Lebanon
School Board members said it was too early to hold forums on a proposal that would place elementary-aged students in schools based on their grade levels instead of their addresses. Under a plan proposed late last month, pre-K students through first-graders would go to the Mount Lebanon School, and second- through fourth-graders would attend the Hanover Street School.
“To me, this is too large of a plan going forward for the taxpayers to absorb considering we’re still paying bond on (the Lebanon Middle School),” School Board Chairman Jeff Peavey said.
“I think we need to focus on where the problem is, the Hanover Street School, and see how we can fix that,” he said.
As a result of Wednesday’s vote, all preschoolers now will attend Mount Lebanon School this fall. School officials said the change will allow for increased collaboration between teachers and move students into a school, rather than having to hold classes in the basement of the SAU building on Seminary Hill. Superintendent Joanne Roberts said on Wednesday night that moving preschool classes to the SAU building previously was being considered as an alternative means of freeing up space at Hanover Street School.
The change also will bring more preschoolers to one location, allowing for greater socialization, according to information on the district’s website.
However, worries about shuffling elementary school students drew concern from the board. Many felt a proposal presented by administrators in March wasn’t quite ready for public input and required additional planning before it could go forward.
“It just seems to me that we have an awful lot more work to do,” School Board Vice Chairman Richard Milius said.
“When I look at what we’re presented tonight, we’ve got proposals and plans that are really all over the map ranging from what we’re going to do in the fall to more long-range plans involving cafeterias, libraries, auditoriums, classrooms aligning with the learning that’s going on,” he said.
Administrators began putting plans for unification together in November, after employees and parents from the Hanover Street School raised concerns regarding space issues and unequal class sizes, according to Wednesday’s presentation to the board.
School officials have argued that it can be difficult to manage class sizes between the Mount Lebanon School and Hanover Street School.
Children currently attend one of the two elementary schools based on where they live within the city, leaving Hanover Street School with increased class sizes in recent years.
Over the past five years, the Mount Lebanon School saw a 16 percent decrease in its student population, while its counterpart saw a 35 percent increase during the same time period, according to information provided by the district.
The possibility of Lebanon’s population growing also played into the plans, according to information presented to the School Board.
The city recently calculated that there are about 500 housing units currently awaiting construction. Those include the second phase of Prospect Hills and the Rock Ridge and Altaria developments.
The Carter Country Club development, which would add 283 units, also is awaiting a formal review from the Planning Board.
But parents and community members who attended Wednesday’s meeting voiced either skepticism or opposition to the plan, saying it would make students go through too many transitions in too short a time.
Sarah Riley, who lives about a mile away from the Hanover Street School, said its proximity allows her son to bike or walk, something that wouldn’t happen if the unification took place.
“If he has to go to Mount Lebanon, he and his classmates will be bused or driven across town,” Riley told the School Board, adding her son also could lose confidence he’s gained in being familiar with school.
“I’m a big fan of being able to walk or bike to school, keep it local and less stress on our students,” she said.
City Councilor Karen Liot Hill, whose daughter Maria Liot is a senior at Lebanon High School, said the board could learn a lot about transitions from the Class of 2017.
Liot attended first and second grade at School Street School before attending Hanover Street School for third and fourth grade. She then took two buses to Seminary Hill School for a year before attending Lebanon’s junior high school. Most of those schools have since closed.
The new Lebanon Middle School opened for Liot as she was entering the eighth grade, and she spent a year there before going on to the high school. Since then, she’s had three different principals in the last four years.
“I would just urge you to be very thoughtful,” Liot Hill said. “This will need to take some time and some thought and discussion in our community in an effective way.”
During Wednesday’s meeting, School Board member Wendy Hall argued for a community forum, a possible next step for the plan, saying it gives parents a way of communicating their concerns.
“I would rather be a board member that listens and is responsive and tries to solve problems and take action,” she said.
But ultimately, motions to schedule a forum failed, and the board instead asked its Facilities and Finance Committee to explore other options that could be less disruptive to students.
In order to be included in the 2018-19 school year budget, school officials have said that unification plans for the elementary school must be “fully flushed out” by October. The plans would then be presented as part of the district’s deliberative session in February 2018, and voted on a month later.
If the vote passes, possible renovations to the Mount Lebanon and Hanover Street schools could begin in summer 2019, the presentation said, with unification taking effect that fall. However, it’s unclear whether Wednesday’s decision will push those plans back.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.