Editor:

I thought that your article last week summarized the minority viewpoint of the Facilities Reorganization Committee quite well.  However, the views of the Committee as a whole were feebly represented.  Perhaps your readers would like to hear from another member of the commmittee, so you might want to reprint a position paper that I offered to that group.

To the committee,

Since summer this group has been considering the use of facilities in the school district. We have toured the facilities, gathered data, listened to community opinions and discussed possibilities. I have to say, and most committee members will recognize, I have never been an unbiased member of the committee. Recognizing this, I feel compelled to explain my feelings about the findings of the group.

It would be a mistake to close any of the elementary schools in the district.

Some might point out that the data collected by the group would lead to the opposite conclusion.  There are empty classrooms in three of the district’s buildings.  The Consolidated School is an aging building showing the effects of time and wear.  And the district’s taxpayers are clamoring for ways of saving money. I will admit that these are problems that will need consideration by the board, but closing schools is not the solution.

The empty classrooms are the direct result of a series of decisions by the district. The district decided to include grade six in a middle school, emptying classrooms at Sea Road and Consolidated and changing Sea Road to a school containing only two grades. The district decided to build a large primary school instead of smaller, neighborhood primary schools.

The district overbuilt Kennebunk Elementary in anticipation of a population boom that was probably over optimistic. The district decided not to do a complete renovation or building program in Kennebunkport.  All of these are only mistakes in retrospect, and the only conclusion that one should draw is that more consideration is needed before making decisions.

Our problem from the beginning is that we were using the wrong criteria for basing a decision. If we were a business, profit would be the goal and efficiency would be tied to that profit. We would eliminate units that were under-utilized to secure the best return on our investment.  But schools are not businesses and their goals are not profit and efficiency. Schools exist to nurture and encourage  children to grow into happy and productive citizens. 

By any measure of a good school, all of the elementary schools in our district are highly successful.  Test scores on standardized tests show that curriculum and instruction are strong. The morale and dedication of each school’s staff are high. Parents are supportive and enthusiastic. And, most importantly, children find their schools a secure, interesting, happy place to learn. The school building is only a small part of this success. More important is each member’s response to the community of the school. Each school has been successful because they have developed a web of interaction between the teachers, students, parents and staff.  And the fact is, these communities are different in each of the schools.

To alter the learning community for any reason would be a great risk. If an emergency necessitated changes, the school  communities would be forced to accommodate the change. But emergency conditions do not exist in the district. It would be folly to disrupt the lives of a successful school community for marginal budgetary savings. If the board did decide to mothball one school, there would be costs involved, staffing would remain the same, and busing costs would increase.  The greatest costs would be for the children whose lives would be changed in ways that we can’t predict.  It would be immoral to endanger children for such trivial reasons.

The information gathered by the committee will be useful to the board.  It was a good idea to take a global look into how the district operates its facilities and transportation. I feel that in doing so we have distilled two problems: unused classroom space and a deteriorating school in Kennebunkport.

The problem of too many classrooms is one of an abundance of wealth. It reminds me of the rich man who complains about having to keep track of his second or third home.  The principals in these buildings have already made decisions of ways to use the extra space. I am sure that the staffs of Sea Road and Kennebunk Elementary will find ways to expand programs into these spaces. I also feel that the board should explore ways for the schools to open more spaces to the community both during and after school hours.

The board should also face that fact that rather than closing Consolidated School, they must consider either building a new elementary school in Kennebunkport or doing a thorough renovation of that school.  The school is more than 50 years old and is no longer sufficient for the changes that have taken place during that time.  They need a better library, an independent cafeteria, well equipped music and art areas and spaces for the many special services that are provided for students.  In addition, there are original building decisions that will continue to plague them. A damp building lot has always yielded problems of drainage and mold. The heating system is costly and outmoded.  There are still remnants of flammable composite wall material from the original  building and the remnants of asbestos in the heating system.  

The board should also consider the place of an elementary school in the life of the community. Consolidated School is not only a school but a center of community life.  Imagine the feelings of the people of the ‘Port when, after waiting through three building programs in Kennebunk (the majority community), they are not only not in line for a new school, but that same board is considering closing their beloved school!  

I honestly don’t believe that the board would ever be callous enough to take that action, but at the same time I fear that the needs of Kennebunkport might be ignored for years to come.  It is time for the board to seriously consider this problem and to take steps to correct it.

I am glad to have been a member of this committee and regret that family illness has limited my participation in its latter considerations. I appreciate the opportunity to represent the feelings of my community in these deliberations.

Peter Hoff

Kennebunkport