Mapping Out A Change

Mapping Out A Change Some Templeton students to be at middle-high school for two years

+ click to enlarge News staff photos by Tara Vocino A significant number of parents, residents and teachers showed up for a forum about the location for elementary school students during construction, despite a snowstorm on Tuesday. + click to enlarge A proposed floor plan shows where elementary school students might be put at Narragansett Middle High School during construction of a new Templeton Elementary School. Tara Vocino Reporter TEMPLETON  Administrators and School Committee members recommend that kindergarten and first-grade students from Templeton Center School be housed at the middle school during construction of the new elementary school. A forum was hosted by the School Committee at Narragansett Regional High School on a snowy Tuesday The School Committee and interim Superintendent Dr. Steve Hemman had sought suggestions about where to house students and presented their ideas to teachers, town officials and parents. The option is between kindergarten and grade 1 moving to the middle school, or between grades 3 and 4 relocating to the middle school with kindergarten/grade 1 going to Baldwinville Elementary School. Both will be a two-year relocation. According to School Committee Vice Chairwoman Margaret Hughes, the School Committee feels that kindergarten and grade 1 temporarily moving into the middle school are in the best interest of students. Relocating the third and fourth graders to Baldwinville would mean totally reorganizing Baldwinville Elementary School. Administrators will decide how to best configure the middle and high school. Mr. Hemman said the middle and high school has developed a plan to release classrooms to students with a designated space for special education students, including occupational therapy, speech therapy, as well as reading and speech services. A possibility is that an empty counseling office could be used for speech therapy. “The kids will be better off here than at Templeton Center,” he said, pointing to his PowerPoint presentation. “We have compiled possible rooms that can be used.” He called the options fluid, adding they’re subject to change. However, since there isn’t any extra money in the budget, they have to figure out a way to do this without a major cost factor. Middle School Principal Peter Cushing said there will be some minor investments to make this happen, adding that space could be tight. He’d like to see a chain link fence installed so elementary students have a playground area. “It’s a better option than simply playing on pavement and tar,” Mr. Cushing said. Mr. Cushing presented two potential floor plans: option blue, where students wouldn’t have any hall interaction, and option white, where they’d be more shared space. He color-coded the plan with yellow flags indicating a move as a result of incoming students, whatever grades they end up being. “With both options, we’re trying to have as minimal disruptions as possible academically to the operations of the middle and high school,” Mr. Cushing said. With the help of the entire school body, 15 classrooms were moved in three hours just three years ago, he added. Mr. Cushing advocates for an internship program, where the high school students could mentor the younger students. “I’ve never had a negative incident in my eight years here,” he said. “The older kids tend to look out for the younger ones.” Baldwinville Elementary has 201 students in grades 2-4, according to niche.com and Templeton Center has 103 kids in grades k-2, according to greatschools.org. Templeton Center and Baldwinville Elementary schools Principal John Graziano said faculty unanimously voted that kindergarten and grade 1 should be housed at the middle-high school. High school Principal John Jasinski agreed: “What a wonderful way to have internships and relationships.” Design drawings will be complete by this summer. Construction will commence this fall. The school is slated to open in fall 2018. Factoring in the reimbursement from the Massachusetts School Building Authority, the cost to Templeton is $24.8 million. The annual residential tax will be $1.74 per $1,000 home valuation until the project is paid off.