The first of the board’s new public forums will be held Monday night at Hightstown High School’s 700 wing and will focus on the district’s need for space.
By: Michael Arges
Parents and other taxpayers will have a special opportunity to have their say about the building plans for the East Windsor Regional School District Monday night.
That’s because Monday at Hightstown High School’s 700 wing annex at 7:30 p.m. the district will begin a new series of monthly public forums with the examination of long-term and short-term solutions to the district’s space problems.
Studies by a demographer and district administrators suggest that by the 2005-2006 school year the district’s student population will require some form of new construction either additions to present buildings or construction of one or more new school buildings.
At this past Monday’s school board meeting, district Business Administrator David Shafter suggested that some short-term adjustment of space usage would be needed for fall 2002.
Needed changes might include major redistricting of the district’s elementary schools, or the district may be able to get by with moving a class or two from one building to another, Mr. Shafter said in a Wednesday interview.
The district also may gain some needed space through temporary modular classrooms or by converting existing space to classrooms, Mr. Shafter said. For example, there is an unused kitchen at the Walter C. Black School that could become a classroom on a temporary basis.
The Turning Point room at the Perry L. Drew School could be converted to a regular classroom, with the Drew School Turning Point programs being conducted elsewhere. Turning Point is an optional enrichment and child-care program available to the district’s kindergarten students to occupy the half-day they are not in class.
"All this I’m going to be discussing in detail Monday night," Mr. Shafter said. He refused to discuss specific details of the pros and cons of the various space-finding measures.
Also at Monday’s meeting residents will be able to assist district leaders as they examine the 10 or more options for new construction that have been presented to and by the district.
Based on recommendations from The Helfgott Demographers Group, district administrators, board members and parents, district leaders are considering at least 10 different possible future configurations for the district. Some proposals call for the building of a new high school or junior high, for additions to all five existing schools with no new building, for more than one new building, or for new divisions of elementary schools, such as a K-2, 3-5 division or a K-4, 5-6 division.

