Portland Officials Eye Future of Two Schools

A special study committee appointed in March 2010 by the Portland Board of Selectmen spent months investigating the continuing maintenance problems at Brownstone Intermediate School, and similar problems with outdated modular classrooms at Valley View elementary school.  

After months of poring over figures and reports and asking questions, the members of the special committee called for what it's chairman, former Selectman Sharon Peters, said was a "status quo" plan that would keep both schools open. They recommended investing $1 million to $3 million dollars to improve and upgrade BIS and build a partial second story at Valley View to replace the modulars that are more than 20 years old. In all, the report said the projects would cost about $8.4 million, with the state re-imbursing the town with an estimated $3.7 million.

The panel member who did much of the number crunching was Stephanie Tatro, who presented some of her findings and methods. She explained she factored in square footage for new classrooms, and the cost of similar sized improvement projects elsewhere in the state. She also looked at projects to improve libraries and computer labs, the cost of making additional temporary repairs over time, as well the cost of moving staff and records, should BIS be closed. The report also includes the cost of replacing BIS and the modules, and the cost of continuing temporary repairs over a number of years, with the cost of inflation factored in.

Selectmen and members of the board of education quickly pointed out the solution recommended was hardly "status quo."

Paul Bengston, the director of buildings and grounds for the schools, was quick to point out that urgent repairs are needed to fix the gutters and flashing on the modulars. He said water was seeping into the walls and turning up in the windows.  The cost of emergency repairs he said, was about $20,000. 

There seemed little appetite to continue making almost yearly repairs and some voiced support for doing away with the modulars on a rapid schedule. 

Board of education member Benjiman Srb suggested moving the second grade students from Valley View to Gildersleeve to allow for the demolition of the modulars and perhaps construction of additional permanent classrooms. He said it was his belief the second graders would be "a comfortable fit" at Gilsersleeve, which currently has third and fourth graders.  

He said the modulars had long outlived their usefulness, saying his wife was a student in a modular classroom, and now their son will be in one. Selectman Mark Finkelstein pointed out that when the modulars were installed, they were expected to last five years. He said it's now more like 25.  

Christopher Phelps, the board of education chairman, said the report was really a call to action that the town would have to "address as a community." He said the foremost issue was safety as well as the "educational needs of the community"   Phelps said BIS "is our blue ribbon school," and a great school, and should not be closed.

Phelps said we can't afford to kick the can down the road another 2 to 5 years. He and others said it would be wrong to continue to spend money each year making small repairs to nurse along BIS and the modulars. He noted continuing that policy would add up to a substantial amount of money over time, something factored in the report.

Some selectmen, including Brian Flood, wondered if moving second graders was good from an educational standpoint.

The selectmen asked Superintendent Sally Doyen about the impact on education to move second graders to Gildersleeve. Doyen said an alignment of grades 2, 3 and 4 is "kind of unusual, but really not unheard of."  She said second grade curriculum is much closer to first than to third, because kindergarten, first, and second graders are just learning to read. When you get into third and fourth, Doyen said, there is quite a shift. But she said a school with grades 2,3, and 4 would not cause a major or insurmountable issue. Doyen later said there was no one model for grouping classes, looking at school systems around the state. She suggested each community finds it's own solutions based on facilities and needs. 

Moving second graders to Gildersleeve may raise another issue. Some said there is inadeqate storage space at Gildersleeve, and with another grade the town could be cited by the state for violating a guideline.  

Still another suggestion was to bring in new modulars at Valley View but committee members said they never considered it. 

During the discussion word was received by Selectman Finkelstein that a second state union may have rejected the proposed contract agreement with Governor Dannel Malloy.  A number of officials in the room expressed said such a development would change the dynamic for funding and made a definite and well considered plan of action all the more necessary. 

The discussion turned to enrollment projections and the impact it would have on schools and factoring the size of any project. A number of school board members said there may be a short dip in the near future, but most indicators call for stable enrollment of about 1,400 to 1,410 students for a long period of time.   

Members of both panels said it was wrong to go further without bringing on an expert in archtectual and educational analysis. They said a professional would help draw up a plan that would be qualfied by state officals. First Selectwoman Susan Bransfield said they first need to talk to educational and architectural firms to determine the cost of hiring an expert or firm to assist. But when asked if the town could afford to hire such a consultant when a new budget was in place, she answered "No, it's really out of the question."

But Bransfield and others agreed that there was a lot of expertise on the two boards and the town. She said it was good to "brainstorm" to gather facts in-house that would lead to a plan. Bransfield hopes that the community and parents get involved and contribute their opinions. Both boards agreed to hold another joint meeting in August. 

Before the meeting, former Selectman Sharon Peters was awarded a certificate as a token of appreciation of her service. Peters was replaced by Fred Knous, who was recently sworn in to serve until the next election. But Peters was asked to attend the next session in August because of her position as chairman of the special committee. She was told her service was still needed at least for that meeting because of the expertise she compiled. Peters recently resigned from the Board saying she needed more time for her family and career as an attorney.