By Eileen Oldfield Staff Writer
MANVILLE — The parents at Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting may not have children in the fifth-grade, but their request was clear: should the state-mandated preschool program run, don’t move the fifth grade from Roosevelt School to Alexander Batcho Intermediate School.
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state aid — Burkhardt Though district officials say state funding will determine whether the state-mandated preschool program is offered in Manville next year, tentative plans are under way to do so, District Superintendent Donald Burkhardt said in letter sent to parents this week. ”We have developed tentative plans to educate the preschool disadvantaged students in Manville as we have been directed to do (by the state),” Dr. Burkhardt’s letter said. “We have not made any final decisions.” ”…The Board of Education is looking at plans to initiate this mandate at little or no cost to the taxpayers of Manville,” the letter continues. “This may cause the Board to shift some grade levels from one school to another.” The district must submit the planning paperwork, including a potential curriculum, to the state by Dec. 15. District Curriculum Specialist Barbara Popp presented the potential curriculum to the board at its Nov. 11 meeting, even though the program may not happen. ”If the preschool aid is eliminated, the preschool program will not run,” Ms. Popp said while presenting the program’s potential curriculum at the Nov. 11 Board of Education meeting. A survey of the state’s Abbott districts, the models for the state-wide program, and the curriculums used in their preschool programs led the district to choose a prepared curriculum called “Tools of the Mind,” developed by the Metropolitan State College of Denver, Ms. Popp said. ”The program emphasizes the need for young children to build strong speaking and social skills,” Ms. Popp said. “It also addresses the need for young children to exercise emotion and behavioral control, referred to as self regulation.” She said the program encourages children to develop skills through playtime activities. ”After researching and observing the different programs, the Curriculum Committee agreed this program best meets the needs of our district and supports our early literacy program,” she said. Ms. Popp said the plan include between six and eight preschool staff members, including a teacher and two part-time teachers assistants for each class. The state is expected to provide $11,506 per pupil for the preschool program, though district officials say they don’t know how the state will find the money — Gov. Jon Corzine recently announced that the state is facing a $5 billion budget shortfall in the next budget year that begins July 1. Receiving state funding has another caveat, however — districts receive money based on the predicted attendance, and must return any unneeded funds if the estimate proves too high. As a targeted school district, the state expects Manville to begin the preschool program in September 2009, with Weston School housing the six-hour program. The program will run the full day and on the same schedule as Weston School. Ms. Popp said parents cannot opt to send their child for a half-day session. The state requires the program be offered to economically disadvantaged 3- and 4-year-olds, though the district must offer a preschool for all students if 40 percent of the students in the district meet the economically disadvantaged criteria. Ms. Popp said of the 150 students whose parents applied for the preschool, approximately 25 — or 16 percent — meet the economically disadvantaged criteria and would be eligible for the preschool. The district must supply a five-year enrollment and curriculum plan, which predicts future enrollments, and could be required to open a universal preschool in coming years. ”We’re looking at the possibility of going from a targeted school to a universal school,” Ms. Popp said. “That could increase the preschool greatly, and we’d have to accommodate.” Once a district starts the universal preschool program, it must offer it for three years, Ms. Popp said, which could have the district searching for additional classroom space. The district has two options: applying for a Regular Operating District (R.O.D.) grant, or leasing space in town to host the program. The R.O.D. grant funds can be used to expanding existing facilities to accommodate the preschool programs, however, of the $3.9 billion available, only $1 billion will be divided between all of the districts that are not part of the 31 low-income Abbott districts. In addition, districts applying for the grant must amend its long-range facilities plan, and submit the amendment for state approval. The seemingly easy task isn’t nearly so simple, said Business Administrator and Board Secretary Richard Reilly — many of the districts which submitted long-range facilities plans for state approval in 2006, including Manville, never received written confirmation of the approval, making an amendment impossible. Mr. Reilly said he contacted the state regarding the Manville plan’s status, and, while many of the originally submitted plans were approved, the state had not sent the approval letters. He said the state was searching for Manville’s plan, and the district was waiting for further information. ”The thing that blows my mind is, if we’ve been approved, why haven’t we gotten that letter?” Mr. Reilly said. “We haven’t gotten to that point yet.” R.O.D. grant applications are due Nov. 20, though the state expects to offer a second application round, Ms. Popp said. While the district will apply for the R.O.D grant, both District Superintendent Donald Burkhardt and Mr. Reilly did not expect to receive the grant funds. ”We’re going to apply, but we’re not going to hold our breath for it,” Mr. Reilly said. — Eileen Oldfield
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While the board is only considering the move as one possible method to make space should the preschool program be offered, parents worried that the move could create problems for fifth-graders attending school with eighth-graders.
”From the standpoint of a parent who volunteers a lot, I think it is a huge, huge disservice to move those children to that school,” said Lincoln Avenue resident Stephanie Cornelson, who doesn’t have children entering fifth or eighth-grades. “… It’s not a good idea to mix them up in that environment.”
Ms. Cornelson noted the age and maturity difference, and said adjusting to both a new school and older classmates could stress the younger students.
District Superintendent Donald Burkhardt said the board is considering several options for accommodating the preschool, while balancing cost to the district, space, and the chance that the lack of state funds could prevent the preschool from materializing.
”I believe the board shares your angst in this matter, and we haven’t finalized anything yet,” Dr. Burkhardt said. “We’re waiting for a final decision from the state.”
To open space at Weston School, the plan includes shifting third-graders from Weston School to Roosevelt School; fifth-graders from Roosevelt School to Alexander Batcho Intermediate School; and eighth-graders from Alexander Batcho Intermediate School to Manville High School.
”I really do think it’s a travesty if they were to mix the students in ABIS,” Brenda Smart, parent of a fourth-grader, said.
Finance and Facilities Chairman Gary Cortelyou mentioned another problem for the board: adding wings to existing schools could be a fruitless investment, if increased enrollments force the district to build a new school later.
”You can’t even make a decision at this point,” Mr. Cortelyou said. “There’s no funding yet, and the state hasn’t made a decision.”
Parent Kim Richter mentioned a conversation with her daughter about moving the fifth-graders into ABIS, and requested more information on the board’s options.
”Her words were, ‘they would eat them alive,’” Ms. Richter said. “From a 10-year-old to a 13-year-old, I really think it’s a bad idea … It’s not really panic; it’s what other ideas are out there.”
Business Administrator and Board Secretary Richard Reilly said the board has other options for the schools, which include moving the Board of Education offices to various sites. Potential sites include moving the offices into the high school, either at the western end of the school or the back of the school, or moving the offices into rented trailers.
While it considers the options, Board President Andrew Zangara said cost remains a central problem — moving the board offices could cost the district $1 million.
”A move of $1 million when our operating budget is $12 million is just a cost this board cannot absorb,” Mr. Zangara said.

