No Major Changes at Valley View Elementary for Now

It was the second time the Portland Board of Selectmen met with members of the Board of Education in two months, and the result Wednesday night was a decision to defer major construction or re-alignment of schools.

Valley View School will get repairs for modular roofs and perhaps some new carpeting, allowing it to remain in sevice at least another five years. At the same time, Superintendent Sally Doyen told the selectmen and board members that she strongly advocates keeping Kindergarten through second grade together.

The decisions were made after a first meeting on June 22, when there was a proposal to move the second grade to Gildersleeve School after the current year, while a new addition or second floor was built at Valley View. Doyen was asked to study the idea and report back.

Last night she let elected leaders know she would oppose breaking up the grades citing academic grounds.

Doyen said it was vital to give beginning students the best start in reading and learning. She pointed out teachers in the three grades work closely together, explaining "the curriculums were designed to be very coordinated." Teachers have a lot of overlap, Doyen said, they consult with each other frequently about students and outcomes. By the time students move on, they have the solid grounding they need.   

She also said a social and emotional component had to be considered because first grade is a big adjustment for kids with a full day of school all week. Sending them to another school with a different enviroment the very next year, Doyen said "would be pretty difficult" for a lot of kids.

Also, at the request of the Selectmen, Director of Building and Grounds Paul Bengston provided a report on the condition of the modulars. He said close inspection revealed water was coming down the outer walls between the gutters and seeping into the walls of the building through cracks in the housings for the air conditioners. 

Bengston was asked by First Selectwoman Susan Bransfield about the cost of repairs to stop the water intrusion. He said it was $18,750 to install larger gutters and leaders and replace the facing on the top of the walls with metal. He said carpets had to be replaced in a number of units and the hallway. Bengston said it would be possible to get less rugged carpet for just over $16,000 that would last five years.

Selectman Mark Finkelstein asked if there was money currently in the school account for any repairs. Doyen said there was enough for the roof repairs at Valley View, and perhaps money to address some carpeting.

Doyen says while there is concern the modulars have been in service for many years, over those years they've become "completely different structures," noting they have been rebuilt with regular siding, and she says the utilities have been fully connected with the main building. Bensgton said the plumbing was connected with town water and sewer lines.

The special panel back in June also was critical of costs incurred at Brownstone Intermediate School with a two-phase roof replacement in the immediate past, and major work still needed on the wing of the building that was built in 1932. At the same meeting, there also was opposition to closing BIS because of its recent academic success in the state mastery tests. 

BIS was hard hit by the storm on July 8 that flooded all basement areas and some rooms on the first floor. Repairs are still underway but Bengston reported the floor tiles and walls up to 2 feet above the floors have been completely replaced and "are all new." There has been asbestos abatement with new tiles in two places in the building, according to Bengston. He said his big concerns now are deteriorating metal windows in the old wing and plumbing in the 1932 wing along Middlesex Avenue. There had been an estimate for repairs in the old wing in excess of $1 million. 

However, Bengston said over the years engineers have commented on the soundness of the building, including the foreman of the J. P. McGuire company that came to help repair flood damage. As for repairs still needed at BIS, Bengston said metal windows had to be replaced and new plumbing and fixtures were needed. He added some money could be saved because new sinks and fixtures were left over from previous modernization projects at the school.

Bransfield said the board of education now needs to work on a five- and 10-year plan for the schools. She added the future of the state budget remains in flux and with it the formula for aid to towns and cities. She said the state budget "is the gorilla in  the room."  Bransfield said the reality is as a town we have to sign the checks knowing money is in the bank. There's a lot of uncertainty about how the state is managing it's  budget, Bransfield added. She expressed concern about the formula for state aid for schools and if it would be the same in a couple of years.    

Board of Education Chairman Christopher Phelps agreed there are not many viable options open to change things, and that "perhaps the best decision over the next few years is to invest in our existing facilities."

He and others on the board said they would begin to take up a long-range plan as well, one that would continue to insure the best education for students in Portland.

In other matters on the board of selectmen agenda:

There was an update on the Riverfront Park Pavilion with Bransfield informing selectmen that site preparation will begin within two weeks.  The pre-fab structure which measures 32 x 50 feet will be attached to utilities and be finished by the end of October.  

The selectmen also approved entering into a contract to build a $24,000 box culvert near St. Mary's Cemetary on Route 66. The project had been re-bid to save money after the first company came in with an overall price that was considered too high by town engineers and officials.