School officials: Timberlane short of space

A September referendum to seek money for improvements at the grades six-eight building might be a solution, some officials say.

By John Tredrea
   Officials of the Hopewell Valley Regional School District say there will be adequate space in the district’s four elementary schools and high school for the next five to seven years, at least. But it’s a much different story at Timberlane Middle School.
   A September referendum to seek money for improvements at the grades six-eight building might be a solution, some officials say.
   "The middle school is our problem," Superintendent Robert Sopko said during Tuesday night’s Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education meeting. "At Timberlane, there’s an immediate need."
   There are 922 students at the school now, Timberlane Principal Steve Cochrane said. "Our facility is strained to meet the needs of the students we have now, and we’re going to continue to grow." Mr. Cochrane said his school’s enrollment is expected to climb by 47 students, to 969, in 2003-2004, and by an additional 23 students, to 992 in 2004-2005. The enrollment is expected to decline to 965 in 2005-2006. "We have a very extensive and comprehensive program in our building. We need the space to maintain it," the principal told the board.
   Conferring with the board Tuesday night, Mr. Cochrane and Timberlane Vice Principal Susan Weinman summarized 10 needs at their school in what Dr. Sopko called a "preliminary overview" of the matter. In the weeks ahead, a Facilities Review Committee will study the overview, confer with an architect and other school officials and make a recommendation to the school board.
   The board could then decide what approach it would take in an effort to fund remedies for Timberlane. Remedies could include addition of new space as well as reconfiguration of existing space. Meanwhile, impending transfer of two trailers from Hopewell Elementary to Timberlane will provide some short-term relief. Mr. Cochrane said the trailers could be used as a health office, computer lab, or other purposes.
   The most probable source of funding for improvements at Timberlane would be a referendum, possibly in September. A decision on a September referendum would have to be made by the board no later than March, Dr. Sopko said. He predicted it would take about two years to complete work for which funding had been provided.
   No dollar estimates for implementation of any of the 10 needs summarized by Mr. Cochrane and Ms. Weinman have been made yet, Dr. Sopko said.
   The 10 needs outlined by the Tmberlane principal and vice principal are:
   • Renovation of the school’s seventh-grade house center into two new classrooms, in order to provide more instructional space. This was done to the sixth- grade house center last year. The centers are large meeting areas used by "teams" of students. Division of each grade level into teams has been part of Timberlane’s instructional approach since it was changed to a grades six-eight middle school from a grades seven-eight junior high school several years ago.
   • Renovation of the small auditorium into a multipurpose meeting room. "It’s now used for health classes and performing arts, which is not a good instructional use of that space," Ms. Weinman said.
   • A new technology lab. "This is critical to our program," Mr. Cochrane said. Ms. Weinman said staff at the school constantly face schedule conflicts when trying to give students enough time on computers.
   • Another science lab, needed for what Mr. Cochrane called the school’s "hands-on, inquiry-based" approach to teaching science. "We can limp through next year without another lab," the principal said. "After that, we won’t have enough" unless one is added.
   • A classroom dedicated to teaching health courses, which are required by state law.
   • Renovation and enlargement of the health office. "On any given day, it can be standing-room-only in the office we have now," Mr. Cochane said. Ms. Weinman said the lines of students waiting to be given medication by the nurse regularly extend into the hallway and that there is no room for confidential discussion between the nurse and a student. Room for that purpose is needed in a middle school because of issues faced by students in that age bracket, she said.
   • Renovation of the locker room. "It’s old, it’s cramped, the ventilation system is failing," Mr. Cochrane said. "Supervisors can’t see what’s happening behind each set of lockers."
   • Renovation of the kitchen and cafeteria. "It’s one of the oldest kitchens in the district," which has six schools, Mr. Cochrane said. "It needs to be reconfigured, for safety and efficiency." John Nemeth, the district’s longtime business administrator and school board secretary, agreed. The Timberlane kitchen needs to be renovated to meet the needs of additional students and staff," Mr. Nemeth said.
   • Space to support exploratory and enrichment programs. Current space for these programs is "strained," Ms. Weinman said, noting that the school’s orchestra practices during lunch with the stage’s curtain drawn to separate the musicians from students who are eating; that the capacity of the music room is exceeded during choral rehearsals; and that some art classes are being taught in a home economics room.
   In conclusion, Mr. Cochrane said to the school board: "Clearly, there’s the money question. It will be expensive. We rely on the board to prioritize" the school’s needs.
   Board members said they would give in-depth consideration to the Timberlane situation.