AmherstElementarySchoolBuildingProject:

Parent/GuardianSurvey

AllOpenEndedCommentsandQuestions
Received

January2016

Thisdocumentcontainsthe224openendedcommentsandquestionssubmittedby
respondentstotheParent/GuardianSurveyontheAmherstElementarySchoolBuilding
Project,administeredJanuary4,2016,toJanuary11,2016.

Approximately50percentofallrespondentstotheParent/GuardianSurveysubmitted
comments/questions.Supportersofsomebuildingoptionsweremorelikelytohavesubmitted
comments/questions,whilesupportersofsomeotheroptionsweremorelikelytoleavethe
openendedfieldblank.

Tohelpensurerespondentanonymity,noadditionalidentifyinginformationisincludedwith
thecomments/questions.

Commentnumberswereaddedforreferencepurposes.Theywereassignedrandomlyand
thusdonotreflectanyotherfactors(suchasdatesubmitted,school,gradelevel,orbuilding
optionpreferences).

Paragraphbreaksweremanuallyaddedtolongerresponsesinordertoimprovereadability.
Asidefromthatchange,therewerenoothereditsmadetothecomments;theyareincluded
verbatiminthisdocument.

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
1
Pleasekeepinmindtheimportanceofeachschoolsuniquecommunityandtraditions
thathavebeenformedovertheyears.Thesecommunitiesareimportanttoeach
school.Bothwildwoodandfortrivershouldhaveanewbuildingwithclassroomsthat
havewallsanddoorstopromoteabetterlearningenvironment.Quadsarenoisy
environmentsandmakeitdifficultforstudentstocosintrateandlearn.
2
3

Whichoftheseoptionswillresultinthesmallestclasssizes?
Pleasekeepour3elementaryschools.Fortriverisawonderfulschoolwitha
wonderfulcommunity.Wewouldpreferyoufixanybuildingissuesherebutthemain
thingistokeepit!

Asbothaneducatorandparent,smallschoolsarebest.Wepickedourcurrenthome
becausewewantedourkidstoattendMarksMeadow,andwilllikelyleavethedistrict
ifonehugeschoolisbuilt.Inthissurvey,therewasnooptiontopickrenovation...with
WildwoodreceivingsomestatefundsandtownfundsandFortRiverreceivingtown
fundsexclusively.

I'veworkedinschoolsthatneededmajorupdatingandhadabetterexperiencethanin
anew,hugeschoolthatlackedbothvisionandcommunity.IcurrentlyworkinSouth
Hadleyatthemiddleschool,wherekidsareformingtheiridentities.Inmyopinion,it
ishardforthemtoleavetheirpeergroupastheyhavebeentogether,withthesame
150170kidssincekindergarten.Developmentally,Ithinkchildrenintheearlygrades
shouldbewithasmallcohortofotherstudentsthattheyknowwell,ratherthana
hugegroupwheretheymightnotevenknoweverystudent'snameinagradelevel.
However,bymiddleschool,kidsaremoresecureinwhotheyareandreadytopractice
makingnewfriends.ThisiswhenIthinkitmakessenseforseveralschoolstomerge
andforthestudentbodytogrow.

Mainly,however,I'veheardnoeducationalrationaleforonebigschoolwith79
classespergrade.Elementaryeducationissoimportantandlosinganurturing
environmentwouldbedevastating.Myoldersonisingradeone...whatI'veloved
mostabouthiselementaryschoolexperienceishowkindergartenscreeningwasso
welcomingwithPrincipalNickgreetingeveryfamilyandoldersiblingscomingtosay
hello.Ialsolovethereadingbuddiesprogramwhereolderstudentsreadtoyounger
ones.Furthermore,mysonravesaboutassemblies,whichIcannotevenenvisionina
k1school.

Ihopethattheschoolcommitteewillputthebreaksonthisprojectandcontinueto
listentofeedbackfromawideswathofpeople.Ihopethedistrictcanbemore
successfulinputtingfortheducationalmotivationsforthechangesbeing
proposed...I'veheardlotsaboutconstructionandlittleaboutphilosophy,academic
vision,andcommunitybuilding.

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
5
ToourfamilythemostimportantconsiderationishavingaschoolwhereWildwoodis
located.Wevalueacommunitywherewecanwalktoschoolsandtown.Wemovedto
Amherstandboughtahomeintheneighborhoodsowewouldbeclosetoallthree
schools.PleasebuildthenewschoolwhereWildwoodcurrentlyissothatstudents
haveaccesstothemiddleandhighschools,todowntownandtoalloftheresourcesat
UMassAmherst.
6

TherehasbeenenoughdisputesinAmherstoveritselementaryschools.Thisisdueto
unnecessarydistrictsthatdividethecommunityandplacepeoplefromdifferentparts
oftowninnonsensicalbattlesoverresourcesfortheirlocalschools.Thebestsolution
istheonewherenokidgoestoabetterbuildingortoaschoolwithhigherexam
scores.Thistownissmallenoughsowecanallsendourchildrentothesameschool
andweallworktomakeitbetter.

1.Ourkindergartenagedaughter'sfavoritetimeoftheweekthetimeshelooks
forwardtomorethananyotherpartoftheweekisBookBuddytime,whenthe3rd
graderscometoherclassroomtoreadwithher.Havingarangeofagesinthe
elementaryschoolisimportant,Ithink,ratherthanaPK1preschoolsetting.

2.IfeelSTRONGLYthatwhateverdecisionismadeneedstobefocusedonthe
following:Whatchoicewillhavethemostpositiveimpactonourchildren'seducation?
IfthephysicalenvironmentatFRorWWisdetractingfromourchildren'slearning,oris
causingqualityteacherstobypassorleaveourdistrict,thenweneedtomakethe
change,forbothschools,asquicklyaspossible.

3.BuildingtwoK6schoolssidebysideseemslikethemostcommonsensechoice.We
willbeabletosubsidizetheupgradeofbothFortRiverandWildwoodatthesametime
whilestillretaining'neighborhoodschool'identities.Ifitseemsinthefuture,after
furtherconsideration,thataGrade26schoolissomethingwewanttopursue,I
suspectwecouldreconfigurethenewlybuiltbuildingintosuchafacility.Currently,
however,Idonotseethewisdominsucharadicalrestructuring.Atleast,noonehas
madeacleareducationalargumenttomewhythatwouldbepreferabletoaK6setup
ineachschool.WearecommittedtoAmherstschoolsandtrustthatourdaughterwill
beservedwellbytheschoolcommitteeandallinvolvedinthisdecision.
Itseemsasthoughthetownismoreinterestedinsavingmoneythanthequalityof
education.Idonotmysontobeputintoa"superschool"andgetlessindividualized
attentioninaclassof40orsopeers.Ifyouwerenotsoignorantyouwouldseethat
studieshaveshownthatlargerschools=lessqualityeducation.

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
9
Ihavetwochildreninpreschoolandhadbeenlookingforwardtosendingthemtothe
Amherstschools,infactthestrongdistrictwasabigpartofourdecisiontostayin
Amherst.Thatbeingsaid,Ihavebeenquiteconcernedwiththewayeverythinghas
beenhandledregardingthereconfiguration.AsapreschoolparentIhavereceivedno
information,exceptforwhatIhavepursuedmyself.Ihaveconcernsasbothaparent
andteacher,especiallyregardingplanC,asitcreatesabigtransitionforchildrenata
timewheredevelopmentallyitwon'tservethemwell.Iamadditionallyconcerned
thatunderplanCteacherswouldnothaveachancetocollaborateacrossgrades,
particularlybetween2ndand3rdgrade.Theproposedlargeschoolsizesof750+isalso
aconcern.Ihavetaughtinbothsmallandlargeschoolsandthereisnocomparison,
especiallyattheelementarylevel.Thereareotherconcerns,includingtransportation
issuesamongotherthings,thatIworryabout,buttheabovementionedaremymain
concerns.Ihopethatastheschoolcommitteemovesforwardwiththeseimportant
decisionsthattheylookbeyondfinancialandbudgetaryconsideration,andfocuson
what'sbestforstudentsandteachers.
10

Ithinkitisimportanttothinkaboutthestudentsandnotsolelybasedecisionbasedon
budgetandthebottomline.Rightnowitappearsthatdecisionsarebeingmade
becauseitwouldhelpthedistrictfinanciallybutitisnottakingintoconsiderationthe
impacttothestudents.

11
12

Whycan'twefundtwonewschoolswithlevees?
Doyoureallywantkindergartenkidsonbussesfor45minutesormoregoingfromN.
AmhersttoCrockerFarm?Itisadditional"seattime"forkidswhoneedmoretime
learningthroughplayNOTmoretimesittingdown.

13

ThefundingwasapprovedtoreplaceWildwood.Thisiswhatshouldbehappening.
Thereshouldnotbeother"options".Theconsensusisthattheschoolcommitteeis
doingwhattheywantratherthanwhatthepeopleofthistownwantfortheirchildren
andforthetownasawhole.Unlesstheoriginalplanisfollowed,Ihopetheplansare
notapprovedandthetownlosesthefunding.

14

Ireceivedthissurveyverylastminute.Iamdisappointedwiththeprocessthewaythe
publicdiscussionhasbeenorganized.

15

WestronglydisagreewithanythingthatisNOTaK6orPreK6school.

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
16
Iamstronglyinfavorofsmaller,K6schoolsbecausetheyofferthefollowingbenefits:
maximizingteacherstaffstudentrelationshipsovertime,minimizingschooltransitions
(knowntobedisruptiveanddetrimentaltomanystudents),minimizingtransportation
costsandenvironmentalimpact,maximizingfamilyengagementbymakingit
logisticallyeasierandmoreapproachable,limitingthenumberofstudentspergrade
perschoolsothatthechildrenwillknowtheirclassandgradematesonadeeperlevel
overtime,maximizingextendedintergradepeermentoring,maintaining
siblings/familieswithinoneelementaryschool.

Ideeplyopposetheproposedgradereconfiguration.Thereisnopedagogical
evidencethatitisagoodoption,certainlynonethatitissuperiortoK6.Havingevery
studentattendthesameschoolisnotthesamethingasequity.Theproposedgrade
configurationmayactuallycausepotentialharmtosomestudents,particularlythose
whomightbemoredisadvantagedinthefirstplace.Whileeliminatingtheneedfor
redistrictingtoensuresocioeconomicbalanceamongschoolsmeansfewerheadaches
fortheadministration,itdoesnotdirectlybenefitstudents.

Ialsoworryaboutkidstendingtosegregatethemselvesintofamiliargroupsinalarger
schoolwhereas,inmyexperience,theyseemtobondasaclass,grade,andschoolin
thecurrentsystemwherethereareenoughkidstobeadiversecommunitybutnotso
manythatthereareunfamiliarfaces.Notaskingfordemographicinformationlike
socioeconomicstatusisaproblemofthesurveyasitwillbeunabletoassesswhether
itreachedandgotresponsesfromallgroups.HavingitavailablesolelyviaInternet
certainlymakesitmoredifficultforpeoplewithfewerresourcestoparticipate.

Finally,notexplicitlyincludingtheoptionofrenovationwasproblematic.Theway
OptionAwasdescribedalsoimpliedthatthereisnopossiblewaytoaddressFortRiver
(ratherthanstatingthatFortRiverwouldneedtobeaddressedasaseparateproject).
IbelievethatrenovatingbothWildwoodandFortRiveristhebestwaytofixthe
buildingproblemsandmaintainthetypeofschoolsystemIwant(small,neighborhood,
K6elementaryschools).
17
Iprefercommunityschools,K6forconsistencyandneighborhoodfeel.
18
WehaveachildabouttoenterAmherstschoolsin1.5years.Therefore,thetimingof
theseeventsmakesalargedifferenceinhowweanswer.Iftheproposedtimelinefor
anyofthesebuildingprojectsisoverlyoptimisticorunrealistic(whichIsuspecttobe
thecase),thenitisdifficultforafamilyinoursituationtogivemeaningful,informed
feedback.
19

ThepoorlearningenvironmentsandhealthconcernsforbothWildwoodandFortRiver
seemequal.ItwouldbeashametoleaveFortRiveroutoffutureplansandseethose
studentscontinuetosufferwithanoutdatedbuilding.IfkeepingCrockerFarmasis
wouldavoidredistrictinghassles,seemsbesttoleavethatschoolasitstandsnow.
TransitioningtoanotherschoolafterKindergartenseemslikeabigchangeforyoung
kidstoface.

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
20
WhileIunderstandtheneedtocutcostsandIamfamiliarwithallthreebuildingsand
knowthedifficultiesofthe"quad",Iabsolutelydonotthinkgoingtoa"biggeris
better"systemistheanswer.
21

Thankyoufortakingthetimetoworkonthisprocessandtoensureabetterfuturefor
ourschools.Ihopethatyouwillstronglyconsidertheoptionofsimplyrenovatingboth
WildwoodandFortRiverinanaffordablefashion.Ibelievethatthereismuchthat
worksaboutthecurrentneighborhoodschoolssystemandalthoughweneedtoinvest
inourinfrastructureandourteachersandstaff,Idonotfeelthatmykidsneedtogoto
afancyarchitectdrivenexpensiveprojectmegaschool.Thatwillnotimprovetheir
educationaloutcomes!

IfwemustputWildwoodandFortRiverinoneschoolbecausethetownwillnotpayto
renovatethemseparately,thenIfeelstronglythatweshouldkeepeachoneasclose
toitsexistingstructureaspossible(e.g.K6x3schools).Ihavetwokidswhoaretwo
yearsapartandbothmyspouseandIworkfulltime.Itisveryhardonworkingparents
tohavetopickupanddropoffkidsatmultiplelocationsacrosstownortocoordinate
activitiesatmultiplelocationsacrosstown.Ifyousplitupthesystemintogradelevels
andcombineallstudents,wearelookingatadditionalyearsofmultiplelocations,
ratherthanhavingsiblingsbeatthesameschool.

Finally,Iamveryworriedbytheslicknatureofthepromotionalmaterialsthatseemto
gowiththevisionofthenewschool.Itfeelsasthoughwearelettingarchitectsand
buildersdriveoureducationalprocess!Ihopethatisnotthecase.Onceagain,ourkids
donotneedafancynewbuilding.Theyneedadecentbuilding(e.g.CrockerFarm)and
thebestteachersandstaffwecanaffordasatown!Ihopethatyouwillhelpusto
investinthethingsthatreallymatterforeducation.

22

Amherstdoesagreatjobineducation,myconcernsaremoreonthesocialsidewhich
doesinturneffectlearning.Iwouldpreferthethatgradeconfigurationsbeassmallas
possibletoallowforsmallclassroomsandconsistencyinpeergroups.

23

Whatwilltheadministrationlooklikeinallofthedifferentoptions?Willtherebe
multipleaestheticsteacherstoaccommodatethemuchlargernumberofstudentsor
willtherebeaestheticsteachersforeach"team"(eachK6wing,oreach26wing,or
each24and56wing)?Willthesharedspaces(cafeteria,gym,library)belarge
enoughtoaccommodatemanystudentsorwilltheschedulechangesoto
accommodatetheincreasednumber(e.g.muchlargerclassesoccupyingthespaceor
shorterclasstimesbecausetherearemanymoreclassestofitintoadailyschedule,
reallyearlylunchestoaccommodatemorestudentseatinginthecafeteria)?These
figuresaren'tincludinginanyofthepresenteddesignoptions.

24

Studentsinthedistrictwillbenefitfromtheopportunitytoattendschoolinan
innovative,clean,updatedbuildingthatensureslearningforall.Equityamongall
threeschoolsisimportantforthemoraleofthecommunityandthesuccessofour
students.

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
25
Wehavehadthecurrentschoolbuildingsfor40yearsIbelieveitisoktoreplace
WildwoodnowandcontinuewithFRasisforseveralyearsuntilwecansecure
additionalfundingtoreplaceFR.Thestrongcommunityofparents,teachers,
administrators,andkidsdevelopedatthethreeschoolsisveryimportanttome.Ican
understandtheadministrativeeaseofonecentralizedschoolbutdon'tthinkthat
shouldbethedrivingforcefortheultimateoutcome.Itcanbedifficulttosendyour
elementaryagekidofftoschoolalargeschoolwillfeelmorelikealion'sdenthanthe
smallersizecurrent3schoolsystem.Kidswillfeelmorelikeanumberorbodyto
moveasneededforadminpurposes.Therewillbefeweradultswithdetailed
longitudinalconnectionwiththatkidtokeepaneyeonthemovertheirelementary
years.Studieshaveshown,andeffortsunderwayatARMSandARHSaretryingto
exposestudentstomoreadultstoactasmentorsfortheirentiretimeateachofthose
schoolsacentralizedelementaryschoolseemstocounterthiseffort.Thanksforyour
workreallyappreciatetheeffortyouareputtingintothisimportantdecision.

26

TheSuperintendentandSCmadeagraveandunprofessionalerrorinnotengaging
stakeholdersinundertakingamajorandimpactfulinitiative.Hadtheymadeagenuine
efforttodoso,therewouldundoubtedlymorebuyintosupportanyoftheseefforts
(allofwhichhavegeneralmerit,thoughsomemorethanothers).

27

Iappreciatethetimeyouaretakingtoincludeparent/communityfeedback.WhileIdo
notdoubtthatfinanceandsustainabilityfactorgreatlyintheDistrict'sdecision,know
thatthebenefitsofasmallschoolgreatlyoutweighsavings.

28

Idon'twantmyelementaryagechildgotoahugeschool.EducationallyIvalue
neighborhoodschools.

29

Withoutmoreevidenceregardinghowredistrictingwillaffectstudentlearning
outcomesandfinancialconsiderations,Ifinditimpossibletosupportanykindof
redistricting.Theonepagesummaryseemsextremelybiased,withnocitationsor
placestofindmoreinformation.Forexample,is"acousticprivacy"reallythe#1
consideration,ordoesitjustlookgoodtohaveoptionAat62%andtheotheroptions
at100%?Andthefactthatzoningissuesareunaddressedisaplacewherethe
administrationhasnotdonetheirhomework,notacheckmarkinthe"con"
departmentforoptionA.Inaddition,thefinancialnumbersseemprettyspeculative
withoutanykindofsupport.Whereisthecertaintythattheseredistrictingplanswill
doublethesavingscomparedtothecosts?Themostimportantissueremains
unaddressed:howwillreducingthediversityofagesinaschoolbuildingaffect
learning?howwillgreatlyincreasingschoolsizeaffectlearning?Finally,withonly4
daysbetweenbeingtoldofthesurveyuntilitcloses,you'veleftmenotimetodoany
kindofadditionalresearch.ThedistrictproposedrenovationofWildwoodandthe
stateapprovedagrantforitsrenovation.Iamhavingahardtimeunderstandingthe
motivationforanyoptionotherthanoptionA.

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
30
Iappreciateallthehardworkthedistrictadministrationandtheschoolcommittee
membersaredoingtohandlethisdifficultdecision.
31

IthinkALLoftheseprojectionsareprematureuntilthefinalprojectedbudgetsare
transparentlyavailabletothepublic.Whatwouldbethecosttorenovate/replace
Wildwoodonsite?Whatwouldbethecosttorenovate/replaceFortRiveronsite?
Also,veryannoyedthatthelistofprioritiesdidnotincludetheSIZE(#ofstudents)in
theproposedschools.

32

Myconcernrelatestohavingahugeelementaryschoolenvironment,whichmaybe
goodorbadforstudentlearning,especiallystudentswhoneedmorechallengingwork
(somethingthatseemstogetshortshriftineveryoneofthesediscussions).Ialsoam
worriedabouttheimplicationsofturningthemiddleschoolintoacommunitycollege
annex,whichwouldhavemanyyoungandolderadultsin(too)closeproximitytothe
town'selementaryschoolstudents.

33

BothWildwoodandFortRiverSchoolsneedtobereplacedandALLthechildrenneed
tobetakencareof.Toaddressoneschool'sproblemsandnottheotherwouldsend
themessagetothekidswhoareleftoutthatAmherstdoesnotcareaboutthemas
muchastheycareabouttheotherchildren.Dotherightthing.Buildanewschool
thatwillhouseallthekids.

34

WhatIheararoundtownis"nothingwillgetdonethistownwillnevervotetospend
anymoneyonschools".Howdowehavesomeofthehighesttaxesinthestateand
tworundownelementaryschools?I'mbaffledbythesituationandfeeldefeatedby
hownegativemostpeopleseemtofeelaboutit.

35

ThedistrictshouldconsiderclosingFortRiver,remodelingWildwoodandhavingtwoK
5schools(WwandCF)themiddleschoolcouldthenbeatrueMSwith68grades.
LeverettandShutesbury,andevenPelhamiftheywishedcouldsendstudentstothe
MSin7thgrade.

36

ThankyouforalloftheworktheSchoolCommitteeisdoingtoimproveourschoolsfor
ourchildren.Thisisn'taneasyjobandIamconfidentyouaretakingasmuchofthe
community'sinputintoconsiderationaspossible.Thankyou!

37

Whycan'tthedistrictlearnhowto,orpaysomeonewhoactuallyknowshowtodesign
asurvey?Somuchbiaspresentedherealostopportunitytouseareallygooddata
source.

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
38
1.Ibelieveyoushouldhaveincludedanoptiontorenovate/rebuildFortRiverand
Wildwood,possiblywithMSBAfundingonlyforWildwood.Thedistricthasnot
providedthecostestimatesofthisoptionyetandthismaybeacosteffective(as
comparedtoalargenewbuilding)andisdefinitelythemoreeducationallysound
option.Therefore,whenIsaidmyfirstpreferenceisforrebuildingWildwoodand
keepingFortRiverandCrockerFarmK6,Iwouldliketoseetheneededbuilding
changesmadetoFortRiveraswell,evenwithoutMSBAfunding.

2.Researchshowsthatsmallschoolsarebetterforstudentlearning,especiallyfor
studentswithspeciallearningneedsandfromdisadvantagedbackgrounds.Istrongly
supportAmherstkeepingsmallschools.

3.Ifoundthelonglistofchoicesquiteunhelpfulforthesurvey.Icouldprioritizemy
choices,butitdidn'tallowthereasonsformypreferencestobeclear.Therefore,I
believetheinformationcollectedfromthisisnotveryillustrativetotheSchool
Committee.

4.I'mconcernedattherushednatureofthissurveyandthatthesurveydidnotgetout
topreschoolfamiliesthroughoutthetown.Mostpreschoolsdidnotreceivetheinfo
aboutthesurvey.Thesurveyisalsonotverysmartphoneconducive,andtherefore
notasaccessibletofamilieswithoutcomputers.Idonotfeelthissurveyrepresentsan
adequateefforttofullyreceivefeedbackfromthecommunity.
39
Iworrylessabout"megaschools"andworrymoreaboutkidshaving(positive)better
exposuretoolderkids(bookbuddiesarereallyapositivethingfortheyoungerkids).
Andforkidstofeelunifiedwiththeircohortofkidsforaslongaspossible.(K6or26).
Toomanytransitionsisabadideahowever,bestcasescenariotheyarewiththeir
cohortaslongaspossible.AndnotshiftedfromK2,24,46.Notagoodidea.
40

Thinkabouttheproblemsofhavingahugeschoolwhereeveryonehastotravel
insteadofthelocalschools.Oneschoolcannotaccommodateshiftsinpopulation.

41

Irecentlywatchedthe12/22/15AmherstSchoolCommitteemeetingandIwasmost
persuadedbycommentsmadebySuperintendentGerykandCrockerFarmPrincipal
DerekShea,especiallyPrincipalShea.Hemadeaverymovingancompellingargument
forwhathasbeencharacterizedasOptionDinthissurvey.Ifwearetrulylookingfor
theoptionthatmostbenefitsthekidsthenOptionDisanobrainer.Itwilleliminate
theneedforredistrictinggoingforward.Itwillallowallteacherstobeableto
collaboratewithalltheirgradelevelpeers.ItwillallowthecreationofanewELL
program.Itwillallowustobeabletohavemorepreschoolclassrooms.Itwillmake
theschoolsandtheeducationofallofourESkidsmoreequitable.Andonandonand
on.Thisdecisionreallyseemslikeanobrainertome.Iamsuretherearebenefitswe
havenoteventhoughtofyet.PleasevoteforOptionD.

42
43

Keepasmanysmallschoolsopenaspossible.Bepatient.We'llfixFortRiverNext.
Idisliketheideaofeliminatingcommunityschools.

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
44
Alltheresearchsuggeststhatsmallschoolswherestudentsareknownandloved,and
wheretheschoolisembeddedinitscommunityandnimbleenoughtorespondtoits
communityservechildrenfarbetterthanmegaschools.Smallerschoolsarefarbetter
especiallyforchildrenwithspecialneedsandfromdisadvantagedbackgrounds,so
don'tbebamboozledbyspuriousargumentsaboutequity.Don'tbetalkedintothis
slickdealputtogetherbyyourarchitecturalfirmthatisridingroughshodoverwhat
thiscommunitywantsandneeds;andIdon'tbelievethenumbersonthisatall;the
megaschoolcostsyoucitewillgrowconsiderablybeyondthis(justaskAmherst
CollegeaboutitserstwhileScienceCenter!),andinnowayareanyofthethreeoptions
forrebuildingtheschoolstogetherfinanciallyresponsible.RebuildWildwoodnow;ina
fewyearsapplyforanewgranttorebuild,orrenovate,FortRiver.IsaythisasaFort
Riverparentwhocanbepatientaboutourphysicalplanttokeeptheschool
communitywewant.
45

I'vebeenaninstructionalcoachandaschoolteacherforover15yearsinmultiple
districtsandI'vebeenthroughtwoMSBAschoolbuildingprojects.SMALLERSCHOOLS
arethebestoption.I'vewitnessedmultiple"schoolwithinaschool"attempts
(optionsB,C,andD)thatCOMPLETELYFAILEDtoreplicatethebenefitsthatcomewith
asmallerlearningenvironment.Therelationshipsandthesenseofcommunitythat
onlycanhappeninsmallschoolsaretoovaluabletosacrificefortheamountofmoney
thatitisclaimedwewillsave.Therearemanypurportedbenefitsthatcouldcomeif
allthedreamsintheWildwoodbuildingcommitteedocumentsarerealized,butI've
workedineducationtoolongandhelpedtowritetoomanysimilardocumentsmyself
totrulybelievethatallthatisenvisionedwillberealized.WecanrebuildWildwood,
andaimallofourdistrict'seffortsatfixingFortRiverbeitthroughwaitingafewmore
yearsforMSBAfundingorthroughTownMeeting.Itmightnotbetheeasiestpolitical
decisionforMs.Geryktomake,butitisthemosteducationallysounddecision.We've
alreadyletMark'sMeadowgo.Pleasedon'tletusloseanotherschool.

46

Thefeelingofcommunityinaschoolisimportantinregardstotheirlearning
environment,socialskillsdevelopment,andciviceducation.Intheearlyyearsof
education,allowingthestudentstohaveconsistencyintheirpeers,active
participationinaconsistent'whole',andlimitingunnecessarytransitionsduringthis
criticaltimefacilitateslearninginavarietyofareasincludingacademic,social,and
emotionalskilldevelopment.

47

Throughthisentireprocess,Ihavebeenstruckbythepoorcitizenshipondisplayfrom
myfellowresidentsofAmherst.Iunderstandthatweliveina"meandminefirst!"
society,butmaybewecouldalltakeadeepbreathandattempttoactuallybuild
somethingresemblingacommunitythatwillhelp*all*ofthekidsinthistown,notjust
thosewhohappentolivenearWildwood.

10

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
48
Ivaluethecommunityaschoolcreatesbyhavingmykidsinthesameschoolforalong
stretchoftime.Minimizingtransitionsandlongbusrideswhilefosteringasenseof
community,familiarityandbelongingisimportant.Sharedexpereinceswithteachers,
assemblies,first/lastdaycelebrations,etc.areallveryimportanttome.Ihaveno
problemmixingtheFortRiverandWildwoodcommunities,butsincerelyhopeNick
Yafferemainsprincipal.HeissuchanassettoWildwoodandAmherstschools.
49

IfeelveryunsafesendingmykidstoschoolinAmherstduetorecentcoverupsof
incidentssuchasthesexualacttingoutbatthehighschoolracebasedattackatthe
middleschoolandseveralweaponsincidents

50

Ihavetwocomments.1.Noneofthechoicesherereflectanysenseabouthowthe
locationoftheschoolfitsintothetownplanningpriorities.Wildwoodiscurrentlythe
schoolthatisclosestthedowntownandthevastmajorityofthepeopleinthetown,so
aligningthelocationoftheschoolwiththetown'sgoalofhavingavibrantdowntown
wouldseemlikeanimportantpriority,whichisnotcurrentlyavailableasanoption.I
wouldliketoseetheWildwoodCampusretainedasthelocationofaschoolsothatthe
schoolcanbeinlinewiththetowngoaltohaveavibrantdowntown.Incidentally,
whenyoulookatthepowerpointpresentationsaboutschoolsize,itisobviousthat
becauseofschoolchoiceandbecauseofwherethepopulationofAmherstis,
Wildwoodisthecampusthatpeoplearechoosingtosendtheirkidstoandthusthe
campusthatisleastlikelytoexperienceenrollmentdropoffsovertime.

2.Ihavebeentoafewmeetings,anditseemslikenearlyeveryparentdoesnotlike
youroptions(buttheschoolteachersdo).SoIwonderhowyouplantogetenough
peoplebehindyourplantosellittothetownmeeting.Iwouldsuggestforpurely
practicalreasonsthatyoumustfindaconstituencythatyourplanappealstothatisof
considerablesizesotheycansupportyouinwhateverchoiceyoudecidetomake.Asit
is,itseemslikeyouhaveabunchofgoodandhonorablereasonsfortheplansyouare
proposing,butnosupportfromanysizablegroupofpeopleforanyoftheproposed
options.Ifyouallowmetoreturntothepointnumber1above,ifyoupursueaplan
whichguaranteesaschoolattheWildwoodlocation,andifyoupursueanoption
whichdoesn'tjostlepeoplearoundinsomeweirdPreKthrough1and26modelor
PreKthrough1,24and56model,butjustkeepsacommunityofstudentstogether
fortheirentireschoolyears,thenyouwouldbeproposingaplanthatasizable
constituencycouldgetbehindandsupport.Ifintheendforfinancialreasons,youneed
toproposetheideaofatwoschoolcampusontheWildwoodsite(suchasinOption
B),thatconstituencywillprobablyrolltheireyes,butstillsupportyou.Butifyoudon't
guaranteetheWildwoodcommunitytheircontinuity,thenyouwillhavelostyourone
obviousconstituency,andnothaveanyobviousotheronetoreplaceitwith.This
soundslikearecipeforfailureatTownMeeting.

11

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
51
Youhavenotincludedinyoursummarychartorinyourprioritizationlistsomeofthe
keythingsinformingmychoice,includingcommunityconsiderationswhichoption
willbestsupportthrivingneighborhoodcommunitiesforstudentsandfamilies,strong
senseofcommunitywithinschools,andastrongsenseofcommunityinthetownof
Amherst?ItwasbizarrethatIhadtolistthisbasicallyasatransportationchoice.It's
muchmorefundamentalthanthis.
52

Thefocusneedstobemaintainedonthestudents.Thewholechildneedstobe
consideredwithattentiontobothacademicandsocialdevelopment.Thequestion,
"WhoandIandwheredoIbelong?"isatthecoreofchildhooddevelopmentin
elementschool.Ourstudentsneedsafeandhealthyschoolsthatfosterstronglearning
combinedwithasenseofbelonging.ThisiswhyIbelieveweneedamodelthatallows
kidstogrowwithinsmallerK6schoolcommunitieswithfewertransitions.

53

Ithinkitisinthebestinterestofthecommunitytohavesomeconsolidation.Overall,I
willbecomfortablewithanydecisionmade.

54

Onechoiceofreasonsthatwasnotlistedisoverallcostfortheprojects.Itwouldhave
beenhelpfultoknowthesecostsinadditiontotheoperationalcostsavings.

55

Ilikethesmallerneighborhoodgradeschoolsystemwehavenowandwouldbesorry
toswitchtofewerandlargerschools.

56

Yousimplycannotproposeanoption(as"A"appearstobe)thatexcludesFortRiverin
therebuild/renovateequation.WildwoodandFortRiverareidenticalschools,andto
sayotherwisejustbecauseofstatefundingindicatesabiasinfavorofWildwood
districtresidents.

57

Iamconcernedabouttheprocessthattheadministrationhasusedtodeterminethese
options.Ireallyfeelasthoughparentandguardianconcernshavebeenlargely
ignoredorgrantedlipservice.WechoseAmherstforcommunityschools,andplacean
importanceoncontinuityandcommunity.

58

Studentscurrentlyknowandareknownbyallteachers,staff,andadministratorsin
theirschool.Thistranslatestoasafe,happy,andamoreindividualizedlearning
environmentthatwouldbelostinalargerschoolsettingasstudentsgetlostinthe
shuffle.Studentsoveralloutlookandeducationwouldbecompromised.

59

Myfirstgrader,myspouse,andIreallyfeelpartofaspecialcommunityatCrocker
Farm.IfeelwelcomedandrecognizedbystaffwhenIwalkthroughthedoor.Ifeelmy
childisgettinganexcellenteducationandtheschoolismeetingtheindividualneedsof
mychild.Ilookforwardtomychildcontinuingtogrowthrough6thgradeatCF.
However,Ifeeleverychilddeservesahighqualityworkingenvironmentaswellasa
neighborhoodschoolcommunity.Therefore,optionBappealsmosttomebecauseall
threeschoolscanbenefitfromaneighborhoodschoolK6environment,whetherinCF
oroneofthe2wingsofthenewschool.

12

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
60
BeingthatbothWildwoodandFortRiverareinverysimilarstatesofdisrepair,to
chooseoneschoolandnottheothertoreplacewouldbewrongandseemtoopenthe
towntolegalliabilitiesforwillfulnegligenceofanychildrenwhobecomesickor
injuredbecauseoftheschoolthatwasignored.Replacingbothschoolsisclearlythe
rightthingtodobutifthatisn'tenoughforyou,pleasebeawarethattherecanbe
seriousconsequencestoignoringthesafetyandhealthofanentiregroupofchildren
andteachers.
61

OptionAwouldonlybeanoptionformeifFortRivercanbereplacedaswellsothat
wecouldhaveWildwood,FortRiverANDCrockerFarmasPreK6schools.Maybemore
PreKcouldbearrangedforWildwoodandFortRivertoalleviateCFaswellasclosing
theradiusabittoreduceCFnumbersifatallneeded.

62

Thankyouforyourthoughtfulwork.ChangeishardbuttheFortRiverandWildwood
Schoolsneedtobereplacedinordertobestserveallofthechildren.

63

iamtornbetweenoptionsAandBasmytopchoice.OptionAisbestformyfamily
personallybutdoesn'tseemfairtofamiliesthatattendFortRiver.OptionBismore
equitablebutwillprobablyresultinlessfeelingofneighborhoodcommunityandmore
transportationissues.

64

Ifeelstronglythatschoolsshouldnotbecombined.Especiallyattheelementarylevel,
schoolsshouldfeellikesafesmalllearningenvironments.Largerschoolsarenot
conducivetoaneighborhoodschool.600750studentsinabuildingistoomanyno
matterhowyoustructureit.WemovedtoAmherstformanyreasonsbutonemain
reasonwasbecauseoftheschools.Mychildrenhadbeeninprivateschoolsinthe
area.IhavefeltnotonlyconfidenthavingmychildrenmoveintotheARPSbutIhave
beenutterlyimpressed.IfIhadknownthisrestructuringwasseriouslyonthehorizonI
mayhavenotmovedthem.Iamcertainifthisrestrictinghappensmanyfamilieswill
pulltherechildrenandenrollthemelsewhere.Thepredictionforthemiddleschool
andhighschoolisthatenrollmentwillbegoingdown,thereforeconsolidationisbeing
considered.Withthishorriblechangeattheelementarylevelweareguaranteeinglow
enrollmentforthehighergrades.

13

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
65
ThereareMANYproblemswiththissurvey,withtheresultthatthedatawillbevery
hardtointerpretmeaningfully.Here'sonemajorproblem:Thereisnoclearwayfor
respondentstoindicatetheirpreferencesamongtheoptionsABSENTimagined
differencesincosts.Forexample,ifsomeoneassumesthatretainingathreeschool
systemmeansleavingFortRiverindisrepair(NOTnecessarilytrue)thentheylikelywill
ignoreOptionA,thoughinfacttheymaypreferathreeschoolsystem.Another
problem:Manyofthe"priorityfactors"listedarecompletelyinterdependentof
coursepeoplewantqualitypedagogyforallstudents,butthatistightlylinkedto
schoolsize(notevenoneoftheprioritieslisted!),toagegroupings,to#oftransitions,
totransportationissues,etc.Howisoneexpectedtoexpressaccuratelyone'spriorities
giventhisinterdependence?Similarly,thisproblemexistswithequityconcerns
obviously,thisisapriorityforMANYpeople,butagain,closelylinkedtoschoolsize,#
oftransitions,etc.Inshort,howtheSCchoosestointerprettheresultsfromthis
surveylikelywilldependonwhattheywantto"find"intheresults.Atleastsome
hopefullynotamajorityoftheSCwanttheevidencetosupportthedistrict'sdesireto
reconfigureandconsolidate.Andthatisexactlywhattheywill"find"usingthispoorly
designedsurvey'sresults.Verytroubling...

14

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
66
IamwritinginsupportofanyoftheoptionsthatrestructuretheAmherstelementary
schools,andbuildanewschoolthatwouldincludeWildwoodandFortRiver,or
Wildwood,FortRiverandCrockerFarm.Thebuildinggrantoffersaunique
opportunitytocreateastateoftheartelementaryschoolthatisdesignedtomeetthe
educationalgoalssupportedbytheAmherstcommunity,andthelearningneedsofour
students.Itisanopportunitytocreatesomethingreallythoughtfulandwonderfulthat
willgiveallofourelementarystudentstheworldclasseducationthatonewould
expectfromAmherst.Itseemsimpossiblethattheschoolboard,whichissupposedto
representALLofthestudentsinAmherst,wouldsupportcreatingaschoolwhich
wouldofferthishighstandardofeducationandopportunitytoexcel,toonly1/3ofthe
studentsinourtown.TheconceptofEquityisthrownaroundalotintermsofthe
educationalgoalsinAmherst.ButhowcanwespeakofEquity,whilecreatingbetter
learningopportunitiesforonly1/3ofthestudents?Howequitableisittogiveone
schooldistricttheopportunitytodesignastateoftheartschool,whilethekidsatthe
othertwoelementaryschoolshavetolearninsuboptimalconditions,which(inthe
caseofFortRiver)includebuildingmaintenanceissues,airqualityissuesandtheill
designedquadsystemwhichhinderslearningformostofit'sstudents.ThisisNOT
creatingagoodlearningenvironmentorsupportingexcellenceinourschool!Weall
wantthebestpossibleeducationforourkids!Andtheschoolcommitteeshouldbe
heretoadvocatefortheeducationalneedsforALLofthekidsinAmherst,becauseitis
therightthingtodoevenifit'snotnecessarilytheeasiest,orthemostpopular.

Thisschoolcommitteehasanopportunitytocreatealegacythatshowsit'sthinking
aboutthelongtermneedsofallAmherststudents.Youhavethechancetocreate
somethingextraordinary,whichwillsupportthelearningopportunitiesofourkidsfor
thenext50years!Theotheroptionistocreatealegacyofhypocrisy,where'Equity'is
justabuzzword,whichmeansnothingwhenthechipsaredown.Whereoneschool
districtgetstheopportunityforexcellence,whiletheothertwoschooldistrictsaretold
towaityears,ordecadesfortheirchancetocatchup.Intheend,Ireallyhopethat
youwillsupportequity,andexcellenceforALLthestudentsinAmherst.
67

CrockerFarmisanamazingelementaryschool.Itwouldbeatragedytotakeapartthe
workingmodelatCrockerFarmtoaddressissuesintheotherschools.Theexcellent
teamatCrockerFarmshouldnotbeundervaluedordismissed.Reassigningteachers
andadministratorstoanewconfigurationrunsahighriskdamagingthatteam.

68
69

IDIDNOTUNDERSTANDMANYASPECTSOFTHISSURVEY.ITISTHEREFOREPOINTLESS.
Idonotlikeanyofthelargeschooloptions.Mychildrenareveryyoung,andIwant
themtobeinasingle,consistentschool,thattheycanadjusttoandbecomfortable
with.Idon'twantthemwithahundredotherkidsofthesameagetheywillnever
gettoknowthatmanykids.IfIwantedbigschoolsIwouldliveinabigcity.Thisfeels
morelikeaprison.

15

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
70
Basedonmyexperience,Ibelieveitisveryimportanttofocusonsolvingthemost
pressingproblemsinthesimplest,mostdirectway,withoutcreatingadditional
problemsintheprocess.IftheproblemisthephysicalstateofWildwoodandFort
River,thenthesimplestsolutionwouldbetorebuildWildwoodandFortRiverand
leaveeverythingelseasis.Sincethatisimpossible(duetofundingconsiderations),the
secondsimplestsolutionistobuildasinglebuildingwithaWildwoodwingandaFort
Riverwing.Theotherproposedsolutionsinvolvelargeamountsofreconfigurationthat
willentaildefinitecostsandhaveonlyspeculativebenefits.
71

ILOVEtheideaofmychild(whowillnolongerbeinelementaryschoolbythistime,so
thishasnoimpactonourfamily)goingtoschoolwithALLchildreninhisagegroupin
Amherst.IthinkitwillhaveahugeimpactonthecrazytransitionintotheMS.AndI
likethatissuesofequitywillbeaddressed.OPTIONDalltheway!

72

WhenapplyingfortheWWBuildingproject,whydidn'tthedistrictconsiderwhat
wouldhappentoFortRiver?Atthesametime,ifFortRiverhadbeenchosen,whynot
consideraheadoftimewhattodowithWW?Itseemstometheseissuescouldhave
beenpredictedandthoughtoutmoreinadvance.

73

Iamconcernedthatthisprocessismovingtooquicklyandisfundingled.It'sgreatto
receivefundingandWildwoodiscertainlyinneedofrenovation,butthisdizzying
seriesofproposedchangesdoesn'tmakesense.Iftheseproposals(toconsolidate
elementaryschools,replacingcommunityschools)weremadeonpedagogical
grounds,I'dbemorepersuaded.Buttheyarenot.ThereareHUGEimplicationsforall
oftheseproposedshifts(qualityoflearning,destabilizingcommunitytiesandthe
senseofcommunityconnectiontotheschools,nottomentionotherissuesthatwill
affectthetownmorebroadlytrafficflow,forex).Forthesereasons,Isupportoption
A.

74

WeareaCrockerFarmfamily,andweabsolutelylovetheschooljustthewayitis,
fromtheadministration,totheteachers,tothestaff,tothefamiliesandstudents
involved.CrockerFarmisagemformany,manyreasons,includingthecollaborations
betweengradelevels.Ifitweretobedismantledandredistributeditwouldbeareal
traumaforalotoffamiliesandstudents,andagreatlosstothecommunity.Ithas
beenveryvaluabletomanystudents,families,andteacherstohavePK6togetherin
onebuildingandstronglyopposethereorganizationofgradelevels.PLEASEleave
CrockerFarmjustthewayitis.Thankyou.

75

OptionBgivesusthebestofwhatourschoolscurrentlyprovidewhilecreatinga
healthyenvironmentatall3schools.Unlessthere'saguaranteethatFt.Rivercanbe
renovatedonthesametimeline,OptionAisn'tarealoption.NothingIhaveseenhas
convincedmethatthek1and26benefitslearningandsocially,therearemany
negatives.LetsgowithB!

16

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
76
IhaveachildwhowillsoonbeoutofFortRiverintothemiddleschool,sothese
changesdon'timpactmyfamilydirectly.However,whatseemsclearisthis:

AnysolutionwhichonlyaddressesWildwoodandnotFortRiver(i.e.solutionA)isvery
shortsighted.Welovetheschool,butthephysicalfacilityhasmaintenanceissuesand
theopenfloorplanrepresentsamodelofteachingwhichturnedouttonotbethebest
approach.Therearealotofgoodthingsabouthavingneighborhoodbasedschools,
butunlessweimaginethatsometimeinthenextdecadewe'llbeabletobuild
ANOTHERwholeschooltoreplaceit,optionAshouldbeoffthetable.Idon'texpect
thatthisdecisionwillbearrivedatsmoothlyasIknowthereareplentyofFortRiver
parentswhobelievetheansweristospendmoremoneyandbuildtwosmaller
schools.EvenifIfeltthatwasagooduseoffundsandmostlyIdon'twhatI'veseen
ofpublicizednumberssuggeststomethatthismoreexpensiveoptionhasnochance
ofpassingtownmeetinggiventheotheroptionsavailable.

IpickedoptionBasmyfirstchoice.Ihonestlydon'tthinkthathavingPreKthrough
firstalltogetherinoneplaceand26alltogetherinanotherplaceisabigenough
advantageasfarasteachinggoes.PossiblystaffdisagreewithmeonthisandIam
opentohearingreallydetailedjustificationforthisifsoIhavenotseenthat
anywhereasofyet.Andtheverybigreasonnottodothisisthatitmakesitmuch
harderforparentsandtransportationiftheyhavekidsinbothCrockerandthenew
school.Forstudentswhoalwaystakethebus,itmaynotbeabigdeal.Butforstudents
withalotofextracurriculars,itcouldmakethingsmuchtrickierforparentswithkidsat
bothagelevelshavingtojuggletwodifferentlocations.

IchoseDoverCasmysecondchoicebecauseIcan'tthinkofagoodreasontohave
thesamegradesintwodifferentwingsandintheabsenceofthatreasonitdoesn't
seemliketherightapproach.

Whichleadstomyfinalobservation.WhichoftheB,CandDoptionsisbestwill
largelydependontheeducationalmodelchosenandhowthephysicalbreakdownis
utilized.Ihavereadinthepaperthatsomeoftheseoptionsincludesomemajor
changestotheeducationalapproachandinfactcan'teasilybeseparatedfromthem.
I'mtalkingaboutbeyondspecialneedsandELL.ButIhaven'treallyseenenough
detailstoevaluatethem.Ifthisisindeedthecase,thenthissurveyisreallymissingkey
informationtobeabletoanswerit.Iknowthatthefirstpassthroughthesurvey
answerswillbeaquantitativesummaryandIhavedonemybesttogivethatbasedon
theavailabledata.ButIwouldhopethataftereliminatingeitheroneortwoofthefour
optionsbasedonthisininitialsurvey,youdoafollowupsurveywiththeremaining
optionsandmoredetailsontheeducationalchanges.
77
Ivaluehavinganeighborhoodschoolsothatcommunitytiescanbestrengthenedboth
throughtheneighborhoodandschool.AlsoIcareaboutkeepingtheelementary
schoolssmallerthan400studentsinsizesoit'slessoverwhelminginthehalls,at
recess,atlunch,etc.

17

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
78
Iwantequitybetweenschools.Ialsohaveexperiencedmassivetownwideelem
schools;theylosethecommunityfeel.Iwillmourntheabilityofmykidstowalk/bike
toschool
79

Ifeelverystronglythatonlyoneoption(D)isfavorable.Theothersjustdon'tmake
sensetome.Iwouldworryabout2K6wingsor226wingsanddivisivenessand
inequityandrivalryemerging.Also,theopportunitytogobackandchangeanswers
wouldbegood.

80

SincelastMay,Ihaveattendedmanyoftheforumsthathavebeenoffered.Mychild
attendsFortRiverandIhaveanotheroneinaprivatepreK.Isimplydonotwantthem
(oranyofOURkids)tohavetomakeevenmoretransitionsthantheyalreadydo.They
needthesecurityandstabilityofremaininginthesameplacefortheirentire
elementaryeducation.Whileattendingthesenumerousmeetings,Ihavenotbeen
shownanyempirical(orotherwise)evidencethathasconvincedmethatthereareany
pedagogicalorsocialbenefitsforchildrentobesplitintoalowerelementaryand
upperelementary.OptionsAandBaretrulytheonlythatmakesensewhen
consideringthewellbeingofourchildren.OptionCisextremelyundesirable.But,
OptionDisanabsolutelyrepulsiveoption!!!Puttinggrade5&6togethersetsthe
childrenupforajuniorjuniorhighexperience.Whentalkingtofriendsinotherparts
ofthecountrywhohavehadthisforcedupontheirchildren,ithasbeenasocial
nightmare.Mykindergartenerdefinitelybenefitsfrombeingmentoredbyolderkids,
butevenmoreimportantly,itiscrucialfor5thand6thgraderstobearoundyounger
kids.Also,justbecausetheywouldhavefancynewclassrooms,doesNOTmeanthat
theinstructionwillbeanybetterthanmydaughter(andherveryluckyclassmates)
alreadyreceivesatFortRiverfromherabsolutelywonderfulteachers.

81

Overthepast16yearsIhaveseenmypropertytaxesdouble.Longtermneighbors
havehadtomovebecauseofthiseverincreasingburden,aburdenwhichhasrisen
fasterinAmherstthanthesurroundingtowns.Amherstisquicklybecomingahaveand
havenotsociety.Yes,idofeelthatcostsavingsisanimportantfactor.Thequalityof
educationhasalwaysbeen,andhopefullyalwayswillbe,apriorityforAmherst.Unity
betweentheresidentsofAmherstand"theschools"isjustasimportant.Ifeelitis
importanttounifythetownbyhavingonenewelementaryschoolbuildingwithtwo
wings.Onewingbeing24theotherbeing56.Crockerfarmforprekthru1.This
wouldcreatethe"AmherstDistrict".Equalityforall.Idonotliketheimplicationsof
'bussing'orredistrictingcertainsegmentsofoursociety.InmydistrictFortRivertheir
hasalreadybeenalossofchildrentocompetingschools.CrockerFarmisawonderful
"newschool",butitisnowconsidered"theschool".Peoplewithyoungchildrenand
"themeans"havemovedintothatdistrict,alreadymaximizingit'scapacity.Havingto
repetitivelyredrawtheschoolboundarieswilljustcreateanimositybetweenthetown
governmentandit'sresidence.Ifeelunityisthebestoptionforourtown.Thankyou
foryourtime.

18

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
82
IbelieveOptionBisthebestforbalancingthedesireofsometomaintainacommunity
schoolwhilealsoensuringthatallstudentsareinmodernbuildingsthatprovideaccess
tohealthyandquietclassrooms.
83

Arewereallygoingtoredistrictevery10years.Pleasemakelongrangeeffective
planningandstopwastingtaxpayersmoney.

84

WemovedtoAmherstaboutadecadeagofromFranklinCountrybecausewelikedthe
Amherstcommunity,andwereimpressedwiththeschooldistrict'sreputation.We
believethecurrentmodel,ofthreesmallelementaryschools,isidealandthatevery
effortshouldbemadetopreserveit.Inthesebusytimes,whencommunityisoftena
"virtual"concept,Amherststillbenefitsfromsmallschoolswherechildren,families,
teachersandstaffcangettoknowoneanotherwellovertime.Ourchildren'spast
teachersatCrockerFarmhavecontinuedtotakeafriendlyandsupportiveinterestin
them,evenastheymovefromgradetograde.Suchcommunitiescreateanimportant
senseofsecurityforchildrenandstrongplatformforlearning.Weareconcernedthat
thealreadylargeclasssizesweexperienceatCrockerFarmwouldmerelyincrease,ata
bigger,crosstownschoolforgrades2through6.

Wequestiontheproposedexpenditureforanewbuilding,atatimewhenthetown
haslittlemoneytospareandthedistrictmustperiodicallycutteachinghoursor
positionsinordertoreducecosts.Wefindthatdespitehighpropertytaxesin
Amherst,andhighperpupilspending,studentsoftenlackbasicsuppliestofacilitate
learningforexample,individualworkbooksandtextbooks,ratherthanxeroxed
homeworksheets.Thelackofbasicsuppliesoftenrequiresthathomeworkbedonein
avoid,withoutsupportingmaterials.

Wethinkthedistrictwouldbebetterservedbyresearching,indepth,costeffective
waystoimprovetheFortRiverandWildwoodbuildings.Ifmoneyisavailabletomake
substantialchangeswithinthedistrict,webelievethosefundsshouldgotowards
developmentofinnovativeeducationalprogramswhichwillhelpreduceattrition.For
example,thedistrictcouldconsiderSpanish/Englishlanguageimmersionand
expeditionarylearningmodels.Aboveall,webelievethatalarger,longrangemaster
planforthedistrictmustbedeveloped,settingoutgoalsandplansforthedistrictand
incorporatinglongtermprojectionsfortheregion.Wethinkthatahighlydetailed
planningprocessshouldprecedeanyschoolconstructioninthedistrict.

85

Ithinksmallerclassroomsarebetterforkidstolearnin.Toobig,kidsgetlostandleft
behind.

86

Ibelievestronglythatanelementaryschoolshouldbegrades16andcappedat
around360studentssothattheexperienceisunifiedforthestudentwithminimal
buildingtransitions.Ibelievethisgreatlyenhancesthestudent'sexperienceaswellas
thestudent'srelationshipswithfellowstudents,teachers,andadministrators.Atthe
sametime,Iunderstandthefinancialneedsofthedistrict,butIbelievewithsome
creativity,bothneedscanbemet.

19

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
87
Dropoffandpickupforparentswillbeverydifficultwithlargernumbersofkids(750)
inaschool.
88

Everystudythehaveread,everyeducatorIhaveheardfrom,saysthatelementary
schoolswith400studentsorfewerarebetterschoolsallaroundsocially,
academically,socioeconomically,communitywise.Itisalsomypersonalexperience
thatthisisso.Ivolunteerintheschoolsandhaveforfourandahalfyearsnow.Our
schoolisaveryhappyone,inspiteofitsproblems.Yes,wewantourteacherstohave
theschoolbuildingstheywant/deserve.Itisveryimportantthatweputthestudents
FIRSTthough.Thecostbenefitanalysismustbeviewedfromachild'sperspectiveand
reflectthedemographicsofAmherst.Achildwouldwanttobeinthesameschoolas
hissiblingforall7grades.Achildandherbrother,inAmherstfromanothercountryfor
oneyearorwhileherparentsearnadegreeatUMass,willbothfaremuchbetterifthe
schoolissmallishANDtheycanbeinthesameschool.Anygivenchildwouldthrivein
asmallerschool(3classespergraderatherthan7)becausealthoughoneclassper
gradehasthedrawbackofnotofferingenoughpotentialfriendstochoosefrom,itis
difficulttomakemeaningfulconnectionswith*anyone*whentherearetoomanykids
inthecohort.ThismayseemlikeIthinkfriendshipsaremoreimportantthan
academics,butitismorethatIbelieveastrongfamilialenvironmentisextremely
conducivetolearning.

Ifwecannothaveeverything,wemustprioritize.Thefactis,intheabsenceofMSBA,
naturallythetownwouldberesponsibleforupdatingtheelementaryschools.Whata
*gift*thatwecandooneoftheschoolsNOWatadiscount!Thatmeansthetownhas
moremoneytospendonFortRiver!IwouldlovetohaveFortRiverdoneatthesame
time,butthosewhocrythatfixingonlyWildwoodis"notequitable"ignorethefact
thatFortRiverdidreceivefundingforrenovationswithinthepastfewyears.Yes,I
agreethatFortRiverneedstobetakencareof.Ijustdon'tthinkitshouldbetaken
careofinawaythatservesthefinancialaimsofaninstitutionandpleasestheadultsat
theexpenseofthesecurityandcomfort(inwhichatmospherelearningisbestserved)
ofthestudentsitwassupposedlymadefor.JustbecauseMSBAwillonlyfundaschool
largeenoughtofit360studentsdoesnotmeanthatthenew/renovatedWildwood
canNOTbemadelargeenoughtoaccommodateWildwood'scurrentstudents.The
schoolcanbemadetospecforthecurrentWildwoodpopulation(what,twomore
classrooms?)atlittlecosttothetownandwithnoneedtoredistrictstudentsfrom
Wildwood.

I'mnoeconomist,butI'veheardtheargumentthatfixingWildwoodandnotFortRiver
willdecreaseFortRiverdistricthousevalues.TowhichIsay:1)unlikelyitismore
likelythatWildwoodvalueswouldincrease,alongwiththeirtaxbills(areFortRiver
parentsaskingforhighertaxbills?);and2)evenifthatweretrue,isthatavalidreason
tocompromisethechildren'seducation?Iamdubiousthatthecostsofrenovationare
moreexpensivethannewconstruction.Iamsuspiciousofthesalespitchputupbythe
architects.AlltheparentsI'vespokenwithjustwantaquality,simpleschoolthat
maintainsthesmallcommunitythatwealreadyhave.Thatmeans,giveusasturdy,
cleanschoolwithadesignthathasacousticseparation,naturallight,heatwhenit's

20

Comment
Number

Comment/Question
cold,coolingwhenit'sveryhot,updatedelectricalpanels,energyefficiency...Welike
Wildwood,butweacknowledgethatthosewhoworkthereneedupdatedfacilities
(we'renotsurewhat"stateoftheart"reallymeans,butwewantourchildrenraised
andeducatedbypeople,nottechnology).Thankyouforyourconsideration.

89

1:IoriginallythoughtcombiningWW&FRintoawingedbiggerschoolmakesthe
mostsense.Butmyfriendandveteranteacherwhohasbeenthruthisprocesshas
influencedmyopinionbyadvocatingforkeepingsmallerschools.Hethinksitsbetter
torebuildWWnow,andrebuildFRwhenpossible.2:Mywifeattendedanaudit
sessionaboutcapitalbudgetsforschools,andwondersifitwouldbepossibleto
rebuildFRaswell.Insummary:IvoteforoptionA.Idon'tliketheinequitythiswould
createbetweenWW&FR,butit'sbetterthanreconfiguration.Let'srebuildWWnow,
andrebuildFRasap.Butifthisisn'tfeasible,thenIvoteforoptionB.Let'shave
futurekidsbeinoneschoolforK6thiswouldkeepCFasitis,avoidingtransitioning
afterK/1,andnotseparatesiblings.IthoughtoptionCsoundedgood,butkeepingCF
asaindependentschoolwinsviathesmallcommunityschoolfactor.

90

Despiteprojectionsforsmallerschoolpopulationsisconsiderationbeinggiventothe
factthatatsomepointintimepopulationswillmoveup.Amherstisdesirableforis
emphasisonqualityeducation.Newbuildingswillonlyenhancethis.Ifwebuildit,
theywillcome!IhavefirsthandexperiencewiththisinthenewhighschoolthatI
teach.Despiteprojectionsthatsaidthepopulationwasstableandevenpotentially
decreasing,within10yearsofbuildinganincrediblenewhighschoolthefacilityisnow
atmaxcapacity.

91

AheartfeltthankyoutotheSchoolCommitteeandadministrationforallthetimeand
careyou'vetakenwiththisproject.Anewelementaryschoollargelyfundedbythe
stateisagreatopportunityforAmherst.Ihopewedon'tlosesightofthatfact,even
asweallhavedifferentpreferencesregardingthedetailsofhowtheschoolanddistrict
shouldbestbeconfigured.

92

Iwouldliketoknowwhatmodelsordataeachoftheseoptionsarebasedonthat
providesupportforthebenefitsandpossibledisadvantagesonthechildreninthese
schools.Ithinkit'simportanttokeepthegradelevelstogether,however,ifthereis
evidencethatsuggestthatdividingtheschoolsintoPreK1and26wouldbeinsome
waybeneficialIwouldbemoreopentotheidea.

21

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
93
Iamsadtoseesomanypeople(parents)onlybeinginterestedintheirownchildrens
personalpreferenceratherthanrecognizingthebigpictureandwhatwouldbebestfor
thecommunityandallthechildreninAmherst.Lookingatthethreeelementary
schoolsnowwealreadyhaveaseperationbetweenwhocanefforttolivewheretoget
theirkidsinthe'best'school.Iamexcitedaboutthisnewopportunityforourtownto
growtogetherasastrongcommunitywithchildrenhopefullystayingtogetherwith
theirfriendsovermanygradetransitionsandnotbeingsendofftodifferentschools.I
amexcitedabouttheopportunitythiswillopenuptothechildrenandtotheteachers.
Thankyouforallyourhardworkandextratimeyouareinvestingtofindthebest
possiblesolutionforEVERYONEinthistown!
94

TheUnifiedDistrictseemstomakethemostsense.However,whathappensinsidethe
buildingonceitisbuiltshouldbeleftuptotheschoolanddistrictleadership.Though
decidedlybetterandmoreequitableforallinvolved,therearestillunique
disadvantagestobothOptionsC&D.Ifthisisthedirectionthatwego(andIbelieveit
shouldbe),thenIwilllooktoourverycapableschoolpersonneltomakethebest
decisionforourchildren.

95

Ifoptioncanddcost$20,000moreintransportation,IwonderhowmuchmoreCO2
theschooldistrictwouldemit.

96

Iopposegradereconfiguration.IwanttomaintainthreesmallK6schoolsinour
community.Idonotunderstandwhywearenotconsideringwaystoimprove/rebuild
bothWildwoodandFortRiverindividually.Idon'tthinkanelementaryschoolof750
studentsisnecessaryorbeneficialforoursmallcommunity.Ithinkweshouldusethe
MBSAfundstorebuildWildwoodnowandconcurrentlydevelopaplantorebuildFort
Riverwithinthenext47years.FundingtherebuildingofFortRiverwouldoccur
througheitherfutureMBSAapprovalorthroughthetown.Thisissuchanimportant
issue.Let'snotlockourselvesintomanydecadesofa750studentelementaryschool.
Let'sfigureouthowtocontinuetohavethreegreatsmallelementaryschoolswith
closeknitcommunitiesofstudents,teachers,andparentsineachbuilding.

97

Equityofthechoicesareveryimportanttome,intermsofensuringthatallstudents,
regardlessofbackgroundorneeds,haveaccesstothebestlearningenvironment
possible.Ialsovalueneighborhoodcontactsthatsupportfriendshipsandreallylikethe
neighborhoodmodelofschools.

98

ItisimportanttochoseOptionDasitmeetstheneedsofeverychildinthistown
despitetheirdemographicfactorsincludingspecialeducationservices.Instill
"Amherst"communityinourelementaryschoolsinsteadofdefiningourselvesbythree
separatezones.

22

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
99
honestly,thefactorsquestionistotallyconfusingandIamnotsurehowyouwill
interprettheresults.Inadditionthe1pagerisfullofjargonandbiased.therereally
shouldhavebeenanoptionforpeopletoaddadditionalfactorsin.Forme,the
capacityforfamiliestobuildlongtermrelationshipswithfacultyandstaffandother
familiesintheschool,sochildrenhaveastrongsenseofbelongingandsafetyand
familyengagementisstrengthenedacrosstheK6years,isveryimportant.Thatisan
importantreasontokeeptheK6orpreK6model.
100

Thankyou,Ifoundthesummarysheetextremelyhelpful.Ithinktheschoolcommittee
hashandledthisprocessveryprofessionallyandwiththebestinterestsofthetown,
thestudents,andtheteachersinmind.OptionCorDwouldcreateamajor
transportationconcernforourfamily,wouldsplitoursiblingsamongmultipleschools,
andwouldforceoneofourchildrentoundergo4schooltransitionsinthesametown
in4consecutiveyears.Therefore,ourfamilywouldrespectfullyopposethoseoptions,
thoughwewouldcertainlybeunderstandingiftheywerebetterforotherfamilies.I
was,however,quitesurprisedbytherelativeadvantagesofOptionBuponcomparing
amongoptionsonthesummarysheet.OptionBallowsmanyofthestudentlearning
andhealthadvantagesofOptionsCandDacousticprivacy,ADAcompliance,peer
mentoring,teachercollaborationalongwithsimilarfinancialadvantagesforthetown,
whilehavingfarlessimpactintermsofnumberoftransitions,additionalkidsonlong
bustrips,andputtingfamiliesinthesituationofhavingmultiplekidsatmultiple
schools(therebyseparatingsiblings,makingdailyfamilylogisticsharder,etc.).It
seemsthatwhileOptionBisnotperfect,itaccomplishesthemostimportant
educational,health,safety,andfinancialgoalswhilehavingthelowestimpactand
disruptionforthetownandindividualfamilies.Itallowsthemostfamiliestocontinue
tohavemodern,healthy,safe,andimportantlylocalschools.SoIwouldurgethe
towntostronglyconsiderOptionB.Thankyou.

23

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
101
Itisalwaysdifficulttoanswerthesekindsofsurveyswhenyou'reaskedtorank
options,butyourtrulypreferredchoiceisnotonthelist.SoIhopethedistrictis
carefulwheninterpretingtheanswers.Forinstanceifanoptiontohavetwonew,
separateschoolstobebuilttoreplaceeachofWildwoodandFortRiver,wasincluded
ontherankingoptions,youmayhavereceivedcompletelydifferentanswershere.
MyFIRSTchoicewouldbetobuildtwoseparateschoolstoreplaceWildwoodandFort
River.Ithinkitremainsconfusingtomanyparents,whyifFortRiverhasseveremold
andhealthissues,theboardofhealthhasnotbeenbroughtin.Iftherearetrulysevere
healthissuesarisingfromthatschool,thenthetownshouldseriouslyconsider
addressingthat.Itisaverysimpletotestformoldandfungusandsuch...It'sasifthe
townisnotwantingtodothatforfearsomescarytruthbediscovered.

SoIleanheretodaytowardsanewjointschool,notbecauseIwantthatoptionasmy
firstchoice,butbecauseIwantFortRivertobeaddressed.Ihearfromstaffthere,the
conditionsarescary.That'swrongandtrulyanembarrassmentthatthetownhasnot
dealtwiththat.Pleasebecleartothecommunityhowyouwilldealwiththehealth
issuesatFortRiver.Ifyouhavehadtestingdone,thenpleaseclearupthestorieswith
evidence.Ifyouhavenotdonetestingthendoit.Otherwise,pleasecommunicate
clearlytothetownWHENFortRiverwillbeaddressed.

Finally,yearsagotherewasdiscussionaboutmultiplezonedschoolsK1,26,etc.I
didn'tlikeittheneither,becausewith3children,ourfamilyknewthatwewould
struggletogetchildrentoall3school,have3administrations,principals,PGOs,events,
lackoffamilyunityatthesmallerfeelingschools,etc.Allreasonsmentionedbyothers
before.Thecombinedcurricularopportunities/benefitsarenotconvincingformeto
drivestudentsallovertownformultiplezonedschool.Thinkofthepoor5yearold
wholiveswayupnorthridingallthewaytoCrockereachday.That'sridiculous.Ithink
thestudentsarefinerightwheretheyare.

102

Ingoodconscience,weneedtoreplacebothFortRiverandWildwoodforhealthand
educationalreasons.FortRiverairquality,buildingqualityandsoundqualityaremajor
issuesthataffectthehealthandwellbeingofstudentsandteachers.

103

Pleaselistentoyourconstituentsanddon't"fix"whatisn'tbroken.Keepthethree
elementaryschoolsintheirpresentlocations,eachofwhichisembeddedinasmall
andintimatecommunitythatpeopledeeplycherish.A"community"of750studentsis
notacommunity.Themoneysavedinthenextfewyearsfromfollowingthis(actually
morefiscallyresponsible)option,togetherwithanother(hopefullysuccessful)
applicationtothestateinayearortwo,canbeusedforrebuildingFortRiverindue
course.

104

Mychildrenhaveattendedmixedgradeschools.Wehavenoticedthatwasthemix
wasaburdenonbothsidesandaplanningnightmareforadministrators

24

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
105
Whyisparentfeedbackonlybeingsoughtnow?AndwhyisourelectedSchool
Committeesohesitanttoquestionthefrequentlyillconsideredandreactivepolicy
makingandplanningthathascharacterizedtheAmherstschooladministrationover
thepast3+years?BuildingamegaschoolforallofAmherstandPelham'selementary
agedschoolstudentswouldresultinalogisticalnightmare,wouldn'timprovelearning
outcomesatall,andwoulddestroytheentirenotionofneighborhoodbased
schooling.
106

IthinktheidealwouldobviouslybetoreplacebothWildwoodandFortRiversince
theyarebotholdandflawedbuildings.Butsincethat'snotanoption,Ithinkitis
criticalthatALLchildreninAmherstbenefitfromthisonceinagenerationinvestment.
Idon'tknowallthebenefits/drawbacksofhavingkidsofdiverseagestogether,butI
dothinktherearebenefitstohavingchildrenofbroadagerangesworkingtogether,
especiallyiftheolderkidscanhelpmentortheyoungerkids.

107

IseeprosandconsinbothOptionsBandDwhichIrankedfirstandsecond.For
OptionB,Iamconcernedabouttherebeingrivalrybetweenthetwoschoolsinone
buildingandtalkofonewingbeing"better"thantheother.ForOptionD,Iam
concernedaboutnothavingK1inthesameschoolastheothergrades.

108

IstronglyfavoroptionDsothatthegreatestnumberofstudentshavetheopportunity
tobeinanewschoolthatisahealthierandbetterplannedlearningenvironment,and
tohavethewingsorganizedbyagelevel.WhilemyprimaryconcernasanAmherst
citizenistheoverallplanningforthefutureoftheschools,Ialso(ofcourse)think
abouttheimpactonourfamily,inparticularachildofourswhowillbeveryaffected
bythetransitionsin20182020.Notably,hewillbeatCFforprekin2017,thenFRfor
Kin2018,thenwiththenewmodelhewouldgobacktoCFforG1in2019,thenatthe
newschoolforG2in2020.Iimaginethereareafew,butprobablynotalot,offamilies
inthissituation.Iwouldliketomakeapleaforconsideringdistrictingexceptionsfora
yearortwoduringthetransition.Forinstance,ifourchildcouldstayatCFfor
KindergartenratherthanswitchingCFFRCF,hewouldonlyexperienceonetransition,
fromCFtothenewschoolashestartsgrade2,asopposedto3differentschoolsin4
years.Iurgeyoutostronglyconsiderthesekindsofexceptionsduringthetransitionto
thenewmodel,ifyoudoendupdecidingonoptionsCorD.Thankyouverymuchfor
allyoureffortsandplanning.

109

OneconcernIhaveaboutasharedbuildingistheuseofsharedspaces,suchasa
cafeteria.IheardthatitwouldsavemoneytosharespacessuchasacafeteriaetcbutI
amwonderinghowthatwouldworkoutlogistically.Myexperiencehasbeenthereis
neverenoughtimeforeveryonetohavelunchinonespaceletalonesharingit
amongst650+students.Wouldtheroombeextralarge?Hasthisbeenconsideredin
thelargeschooloptions?Wouldkidsbeeatinglunchextremelyearlyorlatebecauseit
isasharedspace.Thanks.

25

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
110
1.Thesurvey'srankingoftopthreeprioritiesincludessuchitemsas"Healthy"
environmentforstudentsandteachers.Thisstrikesmeasfundamental,notoptional.
2.ThissetofoptionsseemsabitbiasedtowardoptionsC&D.Theinforegarding
projectedsavingsofunifiedoptionsandtheimpossibilityofprovidingequityacrossthe
districtoutsidetheunifiedproposals.Mypreferenceisforsmallerseparateschools,
sincetheyfosterabettersenseofcommunityandultimatelyservestudentsand
teachersbetter.3.Myconcernwith"unified"schooloptionsisthat,althoughsuch
scenariospromisetoyieldeconomicandadministrativebenefitsbyconsolidating
resources,thereareveryrealdangersofoverloadingoroverextendingworkloadsand
offuturerestrictionsonresources.E.g.,anumberofstaffmembersperforma
particularfunctionintheschool,andtheyareabletodosowithrobust,flexible,and
completeservice.Then,duetobudgetconstraintsdowntheroad,staffpositionsare
cut,leavingagreaterloadonfewerstaffmembers,whoseperformancewillnecessarily
belimitedasaresult.Thisisthetrendwithmanyconsolidationplansofthiskind,and
itwouldhurteducationinAmherst.
111

Theseschoolsexistfor3040yearsthedecisionshouldkeepinmindthelongterm
lastingimpactitwillhaveonthecommunity.Iftheidealsituationistokeepthree
schools,butthatmeansFortRiverhastowaitanother510yearsfortheirschooltobe
rebuilt,inthelongrun,thatseemsworththewait.

112

Ithinkit'simportanttoconsiderwhatisbestforstudents,NOTmerelywhatisbestfor
thebudgetorfortheadministrationorforthedistrict.

113
114

goodlucktryingtopleaseevery1
Comment:AtsomepointourdistrictneedstocometotermswithLONGTERMvision
buildingthatincludesfundingtorepairoutofdatebuildingmaintancecosts.Thereis
noreasonwhyacommunityneedstobuilda102050milliondollarbuildingafter40
50years.Thetaxburdenonfixedincomecommunitymembersaregoingtobehard
pressedtoapproveanyplanthatdoesn'thavelongtermvisioncastingthatincludes
itemssuchasaNEWboiler,ventilationorelectricalgridsystems.ALSO,whynotopen
uptheclassroomstobesingleclassrooms?allowinglightandsimplifyingthelayoutof
WildwoodandFortRiver?buildonthefootprintwealreadyhaveratherthan
reconfiguringtheentiresystem.

115

Whyistherenooptionforcreatingarenovationbudgetandgraduallyimprovingboth
schools?Whereisthereevidencethatthis"21stcenturylearning"isanimprovement?
Isn'tthiswhatwassaidin1970with"openclassrooms"whenWildwoodwasbuilt?
Wealreadyhaveveryhighachievingschoolswithanextremelyhighperstudentcostis
thereevidencethatweareslippingorthatthiswillgreatlyimproveouralreadyhigh
standinginachievement?Icouldseeamarginalschooldistrictlookingtomakealarge
jumpbutanalreadyexcellentschoolsystemshouldbeexamininglessexpensiveways
toboostperformancelevelswhenthegainsaresominor.Thisisaskingtoomuchof
townspeopletopayforthis,withverylittlepotentialgain.

26

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
116
Itookthissurveytoexpressoneidea:Noschoolsshouldbecombined.Eachschool
shouldremainwiththecurrentgradesandweshouldkeepourneighborhood
communitiesatthecurrentsizesoweactuallyknowourneighborsandfeelweare
partofaneighborhoodschoolwhichpromotescommunityfarbeyondtheschoolitself.

Thelastquestionofthesurveyis,inmyview,aninappropriatequestioninthatit
impliesthatallplansmaybelikedinvaryingdegrees.Manyofusarefillingoutthis
surveyjusttosaythatwedonotlikeplansB,C,orD;however,thesurveywillnot
allowustosubmitanyresponsesatallwithoutprovidingaranking.Idonotwantmy
rankingoftheplanstobeusedinanywaytosupporttheideathatPlanB(oranyother
plan)wasthesecondvotegetterandthereforeshouldbeimplemented.Itislike
askingpeopletorankwhethertheywouldliketoA)live;B)diebyhanging;C)dieby
cyanide;D)diebylethalinjection.ManyofusdonotsupportoptionsBDinanyway,
shapeormanner.(Irecognizethisisnotthesameasthedeathpenalty,butthis
illustratesmypoint.)Whenchoosingfactorsthatinfluenceourdecision,Iwouldhave
likedtohavetheoptionof"other"whereIcouldhavewrittenthatIcareabout
maintainingourneighborhoodcommunitieswithourneighborhoodschools.Icare
aboutmaintainingaschoolbuildingthathasacomfortablysizednumberofchildren
goinginandoutofitsdoorseverydaysoourchildrendonotfeelliketheyareentering
acityofstudents,butrathertheirsmallerneighborhoodschool.

Thecostsavingsquestionisalsomisleading.Itimpliesthatanyonewhocaresabout
fiscalresponsibilityshouldchooseplansB,CorD.ButwhatifplansB,C,andDresult
ina1020%lossofstudentsfromthepublicschoolsystem,thenwhatisthecost?
Whataretheotherhiddencostsforourcommunity?Thereismuchliteratureabout
howmaintainingneighborhoodschoolsisoneofthemostimportantfactorsfor
maintaininghealthyneighborhoods.Healthycommunitiesarepartofwhymanyofus
livehere.Erodingourneighborhoodschoolsystemwouldhaveasignificant
detrimentaleffectonourqualityoflifeandourneighborhoods.Ifoneisinterestedin
concretestatistics,Ireadonearticlethatsaiddisruptionofneighborhoodschools
reducedpropertyvaluesinthatcommunityby9%.Ithinkyourcostsavings'question
isshortsightedand,ifyouimplementplansB,CorD,in10yearsthecostofchildren
leavingthepublicschoolswillshowtheerrorofyourcurrentfinancialanalysis.Asone
parenttoldmetoday,ifthesechangesareimplemented,itwillmeanmorechildren
willleavethepublicschoolsystemgoingtoHartsbrook,theCommonSchool,the
ChineseCharterSchool,etc.(Ifmychildwereyounger,hemightwellbeoneofthose
childrenifyouconsolidatetheschools.)Thatwillmeanlargerclasssizesforthosewho
remaininthepublicschoolswhichisoneofthebiggestindicatorsforundermining
qualityeducation,nottomentionunderminingteachers'workingconditions.These
arerealcostsforourchildren'slearningenvironment.

IwouldhavelikedthesurveytohaveofferedaclearerandsimplerOptionAsuchas
"Maintainthecurrentsystem(andmaybeevenrenovateWildwoodasneededwithout
replacingitinitsentirety,thoughIcanacceptthatitmaybeinsuchdisrepairthatit
makesmoresensetoreplaceit).TherewasaRandomSurveyconductedofmorethan

27

Comment
Number

Comment/Question
600AmhersthouseholdsaspartoftheleaduptotheMasterPlanseveralyearsago.It
canbefoundatthislink:
https://www.amherstma.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/1648Thebottomlineof
thesurveywasthis:"Overall,theserandomsurveyresultsindicatecitizensatisfaction
withthetownasitis."Thisisthewillofourcommunity.WhatyouareproposinginB,
CandDiscontrarytothewilloftheAmherstpeopleasgleanedfromtherandom
surveywhichisthelargestneutralpollIknowoffromourcommunityinrecentyears.

Mygreatfearisthatasmallgroupofpeopleispushingthismajorchangeinour
children'seducationsystemagainstthewillofthevastmajority(manyofwhomwon't
takethetimetofilloutthissurvey).Intalkingaboutthisissuetootherparents,not
oneparenthassaidtheyliketheideaofcombiningschools.Theadministratorsand
thesmallgrouppushingthesebigchangesshouldlistentothelargenumberofparents
whoarevehementlyopposedtothesechanges.Mysenseisthatthoseopposedwould
includeatleastamajorityofparentsandprobablyasupermajority.Pleasedonot
pushthroughanyconsolidationofschoolssincethatwouldundermineour
neighborhoods,leavesomefeelingliketheyhavenohealthychoiceotherthantoleave
thepublicschoolsystemandcausegreatdivisioninourcommunity.Pleasekeepthe
currentschoolsastheyare.

Thankyouforaskingouropinionandforgivingusthisspacetospeakinourown
words.

117

IfOptionDcanbeputintoplace,itwillresolveequity,providequalitylearning
environments,reducedistrictexpenses,aidteachercollaboration,providepeergroups
thatremainintactthroughoutstudenteducation,allowSpecialServicestosupport
studentsasneededandupdateourwholesystem.Itmodifiesthecommunityschool
modelbutfeelswarmandinclusivebecauseeveryonegainsequallyintheend.While
theremaybesomedifficultyinpeopleadjustingtheirthinking,Ithinkthischoice
wouldultimatelybenefitthemostpeopleonceitisinplace.

118

Ireceivedthisthroughmychild'sdaycarenewsletter,butIalmostoverlookedit.Iwish
Iwouldhavebeensenttheinfoaboutthesurveyearlierandmoredirectlyfromthe
SchoolCommittee.

119

Assomeonewhoconductssurveysprofessionally,Iamcertainthisimplementwasnot
wellpreparedtoaccuratelypollthepublic.Thisappearsmoretobeanexercise
placatecriticsratherthansolicitobjectiveopinions.

120

IamaparentwithchildrenintheAmherstsystembutIalsoteachinthepublicschools
(notinAPRS).Iknowthatthingscanlookverydifferentfromtheparentsperspective
thantheteachersandadmin.Pleaseconsidertheinputoftheteacherscurrentlyinthe
district.Theissuenotaddressedinthissurvey:Iwantasystemthatcanattractand
retainqualityteachersandprincipals.Thankyouforthechancetogiveinput.

28

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
121
Allstudents,faculty,staff,families,communitymembersdeservesafe,healthy,
equitable,successfullearningenvironmentsandinstitutionsgradesK12.Amherst
deservesthat,futuregenerationsdeservethat.Howdowepreventthese
shortcomings(intermsoffinances,facilities,andeducationalvision)fromhappening
againgoingforward?
122

IamnotinfavorofOptionBorCatallbecauseoftheimplicationofseparationof2
distinctwingsforeitherk6orforgrades26.Whydoestheirneedtobeaseparation?
ThisiswhyIputthemasmythirdorlastchoice.IfIhadhadtheoptionIwouldnot
haveincludedthematallonmylistofpreferences.

123

Theadministrationhasdonenothingtoexplainwhyhavingoneschool(insteadoftwo)
isbeneficialintermsofthequalityoftheireducation.HowdoesoneschoolhelpALL
thestudentsinthedistrict?Also,theyhaven'taddressedtheimplicationsofsharinga
gym,cafeteria,library,theaterspace,playgroundintermsofTIMEallowedineach
space.Makingonebigschoollimitscommunalspace.Howwillourchildrenbe
affected?Willthesixgradershavetohavelunchat2PM?Willtherebeenoughspace
fortheaterprogramsforallthegrades?Whereisthebenefittothislayout?

124

IamsomewhatneutralonoptionsBandCIpreferDbecauseitseemstomakethe
mostsenseasitbalancesthelearningenvironment(specificallyliketheseparationof
grades5/6)andfinancialconsiderations.OptionAisreallyanonstarterasitwillbe
significantnegativeimplicationsparticularlyforfamiliesintheFortRiverdistrict.

125

Itisimportantforallstudentstogotoaschoolthatisinahealthyenvironmentwhere
theyareabletoattendtoinstructionwiththeleastamountofdistractions.Thereare
sofewchildrenthatwalktoschoolthattheideaofaneighborhoodschoolisnota
realityinAmherst.ItwouldbeunjusttoleaveFt.Riveroutofgettinganewschool
becausesomepeoplefeelliketheabilityoftheirchildtowalktoschoolismore
importantthanthehealthandwelfareofstudentsatFt.River.

126

Ithinkitisveryimportanttolimitthenumberoftransitionsandtobolsterasenseof
communityforyoungchildren.Weneedtokeepinmindthefactorsthatenhance
learningforourchildrenandnotbeblindedbypotentialcostsavings.Amherstisa
communityknownforitsstrongschools.Let'skeepitthatway.OptionsCandDseem
appallingtome,andcouldbequitedetrimentaltothesenseofcommunity(splitting
upsiblings,splittingupneighborhoodandcommunityfriends,etc.).Transitionsusually
slowdownthelearningprocess.Thelatteroptionsdonotstrikemeasbeneficialfor
ourchildren.

29

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
127
Whatresearchhasbeendoneabouttheimpactonlearningandwellbeingofone
largeschool?HowdoweknowthiswillbeOK?Iwillstronglyconsideraprivateor
charterschooliftheschoolCommitteeapprovesthemegaschooloption.Howisit
feasibleforonelargeschooltosharecommonareassuchasacafeteriaand
auditorium,orwilleachwinghaveitsowncafeteria,auditorium,gym,recessarea?
Wherewillstudentsgowhileconstructiontakesplace?Wherewillsuchalargeschool
belocated?WhataboutreplacingFortRiveraswell,withinthenextfewyears?Whyis
thisnotbeingdiscussedasanoption?
128

Welovethesmall,neighborhoodelementaryschoolsinAmherst.Theseschoolsbuild
communityandhelpchildrenadjusttotheirnewandchangingsocialsettings.The
officestaff,paraprofessionals,teachers,administratorsknowthechildrenbyname.
Wehopethatyou'llmaintainthesesmallschoolsevenifredistrictingisrequired.
Thankyou.

129

I'mnotsureitiscleartoeveryonereadingthesurveythattheimplicationofoptionA
wouldbetoleaveF.Riverstudentsinanagingbuildingwithouthopeofhelp!(butI
couldn'topenuptheonepagepdfduetotechnologicalchallenges!)

130

IbelievetheschoolcommitteeshouldproceedwiththeoriginalWildwoodbuilding
planthatwassubmittedandapproved.

131

Theonlyoptionthatistrulyequitableisoption3or4.Anyotherchoiceisnot
consistentwithourdedicationtomakingdecisionsinthebestinterestofall.

132

Thissurveyisanunfortunatehastyattempttogathersupportingdataforbaddecision
making.Nooneisfooledbythelackofeducationalmeritinanyoftheproposalsto
eliminateneighborhoodschoolsandthecommunitiesforgedbyhavingseparateK6
elementaryschools.Thelastredistrictingandclosureofanelementaryschoolresulted
infamiliesleavingthedistrict.Proposalstoeliminatecurrentseparatek6elementary
schoolswillresultinmorefamilydepartures.Youneedtoaskwhyfamiliesarefleeing
Amherstpublicschoolsforcharterandprivateschoolsandaddressthatinsteadofjust
quotingadiminishingbudgetwhichwillcontinuetodiminishasfurtherbaddecisions
arepushedthrough.Theseproposalspresentaverysorryandshortsightedpictureof
whatispossible.ReplaceWildwoodandcontinuetoworktowardfindingwaysof
updatingFortRiver.Donotreconfiguretheelementaryschools.Stoppretendingto
includethecommunityindecisions.Itisirresponsibletoactsohastilywhenthe
consequencesaresosignificant.Manyfamiliesarenotevenawareofthispost
holidaysurvey.Proceedinathoughtfulwaywithintegrityanddonotramthese
unfortunateoptionsdownthethroatsoffamilieswhohavesuchahugestakeintheir
children'seducation.

30

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
133
Iwouldliketostronglyurgethecommitteetoactuallylistentothefeedback.Thereisa
strongsenseamongthecommunitythatapretenseisbeingmadeofsolicitinglotof
feedbackandthenignoringallofittovoteforwhatthehigherupswanttodo.Ihave
listenedcarefullyandreadalotofdocuments,butremainunconvincedthatcreating
giganticschoolswith"multiplewings"istherightapproachforagoodelementary
education.Ratherthankeepingwhatworkswell(i.e.,smallneighborhoodschools)and
fixingonlywhatneedstobefixed,theschoolsystemhasembarkedonyetanother
misconceivedproject.Thisstartedasaprojectto"fix"wildwoodandshouldremainas
such.OnlyoptionAisreallytherightonetoconsiderinmyhumbleopinion.Sincerely,
Averyconcernedparent.
134

Ifthe"big"newbuildingisbuilt,itisimportantthatthesameamountofresources
continuetobedirectedtoit(asWildwoodandFortRivercurrentlyreceive).When
consolidatingthereisatendencytoslowlyerodesupport...forexamplethinkthatwe
cangetawaywithonelessjanitororadministrator.Thankyoufordoingthissurvey.
Muchappreciated.Goodluckwiththerestofthisprocess.

135

Iamterriblyupsetaboutallofthis.Idon'twantmychildrentransitioningsomany
times.Iwillbemovingmychildrentoanotherschoolifthishappens.Whataterrible
idea.ThelessofalloftheevilsisJUSTreplacingWildwood,butIdonotwantmy
childreninalargeschoolthatincludeskidsfromotherschools.Disappointedin
Amherst.

136
137

Pleasekeeptheschoolsizesmall,wedonotneedamegaschool.
IthasalwaysbeeninequitablethatFtRiverhousestheAIMSprogramandBuilding
Blocks.Allstudents(specialeducationandthosenotreceivingservices)shouldhavea
similarexperienceinregardstosetting,community,andeducation.Ihaveheardfrom
toomanyWildwoodparentsthattheydonotwanttheschoolsmergedbecausethey
donotwanttheirchildreninschoolwiththeBuildingBlockandAIMSprograms.For
toolong,propertyvalueshavebeentiedintowhathasbeenconsideredthe"strongest
elementaryschool(withouttheheavyspecialneedsprograms).Thiswouldevenout
andcreatelesscompetitionamongelementaryschoolsandfamilies.Oneschoolisno
betterthantheothers,andithasbeenunfair,andunjustforeachelementaryschool
tocarryanegativereputation.TheairqualityinbothFtRiverandWildwoodarepoor,
andbothbuildingsneedtoberepairedduetohealthreasons.Ft.Riverisliterally
fallingapart(bucketsinclassunderleakyceilings,etc).Combiningschoolswouldalso
givetheteachersachancetosharetheirexperiencesandcollaborateonvarious
teachingmethods.Ithasbeenunfairforwaytoolong,forFtRivertobetheschool
withthemostcomplexspecialeducationprograms.DuetothequadsetupatFtRiver,
thereisasuboptimalenvironmentforspecialeducationstudentsduetosensory
issues(sightsomeroomshavenowindow,soundnoisecarryoverfromroom
partitions,aswellasaconstantmildew/moldsmellthatcanreallyeffectkidswhoare
sensitivetoexternalstimuli).PleasevotetofixFtRiveraswellasWildwood.All
childrendeserveanequalchance,andacleanenvironmentinwhichtolearn.

31

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
138
WhatotherschooldistrictmodelshasAmherstusedinordertomakethesedecisions?
Whatoutsideconsultantshavebeenused?Aretherestudiesthatbackuptheseplans
asthebestoptions?Onanothernote,Iamalittleconcernedaboutgunviolenceand
safetyifallkidsareinoneschool.Idonotwantschooltofeeloverlylargeand
impersonalformykids.Ifearlosingtheintimacyofthethreesmallerschoolsbut
recognizetheproblemsinthedesignofthesebuildingsforlearningandteaching
effectively.
139
140

MyvotewillbeNOtoall
Asaparentwithaprekchildinalocalprivateprogramwhowouldbeslatedtogoto
FortRiver,thestateoftheschoolbuildingisadealbreakertous.Ifthatisn't
remedied,wewouldhaveourchildcontinueinprivateschool(likelymovingoutof
Amherst)orattendacharterschooltoavoidthecurrentsituation.Amherstdoesnot
haveaclassicneighborhoodschoolmodelstudentscannotwalktotheirlocalschool.
Giventhis,Idon'thaveanissuewithconsolidationtoalargerbuilding,butitmustbea
healthyteaching/learningenvironmentthatenablesstudentsandstafftodotheirjob
tothebestoftheirability.

141

Mychildrenwillbeoutofelementaryschoolbeforeanynewschoolisbuilt,butIfeel
stronglythatthetownmustmakethebestchoicethatbalancesfinancial
considerations,equityofeducationalofferingstoallstudentsinthetown,and
reasonabletimespentgettingto/fromschoolonthebus.IstheWildwoodsitereally
theonlyfeasibleoptionforwhereanewschoolwillbelocated(asIheardMikeMorris
sayatarecentmeeting)?Ifso,thatreallydisfavorsresidentsfromthemostsouthern
partoftown.

142

1)Reconfigurationisthebestoptiontostemthedistressingtideoffamilieschoosing
theprivateschool/charterschooloptiononatownwidebasis.Abrandnew
elementaryschoolforallAmherstresidentswillbecomeamagnetforfamiliesmoving
totheareatoconsiderpurchasingorrentinginallareasofAmherst,andencourage
themtostickwiththeAmherstsystem.Ifthetownmovesforwardwithaplanto
refurbishorrebuildWildwoodalone,then(i)thetrendoffamiliesintheFortRiver
districtseekingalternativeswillcontinueatthecurrentpaceorevenrise;(ii)less
familieswillseektomoveintotheFortRiverdistrict;(iii)thefamiliescurrentlyin
WildwoodandCrockerFarmthatwillassuredlyberedistrictedintoFortRiverwillopt
outoftheAmherstsystematahigherrate.TheimpactontheentireAmherstsystem,
bothduetothelossofmoneythataccompaniesafamilychoicingoutofdistrictor
optingintoacharterschooland,moreimportantly,thelossoffamilieswithinthe
schoolsystemwhoareactivelyengagedintheschoolcommunityandwiththeir
children'seducation,willbeveryharmfultothesystemasawholeandeveryoneof
theelementaryschools.

2)Myfamilyhasspentmultipleyearsintwoofthethreeelementaryschools.Wehave
beenactivemembersofthecommunityateachofthoseschools,developed
friendships,andhaveenjoyedgettingtoknowandbecomeclosewithagreatnumber
ofteachers,administrators,andfamilies.Andfromthatperspective,Ihaveconcluded

32

Comment
Number

143

Comment/Question
thatIamunconcernedaboutanyharmthatreconfigurationwillcausetoasenseof
communityintheelementaryschoolsystem.Reconfigurationwillactuallyhavethe
effectoffurtherfosteringoftiesamongchildrenthroughouttown.Havinghadmy
childrenin2ofthe3elementaryschoolsintown,andhavingtheminvolvedin
activitiesthroughouttownwithchildrenfromalloverAmherstanditssurrounding
towns,theyhavedevelopedfriendshipswithkidsinmanydifferentschools.Iview
Amherstasmycommunity,notaspecificelementaryschoolorareaoftown.The
quoteunquote"megaschool"(whichwillbesmallerthanmanysuccessfulelementary
schools)willloselittleofthecommunityfeel.Children(andtheirfamilies)willdevelop
strongfriendshipswithkids(andtheirfamilies)fromalloverAmherst,astheydo
currentlythroughscouting,religiousinstitutions,artsactivitiesandsports.Families
willcontinuetohaveeducationalandfuneventstoattendwithotherfamilies.Class
sizeswillhopefullybesmaller(andcertainlywillbemoreconsistent,giventhegreater
flexibilitytoequalizetheeffectsofcurrentlyunequalcohortsizesamongstthe
schools),meaningparentsshouldhavethesameaccesstotheirchildren'steachersand
supportstaff.

3)Expandingononeofthepointsabove,theabilitytobetterregulateandequalize
classsizewithinthegradeswillmeanabettereducationalexperienceformanyofour
children.WhenmychildrenwereatCrockerFarm,weexperiencedthedeleterious
effectsofalargerthandesirableclasssizeduetoacohortthatwastoobigtobesplit
intotwoclassesandtoosmalltobesplitintothree.Theadministrationmadethe
perhapsunderstandable(fromacostperspective)butdisappointingdecisionto
maintainthelargerclassesandusetheextrateachersomewhereelseinthedistrict.I
havenodoubtthatmychildrenhadaworseeducationalexperiencebeinginalarger
thanaverageclass.Reconfigurationwillensurethatallchildreninthedistrictwill
enjoyequivalentclasssizes,avoidingcohortsthatyearoveryearreceiveless
individualizedinstructionfromtheirteachers.

4)Thepotentialforoperationalcostsavingsbycombing3schoolsinto2thatwill
(hopefully)finditswayintotheclassroom.Reconfigurationwill,extratransportation
costsnotwithstanding,meanmoremoneyatthedistrict'sdisposal.Thatcostsavings
mustbepoureddirectlyintothenewelementaryschool.Thatmoneyshouldnotgo
backtogeneraltowncoffers.Thatmoneyshouldnotgoformoreemployeesinthe
centraladministration.Itshouldgotowardfeetonthegroundteachersand
counselorsthatwillmeanextraservicesforchildren,smallerclasssizes,andbetter
individualizedinstruction.
Childrenattheelementaryschoollevellearnbetterinasmallerenvironment.They
lovehavinganeighborhoodschoolnearby.Theydontneedallthefancyupdatesthat
thebuildingprojectsmayhavethatresembleamodernhighschool.

33

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
144
Thissurveyisveryconfusingandthefactorsareverybiasedtowardthe
reconfigurationoptions.Andwithoutmoredetailedinformationprovidedaboutthe
optionsitisdifficulttodecidebetweenthemhowdoeseachimpacttheeducational
curriculum?Willdoingoneofthesechangethecurriculumprovidingmoretimefor
music,art,languages?Whatarethemoredetailedfinancialdifferencesamongthe
models?Howwilltheyimpacttheclassroomexperienceforstudentsfromthosewho
arestrugglingtothosewhoaremoreadvanced?Bigschoolsarepresumablytheworst
intermsofequityasstudentswillbemorelostinabiggerschool,anditiseasierto
buildcrossculturalunderstandinginsmallsettingsastheydoatWildwoodnow.I
wouldhavelikedtoseeadditionalfactorsaboutprotectingtheabilitytowalkto
school,ensuringthatallofelementaryagekidsinafamilycanbeinthesameschool,
environmentalconsiderationsfromenergyefficiencytorebuildingversusnew
constructioncosts,howdotheoptionsaffecttownplanning,suchastrafficflow,
housing,otherusesfortheemptyschool?Whataboutthehugelypopularmentoring
by46gradersofK3students?Orcoordinationamongteacherswhofollowkidsfrom
yeartoyear?Howwilltheseprogramsaffectthat?Whataboutcafeterialines,staffing,
gymtimes,recesstime,schoolstartandendtime,teacherlayoffs?Howwilleachof
theseoptionsaffectthese?

145

InadditiontothewonderfulacademicexperiencesmychildrenhadatFortRiver,some
ofthemanyfactorsthatmademychildren'sexperienceatFortRiverexceptional
included:everyadultintheschoolknewwhotheywere,fromthefrontofficestaffto
thespecialsteacherstoeveryteacherineverygrade,regardlessofwhetherthe
teacherhadspecificallytaughtmychildren;mychildren'sexcitementandanticipation
aboutdoingwhattheolderkidsweredoing;teacherswhokneweachotherwelland
couldcollaboratewitheachotherandadviseaboutplacementforstudents;knowing
allthekidsintheschool.FortRiverisnotasmallschoolbutitfeelslikeasmallschool
becauseofthecommunitythatdevelopswhenpeoplearewitheachothereveryday.
Mykidskneweveryoneintheirgrade,whichwasimmenselyimportantduring
transitiontimesandthestartofthenewschoolyear.Thespecialsteachersknew
taughtmychildrenfromkindergartenuntiltheyretiredormykidsgraduated.Ahuge
schoolwith78classroomspergradewillsimplynotallowforthiskindofcommunity
feel.Thereisnoreasonwhy,inasmalltownlikeAmherst,weshouldbebuildinga
megaschool.Theadministrationhasnotmadeacaseforwhy.Thereisnodata
supportingtheidea.Thefinancialsdon'tevensupportit.Pleasefindanother
"solution".

146

Iwouldsuggestwhendesigningasurveythatyouallowtherespondenttogobackto
futurequestions.IrealizedpartwaythroughIdidnotfullyunderstandoneofthefour
optionsandwasunabletochangearesponse.Thankyouforelicitinginput.This
processhasbeenmorethanabitfrustrating.

34

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
147
BetweentheFiveColleges,wehavesomeofthebestmindsineducationinthe
country.Pleaseaskthemwhatworksbeforerushingin.Ashinynewbuildingwillnot
educateourchildren:goodteachersandcommunitysupportwill.
148

Iwouldhaveselected"veryfavorable"tooptionCorD,ifthegradecutoffwereK2,
asCrockerFarm'searlychildeducationcenter,andthenewtownwidebuildingbeing
36.Ifindittoughtocutoffatgrade1,whenIseepreK2,asfundamental,crucial
learningtoreadyears.Also,withsuchacutoff,theschoolsintownwouldeachhavea
min.of4years,whichallowsforahigherlevelofcommunitybuilding,andmoretime
forteachersandstafftogettoknowthestudentbodyandtheirfamilies;somethingI
alwaysthoughtwasdifficultandmissingwitha7th8thgradeschool.It'dbegreatto
haveapreK2,36,andthen712(withdifferentwingsfortheolderstudents).Asa
caringmemberofourcommunity,IfoundOptionAtobeabandaidsolution,leaving
38%ofourfamiliesinanawfulsituation.AsfarasOptionB,asaCrockerFarmparent,
I'mconcernedthatthesocioeconomicbalanceandequitymightbeaconcernforthe
CrockerFarmCommunity.Additionally,it'simportantforteacherandstaff
collaborationopportunities,andthisisanotherareawhereCFwouldnotbenefitin
OptionB.Whenbuildingthenewschool,whicheveroption,PLEASEdon'tforgetabout
theimportanceoftheoutsideactivitiesathleticfields,playstructures,openspace!!
Thankyouforallofthehardworkeveryoneisdoing.I'mconfidentthatthe
administrationandtownmemberswillmakethisimportantdecisionbasedonmy
numberonepriority,havingapositiveimpactonthestudents'learning!

149

Iamconcernedabouttheshortresponseperiodbeinggivenforthissurvey&howit
mayimpactthesurveyresults&limitthenumberofresponsesthatarereceivedfor
thesurvey.Itfeelsasthoughtthemainreasonthesurveysarebeingrushednowis
becausetheadministrationhadbeenhesitanttoconductstaff&parentsurveyswhen
thesuggestiontodosowasraisedbycommunitymembersearlierthisfall.Iamalso
concernedthatnodemographicorsocioeconomicquestionsregardingthesurvey
respondentsareincludedotherthanwhichschool(s)respondents'childrenattend&
whichgradestheyareeven.Withoutcollectingdatarelatedtorace,income,English
fluency,itwillbeimpossibletoknowifthesurveyrespondentsarerepresentativeof
theelementaryschool&communitypopulationasawhole.Athirdconcernisthat
becauseoftheshorttimeframe,thissurveyisbeingconductedonlinewithfew(no?)
alternativeformats.Forsomeoftheschoolstherearesignificantnumberoffamilies
withoutemailaddresses&withlimitedinternetaccess.Howwillthesefamiliesbe
reached&giventheopportunitytoparticipateinthissurvey,ifatall?

150

I'mcommittedtoneighborhood,smallK6schools.Idon'tseeanoptiontorenovate
bothFortRiverandWildwood.Thatwouldseemthebestwaytobothkeepthe
communitylocalschools,andmakeallthreeelementaryschoolsthemostequitable.

35

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
151
KeepingsmallK6schoolsisthemostimportantfactortome.Ourchildrendobetter
whenacommunityisabletobebuilt.2yearsinalargeschoolisnotenoughtimeto
buildrelationshipswithteachers,staffandparents.Iappreciatetheneedtoreplaceor
renovateFortRiverandWildwoodandso,thoughnotideal,Ithinkthetwink6option
isareasonablecompromise.Manychildrenwithspecialneedsdonotdowellatall
withtransitionsandresearchshowsthatchildrenfromunderprivilegedfamiliesdo
betterinsmallerk6schoolsthaninlargeschoolswithlargegradenumbers.Such
childrencangetlostandfallthroughthecracks.
152

IhadtohavethislinkreferredbyanotherparentbecauseIdonotreceiveARPSe
mails.IsoughttheworkofrespondingbecauseIamengagedinthisissue.Thiswon't
bearepresentativesurveyifallsegmentsofparentpopulationdonotrespond
proportionately.

153

Whatisthedistrict'sperspectiveonprosandconsofthevariousgrade
reconfigurationsforstudents'learningandacademics?Somuchattentionhasbeen
giventothefinancialandotheraspects,yetwhatisbestforstudents'academicand
sociallearningshouldbedrivingthesedecisions.

154

Regardlessofthenumberofpotentialwingsofanybuilding,Ihaveconcernsabout
thelogisticsofhavingasmanyas750studentsinonelargebuilding.Wearenot
talkingaboutolderchildren,highschoolagechildren,wearetalkingabout6through
12yearoldsInthisdayandage,itseemstometobepotentiallyharmfultohave
allofourchildreninoneplaceforschool.Bothwiththepoliticsinourcountry,aswell
asthepotentialchaosthatitcouldbringsimplyinandaroundtheschoolbuilding.My
otherconcernisthatbyattemptingtobringourstudentstogetherweactuallypush
peopletoremovetheirchildrenfromAmherstschoolsinfavorofsmaller,more
personalschoolsettings.

155

Thisisaterriblesurvey.Itwasrushedandtheresultisthatitisflawed.Thereshould
beanoptiontogobackifonewantstochangeapreviousanswerbutthatoption
doesn'texist.Asurveylikethisshouldaskforoptionaldemographicinforelevantto
thediscussionathandinthiscaseataminimumincomelevelorwhetheryour
childrenreceivefree/reducedlunch,ELLstatus,andrace/ethnicity.Itisverytroubling
thatthedistrictandschoolcommitteeareusingconstantlymentioningsocalled
"equityconsiderations"asargumentsforwhygradereconfigurationisthebestoption
yetaretotallyineptatactuallydiscussingwhatexactly"equity"referstointhiscontext
andare"uncomfortable"askingaboutsocioeconomicstatus.Howcanyoube
comfortablemakingdeterminationsaboutwhatisbestforpeoplefromcertain
economicbackgroundsbutunwillingtoactivelyengagethosepeopleorattemptto
representthem.It'sdisheartening.AtthispointIhonestlydon'tcarewhathappens
withtheschoolsIamjustsodisgustedandfedupwiththeprocesssofarthatIam
consideringmoving.

36

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
156
AsaFortRiverparentwithtwochildrenthatwillbeaffectedbythisbuildingproject,I
stronglyurgeourSchoolCommitteeandCouncilMemberstoconsiderwhatisbestfor
ALLchildrenandteachersacrossthedistrict,andnotbeswayedbyvocaldetractors
whoarevehementlyprotectingtheirselfinterests.Amherst'schildrenneedahealthy
learningenvironmentthatwillproduceminimalinterruptiontotheirsocial,emotional
andcognitivedevelopment.Period.OurfamilysupportsOptionB,butthinksthat
OptionDcanalsohelpmeetthesameobjectives.Welookforwardtohearingabout
yourdecisionsoon.
157

IthinkthatconsideringoptionDdoesnotreallymakefora2ndtransitionthatcounts.
Eventhoughkidswillbetransitioningfromonewingtoanother,theschoolgrounds
andplaygroundarefamiliar,thebusrideisfamiliar,possiblysomespecialtyroomslike
music,art,library,computer,cafeteriamightbesharedbetweenthetwowingsand
thereforefamiliar.Andthereareampleopportunitiestofamiliarizeyoungerstudents
withthe5/6wingovertheyears,soinrealityoptionDreallyonlyhas1transition,and
manymanyotherbenefitsovertheotherthreeoptions.

158

IamstronglyagainstgradereconfigurationformanyreasonsasIfeelitwillnegatively
impactourchildren.Thereisnoresearchtosuggestthattheprek1and26models
willbenefitourchildreninanywayshapeorform.Pleasedonotmakethisirrational
decisioninordertosavemoneyandpreventfutureredistricting,etc.TheNegative
impactsofthemegaschoolmodelstronglyoutweighanybenefits.Imovedtothis
townforthegreatschoolsysteminplaceandwillnothesitateleavingtheAmherst
schoolsystemifreconfigurationispassed.

159
160

LeavingFortRiverbehindwouldbeunacceptable.
Thisdistrictneedstoputtheneedsofthestudentsfirst.Youngstudentsdobetterin
anenvironmentinwhichtheyknowtheirpeersandteachersbyname.Thisbecomes
impossiblewhenthegradesizebecomestoolarge.Thekidswhostrugglethemost
withpersonalandlearningdifficultieswillbesubjecttothegreatestchallengesinthis
environment.Additionally,kidscomingfromlessprivilegedgroupswillhavefew
options,whilefamilieswithgreaterresourceswillleavethedistrictforprivateschools
atanevengreaterratethantheyalreadydo,creatingevengreaterinequityforthe
district'spoor.

161

Communityinputiscriticaldifficulttoobtaininsubstantiveandmeaningfulways,but
crucialtohave.Thusfar,ithasseemedthatthedistrictismakingit'sownchoicesand
justgivinglipservicetocommunityinput.Thatisaseriousproblemthatmustbe
remedied.Iwanttosupportthedistrict'schoicesbutitcan'tfeellike(orbe!)a
foregoneconclusionortherewillbelongtermproblems.Docommunitymembers
trulyhaveanysayonanyofthesechoices?

162

Thankyouforyourcommitmenttomakingtherightchoicesforourchildren.

37

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
163
IwillnotvotetosupportanytaxoverriderequiredforOptionA,andmaynotsupport
OptionBeither.ThemidtolongtermcapitalbudgetimplicationsforOptionA
(Wildwoodonly)aresignificantlyhigherthantheotheroptions,eachofwhichaddress
FortRiverbuildingissuesinthisproject.Iwillnotvotetosupportanyplanthatisnot
financiallyresponsiblefromacapitalbudgetperspective.
164

CrockerFarmhasmadegreatprogressinthelastfiveyearsandisathrivingplace.
OptionsA,CandDcouldhavedrasticimplicationsonCFandmaynegatetheexcellent
progressmade.

165

ItappearsthatmonumentalchangesthatwillaffectAmhersteducationarebeing
madeingreathaste.Theguidingcriteriaseemstobefinancesandnotwhatisbestfor
ourchildrenorcommunity.Intuitivelyitishardtobelievethatgroupingchildreninto
largernumbersisbetterforlearningorteaching.Amherstcurrentlyhasawonderful
cultureofindividualelementaryschoolsthatwouldbedestroyedbyhugechanges
drivenby(perceived?)costsavings.Pleaseslowdownthisprocessbeforemistakes
aremade.

166

Thisreconfigurationprojecthasthepotentialtoaddresstwoissuesatthesametime.
ThefirstonehastodowiththephysicalspacesatWildwoodandFortRiver;both
buildingsareinverypoorshapeandarenotappropriatelearningenvironmentsforthe
childreninourdistrict.Itwouldbeahugedisservicetothetownandtoourkidsto
chooseanoptionwhereonlyWildwoodisrenovated,leavingFortRiverasis.Forthat
reasonI'mstronglyagainstadoptingOptionA.Thesecondissueistheoneofequity.As
atownweareproudtosaywecareaboutequalopportunityandsocialjustice.Option
Distheonlyonethatpromotes100%equityamongallkidswhoattendschoolin
Amherst,nomatterwheretheyliveorwhattheirsocioeconomicstatusis.Everykid
willattendthesameschoolsfromK6,andwillhavesimilareducationalexperiences.I
urgetheSchoolCommitteetovoteforOptionD,sothatAmherstcanhavemodern
andhealthyschoolbuildingsthatserveeverychildintownequally.

38

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
167
Firstoff,I'dliketothanktoschoolcommitteeforcreatingasurveytoletthe
communitymembersprovidefeedbackonthisimportantdecisionaboutthe
elementaryschoolreconfiguration.Thatbeingsaid,Ifeelthissurveywillproducethe
resultofsupportingthegradereconfiguration,whichthesuperintendenthasmade
clearsheprefers.Ifeelthesurveyisnotveryobjective,andistailoredtocreatea
desiredanswer.Thisfeelingissupportedwhenapersonwhoprovidedfeedbackon
thesurveyspeaksoutandsaysthatnoneofhercommentswereusedtomakethe
surveymoreobjective.Alsorushingtocreateasurveyatthelastminuteandthen
pushingitthroughinaweek,seemstolimitthenumberofresponsesthatwouldbe
received,thuslimitingcommunityinvolvement.

Second,Iquestionwhynow(onlytendaysbeforethereconfigurationdecisionistobe
made)areteachersbeingallowedtoanomalouslyprovidefeedback.I'dthinkthe
teachersshouldhavethemostsayinthisdecision,giventhattheyaretheoneswho
workdailywiththestudentsandwillbegreatlyaffectedbywhateverdecisionismade.
Whileteacherswereinvolvedinthedifferentfocusgroups,Iquestioniftheywereable
toprovidehonestfeedback,oriftheyarerequiredtosupporttheadministration's
ideasorfearretributioniftheydidnotsupportthesuperintendent'svision.

Lastly,Iquestiontherecentpushbytheadministrationthatthisreconfigurationis
aboutequityforallstudents.Ifthatisthemainreasonbehindthereconfiguration,
whywouldthathavenotbeenthebannerunderwhichtounitepeopleinthisschool
reconfigurationfromthebeginning?Tobringupthispointandpushitatthelast
minute,seemsdisingenuous.Thankyouforyourservicetothetown,especiallywhen
makingdifficultdecisions.
168

Therearemanyproblemswiththenewproposals,buttheideaofbussing
kindergartnersfromalloverAmhersttoasingleschoolis,forme,themost
spectacularlynutty.CFisagreatschoolandisservingitslocalcommunityverywell,
justleaveitalone.

169

Examplesofothertownsandtheirsolutionswouldbehelpfulinimaginingthese
scenarios.Ihaven'tattendedaforumyet,though,soyoumayhavealreadyshared
this.

170

Themostimportantfactortomeinthisdecisionisschoolsize.Ihaveastrong
preferenceforanysolutionthatkeepsschoolsat350students,ratherthanlarger
schools.

171

ItwouldbehelpfultosharethefinancialimpactonallAmhersttaxpayersinalloptions.
Thecostsavingsisnotarealfiguresinceitwillcostmillionsforanyoftheoptions.

39

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
172
Ipreferoptionsthatunifythedistrictbecausetheyshouldallowustofocuson
providingthebesteducationforallARPSstudentsparticularlywhenitcomestoequal
accesstothebestourdistricthastoofferinspecializedprograms.Iwouldliketosee
thestudentsdividedbygraderatherthanbywheretheyliveintown,althoughthe
challengesthatraisesfortransportationlogisticsandcostareundeniable.Crocker
FarmSchoolcanservewellaseitherPreK1orPreK6assumingitstaysundercapacity.
Oneofmyprimaryconcernsisthis:itdoesnotmakesensetometohaveonenew
buildingthatcontainsduplicategradesiftherearetwowings,whynotseparatethose
studentsandstaffbygradelevelratherthanbysomeotherfactor?Onenew,modern,
energyefficient,wellorganizedbuildingwherestaffcancollaboratewitheachother
andwhereeveryonecanenjoyahealthyandcomfortablelearningenvironmentwould
beideal.However,Iunderstandthatthefundsneedtobeavailableforthisdreamto
cometrue.
173

Ithinkweneedtotakefulladvantageofthefundsavailableforanewschooland
maximizetheirimpactbyallowingallAmherststudentstoattendamodern,safeand
fullyaccessibleschool.PeopleinAmherstaregoingtocomplainnomatterwhatbutI
thinktheschoolcommitteeisdoingagreatjob.

174

I'mextremelyfrustratedwiththissurveyandstruggledtofillitoutbecauseitdidnot
fullyrepresentalltheissuesandoptionsinvolved.Specifically,Ifailtounderstandwhy
renovationofbothWWandFRisstilloffthetable,sincenosolidnumbershavebeen
presentedandwillonlybedisclosedonJanuary13th.AlltheotheroptionsIhadto
rankbuttheyaredistastefultomeforsomanyreasons,allofwhichhavebeen
explainednumeroustimesbyparents.Inaddition,thereweremanyfactorsleftout
suchasimportanceofschoolsize,importanceofpeermentorshipacrossthewidest
gradespan,communityinvolvement.Thereareseriousflawsinthissurvey.

175

Thispastyearhasbeenaverychallengingoneformychildren(1st,4th,and6th)with
difficulthealthissuesandthebreakdownoftheirparents'marriage.Thecommunity
andsupporttheyhaveatCrockerFarmhasbeenintegraltotheirresiliencethisyearin
thefaceofthesehardships.Mychildrenseeeachotherduringthedayandcan
comfortoneanother.Andboththesizeoftheschoolandtheyearstheyspendinit
meanstherearemanyadultsteachersandstaffalikewhoknowthem,checkin
withthem,andsupportthem.Thesebenefitswouldbelostentirelywiththeadoption
ofOptionD,asnoneofmychildrenwouldbeinthesamebuilding,andtheteachers'
andstaffs'relationshipswitheachchildwouldbelimitedtothetwoorthreeyears
eachwouldbeinthebuilding.Thechallengesofthispastyeararenotuniquetomy
family.Thesubstantialemotionalaidandcommunitysupportmychildrenenjoyedthis
yearinfacingthetroublestheyhavearebenefitseverychildshouldhaveintheschool
theyattend.ForthisreasonIamstronglyopposedtoOptionDandaminstrongest
supportofOptionB.

40

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
176
Really,seriously?Thisisthesurvey?Frontloadedmultiplechoicequestionsthatdon't
representmyconcerns?I'msorry,butthisisajokeofasurvey.WhymustIchoose
fromamongYOURideasofconcernpriorities.MYconcernsare:1)Schoolsize2)
Localschoolcommunity3)Preservingtheexistinghistoricalbuildingsandpursuing
thetrulygreenoptionofnottearingdowntwofunctionalbuildings.Whyisn't
renovatingtheexistingschoolsanoption?ThatisMYchoice.NOMEGASCHOOL.
177

Withagreatdealexperiencewatchingmychildrenandmanyotherfamilies'children,
andagooddealofknowledgearoundeducationandeffectiveness,Ihaveverystrong
reasonstobelievethatretainingthesmallschool,neighborhoodfeel,K6modelfor
Amherstisessential.OptionAisreallytheonlyonethatIfindreasonable,therefore,
andIamquiteopposedtoOptionsCandD.Idonotseeanybenefittopushing
studentsintoalargerunitsinwhichtheyhavelessofanespritdecorpsaroundtheir
school,theylosetheirinteractionswithchildrenofdifferentagegroupsandtheyare
forcedintomoretransitions,whicharedisruptive.

WhileIappreciatetheSchoolCommitteemembers'hardworkonthisissueand
concernsaroundequity,settinguptheprospectsofretainingthecurrentseparate
schoolstructureasatoddswithequityseems,withallduerespect,likeafalse
dichotomy.Weneedtodoallthatwecantopreservesmaller,wellfunctioningschools
thatprovideindividualattentionandmanageable,diverseenvironmentstoall
students.Manyofuswouldcertainlybewillingtopayabitmoretoretainthe
excellencewehaveseenourchildrenexperienceinsmallerschools,ifthiswere
presentedasapossibility.ThefindingchallengetorebuildbothWildwoodandFort
Rivershouldnotbethedriveroftheoutcome;rather,thebestoutcometomaintain
ourschoolsassupportive,manageableenvironmentstonurtureindividualityand
excellenceinourstudentsshoulddictateourneedsandweshouldbandtogetherto
workcreativelytomeetthem.

LikemanyparentsIknowwithchildreninthesystemwhoareopposedtotakingour
kidsouttocharterorprivateschools,Iwouldbewillingbothtodevotesometimeand
moneytoensuringthatchildrencontinuetoexperiencealocalschoolwhereteachers
andstafftrulyknowthemoveralongperiodoftime,asmychildrenhaveenjoyed.
Thankyouforyourconsideration,and,Ihope,forasolutionthatretainswhatmanyof
ushavevaluedhighlyinourchildren'selementaryschoolexperience.

178

Thissurveydoesnotaddresstheadditonaloptionthatwassupposedtohave
addressedrenovatingWildwoodandFortRiver

41

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
179
DearSchoolCommittee:OriginallyIwroteintosayIdidnotwanttosupportany
optionthatleftFortRiverout.AsaWildwoodparentIstillfeelthisway.ButIwasnot
awarethatotheroptionsexisted,andIdidnotfullygraspthatbyincludingFortRiver,I
wasfeelingpressuredtoagreetochangetheentireK6modelintoaK1/26model.

AnytimespentinWildwoodwoulddemonstratehowvaluabletheK6modelis
particularlyforpositivepeermodeling.JusttakeprogramslikeReadingBuddieswhich
place56gradekidswithK1children,andthebenefitsofhavingsiblingstogetherin
theschool.Therecentassemblyshowcasing56gradechorusaswellasrecognitionof
Starbehaviors(dailyactionsthatdemonstratehelpingothers)...itwasamazing,and
youcouldfeeltheenergyfromtheyoungerchildrenlookinguptotheolderchildren.I
stillfeelstronglythatFortRivershouldberenovatedorrebuiltbecausetheirdata
showthemostdetrimentallearningenvironment.Ifthemoneycanonlybeusedfor
WildwoodORaWildwood"Plus",thenpleasechoosesomethingthatkeepsaK6
modelinplace.

Asaneducationalpsychologistbytraining,Ihaven'tseenanycompellingpedagogical
reasonstodismantletheK6schoolmodel.Pleasebecarefulnottobreakaschooling
modelbecauseoneoftheschoolbuildingisinbadphysicalshape.Besurethat
whateveryoudo,youactuallyaddresstheproblem,anddonotcreatenewones.My
childrenwouldpersonallythriveanywhere,andsoIamthinkingmoreaboutwhatkind
ofschoolingbenefitsmanychildrenparticularlyinAmherstwheretherearemany
childrenwithdifferentbackgroundscomingtogetherinpowerfulways.

ForthisreasonIsupporteitherbuildingonenewbuildingforoneK6(andwaitingtill
wecanrenovateorrebuildasecondschoolforFortRiverinitslocation)orbuildingthe
verylargeK6toaccommodatebothelementaryschools.Crockerfarmdatashowthe
teachersandstudentsarehappythere,andsononeedtodismantletheireducation.
PleasedopauseandreflectonwhytheK1isonthetablerightnowandifthismodel
hasadequaterationaleforitsimplementation.Thankyou!
180
OriginallywegotthegrantfortheWildwoodrebuildingprojectsoIthinkweshould
usethemoneyforwhichwegotthegrantfor.ItisveryunfortunatethatbothFort
RiverandWildwoodappliedforitbutonlyWildwoodgotchosenwhenbothbuildings
areprettymuchthesameintermsofage,buildinglayout.Personally,Iwouldbevery
sadthatmychildrenwon'tbeabletoenjoythebrandnewbuildingifonlyWildwood
getsrebuiltasweliveinFRdistrict.However,Iwouldmuchpreferthatoptionto
creatingamegasizeschool.WecanfindotherwaystoraisethefundtorebuildFort
Riverlater.HavingahugeschoolbuildingforalltheelementarystudentsinAmherst
doesnotmeanthatequityiswellserved.
181

Overthepastseveralyearswehavewatchedstudentsleavethedistrictforboth
charterandprivateschools.TheMSBAisprovidingusanwithopportunityto
drasticallyimprovestudentlearningandstudentequitywhileprovingahealthy
learningenvironment.Thefearofchangebyparentsshouldnotbethereason
Amherstsquandersthisopportunity.

42

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
182
Communityandthecontinuityofcommunityarehighprioritiesforourfamily.
Childrenthrivewhentheyfeelsecureandconnectedtotheirpeersandtheadultsthey
interactwith,especiallychildrenwhoareintroverted,havevariousspecialneeds,are
easilyoverwhelmedortakealongertimetodevelopbonds.TheKsixthgrade
communitiesthatoverlapneighborhoodcommunitiescreateopportunitiesforstrong
andlastingrelationships,includingrelationshipsbetweenstudentsofdifferentages,
suchastherelationshipmyfirstgradedaughterhaswithherfourthgrade"reading
buddy"ortherelationshipmyfourthgradesonhaswiththesixthgradegirlwho
taughthimtoplayfoursquare.
183

Wecan'tassesswithoutknowingcostsofrenovation!Also,Iknowmanypeoplewho
havesaidtheywouldwanttoleavetheDistrictaltogetherifreconfiguredorlarge
school.

184

IwouldliketoseetheschoolcommitteeselectoptionAandproposetotheTownthat
FortRiverberebuiltwithtownfundsdirectlyfollowingtheWildwoodproject.

185

Youarelosingstudentsbecauseofwhatoccursinsidetheschools.Buildanewbuilding
forWildwoodandputtheenergyandtimeintoreallybeinganinclusiveschooldistrict
(allARPS)thatvalueschildrenofallabilities,races,socioeconomicstatusesandtheir
cultures.

186

Ibelieveverystronglyintheimportanceofpreservingthestrongschoolcommunity
thathasbeenestablishedatCrockerFarmElementary.Ialsovalueequityinthe
district,andwantthestudentsandstaffattheothertwoschoolstohaveaviableand
healthylearning/workenvironment.IsupportaplanwhichpreservesCrockerFarmas
itwhileprovidinganewfacilityfortheotherschools.

187

OptionA.1reallyshouldbereplaceWildwoodnow,andthenreplaceFortRiverlater
(raiseourtaxesandapplyformoregrants).Smallneighborhoodschoolsareimportant
tous.

188

Ithinkinteractionsbetweenolderandyoungerstudents,suchasthereadingbuddies
programandmixedassembliesareveryimportantandthatiswhyIamagainst
separatingpreKtograde2fromtheothergradesortheotheroptionwhichsegregates
thegradesintothreeschools.AlsoIfeelthatalongperiodinasmall,stable
communityisverybeneficial.Iamagainstatransitioninthemiddleofelementary
school.Mychildattendscrockerfarmwhichhaslotsofsunlightandwindowsand
lovelyclassroomsandIthinkthekidsattheotherschoolsshouldhavethesame
priveleges.Whensheattendedasummercampprogramatanotherschool,Ireally
noticedthedifferenceinquality.ThatiswhyIvotedforplanB,whichgiveseveryonea
newbuildingbutpreservesasmallerk6structure.

189

CanItakethesurveymorethanonce?

43

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
190
ThissurveywasdesignedtogeneratefavorableresponsestobuildingoptionsCandD.
Theinformationprovidedintheattachedtable"ImplicationsofEnrollmentOptions"is
insufficientandmisleading.Toconsideroneexample,whilethemassivelyincreased
transportationcostsunderoptionsCandD(andB)appeartobeoffsetbyhypothetical
operationalsavings,noaccommodationismadeforpotentiallymitigatingfactorsone
ofwhichistheaffectofalarge,centralizedschoolontheflowoftrafficinthetown.
Thetownandtheschoolsarenotunconnected.Furthermore,thereisnoguarantee
thatwideraccesstohighqualityclassroomsandspecializedprogramswillmore
positivelyaffecttheeducationofchildren.Excellenteducationisentirelydependenton
thequalityandexpertiseoftheteachers,anditistheiropinionwhichshouldbemost
seriouslyconsidered.Alarger,centralizedschoolbringswithitalarger,more
cumbersomeadministrationwhichwillbothobstructanddistracttheteachersfrom
theintensivefocusandflexibilityrequiredtoprovidechildrenwithanexcellent
education.
191

Ifeelitisimportantthatwhateverconfigurationischosenatthistime,thatthe
buildingbebuiltwiththeabilitytochangeconfigurations(especiallyifoptionsB,C,or
Darechosen).Itispossiblethatinthefuture,elementaryenrollmentwillcontinueto
decrease,possiblynecessitatingconsolidatinginto1or2elementaryschools(from
either2or3).Ifthatisthecase,itwillbeimportantthananyOptionCorDbuildingbe
abletohousepreKto1studentsinthefuture,incaseenrollmentsdecreasedsuch
thatadecisionwasmadetocloseCrockerFarm.Thisisalsoimportantincasethe
Districtfindsthatatwowing26schoolandseparateearlyeducationschooleither
isn'tworkingorisnolongerfeasible,suchthattheDistrictdesirestochangetoan
OptionB(ortheopposite:OptionBisnolongerdesiredandtheDistrictwishedto
changetooptionCorD).ItisalsoimportantthatanOptionDdesignallowfora
changetoanOptionCdesigninthefuture(sothatgrades24orgrades56can
functionineither"wing"ofthebuilding),forsimilarreasons.

192

Thisseemslikeagoodtimetoupdatefacilities,andeliminatetheissues(ADA
compliance,lackofacousticprivacy,airquality)relatedtothedesignofWildwoodand
FortRiver.

193

Ireallyappreciateallthewaysinwhichyou'vetriedtosolicitcommunityinput.Also
thatthissurveyallowedrespondentstoremainanonymous.

44

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
194
Ifindthechoicesandthewaythatthefactorsaregroupedinthissurveytobebiased
towardstheideaofreconfiguration.Forexample,thetwo5thgradeteachersat
CrockerFarmlastyearwereabletocollaborateverycloselybecausetherewereonly
twoofthemandbothknewallthechildren.Thewaythatteachercollaborationis
wordedhereimpliesthathavingseveral5thgradeclassestogetherwouldnecessarily
improveexistingcollaborations.Isn'titpossiblethatitmight,instead,provideamuch
lessflexible,moreunified,modelfortheteachers?

Similarly,asaparentwhosechildarrivedatCrockerFarmwithspecialeducation
needs,Iwouldarguethatthemultigradeschoolsetupwithlesstransitionswasa
largebenefittohergrowthinconfidenceasalearner.Ihaveheardsimilararguments
forELLstudentsnothavingtonavigatedifferentschoolsevery2years.This
perspectiveisnotreflectedinthesurvey.Programssuchasthe"readingbuddies"and
therelationshipsthatthestudents(andtheirparents)areabletoforgeoverseveral
yearswiththesamelibrarians,schooladministratorsandsupportstaffarevitalto
youngchildren'ssenseofstabilityandcitizenship.

HavinghadachildatWildwood,Iamveryawareofthatbuilding'sdireneed(aswellas
FortRivers),Iaminfullsupportoftherefurbishmentofthesebuildings.However
CrockerFarmasabuildingandcommunityisworkingwell.Attendancenumbers
fluctuateinanacademictownandarenotgoodenoughofareasontodisbanda
workingschool.EverytimeCrockerFarmparentshaveraisedtheirvoicesinsupportof
theirschoolasitstands,theyaremadetofeelselfishbecauseoftheneedsofthe
otherschools.

Finally,IwouldliketostatethatIhaveyettohearapedagogicalreasonforchildren
havingtomoveschoolafterfirstgrade.AlltheteachersIhavespokentoaboutthis
stressthearcoflearninganddevelopmentasstretchingfromkindergartentotheend
ofsecondgrade.Thiscutoffseemstometobearbitraryandbasedonfinancialneeds
andattheexpenseoftheneedsofthesixyearolds.
195
itisimportanttomethatCrockerFarmremainK6.
196
Idon'tliketheoptionsformostimportantissuesforme.Idon'tthinktheyrepresent
someofmyconcernsandIthinktheypresentsomefalsechoices.Ididn'tlikethe
HealthandSafetyone.Ofcourseweallwantahealthyandsafebuilding.Isthis
implyingthatoneormoreoftheschoolsaren'tsafeorhealthy?Thisisnotcleartome.
Also,Icaredeeplyaboutequityineducation.Butthissurveyissetuptoprovideone
largeschoolastheanswertothisproblem,ratherthansolvingthisproblemwithany
oftheoptionsbyredistrictingorothermeans.Thelistalsodidn'tincludethingsIcare
about,likehavingasmallschool,havingaschoolinourcommunity/neighborhood.I
alsofeelliketheonepagepdfpresentsabiasedexplanationfavoringlargeschools
sinceitpresentsalargeschoolastheonlysolutiontoequity,whichmanyresidentsof
Amherstcareabout.

45

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
197
IfanewbuildingisbuiltIwouldliketoseesmallermoresensoryfriendlyplacesfor
kidstoeatlunch.Alsoextraspacesforindoorphysicalactivityondaysitistoocoldfor
outdoorrecess.Enoughspaceoutsideformorethan1dailyrecessatallgrades(read
theresearchonoutcomesfrommorefrequentdailyactiveplay!)
198

Thissurveywaspoorlydesigned,andthebiasfromtheSchoolCommitteeisevident.
ThereshouldbeanoptiontoreplacebothWildwoodandFortRiver.Allofthe
researchsuggeststhatequityisBESTatsmallschools.Bycreatingalargeschools,
equitybybothraceandclasswilldeteriorate.Doesthisschoolcommitteereallywant
todamageclassandraceequitybyinsistingonbuildingalargeexpensiveschool,
ratherthanusingstatemoniestoreplaceWildwoodandAmherstmoniestoreplace
FortRiver,withbothbuildingssmallerandlessexpensivethantheirplanned
behemoth?Pleaseconsultthisdocument,andresearchersineducationwhostudy
elementaryoutcomes,schoolsize,andinequality.
http://www.aps.edu/re/documents/20052006publications/ES_School_Size.pdf

199

Ithinkthereareotherunexploredoptions.Aswithallproblems,collaborationwith
membersfromdiversecornersofthecommunitycanilluminatethemostprosand
consallowingforthemostviablesolutions.ThisfarmyimpressionisthatIhavebeen
toldwhattheoptionsareandwhatispossible.Ibelieveopeningtheconversationto
considertheopinionsofpeoplewhowillbeimpactediscriticalatthisjuncture.

200

IthinkWildwoodandFortRivershouldbeaddressedseparately.Bytryingto
accomplishrestructureoftheschoolsystem,redistricting,andconstructionthisproject
willbecometoolargetoproperlymanageresultinginbudgetoverrunsandadversely
impactingonstudents,educationandAmherstSchoolDepartmentprofessionalstaff.
Carefulconsiderationmustbegiventotheimpactofallthischangeonthestudentsof
ARPS.

201

Thephrasinginthissurveyisverylimited.Frustratingtotake.Whyisn'titopento
largercommunity?

202

IreallylikethecommunitythatformsinaK6schoolatthecurrentschoolsize.
MovingtoK1,24,56schoolsseemstoincreasethedifferencetothePelham,
LeverettandShutesburyschools.WhatdoesthatmeanforK6regionalization?Fort
RiverandWildwoodschoolswerebothbuiltwithanexperimentalmodelwhichquickly
provedproblematicbutwe'vehadtolivewithfor40years.Itwouldbeterribletobuild
ahugeschoolonanexperimentalmodelandhavetolivewithitagain.

203

FortRiverwouldhavetoberenovatedseparatelyfromthisprojectbutwouldhaveto
bedoneimmediatelyafter.

204

Whatisthemostlikelysiteforanewbuilding?OntheWildwoodproperty?FortRiver
property?Adifferentpropertyentirely?

46

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
205
Splittingsiblingsindifferentgradesintodifferentelementaryschoolsisnotideal.
SmallerK6unitsreflectsmorelocalcommunitybuilding.
206

Thiswillnotaffectmyownkids.ButIamveryagainstthefurthergradesplitting,
thinkingoffuturefamilieswithmorethanonekid.ItwouldhavebeenaNIGHTMARE
tohavetheK1,24,56splitformyownthreekids,andonlyaslightlylesshorrible
NIGHTMAREtohaveaK1,26split.Intheyearswhenwehadkidsatthreedifferent
schools(elem,ARMS,andARHS),wehadNOpersonalinvestmentinanyoftheschools
andrarelygotinvolved.Butwhenourkidswereinthesameelementaryschoolfor
severalyearsinarow,wegotveryinvolvedandinvested.

207

TheoneoutcomeofthisprocessthatistotallyunacceptableisthatWildwoodbe
renovatedandFortRiverleftasitis.Iwouldseriouslyconsiderfilingalawsuitagainst
thetown,schooldistrict,andschoolcommitteeifsuchaplanwerepursued.Idon't
understandwhyanoptionwasnotlistedthatentailsrenovatingbothWildwoodand
FortRiver.Whileitistruethatthestatewillonlypayforonebuildingrenovation,
thereisnoreasonthetowncouldnot,onitsown,decidetorenovateFortRiver.
Finally,manyofthedistrict'smoveseemtobecontradictory,proposingtounifyMS
andHSinonebuildingandarguingthatwillbebeneficialpartlybecauseofagreater
rangeofgradeswhileatthesametimeproposingmoretransitionsandseparationof
gradelevelsatthelowerschoollevel.

208

Regardlessofthefinalgradeconfiguration,Ithinkitisvitalthatwechoosethelarger
schooloption.ItistheonlyequitablechoiceforallstudentsinAmhersttobeonequal
footingandforFortRivernottobeleftbehindwithissuesofhealthandnoiseforan
undeterminedlengthoftime.

209

Pleasedowhat'spossibletokeepthesmallcommunityk6schools.Iwanttolimitthe
amountoftransitionsformykids,keeptheminthesameschoolwiththeirsiblingsand
allowtheolderkidstoactasrolemodelsfortheyoungerkids.Iamappauledabout
howlittlemyfriendsandaquantanceswithyoungkidsknowaboutthisprojecteven
thoughtheywillbethefamiliesimpactedthemost.FamilieschosetomovetoAmherst
forthegreatschoolsandI'mprettyconfidentthatwillendifamegaschoolisbuilt.I
alsothinkmanyfamilieswilloptoutormovetoadifferenttownforasmallcommunity
school.

210

It'simportanttometokeepanenvironmentwhereallthechildrenofdifferentages
andgradesremaininthesamebuilding.

211

Thankyouforyoureffortstoobtainouropinions.Pleaseconsiderthemcarefully.Our
schooldistrictisoneofthemainreasonsmyfamilylivesinAmherst.FortRiverhas
beenablessingtoourfamily,andIwanttheAmherstSchoolstocontinuetobenefit
ALLfamiliesinourcommunity.

47

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
212
Thissurveywaspoorlycreated,followsverypoorform,andreeksofbiaswithacapital
Bthroughout.Wasitpretested?Considerthereisnobackbuttonforeachquestionto
gobackandchangeananswer.Eachquestionshouldhaveanotheroptionandaplace
tocommentandthatismissinginallofthequestionsasked.Nowhereintheschool
optionquestionsisthereachoiceforrenovatingbothWildwoodandFortRiverwhich
isamajorblunderofwhomevercreatedthissurvey.ThatistheoptionthatIfavorfor
bothquestions,butIcannotstatemyopinioninthesurveyitself.Thetopthree
considerationsquestionwasphrasedinashallowwayandshouldhavehada5point
likertscalerepresentingimportanceforALLoftheoptionsaswellasanOtheroption
andCommentfield.Thissurveyisflawedthroughoutandshouldberesentwiththe
suggestionsIhavemade.Ourstudentsdeserveasurveythataccuratelyand
completelyreflectstheirparents'opinions.Thisinstrumentfailstodothatonsomany
levelsanditsresultscannotbetakenseriously.

213

Idon'tthinkit'sfairthatsomekidsarebusedoutoftheirneighborhoodsbecauseof
theirfamiliesincome.

214
215

Smallisbeautiful.
Thanksforallyourhardworkonthisimmenseandimportantproject.Pleasechoose
theoptionthatmakesthemostsenseforallstudentsinthedistrict!

216

Iamconcernedthatthissurveydoesnotaskanydemographicquestions.Itseemsthat
ifoneoftheconcernscentraltoarespondent'schoosingoneoptionoveranotheris
equity(socioeconomic.etc.)issues,thenitisoddthattherearenoquestionsthat
gatherthisinformationfromrespondents.

217

Ibelieveneighborhoodschoolsaresuchanimportantpartoffamiliesfeelingincluded
andwelcomeintheircommunities.Thelargertheschool,themoredistantfroma
family'sneighborhood,thelessitprovidesananchorforaneighborhood.

218

Simplytakethestate'sgenerousgifttoreplacewildwood.Nothingelse.FortRiver
parentspurchasedhomestherewitheveryexpectationofthestatusquo.Theyhave
noreasontocomplainabouttheState'sdecision.Fortrivercanwaittheirturn,
perhapsschooldesignwillbeevenmoremodernizedinafewyears.Appyandthe
SuperhavefallenforwhatWEfellforwhensomecitypeopleconvincedusyearsago
togoOPENCLASSROOMwithWildwoodandFortRiver.They'djustlovetositatopour
decadesofindebtedness,toastingthemselvesatthelaunchingoftheNewTitanic
School.P.S.Sickbuildingsyndromeisafabrication.

219

Thesurveyisbiasedinthatitcontainsthebuiltinassumptionthatweshouldexpectto
beabletosolveallofourproblemswithasinglestroke,anddoesn'tallowforalarger,
multiyeartimeframe.Howrealisticisthat?Howresponsibleisthat?

220

No

48

Comment
Number
Comment/Question
221
InOptionC,IwanttoknowhowteacherswouldbeassignedtoeachGrade16wing.
Willseniorandjuniorteacherspartner?Idon'tknowmuchaboutcurrentoperations
attheschools.Ifonenewschooliscreated,doesithavetobebuiltatWildwoodsite?
Ifitisbuiltthere,whatwillhappentoFortRiver?Willitberazed?Coulditbecomea
biggerandbetterpublicparkandplayground?IfonebigschoolisbuiltatFortRiver
instead,howwilltrafficbehandledthere?SouthEastSt.isalreadyalogjaminthe
afternoons(especiallyFridays)infrontoftheschool.Idonotnecessarilypreferonebig
townschoolalthoughIunderstandandamsympathetictothepointsaboutequityand
economyinthemodelspresented.Still,Ilikesmallneighborhoodschoolstowhichwe
canwalkorbike.Iloathecarlines.IjustwantFortRivertoberenovated.Thebuilding
isdownatheels,toputitmildly.
222

Inaperfectworld,yes,eachoftheseschoolswouldhavetheirmakeover.Butin
reality,IhavezeroconfidencethatthetownwouldapproveamassiveWildwoodonly
makeover,thenturnaroundanddothesameforFortRiver.Plus,thisisasmalltown.
IlikelivingwithinwalkingdistanceofFortRiver,butIcanalsoacceptthatasinglewell
designed,modernfacilityforourtown'selementarystudentscouldmakealotofsense
andbesuperiorforourchildren'seducation.

223

Ireallydon'tliketheideaofaseparateK1building.Ithinkthatelementaryschools
shouldrunthefullspan,K6.

224

Thecentraladministrationcontinuestoobscurecriticalinformation,renderingevena
surveysuchasthisuseless.Howwillthepedagogicaldisadvantagesofalargerschool
beaddressed?Howwillthedisadvantagesminoritiesandspecialneedschildrenface
inalargerschoolenvironmentbeaddressed?Howwillredistrictingaffecttraveltime?
Whatistheactuallineitemcostofeachoption?Whyisclosingthehighestperforming
schoolinthedistrictadvantageous?Withoutthisinformation,parentsareforcedto
answerthissurveybasedontheonesidedandbiasedinformationthathasbeenmade
public.

49