I cannot help but put my two cents in for this discussion. I have been a dedicated teacher almost all my life in the City of Newton which is known for its quality of education. After we have built such a state of the art school for our children in Lincoln, do we have to spend another 3.4 million to build another school for the after school program in town? Of course, one can always ask for more and more but is it absolutely necessarily and something the town cannot live without?
The analysis that was shared earlier on LT about test scores was not in relation to LEAP. No one is trying to establish a relationship between LEAP and test scores.
The analysis that was shared was in relation to the assertion that we can only provide an equitable education if we have all this extra space.
Unfortunately, the tests scores show that even though we have more space per pupil than our neighbors, our high-needs students show less growth than the average of the state. Scores for our high-needs children have actually dropped more than the state average since we moved into the new school. I have copied the relevant analysis below. Equitable education is very important, but it doesn’t seem like having all this extra space is helping us further that goal.
The analysis is not trying to show a tie between LEAP and academic achievement.
No one is suggesting we host LEAP off campus. What we are asking for is for a good faith effort to at least study the possibility of hosting LEAP in the school and consider lowering the tax burden for our town. We have a beautiful new school that sits empty in the afternoons. There should be a happy medium between 100% shared space and 5000 square feet of dedicated space in the school. It seems to me that with some ingenuity, we should be able to retain what makes LEAP special, at a far lesser cost than $3.4M. We are going to have to solve for this anyway if LEAP is going to reside in the school during construction. At the very least, we owe ourselves to study the possibility.
If Leap were in the school, the children would get easy access to the gym, art rooms, playgrounds, other school activities like the play and music classes, handicap-accessible restrooms and a modern HVAC system.
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Analysis previously shared:
Our high needs students exhibited average growth in the 43th percentile and 46th percentile for the State MCAS in ELA and Math respectively last school year, both unfortunately below the average for high needs students in the State. Actually, since we moved into our new school two years ago (one for elementary), high needs students MCAS scores at the Lincoln School have dropped 8pp in ELA and 2pp Math, 6pp worse than the average for high needs students in the State (-3pp in ELA, but +5pp in Math). It does not seem that this extra space is yielding an equitable education for all.
---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Philana Mia Gnatowski <[email protected]>Date: Mon, Oct 2, 2023 at 13:48 Subject: Re: [LincolnTalk] Community Center- size considerations To: Peter Buchthal < [email protected]> CC: Listserv Listserv < [email protected]> Hello LT,
I wanted to weigh in on this lively debate as both a former LEAP employee and as someone who grew up in Lincoln and chose to move back and raise her kids here. I believe that LEAP must remain in its own dedicated space on campus.
In my experience as LEAP's middle school coordinator for 6 years, having our own building was extremely important for our day to day operations. Some have suggested that there is no overlap between the end of the school day and the beginning of LEAP's programming, but unless things have changed drastically, I do not believe this is the case. This is because the "start of day" for a LEAP teacher doesn't begin when the kids' school day ends. It starts with cleaning, set up and prep work for art projects or other activities. Having sufficient time and space to sit down with fellow teachers, without the children present, to discuss issues for the day is extremely important for both the quality of the programming and the staff's morale. It ensures that every staff member is on the same page and working as a cohesive unit to meet students' needs. From my understanding, the school building cannot accommodate this.
Renting space off campus would drastically change the role LEAP plays facilitating students' other enrichment offerings. One of the many perks of being on the school campus is that LEAP staff also walk students to and from other after school activities. These kids don't have to miss out on gymnastics, theatre, tennis or music class. I remember my former boss saying to me that "we are very lucky to be able to rent a space on campus." Most private, non profit after school programs, like ours, don't operate on campus, requiring kids to be driven there. And once there, they stay there, until picked up by a caregiver.
The idea proposed that there is no correlation between LEAP having its own building and improved academic scores among its students begs a deeper question: what are afterschool programs for? I have always believed that LEAP was more about social/emotional growth than academic outcomes. Does the program also support kids academically? Of course. I spent a lot of time helping students with their homework and empowering them to believe in their own capabilities as a student. Did this improve their test scores? I have no idea. My goal was to be someone they could trust asking for help. Because I believe that is an important life skill: being able to recognize when you don't understand something and ask another person for advice. That is something I always felt the LEAP program, in my time there, did better than most. We created a safe environment, where kids could be kids, and felt comfortable trying new things, making new friends, voicing their opinions. Maybe having our own building didn’t create this dynamic. But it did offer stability. A place where kids could see their art work on the wall, a cubby where they could store extra clothing or trinkets from home, a place that felt like it was theirs and not transient or shared with anything or anyone else.
I know this email will be met with opposition. And I welcome it. We’re not always going to agree. And not all of us are going to be happy with the inevitable outcome, whatever it may be. I just wanted to offer another perspective for people to consider. And I want to sincerely thank those volunteering their time on committees trying to figure this all out.
All the best,
Philana I respectfully disagree with your conclusion.
We have been told the LEAP is a critical part of our student offering and it must be on the Hartwell Campus. I agree an extended day offering is very important to all school districts at this time. However, I believe Leap could be relocated to the school since the scheduling of the School and Leap perfectly fit together with no overlap. In fact, Leap could share space with the school like many other after school programs do today without a problem. If Leap MUST have some dedicated space, we apparently have not done any analysis of our current School with our NEW administration to see if they are able to provide some dedicated space to Leap. NOTHING has been done, and reported to the community.
Two days ago, we learned that during construction, Leap may have to be relocated to the School. WOW. AGAIN, the School and Leap schedules fit perfectly together without any overlap. So I guess it is possible that the Community may not have to spend at least 3.4 Million dollars to provide Leap with a new home if we share some space and find some additional dedicated space. Has anyone been in the new Library at the School? It is half empty. Maybe we can repurpose or reconfigure some poorly designed/used space to be dedicated for Leap now that we have had experience with our new school. The TAXPAYERS should require at least some effort by the interested parties (including the Lincoln Taxpayers) before just concluding that Leap needs a brand new home in Hartwell.
Have we benchmarked our Neighboring communities to show how they provide after school care? No. We believe our current offering is superior to an in-school location without any analysis. I called up Concord to find out more about their after school programs. Each of their three elementary schools have an afterschool program within their buildings. On their short Wednesdays, Concord buses their children to a common program. We have enjoyed 40+ years of Leap at Hartwell and the useful life of the Pod-C building is now over, so I believe we should explore alternatives to save the town some money. There has been no suggestion that Leap in Hartwell improves the students academically over an in-school program.
Shouldn't we at least explore looking at what our neighbors offer after school, or should we just agree to higher taxes without any measurable benefit?
Peter Buchthal Weston Rd.
Hi Kristine thank you for your offering of why LEAP can't go into the school. These same reasons is why it is difficult to have COA&HS have programming in many venues.Thank you Lynne L On Fri, Sep 29, 2023 at 3:09 PM, Kristine Barker Good afternoon,
I am a Lincoln resident, a parent to a student who attended Lincoln School and an educator in a neighboring district. I believe this is a unique perspective as I can see things from the perspectives of a parent, a resident concerned with the town’s finances and an educator.
My son, now a junior at LSRHS, attended LEAP for seven years. As a full time working mother, LEAP was a blessing. My child was nurtured, educated, fed, loved and provided with various opportunities to increase his social and communication skills. He was exposed to new people, new experiences and appropriately and supportively challenged to engage in activities he may never have had the chance to try otherwise. My only child had a chance to just have fun playing with children his age, something he never got to do at home or where we live in South Lincoln that doesn’t allow for neighborhood play opportunities. When I would pick him up, he’d often ask for “a few more minutes” because he was excited by the opportunities provided to him by LEAP staff. The staff were incredible. They talked lovingly about students, they demonstrated enthusiasm for their work and they understood the responsibility of helping to raise other people’s children. I never once entered the LEAP building without an exuberant and cheerful greeting from Katie, the tireless and dedicated director of LEAP. And somehow, the LEAP team has managed to do all that with a dilapidated physical environment that does not even remotely meet their needs.
I completely understand why the notion of moving LEAP into the school building makes sense to those who may not spend much time in a school building. Unless the school can provide LEAP with dedicated, not shared, space that can be fully accessed during the school day, it just won’t work. The LEAP staff deserve opportunities to set up their lessons, access materials and prepare for that day. In a working and busy school, that’s just not possible. I have worked in a school where the after school staff had to work around the rest of us. They would literally be prepping for their activities in their vehicles or squatting in corners of the building trying to create materials, get organized or collaborate with one another over student needs. Consequently, they are constantly working in an uncomfortable situation where their professionalism is not always visibly respected. They could never hang student work, because they literally had no walls. They could not use complex and highly engaging learning materials, because there was nowhere to store them. They could not meet as a team, because they did not have space to do so. They couldn’t provide nutritious snack options, because they had no access to cooking or cooling instruments. The students who attended the after school program felt othered, not included. I would hate to put LEAP in a similar situation.
I realize and respect that we live in a largely affluent town where quality childcare may not be as much of a critical need as in other areas. However, for some of us, affordable childcare is an invaluable necessity so we can work and earn enough income to allow our families to grow and thrive in a wonderful town like Lincoln. Just like not everyone in our town may see the need for a community center where our aging population can access resources, not everyone may see why LEAP is not an entity which we can push aside or ignore. I hope this can help share some perspective as to how important LEAP is to our community.
I am grateful for the many efforts and ideas shared to help solve the space challenges in our town. I appreciate the opportunity I’ve had to read everyone’s intelligent and unique ideas about how to solve these problems. I won’t even pretend to hold a tiny fraction of the knowledge others do on this subject. In my perfect world, we would ideally find alternatives that celebrate and support resources that benefit our youngest to our oldest residents. In fact, one might argue that combining these needs into one building could, in fact, greatly benefit both. I can’t think of anything more valuable to our older neighbors than watching our youngest residents thrive in a space that is happy, clean, safe and reflective of the diverse and unique needs of our town’s young students.
Respectfully,
Kristine Barker Dear Lincoln-
I would love to extend an invitation to anybody who would like to come visit LEAP during the peak hours of operation. We run during the hours of 2pm-6pm m, t, th, and f, 12pm-6pm on Wednesdays. On an average day we have over 100 children and 20 staff in constant motion. We are over seen by the Department of Early Education and Care, our program is not only child care for the 100 families we serve… but we offer enrichment, education, and a safe and caring space for children to feel “at home” while their families are at work. We are a non-profit and we rent yearly from the town . When you walk into our building it is covered in beautiful, creative art work, science projects, games, and laughter that the LEAP children are so proud of and that our amazing staff spend hours preparing to offer each day. We house an abundance of wonderful supplies, games, sporting goods, couches, air hockey tables, a kitchen that we bake in, etc..throughout the building and in our supply sheds. We have been lucky to occupy Pod C since 1985, and have made it the “home away from home” for so many children. We utilize the amazing green space that we are able to open our doors and pour out into, for a great game of soccer, capture the flag, kickball, imaginative play..and so on. LEAP is important to this community, we are not disposable and to think that we could just move into the school is an absurd idea. Remember “it takes a village to raise a child” and we are very much a part of this village!
Please come visit, we would love to show you what LEAP is all about.
Kathryn Hawkins Director of LEAP 781-259-0615
I believe that a major issue for LEAP using space within the schools is that they have a variety of activities with furniture/supplies/equipment, etc. in place for the kids when they arrive. Sharing space with the schools would most likely require extensive setup/tear-down on a daily basis (along with storage space), as they wouldn't have their own dedicated space.
Based on our kid's experience at LEAP through their school years, it would seem like that would be a pretty major limitation on their activities and the operations of the program (especially considering that the starting/ending times are likely already the most hectic times for the staff).
The existing set-up space is one of the things that makes LEAP such a great program for our kids.
LEAP staff may have other reasons why sharing school space might not be so seamless - this is just one that occurred to me as a former LEAP-parent.
There must be a way to accommodate LEAP in the new, spacious school… Craig Donaldson The school is too big by any standard. We have 550 students with a declining school population. The architect and school administration at the time told us the building was designed for 650 students. More recently, the school architects publicly told fellow architects that the school was designed for 700 students. 9 grades (k-8) each have 4 separate classrooms. Only 2 of the 7 grades have enough students for 4 simultaneous classrooms. Applying the state education sizing guidelines for a new school, our 165,000 square feet should support over 1000 students.
It would be helpful to our discussion if people can agree on certain facts.
What exactly do people like about Plans A, B or C? I like none of them as I believe the premise of intergenerational mingling as a goal won't be accomplished with the limited available hours for senior programming at Hartwell because of the parking, traffic and safety concerns. The new community center will have senior programming by design only from 9 to 2:30 on M, Tu, Th, Fr and 9 to 12 on Wed.
The CCBC presents parking as ample with 50 spots nearby without telling the community that the current users of Hartwell may already be using many if not most of the 50 nearby spots. So, we may only have 5 to 10 open spots at any given time or maybe even fewer if there are events/meetings going on at the main Hartwell building's multi purpose room, training room or School business office.
I am afraid that the CCBC is sticking with a Community Center based in Hartwell for the wrong reasons. The town has an obligation to its seniors. I just don't want to build a core town building in a location that comes with so many restrictions/limitations.
Peter Buchthal 71 Weston Rd
You write as if everyone agrees the school has too much space. I, for one, don't.
In my view, if there are lessons to be learned from the school building project, it is wise to examine the reasons why the town voted down the project in 2012, thereby rejecting $20.9 million in state funding. Hubris, perhaps well-intentioned but overly wrought disagreements about site and design, concerns about cost? Likely, all of the above.
To my ear, this dialogue sounds very similar, and I cannot help but believe that if we kick this down the road, costs are only going to increase and the impact of the project diminished.
I trust the work the CCBC has done and will very likely support their recommendation.
John
People of course are allowed to have their own opinions, but I don't believe this building project is about accepting our responsibility for taking care of our elders. As I have mentioned before, my father lived to 97 and was a big user of his local Council on Aging. You apparently believe that if one does not support the CCBC's decisions, you don't support our Council on Aging and its mission. This is far from the truth.
Many on Lincoln Talk and others in town simply question the Council on Aging Hartwell generous building space requirements. Residents simply do not want to build a building that is bigger than our needs like we did with the school. There is also a healthy debate on whether it makes sense to build a COA/Community Center on the Hartwell Campus without sufficient parking and limited hours to protect the pre-school Magic Gardens and school age (5+) dropoff/Pickup from automobile running child parking lot mishaps. I am also not aware of any community center anywhere that intentionally colocates a senior center and daycare using a small shared parking lot.
Many on Lincoln Talk and the town would hate to see the town build a huge building that is underutilized and repeats the lack of parking at Bemis Hall.
As a small community with limited resources and the highest per capita debt in the commonwealth, we need to look at large projects with many eyes and many voices. It is a shame that up to now, the CCBC really hasn't listened to the public's concerns.
In an effort to lower the cost and save between 3 and 4 million, I have previously asked why Leap can't be relocated into the school where it belongs. Almost all other school districts have extended day offerings within the school as the hours of a school and after school program dovetail perfectly. Maybe we should ask our new Superintendent if he could house Leap within the school?
Does anyone know where Leap is going to run while the Hartwell Project is under construction?
Peter Buchthal 71 Weston Rd
I am so surprised that a community that encourages acceptance and tolerance would further not doing the right thing like providing a place for kids, adults and elders should be able to congregate.
It is about space, about money, about having to be held accountable for past neglect like providing a school for children. A place where the kids would be provided safe care at LEAP for parents who work. A place where adults could allow care for the ones who actually took care of them if they move back home.
This is the same discussion when deciding about a new school, a bunch of intellectuals debating why things should not be provided to others like was provided to them.
Best Regards,
John Gregg
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