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School board votes to table discussion of New Haven, Boston School changes

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015, 11:55 p.m. — The Nelson County Board of Education voted Tuesday night to table discussions of changing the K-8 structure of the New Haven or Boston schools for the immediate future.

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Superintendent Anthony Orr listens as parents offer input on possible changes to the New Haven and Boston schools.

Tuesday night’s meeting began at the district’s Central Office, but was moved to the Nelson County High School cafeteria where more than 100 parents from both schools assembled.

The board’s vote to table the proposal followed a discussion about board member Larry Pate’s motion to remove from consideration plans to change the K-8 structure of the Boston and New Haven schools.

Pate acknowledged the board needs to take action to help the New Haven School, but said that a plan that disrupts a high-performing school like Boston School is not the answer. Board member David Norman seconded Pate’s motion, adding that he was uncomfortable with the proposal to change the schools’ structure.

Board member Diane Breeding said she believed it was too early to take a vote to rule out any options, which she compared to “putting the cart before the horse.”

“We need to determine what the problem is so we can come up with a reasonable solution,” she said.

Board member Diane Berry said she didn’t know if splitting the schools was the right option, but she agreed with Breeding it was too early to eliminate any of the board’s options.

Superintendent Anthony Orr suggested that rather than eliminate any options at this time, the board back away from pursuing the option to change the schools.

“We can spend time to identify the root causes and then come back with recommendations that are more specific,” Orr said.

Pate clarified his motion was just to take the option off the table right now.

“If we’re going to say a time period, then I’m going to say that as long as Boston School is kicking ass and hanging in there, I do not want it bothered,” he said to applause from the audience.

Chairman Damon Jackey said the board’s goal is offer a quality education at all of the district’s schools. The board wants to listen to suggestions, look for opportunities, and then break down the barriers for the schools to be successful, he said.

“All we asking for are options,” he said. “We’ve had tremendous amounts of success at some of our schools. What can we do so they’re all successful?”

THE VIEW FROM 30,000 FEET. Orr briefly recapped for the board his thoughts on the challenges and opportunities that could arise from reconfiguring both schools.

The district could eventually see savings of up to $300,000 in staffing changes by changing both schools. No immediate staff reduction would be implemented at the board level, he said.

Orr acknowledged that the move could be a hardship on families by forcing students to attend a school outside their community, and that the K-8 structure minimizes the adjustment for elementary students going to middle school.

Orr said there’s not enough information available yet to justify making the changes. “This is just a chance to let the board see an overview and hear from folks who clearly have very vested interests,” he said.

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Erin Barnes, a parent member of the New Haven School’s site-based council, speaks at Tuesday night’s Nelson County board of education meeting.

PARENTS SPEAK OUT. Parents from both Boston and New Haven Schools took the opportunity following the board’s vote to express their thoughts about possible changes to the K-8 structure at both schools.

Erin Barnes, a parent member of the New Haven School site-based council, told the board that part of the school’s problem has been stability, though that has changed in the past two years.

“The last two years have been great,” she said, adding that the “Leader in Me” program is already paying dividends at the school. “It’s been phenomenal.

“We have a principal and vice-principal that have shown they care, and they need a chance to show that,” she said. “Just give us a chance, that’s all we’re asking.”

Boston parent Jill Benningfield said the community involvement at the school is key to its success. The school constantly has activities that bring parents and families in, she said. Splitting the school would be a hardship for parents and families in both communities.

“I don’t think its going to be a solution to your problem,” she said. “Why are we having this discussion when we don’t even know what the problem is?”

A New Haven parent said the lack of transparency and communication between the district and the New Haven community was troubling.

“I had to hear about this meeting by word-of-mouth, from people in town and from people while picking up my children from school,” she said.

She also took issue with Orr’s overview, saying that she saw no evidence presented to support making such radical changes at both schools. She suggested harnessing the synergy that has fueled Boston’s success and replicating it at the New Haven School.

Gretchen Boone, a member of the Boston School’s site-based council, told the board that there are four schools in the district that did not perform at a proficient level, which she said was unacceptable. All of the district’s children are the same and deserve the same quality education.

“They all have parents who care about them, and they all have parents who want them to succeed.”

She challenged the board to look at the teacher turnover rate at the district’s schools. “Every one of our schools should be performing at a distinguished level,” she said.

That sentiment was echoed by other parents.

“We don’t have an individualized problem (with test scores),” one parent told the board. “We have a school district problem.”

All of the districts that border Nelson County perform better than Nelson County Schools. Changing those schools begins with leadership at the school level, she said.

Members of the board expressed their appreciate to the parents for expressing their thoughts in person, by telephone and by email.

“I do not take this lightly,” Berry told the crowd. “I want you all to know that we as a board consider everything that’s said and we will find out what the problem is.”

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