Wellington group builds consensus for schools

By Gary Raham
Wellington Correspondent

Twelve hours of meetings over two days have resulted in a community-based recommendation on how to make room for more students in Wellington's schools.

"We worked hard to establish a culture of information rather than pure emotion," said Alicia Durand, principal at Wellington Junior High School. "I was proud of the school district for doing a good job with the background information, but I was most proud of the Wellington citizens who came with open minds, listened and made a good decision."

The group met for two, 6-hour meetings on Nov. 12 and 19 to make recommendations for future school construction in the Wellington area. The group's recommendation will be a version of what was described as "Option Blue" at community meetings held last spring: building a new elementary school and adding capacity (space) to the existing junior high. Modifications address concerns posed by this solution.

The group will present its findings--and the process used to reach its decision - to the community on Dec. 7, 7 p.m., at the Wellington Junior High gym.

Committee members seemed generally pleased with the pattern of the talks. Mary Swanson, media specialist at WJH, said, "Everyone seemed involved from the beginning. Everyone had an opportunity to say their piece."

Bill Franzen, executive director of operations for Poudre School District, echoed that sentiment and also mentioned that there was a strong feeling among committee members that it was crucial to maintain good communication among all future schools so that the community didn't become polarized.

Group facilitator Maggie Carter was equally complimentary about the committee. "It's the most incredible group of people I've ever worked with," she said. "I was so impressed with everyone who attended."

The committee included community members; school administrators; Marilyn Barker, a local resident and real estate agent; Larry Lorentzen, Wellington town administrator; teachers from Eyestone and WJH; parents from Eyestone and Tavelli attendance areas; Shannon Bingham, a school planning consultant; and Garth Rogers from the board of education. Lorentzen praised the facilitator and said, "The district had the right people there. They provided good information."

Franzen said the new school would be funded from the existing bond issue. Recent schools built in Fort Collins have cost between $9 million and $9.5 million for "bricks and mortar and professional fees." Land costs are not included in this figure. A new school will probably cost between $100 and $105 per square foot. Money for any additions to the junior high will have to come from other sources like certificates of participation, which are essentially mortgages on the existing building.

The "Option Blue" recommendation will be modified to include an emphasis on the following considerations:

• The district must continue to pay attention to student numbers in the junior high and plan for funding for a new junior high within five to six years.
• It's necessary to address growth at the current junior high while plans are under way.
• The impact on other schools as a result of possible boundary changes must be taken into consideration.
• There must be a commitment from both elementary schools to communicate with the junior high.
• There needs to be school equality in terms of boundaries, student diversity and dollars.
• The two elementary schools must stay in touch with each other to establish cohesiveness.
• The location for the new elementary school will not be too far south and be within walking distrance from residential neighborhoods.
• If Eyestone suffers from an unequal socio-economic split with the new school, it should be given preference for attractive programs like Core Knowledge or IB Science to make it more competitive.
• There should be a financial commitment to purchase land for a junior high.
• The town and local developers should be involved in funding land for a junior high.

The meeting on Dec. 7 will offer a final opportunity for other community members to add their thoughts to the report that will go to the boundary committee and the board of education. Members of the committee on the planning team, who will be making the presentation to the community, will include Franzen; Lorentzen; Durand; Jim Sarchet, assistant superintendent of business services; Eyestone teacher Larissa Hunnoff; and parents Dave Bibbey, Leslie Obermeyer and Todd Juergens.

Information about upcoming board of education agendas is available at the school district web site www.psdschools.org.