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November 29, 2011

Letter: Moving fifth-graders to middle school a bad idea

To the editor:

Regarding Paul Leighton's Nov. 25 story headlined, "Plan would move fifth-graders to new middle school":

Thanks to you and the School Committee for putting this issue before the public.

Of course we don't want fifth-graders in middle school. Look at our excellent fourth-grade MCAS scores and our lagging eighth-grade MCAS scores, and then try to defend the "need" for subject-sophisticated teachers for 10-year-olds.

Our elementary educators are teaching more effectively than our middle school subject specialists already, even using the old MCAS as a measure. If you add the fun factor of elementary school, the equation goes infinite on the elementary side. (Ask a sophisticated math specialist what that sentence means. The kids already know.)

Tell us again that the elementary schools are "bursting at the seams." If so, why is the new McKeown School not being used as an elementary school and why is the superintendent proposing to discontinue the Hannah as an elementary school?

Tell us again how much money we will save when "out-of-district" placements are curtailed. We have been told that every year since Chapter 766 was enacted in the 1970s. A few kids have such unusual needs that no local district can meet them. They are not the drag on the budget that they are often accused of being.

As a student who attended Memorial Junior High during its first year of operation, I can attest that it was not a great building then. Perhaps it could be renovated into a great building.

To renovate it by destroying our wonderful elementary schools would not be worth the cost to our students and our taxpayers.

Pat Danielson

Beverly

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