Trenton board faces contentious debate as search for substitute schools nears decision
TRENTON —A contentious debate took place Monday night at the Trenton Board of Education meeting. On the docket was Superintendent Francisco Duran’s proposal for the “swing” space that will be used to house 1,800 students from Trenton Central High School as that building is rebuilt.
Duran’s proposal calls for use of “swing” space divided up according to small learning communities that already exist within the high school population.
“The proposal for the temporary location of the students from TCHS Chambers will be to move the campus into three facilities, based on their small learning communities,” said Duran via a written statement.
TCHS students from the 9th grade Academy will attend school at a 31 Chancery Street. The school’s Visual and Performing Arts Academy and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Academy will operate out of the old Emily Fisher School at the Immaculate Conception building located at 500 Chestnut Avenue.
The most controversial of moves is the replacement of Daylight Twilight School with the Hospitality, Restaurant, Tourism and Business Academy and Communications Academy at 138 E. Hanover Street in Downtown Trenton.
Students from DLTL protested the move of their school to a different site at Monday’s board meeting.
“Daylight Twilight is like a family to us, don’t move us,” said Luis Leiva a student at Daylight Twilight.
“It’s in an easy access point for kids from all over the city to reach. DLTL is in a neutral zone for gang violence and West Trenton is a known gang populated area and territorial place,” said another student.
The most vocal opponent to Duran’s plan is board president Sasa Montaño.
“How can this board find it acceptable to completely displace 500 high school students with a message that you are not important, or worse, that the needs of 500 other high school students are more impotent than their own,” said Montaño. “Do my fellow colleagues want to have a hand in that?”
Montaño warned that the move would take a toll on students’ quality of education.
“When the census of the Daylight Twilight drops so low after four years that this district will then turn around and be forced to close it, I am glad I won’t be on this board to vote on that,” Montaño predicted.
Officials acknowledged the inconvenience that the relocation effort will have for all students, but argued that it was for the greater good of having a new high school.
“No one wants to be displaced. But they are not the only ones that will be made uncomfortable for the next four to five years. This move will have a ripple affect throughout the whole community, but the end result is a brand new high school,” said Paul Scozzoli, Chair of Trenton Central High School Leadership Team.
“A “no” vote will derail this process,” he added.
TCHS principal Hope Grant, who used to be a principle at DLTL, supports Duran’s plan. She says that Duran’s plan is the best the district can do with the buildings in the city suitable to use as a school.
“I have basically seen every empty abandoned building, every empty school, empty lot, empty area that could possibly exist that could hold more than 600 students and that list is very, very small.”
“I am asking you please don’t make it any harder or any longer,” she added.
Duran defended his plan by promising DLTL students the same attention he has given TCHS students.
“We will make sure we maintain programs for all schools. We will be meeting weekly with the Daylight SLT to move forward with issues they have,” assured Duran.
Montaña responded by promising to abstain from voting.
“Tonight we are faced with a vote that in my mind is unlike any vote i have been party to in the three years I have been voting on this board. It is a vote we are forced to make that pits kids against kids, teachers against teachers, SLTs against SLTs and I for one refuse to take this vote or have any part of it,” she said.
SDA chief, Charles McKenna tried to stay out of the dispute about DLTL.
“All I do is provide the square footage, how they use it is up to them. They can move Daylight Twilight, not move it — it does not matter to me. However they decide to use the space will be fine with me,” he noted.
McKenna indicated that an alternative space that would avoid using the DLTL building would be to renovate an old furniture building. “That would cost us $16 million and would not even be ready in a year,” he said.
Earlier this year , the School Development Authority approved $135 million to demolish and rebuild a new high school while preserving the building’s iconic architecture such as the bell tower and auditorium.
The SDA will also pay the costs of bringing proposed buildings up to code and retrofit them for use as high schools.
The school board approved lease agreements for the use of the proposed spaces and will no need SDA approval.