tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post4325844637834335716..comments2023-10-17T22:56:42.784-04:00Comments on Only in The Republic of Amherst: Mega School UpdateLarry Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comBlogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-48988287078876999102016-04-14T20:33:33.947-04:002016-04-14T20:33:33.947-04:00All pre k attend the same school now, Ed. They are...All pre k attend the same school now, Ed. They aren't bussed.<br />"Facts matter."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-26334049429276163562016-04-14T14:58:14.420-04:002016-04-14T14:58:14.420-04:00CF renovation ?? Requires more consideration than...CF renovation ?? Requires more consideration than simply lowering sinks and urinals if there is any possibility for expanding PreK program. The state has a mandated per child square foot allowance/regulation for programs housing children ages 0-5. It is possible the current spaces could accommodate this but not clear. There are also many other requirements of preK classrooms/programs (under MA Dept of Early Educ & Care and the Nat. Assoc. of the Educ of Young Children)that need to be addressed. Also of note, not all pre k age children are proficient in using the bathroom. A fair amount of students who use diapers require access to changing stations. The current K classrooms share 2 bathroom stalls through an adjoining space. I guess it works for those experienced independent K kiddos. However, having potentially 30 Prek students to share 2 stalls when many are in the early stages of gaining independence and making it there on time is nothing short of problematic!! In reference to bussing Prek students, transportation for prek students is provided by families. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-19066945909565694522016-04-14T14:17:56.457-04:002016-04-14T14:17:56.457-04:00An 10:01 --- see above about stopping at both scho...An 10:01 --- see above about stopping at both schools, QED kids on same bus.<br /><br />If all pre-K attend same school, state law mandates most be bussed. Memory is beyond 1.5 Mile radius for middle school, suspect much lower distance for pre-K.<br /><br />Who pays -- you do.Dr. Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-62462508781607248602016-04-14T10:01:23.580-04:002016-04-14T10:01:23.580-04:00Ed,
Where, exactly, does it say the pre-k kids wi...Ed, <br />Where, exactly, does it say the pre-k kids will be bussed with 6th graders? I must have missed that. And I also must have missed that pre-k will even be bussed at all since they aren't now. Who's picking up the tab for that? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-81608731181036168112016-04-14T07:14:49.047-04:002016-04-14T07:14:49.047-04:00Anonymous said...
What is the soonest (year) that ...Anonymous said...<br />What is the soonest (year) that children would be starting at the new schools?<br /><br />Who is in charge of redistricting? Has there been any work on it yet? It sounds like people are expecting FR students to go to the FR side and WW students to go to that new building . But what about 2-6 graders who live in current CF zone?<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-60495915926228827932016-04-13T23:06:24.415-04:002016-04-13T23:06:24.415-04:00"Ed, it was already pointed out to you that t...<i>"Ed, it was already pointed out to you that the younger kids sit up in front."</i><br /><br />Blindfolded? <br /><br />They don't see the older children walking by them, don't hear what they say? What planet do you live on?<br /><br /><i>"And pre-k don't even ride the bus as they have different hours.'</i><br /><br />Then how the hell are they going to ride the same bus, as is being proposed?<br /><br /><i>"Stop creating dramatic scenarios to get attention.'</i><br /><br />OK, post your home phone number for parents to call when something along these "dramatic scenarios" actually happens to their children....Dr. Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-5251182635754535372016-04-13T11:04:00.374-04:002016-04-13T11:04:00.374-04:00Ed, it was already pointed out to you that the you...Ed, it was already pointed out to you that the younger kids sit up in front. And pre-k don't even ride the bus as they have different hours. Stop creating dramatic scenarios to get attention. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-880120718257639492016-04-13T08:43:32.987-04:002016-04-13T08:43:32.987-04:00It was more the Pre-K 4-year-olds going home and a...It was more the Pre-K 4-year-olds going home and asking "Mommy, why does Suzie put her hands into Jonny's pants?" <br /><br />Or "What's a 'blow job'?" -- I'm sure parents will love having to explain that to a 5-year-old... <br /><br />That's what I mean by "developmentally appropriate."Dr. Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-8470164721191817872016-04-13T08:03:29.875-04:002016-04-13T08:03:29.875-04:00What is the soonest (year) that children would be ...What is the soonest (year) that children would be starting at the new schools?<br /><br />Who is in charge of redistricting? Has there been any work on it yet? It sounds like people are expecting FR students to go to the FR side and WW students to go to that new building . But what about 2-6 graders who live in current CF zone?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-41891980782746785062016-04-12T22:03:15.883-04:002016-04-12T22:03:15.883-04:00When was the last time you had a pregnant kinderga...When was the last time you had a pregnant kindergartner at a dance you were chaperoning Ed? Remember that's where this conversation started. Worried about kindergarteners and 6th graders riding on the same bus.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-85128769947186799272016-04-12T21:20:07.829-04:002016-04-12T21:20:07.829-04:00Of course you had the sick thought. You were talki...<i>Of course you had the sick thought. You were talking about sexually active.</i><br /><br />I've had pregnant students in my classes....<br /><br />I kinda don't think "immaculate conception" was involved, I kinda had/have a pretty good idea how these girls came to become pregnant...<br /><br />Of course, to paraphrase the late Sam Kinnison, maybe it was because she was sitting on a toilet, but I kinda don't think so.<br /><br />And for the record, it was the PDA that I was thinking about, and if you don't know what those three letters stand for, you've never had to chaperon a dance... Dr. Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-31891869089506421252016-04-12T15:26:47.593-04:002016-04-12T15:26:47.593-04:00Of course you had the sick thought. You were talki...Of course you had the sick thought. You were talking about sexually active. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-83928120907919990832016-04-12T14:53:26.272-04:002016-04-12T14:53:26.272-04:00My "sick mind" was thinking of the term ...My "sick mind" was thinking of the term "developmentally appropriate", you schmuck. Some of us, with degrees in Education, tend to think of/in such terms.<br /><br />I hadn't even thought of what you seem to be implying, although the question I ask is before/after the children are on the bus. It's because of that is why I suspect a lot of parents are going to want to drive, and I can't see how you are going to handle the vehicular traffic.Dr. Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-39283999312692802652016-04-12T09:52:55.724-04:002016-04-12T09:52:55.724-04:00In the consolidated model, if you are a 5 year old...In the consolidated model, if you are a 5 year old in the fall of 2019 living in what is now the Wildwood district, that year you would go to the part of the large school that has been built. Then the next year you would go to Crocker Farm as a first grader. Then the next year you would go back to one of the wings in the large school as a second grader. Is that right?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-91502360070333915842016-04-12T08:27:24.958-04:002016-04-12T08:27:24.958-04:00The K kids sit at the front of the bus and the 6th...The K kids sit at the front of the bus and the 6th graders sit at the back of the bus. There is nothing going on on the bus Ed except in your sick mind.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-22223933509704102192016-04-12T06:51:55.036-04:002016-04-12T06:51:55.036-04:00One other thing: I'm not even sure DESE "...One other thing: I'm not even sure DESE "allows" you to have Pre-K kids on the same bus as 6th Graders -- but it definitely <b><i>is not a good idea</i></b>!!!<br /><br />I don't even think you should have K on the same bus, but you definitely shouldn't have Pre-K on it. 4-year-olds & 13-year-olds -- what could possibly go wrong???<br /><br />Yes, some 6th Graders are responsible enough to "look out for" the younger children, but a lot more aren't. Some of them are sexually active and everything else, do I really have to say more???Dr. Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-83091320934363447892016-04-12T06:29:53.877-04:002016-04-12T06:29:53.877-04:00It's one thing for an architect to specify low...It's one thing for an architect to specify lower sinks & urinals, and it isn't overly difficult to bolt them to the wall, but if you want them to work......<br /><br />I highly doubt that you are going to find new fixtures with connections that line up with the old ones, not at the lowered height. The cold & hot water feeding them is under pressure so this isn't that big a problem, but having drain pipes (inside the wall) that are higher than the drain connections on your lowered toilets & sinks very much will be.<br /><br />These pipes have to be lowered to connect to your lower sinks & urinals, and then be lowered even more along the run so that they still slope downhill until they eventually connect to a pipe that runs down/out to the sewer (and up through the roof), my guess is this will be near the toilets. Hence you are ripping out a lot of wall and, depending on how far you have to go in order to have the required downward slope, you may (and likely will) have to go all the way to where it connects to the larger pipe connecting the toilets to the sewer. That's in the floor, and if the building is on a slab without a basement or crawl space (i.e. pipes set in the concrete) then you're taking a jackhammer to the floor. And even if it isn't on slab, you're still likely looking at having to replace your toilet drains (or wishing you had) -- I'm not a plumber but I do know what happens if plumbing isn't done the way it is supposed to be done....<br /><br />Bottom line: Look at where the sink drains go into the wall. Look at where the bottoms of the urinals are. If you want to lower these fixtures below where they drain now, you also are going to have to lower the pipes they drain into <b>and that ain't gonna be cheap</b>. Dr. Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-37668135001041004252016-04-11T18:39:45.465-04:002016-04-11T18:39:45.465-04:00From [October 30th Elementary Building Project FA...From [October 30th Elementary Building Project FAQ’s] October 30, 2015 on bussing costs:<br /><br />This report* shows a model where two runs are added to the consolidated model; the maximum ride would be reduced to 36 minutes, a minute less than our current model. However, the average run length would still be several minutes higher than the current model, so we would recommend adding three or four runs, which would result in a reduced maximum run time and similar average run time as compared to the current model. The cost of adding these runs (3 runs would be $165,000; 4 runs would be $220,000) is still substantially lower than the operational savings of consolidation ($695,000). Even if we added four runs, the annual savings of consolidation would still be approximately $475,000.<br /><br />* report: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By0mz4P0v3bWNktBVXE2WmtvWDA/view?usp=sharing <br /><br />On renovations of CF:<br />I was under the same impression as anon 2:12 that smaller/lower urinals and sinks were the main thing and not “major”. But I was not at the last forum so did not hear what the architect said then. Regardless, it is true we do not have numbers on CF reno, but certainly will before TM and town-wide vote.Rick Hoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04347110422224233217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-36964625820250625822016-04-11T17:22:11.989-04:002016-04-11T17:22:11.989-04:00Anon 2:12 pm, there actually isn't that much b...Anon 2:12 pm, there actually isn't that much bus/transportation info on the web site that I can see. <br /><br />Busing isn't mentioned in the PSR, the Education Plan, or the FAQs on the project.<br />Parents have asked about busing, yes, repeatedly in fact, but few answers have been provided. <br /><br />With both CF & the new schools on the WW being full-town, all the elementary schools will need to have bus routes throughout town. There isn't much room for this at Crocker Farm & people have already talked in the comments on this post about the two rows of buses at the new school. <br /><br />and there are still questions about how long the bus rides will be for students (North Amherst students going to Crocker Farm, for example or students who live off Bay Road/Route 116 near the notch going to school downtown? With the bus schedules/school schedules need to be staggered (CF maybe starting earlier & getting out earlier) and how does the continuing discussions about later start times for the HS & MS factor in here. <br /><br />If you've "done some research" on these issues or seen answers provided on these questions by the ARPS administration & consultants, I'm sure we'd all love to see what you've found.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-38898492659526002682016-04-11T15:40:28.702-04:002016-04-11T15:40:28.702-04:00The architects said at public forums that reno for...The architects said at public forums that reno for early childhood is actually expensive because of code requirements & plumbing. I would have thought "not major" either, but it was "major" enough to be an obstacle in conversations about other parent proposals & suggestions. So rather than simply hearing, "major" when they don't want to entertain a suggestion, and "not a big deal" when they don't want us to worry our pretty little heads about it, let's actually just get the numbers and see what they are. This is exactly why we're putting our Article in the Warrant: To get numbers and not just talk. laura quilterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10381260620328688152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-33720838218817146002016-04-11T14:12:07.404-04:002016-04-11T14:12:07.404-04:00Bus stuff on the website and at the presentations....Bus stuff on the website and at the presentations. Do some research. <br /><br />Crocker Farm renovation quite a bit different from Wildwood and Fort River. Changing around the height of some sinks and urinals....nothing major. I'd also like to know the numbers but they won't be even in the ballpark of the other buildings. <br /><br />As Rick pointed out above, Wildwood and Fort River would be gut rehabs. Plumbing on the exterior walls has to go, heating system also there; all sorts of problems with the old buildings that cannot be easily corrected no matter who does the estimate. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-28399462741089054682016-04-10T21:37:59.676-04:002016-04-10T21:37:59.676-04:00speaking of costs, in addition to the costs for th...speaking of costs, in addition to the costs for the changes at Crocker Farm, <br />I'd also like to know about the added busing costs since with the reconfiguration all schools have buses serving routes throughout town. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-68263519234496386642016-04-10T20:58:22.133-04:002016-04-10T20:58:22.133-04:00Let me see if I understand this:
Because the stat...Let me see if I understand this:<br /><br />Because the state will only help pay for one school, and because we don't want to pay to renovate Fort River w/o state $$$, we are going to instead renovate Crocker Farms WITHOUT state $$$....<br /><br />So, in other words, we are going to spend lots more money to avoid spending lots more money THAT WE ARE GOING TO SPEND ANYWAY, albeit in a different part of town.<br /><br />This makes sense, HOW?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-3074379467819766412016-04-10T20:19:40.539-04:002016-04-10T20:19:40.539-04:00Anon@711 aand all the other cheer-leaders: before...Anon@711 aand all the other cheer-leaders: before voting yes to support the twin new 2-6 school (and the reconfiguring of grades that goes along), I need to know what the other costs will be, which we have never been provided. A part of the plan proposed by the Admin is CF will become a preK-1 school. How much will that renovation cost (all borne by Amherst tax payers)? How much more will the yearly running costs to the district be with the change (ie added increased staff at CF)? I know there are hidden costs to the proposed plan that have NOT been offered. $30 million to the Amherst tax-payer is only part of the cost (we have no idea how much the rest will cost). The tax payer MUST know how much more will be requested/needed before making a choice. I don't think that is too much to ask or expect. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-54293430849292545402016-04-10T19:11:57.510-04:002016-04-10T19:11:57.510-04:00How many districts have paid 100% to build/renovat...How many districts have paid 100% to build/renovate their own elementary schools in the last 25 years? Zero<br />How many districts have paid to have another independent evaluation of the costs of renovation? Zero<br /><br /><br />Only in Amherst are these ideas discussed seriously. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com