Wellington school growth committee needs members
By Gary Raham
Wellington Correspondent
Poudre School District is soliciting applications from individuals in
the Wellington area interested in serving on a committee to recommend plans
for future schools.
This recruitment effort reflects concerns raised last spring about overcrowding
at Eyestone Elementary School. At a PSD/community meeting on April 6, Jim
Sarchet, PSD assistant superintendent of business services and Bill Franzen,
PSD executive director of operations, presented three options:
Option "Red" would see the construction of a new junior high building
with existing elementary and junior high facilities converted to a split-campus
elementary.
Option "Blue" would create a new elementary school and add space to the
existing junior high.
Option "Green" would build a new elementary school, limit the junior
high to seventh and eighth grades and move the ninth grade to high school.
Because new facilities take time to build, but must also contain enough
students to make them economically viable, decision windows are often narrow.
Such is the case here.
The committee will need to meet weekly during October and November to study
and evaluate options and compile findings. The committee will continue
to receive input from concurrently held PSD/community meetings. In November,
the advisory committee will present its findings and recommendations at
a public outreach meeting. In December, the committee will present its
recommendations to the board of education.
Mike Spearnak, PSD's director of planning, design, and construction, pointed
out that the formation of such a committee is "not a typical process for
PSD, but the district wants to make more effort than usual" because Wellington
schools are part of a distinct community. He also emphasized that this
committee would represent the Wellington attendance area and not just the
town of Wellington.
The committee will include three Wellington attendance area community members
and three Wellington attendance area parents--one from Eyestone Elementary,
one from Tavelli Elementary and one from Wellington Junior High. In addition,
the committee will include:
- John Karbula, principal of Eyestone Elementary.
- Alicia Durand, principal of Wellington Junior High.
- Mike Spearnak, PSD's director of planning, design and construction.
- One PSD Board of Education director.
- Jim Sarchet, assistant superintendent of business services.
- A facilitator not associated with PSD, who will lead the committee meetings.
At press time, negotiations were still under way between PSD and a prospective
facilitator.
Those interested in serving on the advisory committee are asked to submit
their names to PSD Operations by Oct. 6, either by e-mail (operations@psdschools.org)
or phone (490-3537), along with whom they would represent. Each school's
School Improvement Team will then select the members to serve on the advisory
committee.
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