Rd.

·      Wednesday, March 9 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at John F. Kennedy Elementary School at 530 Park Ave.; or

·      Monday, March 21 at Poquonock Elementary School at 1760 Poquonock Ave.

 At each workshop, detailed information about the proposed plan will be presented. Questions from the public are welcomed and encouraged. Free childcare will be provided.

 The major components of the proposed plan involve:

1)     Offering full-day Kindergarten;

2)     Consolidating from five schools to four schools; and

3)     Reconfiguring the grade structure to Pre-K to Grade 2, and Grades 3 to 5.

 In 2010, with declining enrollment projected into the future, the Windsor Board of Education commissioned a study and formed a Windsor Elementary Schools Task Force to determine the most efficient use and allocation of resources for the elementary schools.

 The Windsor Elementary Schools Task Force was made up of parents, teachers, administrators, community members, and Board of Education members. Chaired by Tim Curtis, a former member of the Windsor Board of Education and Windsor Town Council, that committee was charged with proposing options and recommendations for the future design and use of the elementary schools. To assist the Task Force and guide its work, the Board hired the architectural firm of Drummey, Rosane, Anderson, Inc. (DRA), which facilitated the community workshops.

The Task Force conducted an in-depth review of facilities and options for configuration, with implications on the budget, educational programs, and families. Their intensive work included program interviews with staff and administration, and three community workshops where they listened to the ideas and concerns of town residents and shared information about options for configuring the elementary schools.

The study considered forecasted demographics, capacity of existing schools and the feasibility of offering full-day kindergarten for all students, and proposed a range of options to the Board that included alternatives to the current grade configuration. It examined the implications of the options on the budget, educational programs and families. It then investigated further the Task Force’s recommended Option G – implementation of full-day kindergarten, consolidation of schools into four buildings and a grade reconfiguration of Pre-K to Grade 2, and Grades 3 to 5.

For more information about the Windsor Board of Education’s upcoming Education Forums, call Sally Brown at (860) 687-2000 ext. 232 or email sbrown@windsorct.org.

-End- 

 
Laura Soll, Public Relations - Windsor Public Schools860-688-4499, cell 860-833-4466
www.sollpr.com