District holds hearing on future of school
The Wissahickon School Board says the recommendation to close Mattison Avenue Elementary School was determined to begin to close a student achievement gap in standardized tests’ results, but many parents are questioning the district’s reasoning.
The Wissahickon School District hHOd WhH fiUsW RI WwR SuEOLF hHDUings regarding the possible closure RI 0DWWLsRn AvHnuH EOHPHnWDUy School at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 1 inside the high school auditorium. The hearing RIIHUHd FRnFHUnHd PHPEHUs RI WhH community an opportunity to learn the reasoning behind the recommen- dation to close Mattison and voice their opinions as to why Mattison Avenue should stay open.
The second hearing will take place at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 8 inside the auditorium.
,n WhH suPPHU RI 2010, WhH ERDUd commissioned an enrollment study conducted by the PA Economy LHDJuH, Dnd Ln WhH sSULnJ RI 2011, D’Huy Engineering Inc. and Breslin Ridyard Fidero Architects conductHd D IDFLOLWy IHDsLELOLWy sWudy. AIWHU PRnWhs RI dHOLEHUDWLRn, WhH ERDUd made the recommendation to close Mattison Avenue at its June 11 meeting.
According to the board, there were fivH FDWHJRULHs RI FULWHULD WhDW wHnW into the closure recommendation: HOHPHnWDUy HnUROOPHnW, IDFLOLWy IHDsLELOLWy, HduFDWLRnDO IUDPHwRUk, sWudHnW DFhLHvHPHnW Dnd RWhHU IDFWRUs, LnFOudLnJ finDnFHs Dnd HOHPHnWDUy building capacity. The district cited lower scores on the Pennsylvania 6ysWHP RI 6FhRRO AssHssPHnW Dnd 0HDsuUHPHnW RI AFDdHPLF 3URJUHss WHsWs FRPSDUHd WR WhH UHsW RI WhH dLsWULFW Dnd IRFusHd Rn WhH LdHD RI Dddressing an achievement gap among sWudHnWs IURP 0DWWLsRn AvHnuH compared to the other elementary school students in the district.
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dents.
Former Mattison Avenue Principals Denise Fagan and kicole West, current principals at Blue Bell Elementary and Lower dwynedd Elementary, respectively, addressed the issue. Both Fagan and West agreed WKDW WKHrH Ls D GLIfiFuOW WrDnsLWLRn IRr students moving from Mattison, a h-3 school, to Shady drove after third grade. They said students get accustomed to the staff at Mattison Avenue. When they leave, they have to rebuild the sense of communLWy DnG FRnfiGHnFH WKHy RnFH KDG with the new staff at Shady drove. TKLs FDn EH GLIfiFuOW IRr sWuGHnWs with learning disabilities and emotional issues, they said.
Board member Dick Stanton said he was hopeful that should Mattison Avenue close the community would work with the board to “craft a soluWLRn WKDW yRu PDy finG WR EH Dn HYHn better asset to your community than the school currently is.”
He then read a letter from Dawn Roberts, former board member and former Ambler resident, focusing on diversity across the district and addressing the socio-economic impact as it pertains to Mattison Avenue.
“As an educator and a parent, I wonder if these demographic conditions have created a segregated school within the Wissahickon School District,” she wrote. “I wonder what type of culture we have created for our students, not just at Mattison, but throughout the Wissahickon community.”
She wrote Mattison students had been “stigmatized or treated as second-class citizens” and mentioned how many Ambler parents sent their children to private or Catholic schools “in order to avoid Mattison,” adding that parents described Mattison as “different” from other schools, using “different” to mean “for poor students.”
After the presentation, many parents and community members had the opportunity to ask questions and give comments.
Joe Hunicutt, a Mattison Avenue parent, commented on the district’s data regarding PSSA and MAP test scores that show Mattison Avenue students behind in both math and reading after the transition to Shady drove. He said the district’s own data doesn’t support the claim. The number of students who achieved DGYDnFHG Rr SrRfiFLHnW DFWuDOOy Lncreased rather than stayed the same between third and fourth grade, and the decline occurred between IRurWK DnG fiIWK JrDGH, WKH yHDr DIWHr transition. He said while Mattison students do perform lower than the rest of the district, they also begin at a lower baseline, or average score, with Mattison students starting at 1RR, while the rest of the district begins at 166. He also added there were only six students who were under performing on the test.
Community member haren Sheedy had a number of questions for the board that she wanted addressed at the Oct. 8 hearing. She focused on the high school’s failing $Y3 JrDGH IRr fiYH RuW RI WKH SDsW six years, how the district has failed Mattison Avenue over the past 20 years and the lack of community involvement in the process.
“vou don’t know how to set high goals, you don’t know how to effectively educate our children, and I question this leadership’s focus on what’s shiny instead of what’s important,” she said.
Sheedy addressed some discrepancies she had regarding the estimate D’Huy Engineering conducted in the facilities report about the necessary repairs needed at Mattison Avenue. She said Ambler resident Scott Miller was able to finG D nuPEHr RI LnDFFurDFLHs wLWK WKH fiJurHs DnG FRuOG GrDPDWLFDOOy bring down the potential cost based on his own assessment.
“Three hundred sixty-four thousand dollars to recaulk? It’s a 28,000-square-foot building; that’s A13 a square foot. vou can recarSHW flRRrs IRr D $1.50 D sTuDrH IRRW. Twenty-one thousand, one hundred WwHnWy-fiYH GROODrs IRr rHSDYLnJ around the basketball court? This proves xcommunity memberz John hunzier’s point xmade earlierz, there’s no basketball court there,” she said. “Whoever did this did not even visit the school. Four hundred WwHnWy-WwR WKRusDnG, fiYH Kundred dollars to replace food service equipment because the dishwasher’s not operational? Why don’t we buy a AR,000 dishwasher? Scott xMillerz can save the school district between A361,000 and A900,000 just in this quick assessment.”
Parent Elizabeth Walker found flDws Ln WKH GLsWrLFW’s rHsHDrFK, which stated students from similar incomes achieved greater success at a h-R structure. The district-cited study was conducted among 232 schools in the Midwest — “apples to oranges when comparing that demographic to ours,” she said.
One point that was addressed a number of times was the ability of parents to walk their children to Mattison Avenue. Parents said they felt their children were safe and wHrH EHnHfiWLnJ IrRP WKH H[HrFLsH of walking, which combats childhood obesity.
Parent Rich Palumbo mentioned he felt the board wasn’t truly listening to public complaints.
“My fear is, is that we are here tonight not to have you listen, but rather that you have a legal obligation to do so,” he said.