Superintendent Hosts Q & A Forums on Budget, Potential School Closings

Superintendent David B. Hopson will hold a series of Question & Answer forums in five Gateway hilltowns over the next two weeks regarding the 2007-08 budget and the possible consolidation to two elementary schools next year.

Q&A Forums will be at the following locations:

1. Middlefield @ the Middlefield Town Hall – April 30th @ 7:30pm
2. Huntington @ the Gateway Performing Arts Center – May 1st @ 7pm
   
3. Blandford @ the Blandford Elementary School – May 2nd @ 7pm
   
4. Worthington @ the R. H. Conwell Elementary School – May 3rd @ 7pm
5. Russell @ the Russell Elementary School – May 8.th @ 7pm
   

Parents, community members and Gateway residents are welcome to attend any meeting that suits them.

Child care will be provided by the National Honor Society and GHS Student Council at each meeting.

Informational flyers have been developed by the Friends of Gateway. Click here to download. These will be sent home to elementary families in red folders. Different organizations also plan to distribute, post or mail flyers to area residents.

“A number of towns have indicated that they will need an override to pay for the school budget (Version 2.0),” said Hopson. “We have developed an alternative (Version 3.0) that will still provide many educational benefits, and actually increase elementary special subjects such as music, art and physical education, if all students move into two elementary schools. If Version 2.0 fails, we will move forward with Version 3.0. We have also identified additional areas that would be cut if we were unable to pass Version 3.0.”

That list includes still having all students in two elementary schools AND

• reducing PE, art and music offerings at elementary levels
• eliminating afterschool busing
• eliminating high school athletics
• eliminating extra curricular programs
• stopping the curriculum development work currently underway
• not replacing the MS Assistant Principal
• reducing administrator time
• eliminating between 10 and 25 teaching positions

“We’re doing everything we can think of to make sure people understand what each of these budgets means to students, families and the district as a whole,” said Community Relations Specialist Wendy Long.

For additional information visit the district’s website at www.grsd.org.

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