Ridgefield News
May 30, 1999
Reasons To Support New Middle School
Dr. Wallace's Reasons To Support New Middle School
[Ed. note: Ridgefield Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ralph Wallace offers his rationale to support the construction of a new Grade 6-8 middle school. This proposal will come before the voters of Ridgefield in a referendum on June 19.]
- Keeps middle schoolers in reasonable size buildings - avoids 1400 -
1500 mega middle school
- Provides a "neighborhood" feature to middle school education - a north
and south location
- The 6 - 8 configuration allows the town to build on (replicate) a very
successful model already in place at East Ridge Middle School
- The 6 - 8 configuration is the most common in the country and the middle
school model is one of the most successful innovations to positively
impact children's learning.
- Many advantages to the "campus" style of school location - (1) easy to
bring middle school and high school teachers together for professional
development; (2) opportunities to share staff and substitute teachers;
(3) middle school fields can be used for after-school athletics by high
school teams; (4) opportunities for academic enrichment mentoring of
middle school students by high school students.
- Motivation to improve teaching and learning at the middle level through
friendly rivalry of the two schools.
- Allows the town to follow a solid, controlled growth solution to
facility needs:
- two (2) middle schools are appropriate for a 5000+ student school
system
- keeps the small neighborhood elementary school system in tact by
adding one (1) elementary school and avoiding large school warehousing of
elementary children
- with Ridgebury School renovated and modest improvements to
existing elementary schools, the elementary population, as well as the
middle school population can be properly housed through the end of our
allowed planning window - 2008-2009
- with all K-8 housing concerns addressed, we can plan for a
Ridgefield High School building addition which can easily fit on the
remaining allowable footprint and which can be ready in time to accommodate
the critical 2003 student enrollment
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