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Additional Board Questions and Administrative ResponsesAs part of the Board's deliberation on the matter of school consolidation, members of the Board directed a number of questions to the administration during and immediately following the presentation and discussion that took place during the February 6, 2017 meeting of the Board of School Directors. These questions and answers can be found below.
Q: Configurational changes needed to convert Skyview to an elementary school: what will be asked of the Board?
A: There are no planned configurational or structural changes needed at Skyview if grade 4 were moved to Skyview where the grade configuration at Skyview would include grade 4 and grade 5.
Q: Associated Costs?
A: No costs.
Q: Timeline to accomplish these changes?
A: No timeline required.
Q: Will the cafeteria be able to handle the needs of grades 4 & 5 with regards to space, and operational flow?
A: The cafeteria will generally operate like it does today with the current grade 5 and 6 configuration. The seating is appropriate for grade 4 and the kitchen is capable of handling food services for grade 4 and the additional grade at Arcola.
Q: Playground construction costs?
A: There is no plan for a playground in the event of a grade 4 and grade 5 configuration at Skyview. Recess or other activity will be scheduled appropriately.
Q: Gym requirements: Any changes to the Gym needed here? As I recall, Thompson had pointed out some issues with the gym and other needs for building changes during their review of the possible move of 4th grade to Skyview.
A: There are no changes needed to the gym. The Thompson report was specific to a reconfiguration where grades 4, 5, and 6 were to occupy Skyview. This reconfiguration was considered not feasible by the administration and is no longer a scenario being considered.
Q: Bathroom requirements for grade 4 and 5: do we need to install bathrooms in classrooms?
A: There are no requirements with regards to bathrooms or bathrooms in classrooms. The facilities are appropriate for students in grade 4.
Q: Instructional impact with Grade 4 & 5 with regards to Music, Band, Orchestra, etc. Is Skyview conducive to these kids? This is usually the time they really start learning the music arts.
A: There are no negative instructional implications for students with a Skyview grade configuration of grades 4 and 5. The administration will consider the reallocation of staff and scheduling to meet the needs of 4th grade level participation in the expressive arts.
Q: Impact on moving grade 6 back to this school and ability of Admin to work at reconfiguring this school.
A: This is a scheduling matter. As per our discussions with Milone and MacBroom during meetings on the matter, we would utilize space in Arcola for instruction and where needed, shift teachers to adjacent spaces in Skyview for teacher preparation needs. This will account for keeping students in the ebb and flow of Arcola while providing instructional planning space for teachers as needed.
Q: Thoughts from the Principal on this?
A: The building principals believe that should a grade re-configuration be determined, an Arcola building with grades 6, 7, and 8 would work. This grade configuration is common at the middle level.
Q: In the case of a reconfiguration of grades with 2 closures, I would like a chart similar to what was attached to all other scenarios. I noted at the prior meeting that this info was not included in Scenario 8 and thought it was definitely pertinent info to making a decision.
A: The chart you are requesting is attached as Scenario8_Details.pdf. Please see slide 6-13 for this information.
Q: I also feel that the board should know what changes would need to be made for 4th graders at Skyview (physical building changes and educational) as well as what Arcola would look like again with 3 grades.
A: There are no planned physical changes for Skyview or Arcola in the instance that grade reconfigurations are approved. There are no curricular or educational programming changes planned. As presented in previous presentations, matters of student and staff scheduling will comprise a majority of planning required.
Q: Capacity charts from prior presentation show the most capacity in Skyview with 7 open home room eligible spaces and Arcola with 2 open. I am curious how the reconfiguration would work if these capacity numbers are correct.
A: The number of open homeroom eligible spaces in Arcola and Skyview do not translate into additional instructional capacity in the same manner. Because Skyview operates in an elementary model, additional capacity is directly proportional to open classrooms. By contrast, the middle-school operating model of Arcola provides opportunities for substantial additional capacity through scheduling efficiencies in rooms currently used for only a portion of the school day. By scheduling rooms for use throughout the day and providing separate teacher prep spaces, the Arcola building can operate at a significantly higher capacity than the number of open rooms alone would suggest. A detailed breakdown of the capacity calculations for both buildings can be found on pages 55-56 of the January 10th presentation: (https://www.methacton.org/cms/lib/PA01000176/Centricity/Domain/50/Methacton_Redistricting_Scenarios%20for%201-10-17.pdf)
Q: Enrollment per school and grade prior to Skyview opening in 2009.
A: Reflects October Enrollment Reports
2008-2009K
T-1
1
2
3
4
5
Total
Arrowhead
55
10
70
66
71
74
77
423
Audubon
72
11
86
91
94
97
93
544
Eagleville
44
8
71
74
66
78
66
407
Woodland
41
14
60
73
55
61
79
383
Worcester
59
9
76
82
78
92
83
479
6
7
8
Total
Arcola
395
434
431
1260
9
10
11
12
Total
MHS
442
456
464
458
1820
2009-2010K
T-1
1
2
3
4
5
Total
Arrowhead
65
2
71
71
65
70
75
419
Audubon
80
16
78
88
85
94
99
540
Eagleville
58
0
64
75
73
73
81
424
Woodland
42
14
57
58
73
57
64
365
Worcester
73
15
77
82
91
78
97
513
6
7
8
Total
Arcola
415
411
429
1255
9
10
11
12
Total
MHS
447
442
456
478
1823
Q: Number of students enrolled in instrumental music in 4th and 5th grades, if available?
A: There are 302 4th grade and 227 5th grade students in band and orchestra.
Q: Could you tell me if the physical footprint/square footage of Arcola changed when Skyview was built?
A: Skyview is 76,403 sq. ft .
Arcola is 276,847 sq. ft. this includes the kitchen area, which is shared with SkyviewCombined total of 353,250 sq.ft.
