Consolidation and Redistricting Advisory Committee March 11, 2008

1. Consolidation and Redistricting Advisory Committee March 11, 2008

2. Advisory Committee Peter P. Horoschak Superintendent & Advisory Committee Chair Robert Bushell Director of Elementary Education Richard D’Agostino Director of Special Services Victor Mercurio Director of Secondary Education Frank Ricci Principal of John Brown Francis Elementary School Ronald Areglado Principal of John Greene Elementary School William Sangster Principal of Aldrich Junior High School Samuel Holtzman President of Warwick Teachers Union Cherie Nickerson President of Warwick Independent School Employees Union Jeannie Petit Elementary Teacher at Chrisopher Rhodes Donna Murgo Secondary Teacher at Samuel Gorton Junior High School Linda Sheehan Teacher Assistant at Pilgrim High School Connie Jaquith Warwick Council PTA President Gina Morgan Middle School Parent, Aldrich Junior High School Jillian Saytes Elementary School Parent, Greenwood Elementary School

3. The Problem To Solve • Reduce Expenditures to balance 2008-2009 School Department Budget • Projected Deficit: $5,978,333 • Assumes Flat State Aid: $36,752,198 • (Each percent decrease would increase deficit by $367,521) • Assumes 5% Increase in City Appropriation: $123,968,068 • (Each percent decrease would increase deficit by $1,180,500)

4. Data Used To Analyze School Consolidation Options • Student Impact Data • Number of students (by grade) to be reassigned • Receiving school class size changes • Special needs students affected • Retention in Elementary to JHS/SHS feeder patterns • Decline in Student Enrollment • School Impact Data • Classroom capacity • Building use changes • Availability of rooms for itinerate programs • Availability of rooms for special needs programs • Expansion of school attendance zones • Potential effects of airport expansion and new housing development

5. Financial Impact • Savings from personnel reductions • Savings in operational costs • Financial gains by relocating Special Education Programs • Savings through deferment of capital improvements • Cost of maintaining unused facilities • Additional transportation costs

6. Criteria Used to Make Consolidation/Redistricting Recommendation • The resulting configuration must accommodate the RIDE regulations for school improvement. • Students from schools that are consolidated should remain in the current junior and senior high school feeder patterns. • Maximum savings achieved from personnel reductions, limiting additional transportation costs, minimizing building operations costs, and the deferment of expenditures for renovation and safety code compliance. • Consideration of contingency plans regarding airport expansion and housing development.

7. Factors Considered for School Consolidation • Redistricting all schools occurs when schools are overpopulated • Keeping the same junior/senior high feeder pattern • Maintaining programs that meet the expectations of state and federal mandates • Number of students in the school being closed • Student spaces available in the receiving schools • Title I/Literacy students

8. Cont’d: Factors Considered for School Consolidation • Bussing routes • Location of school in relation to other schools receiving students • Community programs (Boys and Girls Club) • Number of special education classes/programs that will have to be relocated • Resources available for special needs students • Uniqueness of school attendance pattern • Future airport expansion

9. Feeder Patterns for Junior/Senior Schools

10. Impact of Additional Students

11. Projected Consolidation of Warwick Schools Special Services Report The recommendation of the redistricting/consolidation committee was to consolidate the following three elementary schools: Drum Rock, Potowomut and Rhodes. The following presentation is based on that recommendation. What types of services are available to students? • Resource or supportive services • Resource or intensive services • Inclusion services, both intensive/supportive • Self-contained Services can vary by time and number of students Range of services by grade PK through 12+ Services can vary from monitoring through full-time self-contained

12. Beginning with Potowomut School, the recommendation is to consolidate Potowomut with Cedar Hill. Both schools are high performing. Potowomut is an inclusion school (support services provided to students in their own classrooms). Cedar Hill is not. By combining these two schools and the special education staff from each, Cedar Hill will be able to move towards being a full inclusion school. Potowomut projected spec. needs students - 10 (3 non-home school) Cedar Hill projected spec. needs students - 7 primary self-contained 9 interm. self-contained 11 resource Combined Special Ed. Staff 4 teachers, 3 teaching assistants / 37 (1 DR)

13. Rhodes School is recommended to be consolidated with the following schools: Norwood, Francis, Holliman and Wyman. All schools are high performing schools. Holliman is an inclusion school. Rhodes, Francis, Norwood and Wyman are not. Rhodes has 3 self-contained classes: Primary - 9 students (5 non-home school) Intermediate - 5 students (1 non-home school) Special K - 7 students (6 non-home school) (regional classroom) The Special K will be relocated to another school. Primary class, non home school will return to their home school. The special education staff could be used to develop an inclusion program at either Norwood or Wyman. The third staff member could be used at Francis to develop a primary self-contained program which would add to that school’s continuum of services.

14. Drum Rock is recommended to be consolidated with the following schools: Greenwood, Robertson, Scott, and Wickes. All schools are high performing schools. Greenwood, Scott and Wickes are inclusion schools. Robertson is not. The two self-contained classrooms at Drum Rock will be relocated to Greenwood. This will serve two purposes: 1) it will keep the number of self-contained classrooms in the Winman feeder area consistent and 2) it will provide another level of services for students in the Greenwood area. In addition, the special education staff could also be relocated to the Robertson School to provide resource support to begin an inclusion program.

15. Early Childhood Center Proposal In addition to the consolidation of Drum Rock School with the neighboring schools, it is also proposed that the school building’s purpose be rededicated to that of an early childhood center that would also serve the students and families of the Winman feeder district. This proposal is based on the following points: • During the 2008-2009 school year, the last of the outside tuition preschool placements, West Bay Children’s Center and Y’s Owl, will be relocated within our school district. The projected savings will be approximately $380,000.00. • Also, due to the consolidation of schools in the Winman feeder area, it is required that the preschool programs located at Cedar Hill (2) and Robertson (1) be relocated to other school locations, preferably in the Winman feeder area. • The consolidation of the Rhodes School also requires the relocation of a regional Special K program at that school, as well as the relocation of the Occupational and Physical Therapists office.

16. Cont’d: Early Childhood Center Proposal • At Winman Jr. High School space is limited. The VOWS occupy one and a half rooms. The school is in need of both conference and meeting spaces. The VOWS are cramped and in need of additional space. Relocating the VOWS would be a benefit to both groups. • At Lippitt School, Child Outreach (responsible for identification and screening of all preschoolers ages 3-5) occupies two classrooms. If Outreach were to be relocated, a much needed self-contained classroom could be placed at this school. • The ESY (Extended School Year) program has resided at Drum Rock for the past 15 years. This is the only school to be completely handicapped accessible and air-conditioned in the district because of the summer population it serves. The playground has had substantial improvements and is totally fenced in for safety. It is a significant consideration to have the ESY program remain at Drum Rock.

17. Summary For these reasons, the consolidation of schools is a very important issue not only for the students that presently attend these schools that are being considered, but also for the possibilities that consolidation offers to new students. By relocating these services in one of these consolidated schools, preferably Drum Rock, the above issues are addressed. In addition, by utilizing Drum Rock there exists the possibility for future expansion of programs and the creation of a preschool clinic in the Winman feeder area. The cost would be nominal due to the fact that all relocated staffing positions are presently funded.

18. SCHOOL CLOSING SAVINGS ESTIMATES FOR POTOWOMUT, RHODES AND REUSE OF DRUM ROCK AS AN EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING CENTER

19. Cont’d: SCHOOL CLOSING SAVINGS ESTIMATES FOR POTOWOMUT, RHODES AND REUSE OF DRUM ROCK AS AN EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING CENTER

20. Cont’d: SCHOOL CLOSING SAVINGS ESTIMATES FOR POTOWOMUT, RHODES AND REUSE OF DRUM ROCK AS AN EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING CENTER

21. SUMMARY SCHOOL CLOSING SAVINGS POTOWOMUT, DRUM ROCK AND RHODES