Background

Author: lucidus_admin

In March 2010, the Keene Board of Education approved the formation of the Elementary Ad Hoc Advisory Committee, which was charged with studying, gathering input, and making recommendations on how to reduce costs at the elementary school level while maintaining quality education.

The Board took this action after receiving a comprehensive report in December 2009 entitled Administrative Study Group Task Force: Findings and Recommendations, which compared Keene with other districts in the state and showed that spending at our elementary level far exceeds comparable districts.  

Committee members included: Board members Kristin Blais, Chair; Neil Donegan, Chris Coates and Carl Panza; Central Office Administrators: Co-Superintendent Bill Gurney, Director of Curriculum and Assessment Meredith Cargill, Assistant to the Co-Superintendent Brenda Finn, and Special Education Administrator Rand Lounsbury; Wheelock School Principal Gwen Mitchell; District teachers: Jan Bergeron (Franklin), Amy Strong (Symonds), and John McMahon (KMS); heads of parent groups: Rebecca Russell (Daniels) and Tracy Beard (Fuller); and members of the greater Keene community: Gary Spykman, Brenda Dunn, Kendall Lane, and Curt Hiebert.   

The members of the Ad Hoc Committee were selected in order to have a broad representation of teachers, parents, administrators, board, and community members from across the city.

Related reports, communications and press releases can be found on the Resources page.

The Ad Hoc Committee's final report


In June 2011, after a series of Community Forums that were held to thoroughly explore a multitude of issues related to this important decision, the Ad Hoc Committee issued its final report (click here for a link to download a pdf) to the Keene Board of Education. At its August 2011 meeting, the Board unanimously endorsed the Committee's recommendation that Keene close one of its elementary schools, and that the remaining four schools be structured as follows:

  • One school would teach preschool through first grade
  • A second school would teach kindergarten through grade 1
  • A third school would teach grades 2 through 5
  • A fourth school would teach grades 2 through 5

 

The administration's recommendation


Following the Ad Hoc Committee's final report, the SAU 29 administration made a recommendation at a Special Meeting of the Keene Board of Education on October 25, 2011. The administration's recommendation (click here to download a PDF file) was that Jonathan Daniels Elementary School be closed beginning with the 2014 school year in order to reduce operating costs by an estimated $1 million per year in order to protect the educational programming we value most. The recommendation also called for grade spans in the the remaining four schools to be reconfigured as follows:

  • Franklin School: Kindergarten through Grade 1  – paired with Fuller School: Grades 2 through 5.
  • Wheelock School: Preschool through Grade 1  – paired with Symonds School: Grades 2 through 5.

The Board's decision

The Keene Board of Education solicited the public's feedback on the Administration's proposal via two additional publc events and this website. After careful consideration of all factors, the Board voted on December 13, 2011 to close Jonathan Daniels School by 2014 -- and to further study the following grade span options in the four remaining elementary schools:

  • Option A: Kindergarten and Grade 1 (Franklin and Wheelock) paired with grades 2-5 (Fuller and Symonds)
  • Option B: Kindergarten through Grade 3 (Fuller and Symonds) paired with grades 4&5 (Franklin and Wheelock)
  • Option C: Kindergarten through Grade 5 in all four schools (The Wheelock preschool will also be considered in this review)

 

What's next?


In January 2012 the Board to formed the Keene Elementary Restructuring Steering Committee, which has been charged with overseeing the work necessary for our community to transition from five to four elementary schools. Subcommittees include:

  • Curriculum
  • Transportation, Redistricting & Enrollment
  • Facilities & Building (Jonathan Daniels School) Repurposing
  • Special Education
  • Staffing/Scheduling
  • Transitions


Steering Committee meetings are open to the public (click here for a schedule). If you have ideas or would like to help, you may also leave comments here on this website.