Pennsbury Debates Middle School Reconfiguration

It has been a long time coming for Pennsbury’s Middle School Reconfiguration Committee. Assistant Superintendent of Administration Elliot Lewis, Director of Administrative Services Sherwood Taylor, and statistician Jeff Fisher have taken part in an over six month statistical analysis in preparation for last night’s Superintendent’s Town Hall Meeting at the Pennsbury East Auditorium.

The committee was formed to discuss the increasingly projected low enrollments at Charles Boehm Middle School following the closure of one of it’s feeder schools, Village Park Elementary, last year.

The analysis according to Lewis began over the summer and took real shape in October when they met with Middle School and two Elementary School Principals in order to discuss the reconfiguration, review enrollment projections, and make recommendations for reconfiguration. In November and December, the committee held joint committee meetings with both administrators and parents.

Last night, the committee and superintendent were joined by a few parent and administrator committee members as well as Pennsbury School Board President Jacqueline Redner, Vice President Alison Smith, and member Debra Wachspress.

The committee in their preparation to make a proposal to the Pennsbury School Board in February have collected results in regards to three main goals; in regards to student population in keeping the Teaming Concept, striving for low class sizes, and effectively utilizing all facilities; in regards to community impact in minimizing the number of schools required to change, and considering those already impacted by recent elementary redistricting; and in regards to diversity in maintaining or improving the social economic balance, and maintaining a north/south geographic mix.

In speaking with middle school principals, the committee arrived at minimum and maximum thresholds, making sure that no move would over or under populate one middle school in particular. Fisher took time to ease parents saying that no elementary school will be split to feed two middle schools, and students already in middle school will not be required to change.

The committee arrived at 12 different scenarios, briefing the audience on all the situations that occur when each one of those scenarios is put into play. Fisher at the end of his presentation pinpointed 4 scenarios that the committee felt best worked.

1. The Do Nothing Scenario, which prevents any community impact.

2. Reconfiguring Fallsington Elementary to Charles Boehm, only one of two situations which does not break a population threshold, it ranks first in diversity balance, and it reunites students separated in recent redistricting. 

3 & 4. Reconfiguring Walt Disney to Charles Boehm/Reconfiguring Quarry Hill to Charles Boehm ,which allows for lower enrollments at Pennwood shall the board decide to do construction there.

Karen Klein-Schaffer, a parent in the district expressed that she is aware of seven new housing developments popping up throughout the district, three of which may be done late 2014 or early 2015. “I just don’t understand how a decision could be made without looking at this, I went through elementary redistricting last year and I would not wish that on anyone” she expressed.

Taylor said for every 100 single family homes, the district enrolls 87 students and that if the new developments are apartment buildings, they virtually do not affect the district at all.

“This is news to me, at least with the projections of time frames and number of units, but we have a very good relationship with the township and we will be looking into it,” said District Superintendent Kevin McHugh.

Dawn Boraski has three children in the district, the oldest of which is a Fifth Grader at Fallsington, a school at the top of the list for suggested reconfiguration. “It does feel nice to know that they will be reunited, but some won’t. I have a Fifth Grader who may go to Boehm but all of his friends on the street go to Pennwood,” she said. “If we look at the facts and not make it personal than to me looking at the numbers, moving Fallsington to Boehm is the right choice, but when it’s your kids, it’s always personal.”

The Pennsbury Superintendent Town Hall Meetings are a fairly informal, regular, meetings that allow for a presentation as well as informal public comment. The committee will meet again tomorrow evening at Pennwood for an additional public work session before proposing their plan to the school board on February 6 at Fallsington Elementary.