Longmeadow School Committee amends instructional model

Oct. 28, 2020 | Miasha Lee

LONGMEADOW– At the Oct. 21 Longmeadow School Committee meeting, the committee discussed the potential for a return to more in-person learning for students in grades K-2.

It began with Principals Tom Landers of Longmeadow High School, Elizabeth Nelson of Williams Middle School and Nicole Allen of Glenbrook Middle School giving brief reports on their progress from the perspective of students and staff as well as the challenges they're facing in returning additional students for in-person learning.

So far, their schools are running well, the three echoed, their concern is the need for more substitute teachers.

During the Oct. 13 meeting elementary Principals Donna Hutton of Center Elementary School, Amy Stec of Blueberry Hill Elementary and Marie Pratt of Wolf Swamp Elementary School presented a structural model for students to come back half-day in-person and half day at home. After a long deliberation it was decided that the model didn’t match what the community needed.

Now, the committee is considering bringing back students from grades K-2 to additional in-person learning.

“It’s an incredibly complex process we have to go through to develop plans to bring back additional students for in-person learning,” said Superintendent M. Martin O’Shea. “There’s space and personnel consideration. There’s safety consideration we have to consider what's in the best interest for our students and families and available staff. There’s so much we have to consider.”

The three principals were back with a slide presentation proposal on a comprehensive and safer approach of bringing back their K-2 students for additional in-person learning. This included a review of classroom capacity and foot prints, in-person numbers and potential numbers ongoing, in addition to the reassignment of teachers and new class sections.

Cohort C teachers will teach K-2 students in all three schools. One certified Longmeadow Public School (LPS) teacher will teach kindergarten with the class size of 17-19. Two certified LPS teachers will teach second grade with the class size of 18 (two sections). First grade will be determined, but for the time being they will remain with their current teacher with a class size of 18 until a new one is hired.

“We’re feeling that creating a Cohort C classroom is going to be a more cohesive experience for the children,” replied Hutton. “Teachers can design engaging lessons that instructs one environment and make the optimal use of all the tools they have in that environment to teach the children.”

With this plan, they’re advocating for more in-person learning on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday keeping Wednesdays remote – the target date is set for Nov. 5.

Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations Tom Mazza gave a detailed breakdown of the cost associated with this proposal.

Depending upon when individuals are hired and when they come in on the salary schedule, Mazza said they’re looking about a $157,000 investment per staff. They’re looking at anywhere from $160,000 to $170,000 by the end of the year. Once they have identified all the individuals who will fill in these positions, they will come back through a budget transfer process and bring forward a request through the finance sub-committee and school committee to authorize line order transfer within the FYI 2021 budget.

After an ongoing discussion, the committee moved to approve the elementary in-person learning proposal and authorized the use of general fund appropriations in the FYI 2021 budget for the new positions and the full time equivalent (FTE) increases current positions associated with the proposal.

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