10/29/2008 11:32:00 AM Parents cool to short-term solutions for overcrowding at Leopold
Members of the Madison School Board attended the Oct. 20 meeting. From left: Ed Hughes, Marj Passman, Arlene Silveira, Beth Moss, Maya Cole, Johnny Winston Jr., and Lucy Mathiak.
Dan Nerad, superintendent of the Madison Metropolitan School Board.
Ryan Dostalek ConnectFitchburg.com
A temporary solution to concerns about Leopold Elementary School will be announced by June 2009, according to Daniel Nerad, superintendent of the Madison Metropolitan School District.
Nerad, members of the school board and other officials held what Nerad called "an engagement session" at Leopold on Oct. 20. About 100 parents attended the session, part of what Nerad called an effort to find "a short-term solution to find a long-term solution."
But a show of hands after the meeting indicated most of those attending the session opposed the proposed short-term solution, which would involve transferring fifth graders to Cherokee and Wright middle schools.
"I'm confident it (the short-term solution) would work for two years," Nerad said.
Nerad conceded that the short-term plan would address crowding but not another concern of parents- the high proportion (68 percent) of low-income students at Leopold. The long-term plan would tackle that issue, he said.
Nerad said a high percentage of low-income students isn't unique to Leopold. The percentage of students eligible for reduced or free lunches exceeded 50 percent in 17 of 31 middle schools in the Madison district, and the percentage was higher than at Leopold in 10 elementary schools, he said.
Busing fifth graders would reduce the enrollment at Leopold to 650, a level that parents said would be acceptable. The current enrollment is 684, less than the capacity of 726, although full capacity is based on classroom space carved out from other uses.
The projected enrollment next year is 689, said Kurt Kiefer, chief information officer for the district, who explained the various sources of information and methods used to arrive at that figure. The district's predicted elementary enrollments have been extremely accurate, within 0.4 percent of actual enrollment, he said.
"I know you've been waiting for an answer for eight years," said Sue Abplanalp, assistant supervisor, referring to additions to the school and other measures, including busing third graders to Chavez Elementary, that have attempted to address overcrowding.
Parents questioned whether transferring fifth graders to middle schools would deprive them of their "leadership year."
Applause greeted comments that the district was "shortchanging students" by failing to provide additional resources to address issues associated with low-income students, and a suggestion that, if fifth graders weren't bused to different schools, funds that would have been used for transportation should instead be allocated for programs at Leopold.
Abplanalp said Leopold receives the most Title 1 funds and other types of assistance of any elementary school in the district.
Parents also expressed concern about fifth graders hanging out with older students in after-school programs. Abplanalp said no decision has been made about after-school programs. Any decision would involve teachers and parents.
Students would be bused to Cherokee and Wright based according to the percentage of students from Leopold who normally attend these schools. All could be used to Cherokee, however.
Cherokee Principal Karen Seno and Wright Principal Nancy Evan said they were eager to accommodate the fifth graders.
"They will be embraced as part of our community," Evan said. Seno conceded that it would make Cherokee more crowded, which led some parents to question whether Leopold students would simply be moved from one overcrowded school to another.
Information released by the district before the meeting indicated that enrollment in private schools had not fluctuated much during the past 10 years, although a parent said many parents have avoided sending children to Leopold for longer than a decade. Recent figures markedly underestimate the trend, he said.
