Board sees results of community comment cards
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
A vast majority of the more than 400 people who attended the four Warsaw Schools community meetings checked the "yes" box.
The yes box - on a survey card prepared by KovertHawkins arcitects - says: "Yes, I support new construction and/or renovation of the existing buildings." The no box says: "No, I believe all our current facilities are adequate."
On the back of each card is space for comments.
Currently, there are no plans for a building project. At the end of the 2003-04 school year, Atwood, Silver Lake and Claypool elementary schools were closed. Since then, students at those schools have been transported to other schools, causing overcrowding. The school board has since said Claypool will be reopened, but also are considering renovating and expanding Claypool and building at least one new elementary school. No decision has been made.
Jamie Lake, of KovertHawkins, Jeffersonville, presented a review of the community meetings to the school board Monday night. He also presented the board with a binder of information his firm gathered from the meetings, as well as from a home football game.
At the community meetings, Lake said people really shared information.
At the community meeting at Madison Elementary, 57 cards were collected with 55 checking yes. Two were unchecked.
One of the comment cards said, "Warsaw Community School system should be ashamed to have allowed 'band aids' to cover up the gaping wound our elementary children have had to 'adapt' to all these years - by inadequate facilities. Pictures speak louder than words - and actions speak the loudest! Now let's get this wound cleaned up."
Another comment said, "Yes, I see a need to explore, but we must not be caught up in the 'keep up with the Jones attitude,' we have closed schools such as Atwood and Claypool, just to create more over crowding. A new facility does not mean better education but possibly a tax burden we cannot handle as parents."
Ninety-three total cards were collected at the Claypool meeting. Of those, 89 checked yes, one checked no and three were unchecked.
One comment said, "It makes no sense that there are crowded class rooms and Claypool is standing empty," while another comment said, "Nothing at this time! Looking forward to more information after the upcoming steps." One other comment said, "I am in favor of opening Claypool Elementary. I am opposed to adding sixth grade to our middle schools. I would like to see Claypool increased to a multiple section school. Thank you for receiving our input."
At the Jefferson meeting, 78 checked yes, one said more information was required, one said both yes and no and two were unchecked.
One person wrote, "Move the sixth-graders to Lakeview MS, then the elementaries won't be so crowded! Many middle schools are 6-7-8 and doing fine. Make a new K-5 campus at Claypool and change the school boundaries to equal enrollment. Thank you."
Another comment said, "I agree new facilities are a need but I do not want taxes raised."
From the tent at the football game, 24 cards were collected, with all checking the yes box. One card suggested, "sixth-grade academy at Edgewood, seventh and eighth grade at Lakeview." Another card suggesting moving fifth and sixth grade to the middle school level.
From the Lincoln meeting, 65 cards were collected, with 63 checking yes, one saying more information was needed and one unchecked.
One patron wrote, "Would like to see a northwest school built to accommodate Atwood, Madison, Leesburg and Harrison if possible. Open Claypool. Willing to help in anyway." Another person wrote, "Facilities and programs should be equitable for all students in our corporation," while another person wrote, "I believe very strongly that demographics must be thoroughly studied to assure that the school system should not need to go through this process in the foreseeable future."
Lake said that as a result of the community meetings, Kovert Hawkins has property demonstrated a need for a project and wants to move on to the next phase. The next phase includes enlarging the breadth of the scope of the project to include looking at the middle schools. Lake said they heard from the community that the trend in the community is toward growth and it will have an impact on the middle schools.
Kovert Hawkins will identify the needs of all the buildings and their deficiencies. Not only will they make observations on the schools, they also will talk to every staff member in every building, including the high school.
"The purpose of this is to identify all the deficiencies," said Lake. Step three will be to identify solutions.
Superintendent Dr. Robert Haworth said all the information gathered in step one, the discovery stage, will be available to the public, possibly on the Web site.
Lake said step two will not happen until after ISTEP testing is completed. When asked if Kovert Hawkins would prioritize the deficiencies found, Lake said the community and school board would do that, but they would assist.
"These early steps are what makes the projects we work on such great projects," said Lake.
Haworth charged Kovert Hawkins to go to step two of the process beginning the second week of October, which is about a week after ISTEP testing is completed. [[In-content Ad]]
A vast majority of the more than 400 people who attended the four Warsaw Schools community meetings checked the "yes" box.
The yes box - on a survey card prepared by KovertHawkins arcitects - says: "Yes, I support new construction and/or renovation of the existing buildings." The no box says: "No, I believe all our current facilities are adequate."
On the back of each card is space for comments.
Currently, there are no plans for a building project. At the end of the 2003-04 school year, Atwood, Silver Lake and Claypool elementary schools were closed. Since then, students at those schools have been transported to other schools, causing overcrowding. The school board has since said Claypool will be reopened, but also are considering renovating and expanding Claypool and building at least one new elementary school. No decision has been made.
Jamie Lake, of KovertHawkins, Jeffersonville, presented a review of the community meetings to the school board Monday night. He also presented the board with a binder of information his firm gathered from the meetings, as well as from a home football game.
At the community meetings, Lake said people really shared information.
At the community meeting at Madison Elementary, 57 cards were collected with 55 checking yes. Two were unchecked.
One of the comment cards said, "Warsaw Community School system should be ashamed to have allowed 'band aids' to cover up the gaping wound our elementary children have had to 'adapt' to all these years - by inadequate facilities. Pictures speak louder than words - and actions speak the loudest! Now let's get this wound cleaned up."
Another comment said, "Yes, I see a need to explore, but we must not be caught up in the 'keep up with the Jones attitude,' we have closed schools such as Atwood and Claypool, just to create more over crowding. A new facility does not mean better education but possibly a tax burden we cannot handle as parents."
Ninety-three total cards were collected at the Claypool meeting. Of those, 89 checked yes, one checked no and three were unchecked.
One comment said, "It makes no sense that there are crowded class rooms and Claypool is standing empty," while another comment said, "Nothing at this time! Looking forward to more information after the upcoming steps." One other comment said, "I am in favor of opening Claypool Elementary. I am opposed to adding sixth grade to our middle schools. I would like to see Claypool increased to a multiple section school. Thank you for receiving our input."
At the Jefferson meeting, 78 checked yes, one said more information was required, one said both yes and no and two were unchecked.
One person wrote, "Move the sixth-graders to Lakeview MS, then the elementaries won't be so crowded! Many middle schools are 6-7-8 and doing fine. Make a new K-5 campus at Claypool and change the school boundaries to equal enrollment. Thank you."
Another comment said, "I agree new facilities are a need but I do not want taxes raised."
From the tent at the football game, 24 cards were collected, with all checking the yes box. One card suggested, "sixth-grade academy at Edgewood, seventh and eighth grade at Lakeview." Another card suggesting moving fifth and sixth grade to the middle school level.
From the Lincoln meeting, 65 cards were collected, with 63 checking yes, one saying more information was needed and one unchecked.
One patron wrote, "Would like to see a northwest school built to accommodate Atwood, Madison, Leesburg and Harrison if possible. Open Claypool. Willing to help in anyway." Another person wrote, "Facilities and programs should be equitable for all students in our corporation," while another person wrote, "I believe very strongly that demographics must be thoroughly studied to assure that the school system should not need to go through this process in the foreseeable future."
Lake said that as a result of the community meetings, Kovert Hawkins has property demonstrated a need for a project and wants to move on to the next phase. The next phase includes enlarging the breadth of the scope of the project to include looking at the middle schools. Lake said they heard from the community that the trend in the community is toward growth and it will have an impact on the middle schools.
Kovert Hawkins will identify the needs of all the buildings and their deficiencies. Not only will they make observations on the schools, they also will talk to every staff member in every building, including the high school.
"The purpose of this is to identify all the deficiencies," said Lake. Step three will be to identify solutions.
Superintendent Dr. Robert Haworth said all the information gathered in step one, the discovery stage, will be available to the public, possibly on the Web site.
Lake said step two will not happen until after ISTEP testing is completed. When asked if Kovert Hawkins would prioritize the deficiencies found, Lake said the community and school board would do that, but they would assist.
"These early steps are what makes the projects we work on such great projects," said Lake.
Haworth charged Kovert Hawkins to go to step two of the process beginning the second week of October, which is about a week after ISTEP testing is completed. [[In-content Ad]]