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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-12-11-SMPAC-min Lexington Public Schools Master Planning Advisory Committee Wednesday, December ii, ao24 from 9:00 -ii:oo a.m. Remote Participation via Zoom Attendees:Andrew Baker, Melissa Battite(absent), Sandra Beebe(absent), Fay Chen, David Coelho, Michael Cronin, Rick DeAngelis(absent),Julie Hackett, David Kanter(attended on behalf of Sandra Beebee), Maureen Kavanaugh, Kathleen Lenihan,Alan Levine,Joe Pato,Mark Sandeen, Deepika Sawhney, Michael Schanbacher, Dan Voss The minutes were taken by Sara Jorge,the Office Manager to the Lexington Superintendent. The meeting began at 9:03 a.m. Dr. Hackett explained that she took the Master Planning Compendium, and she has included a section called I��c;�nt I����lc��n��nt�. If you look at page 39,Julie Hackett took the strategies that were discussed at the last Master Planning Committee meeting on October 3i, 2024: reconfigure grade spans, acquire town-owned land, replace Bridge and build a new elementary school, utilize the land at Sridge to build a third middle school,build a sma119th grade-only high school, build a small, specialized high school, increase class size, field house space, and create a mechanism to acquire larger land parcels. Dr. Hackett noted that we have been receiving outreach from community members about moving grades up or down.While it sounds good in theory,there are reasons why we cannot do that, and we are attempting to document those reasons in the compendium. Except for Bridge and Bowman,the student enrollment in the elementary schools is appropriate and meets its planned operating capacity. Similarly,the enrollment in the middle schools is appropriate and meets its planned operating capacity. It would not be possible to move grade 5 to the middle schools due to current space constraints. Through redistricting and flexible assignment, LPS has balanced the two middle schools better to maximize space. As a result, Diamond has increased its enrollment in the past few years by more than ioo students, relieving some overcrowding pressure at Clarke Middle School. The two middle schools are functioning effectively now with an appropriate planned operating capacity. Given that the two middle schools are already at capacity and are a pinch point,there is no ability to shift elementary students or high school students to the middle schools. Joe Pato and Alan Levine explained that they wouldn't rule out reconfiguring grade spans completely because if we are growing fast and need to shift things around,we could expand with modulars. Maureen Kavanaugh explained that the enrollment projections are staying steady or will be declining. Maureen also pointed out that special education space has increased within our schools, so the space that would be available due to the decline in enrollment is now being used for required special education services. Julie Hackett added that we expanded our ILP program to Estabrook because we were full at Fiske, and now we are full at both. Fay Chen pointed out that Diamond has high numbers in its ILP. Those programs should not be touched, as we are not thinking about expanding the numbers, so they should remain stable at the very least. Kathleen Lenihan explained that the grade configuration brings back redistricting. It is important for people to understand that grade reconfiguration has major pedagogical implications. During redistricting, it took well over a year just to determine which streets would be assigned to which elementary school. Julie Hackett noted that when we get into our small groups,we should prioritize each item with highly recommended or this is our last resort. Andrew Baker explained that it is not preferable for our three-letter programs to move off our campus.We like having them here at Lexington High School. Alan Levine: How much physical floor space is needed for students in the ILP program compared to general education? Fay Chen: When students are in the ILP or other program, more floor area space is needed per student than in general education. In a typical class,you could have 2o to 25 students,but specialized programs could have six,possibly with staff support for each student. I don't know how this is structured at the high school level. Andrew Saker explained that it is similar at the high school level. There is a classroom and a series of breakout spaces for the program's use. There is a dedicated office for speech and language pathologists and other related service providers who work with students.There is a dedicated life skills space that students use to build life skills.There is a small room for PT and OT services.As is the case in elementary and middle schools, almost every student in the program has an adult with them throughout the day. Joe Pato referenced Kathleen Lenihan's comment about grade reconfiguration and redistricting. We need to reflect in the strategies for the trigger point,when the work would start, and how long we might expect for that to happen. Alan Levine: I think it would be good to have a document that outlines what the space requirements are in a very high-level way for SPED programs in terms of floor area,breakout rooms, and any other space that you may not need for general education. I think that would be applicable not only if the school population increases because of new residents and new buildings,but we've seen that the ratio of SPED students compared to general education has been changing. This might be useful as a tool for a committee like this, even if the school enrollment doesn't change in the total bottom line. Julie Hackett: In the past,the desire was to bring children back to the school system to save money from out-of-district placements. Our curiosity is whether or not that still is true. Because we have a very staff-intensive program with lots of support, it might be the case that it is equally expensive to have children in the district now.There are social costs that really matter to us,but it's something that we're exploring. Dr. Hackett reviewed t�� �� c�-41 �f th�1Vlast��°Pl���in�C'r� ��r��lru with the Master Planning Committee. David Kanter: If a building has space around it, and before we discuss enlarging the structure, I would like to have a positive statement that you have reviewed all functions to show that you have given your due diligence. Julie Hacicett: David Kanter is saying that our planning process should acknowledge the due process around what happens currently on sites so people won't be disenfranchised. Julie Hackett explained that we can always increase class size as it is the least expensive and most likely strategy for addressing short-term problems. Alan Levine: Unfortunately, there are scenarios where larger class sizes should be a long-term solution.With the MBTA zoning,there could be 8,00o new residences,which could mean 4,000 new students, and it could affect operating budgets. Julie Hackett added that it could be 4,00o students or ioo.That is the challenge we have. Joe Pato: We could put together a task force to look for land that is available or could be available for 9+ acre lots in Town. Joe Pato noted that each strategy will have pros and cons and challenges. Then there will be scenarios,like what to do if we see ioo more students or 50o at one grade level.We need to explain how we would apply the tools we identified to resolve that scenario. Julie Hackett explained that our approach to the Master Plan has been what happens if we have lower than expected enrollments, as expected, or higher than expected enrollment. The Master Planning Advisory Committee went into small groups to discuss strategies. Group 2- Group 2 reported that most of their strategies could be short—or long-term, such as sending students out of the district, reconfiguring class sizes, renting or buying space, or building new space or additions. David Kanter explained that we need to add a simple framework for each strategy and a trigger for their implementation. Virtual Group: The virtual group agreed that the double sessions, utilizing the field as space, and a specialized high school would not be ideal or would not work at all.We also discussed the possibility of adding modulars to LHS and grade reconfiguration,but that would work in conjunction with adding more space because there is not enough space at the elementary level to make that work. Andrew Balcer explained that the virtual group discussed two things: space mining and class sizes. Regarding space mining at the high school,which is an option,we are talking about areas of the school that, in past conversations,would have been considered way off-limits but might be on the table now,like the library,for instance. The other is that when it comes to class sizes and enrollments,this is an ongoing conversation at Lexington High School. Certainly,the Master Planning Advisory Group could help guide that,but those types of decisions happen regularly. It's what we do to prepare a schedule for the school year. Group i: Group i discussed moving 60o students out of Lexington High School. If you move 60o students out of the high school and into the middle school, then you have 30o extra students per middle school. However, after discussing with Maureen,we might be able to stretch to add ioo people but not 300, so we need more space.We also discussed modulars and the idea of building up at Diamond and Clarke. Mike Cronin said that you cannot build up on those buildings. Group i then determined that we needed more school space. Do�ve build a new elementary school, or do we leave k-5 alone and add a new middle school,which seems like a better option to us than disrupting every grade?The middle schools would then be 6-9. Group i also discussed a stand-alone Kindergarten school instead of a stand-alone ninth-grade building. Maureen Kavanaugh noted that increasing class size and small-scale space mining should be the first measures. Then,we move to larger-scale space mining and additions. We just need to be explicit about which of the strategies would be employed as long-term versus short-term. New categories that were developed based on group discussion feedback: i) changing how you use the buildings now(implemented short term) 2) renting or buying building space out of the present Town's set of buildings 3)building new space (additions or new buildings) and that may involve acquiring land Next Steps The Master Planning Advisory Committee will reconvene in January. Topics to be discussed: i. How much is too much for class sizes? 2. Space mining at LHS 3. Why not a second high school? Joe Pato motioned to approve the Master Planning Advisory Committee minutes from October 3i, 2024.Alan Levine seconded the motion.Julie Hackett took a roll call vote,passed ii-o. Alan Levine motioned to adjourn the meeting at ii:o3 p.m. Michael Schanbacher seconded the motion. Julie Hackett took a roll call vote,passed ii-o. The meeting adjourned at ii:oo a.m.