Board of Education – Stuck in the Middle on Middle School Feeder Plan

Click here for the Fairfield Board of Education Middle School Feeder Proposal

Tonight, further keeping parents on edge, the Fairfield Board of Education was unable to reach a decision regarding the revisions to the middle school feeder pattern.

The subcommittee charged with analyzing the situation and developing various alternatives, Facilities, Technology and Long Range Planning proposed a solution to the Board, in front of about 150 anxious parents, that was seemed to be thoroughly researched and vetted amongst themselves. But it was not to be.

Subcommittee Chairman Tim Kery and John Mitola were in obvious agreement about a specific plan, while the remaining subcommittee member, Perry Liu, was recommending more time be spent to make a decision since better projections are due in several months.

Plan E (in the subcommitee’s recommendation attached above) proposed having 8 of the 11 elementary schools switch to a different middle school, while each of those elementary schools would continue on to the same high school as today’s feeder system. The new feeder system would put students within walking distance of Roger Ludlowe Middle School, on a bus to Fairfield Woods Middle School. Likewise, Stratfield area students would ride right by Fairfield Woods Middle School on their way to Tomlinson. Some Holland Hill students would be considered walkers to Fairfield Woods Middle School, even though they would be walking across a little patch known as Black Rock Turnpike.

A “grandfathering” system would be put in place so that students incoming 6th graders in 2010 would finish at the middle school they start at, but 2011 6th graders would make the switch. This could put some siblings at different schools.

Mr. Liu was not in favor of this plan, going so far as to say he had little input into the document. He is very much in favor of waiting a few months to see what the new projections for enrollment are before making any proposal.

Obvious to most in the room, the Chairman of the Subcommittee submitted a proposal that didn’t have the full support of it’s own members. The Board of Education has had more than a year to figure out this situation, but still political and personal agendas are coming ahead of the Town’s needs.

So how do you feel? I’d like to see peoples’ thoughts on this issue in the comments below.