Below is the text of the letter Earl sent to the Massachusetts School Building Authority. The Milton School Committee has approached the School Building Authority about closing an elementary school, given that Milton received 90% financial reimbursement from the state when it rebuilt all six of its public schools a few years ago.
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Katherine P. Craven
Executive Director, Massachusetts School Building Authority
40 Broad Street, Suite 500
Boston, MA 02109
February 4, 2009
Dear Ms. Craven:
Recently, the Milton Public Schools Superintendent and the Milton School Committee delivered a letter to you seeking permission to close one of Milton’s Public Elementary Schools. It is the position of MPS that closing an elementary school would be required if additional funds were not made available through successful passage of a Town override. It has been disclosed that either the Tucker School or Cunningham School would be closed.
During a public budget presentation on January 14, 2009, a question was raised regarding the cost savings of closing the Cunningham School. The School Committee has posted questions and answers on its website. I would like to quote the response:
Q. If Cunningham were to close, you still have the energy cost of operating that
building. What is being saved?
A. Partial savings based upon decreasing ventilation in unused portions of the building. If
we were to close an elementary school whether it is Cunningham or Tucker, we are
considering the option of moving pre-school classes into that building. It is important to
note that the “school closing” is considered more of an administrative closure than a
physical closure. We would be changing the use of a building.
MPS has disclosed a limited amount of information to the public regarding the choice of closing the Tucker School or the Cunningham School. The answer above however, clearly indicates that there would a very limited difference in cost savings by closing one school verses the other. Given the minimal budgetary savings between the two choices, one must give greater weight to the educational and social implications of closing a school.
The Tucker School has a disproportionate number of minority, low income, and students with Limited English Proficiency, or LEP. The Massachusetts Department of Education tracks the student population of these at-risk sub-groups in order to measure MCAS performance. Consider the following from 2008:
Fourth Grade, Tucker: 52% African American/Black, 38% low income, 20% LEP.
Fourth Grade, Cunningham: 12% African American/Black, 6% low income, zero LEP students.
Third Grade, Tucker: 55% African American/Black, 29% low income, 7% LEP.
Third Grade, Cunningham: 13% African American/Black, 12% low income, 1.5% LEP.
Tucker has the largest population of students of color, low-income families, single moms, and families whose primary language is not English. Tucker has many important programs designed to target minority performance. It is a public obligation to support at-risk students. Extensive educational research proves that if we disburse these students to other schools, academic performance will suffer.
Many Tucker families walk their children to the before-school and home from the after-school programs at Tucker. The neighborhood around Tucker has the largest number of families who rely on public transportation. Milton might bus these students to Cunningham, but how will these families drop off and pick up their children from before-school and after-school programs? Closing Tucker puts an undue burden on Milton’s economically struggling families.
The enormity of the social impact of closing Tucker, a Title One School, must be given careful consideration. Furthermore, detailed information must be disclosed as to why the Glover or Collicott Elementary Schools are not being actively considered for closure.
A final note of concern involves the transparency of the school closure debate. Generally, the Finance Sub-Committee of the School Committee holds public discussion, but few details have been provided. I am also gravely concerned that there has been no disclosure regarding the specific contents of the letter that has been sent to you. As such, I respectfully request that your office hold public hearings regarding the School Committee’s proposed plans.
I appreciate your careful consideration of these concerns.
Very truly yours,
Earl W. Fay
Cc: Mr. Timothy Cahill, State Treasurer and MSBA Chairperson
Mr. Brian A. Joyce, Massachusetts State Senator
Mr. Angelo Scaccia, Massachusetts State Representative
Ms. Linda Dorcena Forry, Massachusetts State Representative
Mr. Beirne Lovely, Chair, Milton School Committee
Ms. Mary Gormley, MPS Superintendent of Schools
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2 comments:
Hi
I liv ein Milton, and have gone to Tucker for elementary school and I believe it to be one of the best experiences I could have ever asked for. I had Dr. Mason as my principle till the 5th grade when Mr. Echelson. I think that if push comes to shove, Collicot should be the one pushed off the cliff. Where is the sense in having TWO school's, both elementary, connected through the library? That makes no sense! Tucker is not only a cozy school full of love and warmth, it is also the most diverse school. I have many other things I can say in Tucker's favor, but I have decided to write a letter to Ms. Craven.
I agree with your assessment of Tucker; it's been nothing but a terrific experience for my daughter. It would be a shame to see any of these four brand-new elementary schools close. I can only hope that the Mass. School Building Authority will agree, and Ms. Craven will charge the School Committee and the administration with finding some other way to deal with the budget crisis than to close an elementary school.
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