Life Expectancy of Local High School Buildings

July 20, 2020

As an advocate for school regionalization since 2009, I have listened to both sides of the issue as it relates to expanded educational opportunities, administration, staffing, transportation, location, facilities, financial management, etc., you name it.

At this time of Covid, however, it seems that issues related to the economy have risen to the top of the list. School budgets across the country are imperiled because of reductions in tax revenues, not to mention the increased costs of ensuring health and safety.

I would argue that, in spite of the costs of a bond, regionalizing the schools makes sense because of potential reductions if only in the economy of scale resulting from a single high school facility as opposed to two separate facilities and the maintenance of two sites past their 30 year anticipated life span.

Sometimes a little history makes an existing situation more understandable.

Did you know that Rogers High School opened at its current site on Wickham Rd. in 1957? Or that the Career & Technical School opened in 1968? Or that Middletown High School opened in 1961?  In terms of the expected life cycle, that makes RHS 63 years old, the Career & Technical School 52 years old, and MHS 59 years old?

So is it any wonder that buildings sustaining exposure to New England weather and heavy-duty use by hundreds of students every year are in poor condition in spite of constant and costly maintenance?

Putting aside all the educational issues, I commend Newport for attempting to address the needs of a 63 year old facility although their rush to solve the problem by rebuilding at the current site seems foolhardy when they would still incur substantial costs transporting the majority of their students who live at the other end of the city.  

In regard to Middletown, is it really cost-efficient to continue to pour funds into a 59 year old building whose 5 year life cycle in 2017 was anticipated to cost millions of dollars for repairs?

I suggest that those trying to justify patchwork take a look at the September 2017 State of Rhode Island Schoolhouses Report.

And then ask yourself:  Is it really better that we go our separate ways or – as is currently the theme – We do better together?

Middl Town Council Presentation June 22, 2020

One year ago in June, representatives from Newport, supported by a roomful of Middletown residents, requested that the Middletown Town Council agree to begin discussions about school regionalization.  The TC refused to discuss the issue.

A month later, in July, the issue was resurrected with even more resident support, and the TC refused.

Beginning in September, a committee was formed in another effort to convince the TC that there was support throughout the town for discussions. A petition was developed, substantial number of signatures were collected, and the petition was presented to the TC in January asking again for discussions. The TC declined.

Undeterred, CESU (Citizens for Exploring School Unification) formulated a petition that included an Ordinance as required under the Town Charter in an effort to initiate discussions that would result in a proposal. 

Several drafts were reviewed, and a final draft was sent to 2 separate local attorneys for advice, both of whom possessing specific knowledge and understanding of the requirements under the Town Charter.

Eventually one of them connected directly with the current Town Solicitor who reviewed the proposed Petition and Ordinance, made a few edits, and returned the final copy to one of the attorneys who then forwarded it to me as the final version.

Using that final version, CESU began collecting signatures. They used every opportunity to connect with people, collecting signatures one-by-one, even going door-to-door.

Then the virus hit and personal contact was forbidden so they used other strategies to collect the signatures, including costly mailers and setting up areas in open spaces - to protect both themselves and the public - near businesses who gave them permission.

Over a 6 month period, they collected the signatures of the required 10% of the voters and they submitted the petition to the TC for 2 Public Hearings.

Now, however, the Town Solicitor – the same person who wrote the final version as related to the Town Charter and sent it to the attorney who was helping CESU -  has declared that the process is flawed and cannot go forward as was previously scripted by his own hand.

In spite of the above circumstances, it would seem ethical and honorable at this time to recognize that almost 1200 voters petitioned the TC to form a study committee for discussion with Newport and to identify representatives.

Therefore, I make a motion that the TC approve joint discussions with Newport in a study committee focused on potential school regionalization and appoint 2 members of the TC and one member of the SC as representatives.

The Town Council disregarded the 1183 Middletown petitioners and defeated the motion 6 to 1.

Middl School Comm Presentation Jan.23, 2020

Good evening.    Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you tonight.

I am not here as a Town Councilor but rather as an advisor to CESU to share with you a relevant topic of discussion regarding the future education of the children of Middletown and Newport.

I have sat in your seats – as a parent of Middletown students, as a teacher of Middletown students, as an administrator in 3 states, and as a Middletown School Committee member so, more than most, I understand the heavy burden you bear.

When voters elect public servants to office, they expect us to separate our personal feelings and interests from the equation and manage the governing responsibility like a business. So S.C. members are charged with providing physical structures and educational umbrellas that are intended – theoretically – to provide the best education   possible for students. We believe that you are committed to doing that.           

Unfortunately, moving from the role of parent and teacher to overseer sometimes changes the equation         so that, in the commitment to provide what we regard as the best we can offer, we lose sight of the future needs of the students in our care.

We are not here to talk about the facilities, which you are doing your best to maintain while their natural aging requires increasingly more resources.

We are not here to talk about the abysmal test scores that should not be laid at the door of teachers but, in many ways, are the result of inconsistent state standards and mandates. Teachers will do what the administration expects them to do, and administrators will comply with state requirements.

But you are the watchdogs of the organization, and you must go beyond educational structures and requirements to address the needs of your students – ALL your students – in order to prepare them – ALL of them – for an uncertain future.

Most of you know that I have personally been an advocate for school district unification since 2009.     Having spent 6 years in MA immediately after Ed Reform, including 2 years as a Curriculum Director in one regional district and 4 years as the Deputy Superintendent of the largest regional school district in MA, I know what effective state standards look like and what a good high school provides for its students.

I also know that the number of programs a high school can provide is largely dependent on its enrollment.    The money will only go so far and, when push comes to shove, you set priorities. Having been a teacher at Middletown High School for 18 years in the 70’s and 80’s – when the enrollment was twice what it is now - I know what a good high school can provide for its students – ALL of its students – something that I do not believe is happening now.

CESU commends you for providing high quality programs for your college bound students.    We expect that their test scores are also commendable.  However, not all your students will go to college. Some do not have the resources;   some have not yet developed the maturity to know what they want to do; some are more suited to a hands-on approach.

The point is that their lack of interest in going to college doesn’t make them any less worthy of good preparation for self-sufficient lives. You have an obligation to provide an education for ALL the students so that they can be productive citizens and ensure that this town maintains the same quality of life of those who came before them, and you can’t do it without making a leap into the future, because more money alone – and you are limited in those prospects – will not solve the problem of inadequate preparation of ALL your students.

The future of local employment is uncertain.  However, considering the absence of affordable housing, it is unlikely that high-paying jobs will be abundantly available on Aquidneck Island for the college-bound students you are providing with the most options.    

What will always be available are the jobs that provide the foundation structure for any community – and what is most needed now in Middletown AND in Newport –    are the hands-on workers who build your houses, repair your plumbing, fix your car, maintain your roads, prepare your meal at a local restaurant, and provide all the services that make your lives easier and better.      These are the students who are not getting the attention they need – and the inadequacy of their education – not money – is the cause of this failure.

As a professional educator who relies on logic and data, let me provide evidence to support the need for you to consider a new pathway.

 A recent press release said that the Quonset Development Corporation in North Kingstown – close enough for a commute - says that the companies there have 250 open jobs. At least half of the current listed postings require only a high school diploma or its equivalency.

 Locally, one of this area’s daily online newsletters recently advertised, and I quote, “Now Hiring: 90 plus local job opportunities that are available right now.”     A review of the employment opportunities listed included 47 jobs – more than 50% - that do not require a college education. What they do require is a high school diploma or equivalency, a good work ethic, and some experience with hands-on work.

 However, future employees are not granted the opportunities for work-related experiences in school that would enable them to fill these positions or, if they are lucky enough to get hired, to actually be successful. They need what you can’t provide – within the current system. You could do it before. You can do it again if you will open your minds to the possibilities.

We ask you to look at the numbers. Middletown provides 3 sequential programs – primarily aimed at the college bound.   Newport provides 10 programs, primarily aimed at the hands-on worker. Combined, they could provide 13 different programs that would serve the needs of ALL types of students in BOTH of the schools. 

Compare that to other schools. Portsmouth High School has a larger enrollment, but it only provides 4 programs – again aimed at the college bound while Chariho Regional High School, with a larger enrollment, offers 13 programs that service students of ALL interests.

Compare this data to academically successful MA schools with even larger and more varied enrollments. They provide between 10 and 13 programs for students of ALL interests.

So what does this tell us?  That 10-13 is the desirable number of sequential programs for a good high school to offer to ALL students, and sufficient enrollment makes those schools able to do so.

This is just a brief picture of one benefit of unification for students. There are many others, but this one is my passion because it could have a major impact on maintaining the quality of life of this community.

 If the balance for you – in your roles as School Committee members -  is on the side of the education of ALL your students, we ask you to consider the possibilities. 

It'a All About Reading

From a perspective of 48 years as an educator – English teacher, School Committee Chair, administrator in 3 states, a RI Superintendent of Schools, 12 years as an Adjunct Professor of Writing at RWU – I found Education Week’s October 5, 2019 article “How Do Kids Learn to Read? What the Science Says” both confirming and troubling.

Within the past 5years, I have observed a decline in students’ ability to analyze and internalize the substance of what they read.

Sarah Schwartz and Sarah D. Sparks state the problem clearly: 

Does it make a difference whether children learn to read using printed books or digital ones?

In the last decade or so, access to Internet-based text has continued to expand, and schools have increasingly used digitally based books, particularly to support students who do not have easy access to paper books at home. Yet some emerging evidence suggests children learn to read differently in print versus digitally, in ways that could hinder their later comprehension.

Researchers that study eye movements find that those reading digital text are more likely to skim or read nonlinearly, looking for key words to give the gist, jump to the end to find conclusions or takeaways, and only sometimes go back to find context in the rest of the text. In a separate series of studies since 2015, researchers led by Anne Mangen found that students who read short stories and especially longer texts in a print format were better able to remember the plot and sequence of events than those who read the same text on a screen.

It’s not yet clear how universal these changes are, but teachers may want to keep watch on how well their students reading electronically are developing deeper reading and comprehension skills.

At RWU, I have surveyed classes regarding quiz preparation, asking how many scanned the reading digitally, how many highlighted a printed copy, and how many took notes. Universally the last group achieved better results.

With this kind of evidence, I am dismayed at the direction of our schools in replacing print with technology.

Lest I be misunderstood, I have used a computer as a teaching tool since 1989 when I last taught high school Journalism. I believe technology is vital in teaching math, some of the sciences, and the like. However, substituting computers for books in the liberal arts has undermined the acquisition of reading skills and resulted in declining English/Language Arts test scores.

It is true that the cost of textbooks has skyrocketed. However, the cost for books for an entire classroom – even with replacement costs – compares favorably with the cost and maintenance of classroom computers - especially when schools can get quality paperbacks instead of bound books from high-priced textbook publishers.

If educators are serious about increasing student skills (and improving test scores along the way), they need to take a more realistic look at instruction.  Teachers don’t want to be computer monitors. They have been trained to teach. Give them the appropriate tools to do their jobs.

It's About the Future

My parents, like many of my peers, were children of the Great Depression. My dad joined the Navy in his mid-twenties when his father told him it was time for him to leave behind an extended adolescence and grow up. 

A few years later he married my mother and they spent the next several years at various military installations – including Japan after the war - before he was stationed in Newport.

As a child of the military, I was used to changing environments – both physical and social – but the goal was always to get better, not richer but more responsible. Neither parent graduated from high school, but they wanted more for me and my brother, so we were encouraged to strive for excellence.

I wish I could say we did what was expected, but it took both of us longer than usual due to our own independent natures. Nevertheless, they instilled in us a fortitude and a set of principles that have become our guides as we have grown older and – I like to think – wiser.

That frame of reference drives me today. I am saddened by the culture of entitlement that has replaced the willingness to invest in the future.

Life is short and everyone wants to be able to enjoy it while they can. Pinching pennies is not fun, and I would be the first to ensure that those who have spent their lives and resources in Middletown – homesteaders - are enabled to stay in their homes.

However, I will not support a tax benefit for part-timers or for those who earn profit from rental property – short-or long-term.  Profit should not derive at the expense of others.

Further, I do not understand a population that 20 years ago demanded excellence in its schools but is now satisfied with poor test results and a “good enough” program that does not meet the needs of ALL the students.

Where is the vision for the future of this island when our schools provide high level academics for the college-bound but insufficient opportunities for the others to learn marketable skills? 

As an educator for 48 years – and still counting – in 3 states at all levels of instruction and administration, I cannot, in good conscience, say we are providing the best possible education for our young people – unless all we are looking at is money.

We are on the brink of possibilities – not just a new regional facility but also the opportunity to revamp our entire educational program. It’s time for vision. It’s time for commitment. It’s time to put aside differences and explore the possibilities.

How much do you care about the future? What do you want to leave behind?

It’s Not About the Money. It’s About the Kids – Page 18

So what does it all mean?

Schools are the economic engine of the community.

Size correlates with opportunity.
Opportunity produces a workforce.
A workforce increases the job market.
A job market brings more investment.
Investment brings economic growth,
a higher tax base, and local prosperity.

It's not just about the money.
It's abut the investment in the kids.
They are Middletown's future.

It’s Not About the Money. It’s About the Kids – Page 17

School size makes a difference. More students means more choices and more opportunity.

In Middletown, small size results in:

Questionable student assignment to AP classes
A limited # of academic electives
A limited # of hands-on electives
Limited availability in scheduleing
An absence of workplace skill and training.

What would make the difference?
Larger size would result in:

Criteria-based assignment to AP classes
Greater diversity of academic and hands-on electives
More scheduling flexibility and course availability
More career-related rograms that meet the needs of 
business and industry and promore economic development.

It’s Not About the Money. It’s About the Kids – Page 16

We have been talking about the impact on the future of students who do not have comprehensive educational opportunity. But how does it affect the rest of us?

Contrasting with the higher per puil costs in smaller schools, substantial evidence supports the link between the academic opportunity in larger schools and economic growth.

Larger schools with more learning opportunities contribute skilled workers to a job market that
     brings business and investment
     raises property values
     increases the tax base
     results n a lower and/or stable tax rate.

Opportunities for the college-bound student have been protected and even increased as our culture has become more technological. Unfortunately, opportunities for the skilled workers who will keep our communities functioning have been eliminated.

Yes, we need to prepare our students who will become engineers, architects, computer programmers, researchers, and others talented in math and science.

But our economy requires talented tradesmen and women whose skills build our houses, and those who keep our cars running, our homes heated, and our utilities functioning, among other practical needs.

A community of one without the other will not bring workers into the economy that supports our way of life. Good schools are large enough to produce both. 

It’s Not About the Money. It’s About the Kids – Page 15

Not everyone wants to go to college or has the means to do so. There is a direct correlation between school enrollment and a school’s ability to provide opportunity to develop skills for future employment. 

Those high schools that also have career and technical school facilities provide the best opportunities for the non-college bound student.

However, even a comprehensive high school can provide career-development courses if the schools are large enough to support them.

Larger size provides programs, reduces scheduling conflicts, and makes more sections of career-related electives available to more students.

On the other hand, some students in smaller schools leave their home schools to attend career-related programs ,,, or … they give up their career interests.

It’s Not About the Money. It’s About the Kids – P. 14

There is a direct correlation between school enrollment and each school’s Program of Studies.

The following is a comparison of courses available to students in 3 district schools with enrollment differences, in this case the electives in Foreign Languages that are listed in each school’s Program of Studies:

                                  

N. Kingstown HS       1,383 students                   

     French 1-5       

     Spanish 1-5

                        AP Spanish Lang/Cult

                        AP Spanish Lit

                        German 1-4

                        German Exchange

                        Portuguese 1-4

                        World Cultures

                                                                     

Barrington HS           1,116 students           

     French 1-4

                        AP Fr Lang/Cult

                        Spanish 1-4

                        AP Spanish Lang/Cult

                        Spanish for Bus.

                        Spanish for HealthCare

                        Latin 1-4

                        AP Latin

                        Mandarin Chinese 1-4

                                          

Middletown HS            663 students                  

     French 2-5 (phasing out French)

                        AP French Lang/Cult

                        Spanish 1-5

                        AP Spanish Lang/Cult

                         Lit/Cult in Spanish Speaking World                                                                     

It’s Not About the Money. It’s About the Kids – Page 13

There is a direct correlation between school enrollment and each school’s Program of Studies. 

The following is a comparison of courses available to students in 3 district schools with enrollment differences, in this case the electives in Business and Family & Consumer Science that are listed in each school’s Program of Studies:

Subject area: Business

                                     Enrollment     # of courses   

N. Kingstown HS              1,383                 13    

Barrington HS                   1,116                 13      

Middletown HS                    663                  0                         

Subject area: Family & Consumer Science

                                      Enrollment      # of courses   

N. Kingstown HS              1,383                   5                   

Barrington HS                   1,116                   0                          

Middletown HS                    663                  0                         

Tomorrow we will look at the available Foreign Language courses in each school.

It’s Not About the Money. It’s About the Kids – Page 12

There is a direct correlation between school enrollment and each school’s Program of Studies.

The following is a comparison of courses available to students in 3 district schools with enrollment differences, in this case the electives in The Arts that are listed in each school’s Program of Studies:

Subject area: Visual Arts

                                                Enrollment                 # of courses   

N. Kingstown HS                      1,383                             11

Barrington HS                           1,116                             14

Middletown HS                            663                             10 

Subject area: Music

                                                Enrollment                 # of courses   

N. Kingstown HS                      1,383                             15

Barrington HS                           1,116                             10

Middletown HS                            663                             13

Subject area: Theatre

                                                Enrollment                 # of courses   

N. Kingstown HS                      1,383                               1

Barrington HS                           1,116                               4

Middletown HS                            663                               0                                     

Tomorrow we will look at the available Business courses.

It’s Not About the Money. It’s About the Kids – Page 11

In the same way that assessment results are not valid in comparing schools – as discussed on Page 8 of this series - neither is the graduation rate.

The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) publishes summary data as well as data that distinguishes between categories of students that include the following:   All Students, Economically Disadvantaged, English Learners, Gender, Race/Ethnicity, and Students with Disabilities.

It is important to recognize that the proportions of students in each category can skew comparative graduation rates. What is actually a more valid measurement is a comparison of the graduation rates in each school across time.

Graduating classes in the 9 schools with different populations in this series ranged from 112 to 296 students in 2018.

A sampling of the graduation rates from 2016 to 2018 in these schools reflected an increase in the graduation rate for All Students from 83.5% to 84.0%; an increase of 78.5% to 82.5% in the rate for Black Students; an increase of 75.8% to 77.0% in the rate for Economically Disadvantaged Students; and an increase of 60.5% to 62.4% in the rate for Students with Disabilities.

Clearly, in spite of abysmal assessment results as reported in comparisons of schools, progress is being made across the board when students are compared with students like themselves.

Comparing graduation rates is only valid when the scores apply to the same school from year to year.

It’s Not About the Money. It’s About the Kids – Page 10

Placement in Advanced Placement course sections is sometimes regarded as a reflection of achievement. That may have been true many years ago when placement by ability levels was the norm. 

Now, however, students are placed in mixed-level ability course sections where aides are provided for students with identified disabilities.

In 2018. at Middletown High School, 11 courses were scheduled with multiple sections of some courses.

For example, 52 11^th grade students (in a class of approximately 138) were assigned to 3 sections of AP English Language.

In addition, 26 12^th grade students (in a class of approximately 132) were assigned to 2 sections of AP English Literature.   

Further, 35 10^th grade students (in a class of approximately 99 students) were assigned to 2 sections of English 10 Honors.

Now look at the test results. Of 169 AP exams administered, only 73% scored a 3 or better, which is the acceptable standard.

Advanced Placement has sometimes become a way to get around current mandates rather acceleration for high achievers.

It’s Not About the Money. It’s About the Kids – Page 9

It’s easy to draw the conclusion that a large number of Advanced Placement courses available at a school is a reflection of that school’s quality. However, what is more telling is the number of students that are actually seated in classes and the results of AP testing.

This study has looked at 9 schools with enrollments that range from 500 to 1,383 students.

Advanced Placement courses are designed for students who have excelled in previous courses in a subject and have demonstrated the ability to achieve at a uniquely exemplary level.

This is usually a small percentage of seniors who are scheduled into a single section with others who share the same academic ability.

If the above is true, it would seem logical that the smaller schools would offer fewer AP classes due to the limited number of qualified students in a smaller student body. However, this is not always the case.

Next we will look at a local school to get actual data about Advanced Placement – what the Program of Studies offers, what courses are actually scheduled, the number of students enrolled, and the results of the AP exams.