The Elementary Building Use Task Force – a community group consisting of parents, community members, faculty, principals, and other administrators – worked diligently over the past 16 months to recommend an elementary grade school model that is in the best interest of Wayland’s students. It held many meetings, identified variables, reviewed research, conducted site visits, held community and staff forums, and debated the pros and cons of each model under consideration.

The journey and deliberations of the Task Force are detailed in its final report, which is now posted on the district website homepage. The direct link is online here.

This report puts the my recommendation in context, and it shows the great lengths the Task Force members took to get this decision right. After weighing everything in that report, I am recommending that Wayland move to a K-5 elementary school grade configuration. In this model, Claypit Hill will have 4 classrooms per grade (24 total), Happy Hollow will have 3 classrooms per grade (18 total), and Loker will have 2 classrooms per grade (12 total). I’m recommending that next year’s fifth graders (current fourth graders) remain in their current school as we transition to this new configuration. I’m also proposing that Wayland adopt buffer zones for school assignments. (Buffer zones are defined in the report.)

Please check the on-line report to learn more about this proposal. This report includes a section from the soon to be released FY15 budget book that lists the rationale for this decision, the transition issues, and the trade-offs. I will be describing my decision in more detail during Monday (December 16) night’s School Committee meeting in the context of my FY15 budget presentation.

As you are well aware, this recommendation requires School Committee approval and Town Meeting must also approve the overall budget. I ask that parents take care in discussing this topic with (or around) their children. Stress that this is just a proposal. Some students may worry about losing a beloved school or teacher or friendship when we are months away from knowing whether the recommendation will become a reality. We want them to feel at ease, and to know that everyone is working together to make the schools the best that they can be. Students are resilient. If they see that the adults in their lives have confidence in this process and in its outcome, they will be fine. Every change is also an opportunity.

As I note in the report, I believe that Wayland’s students and its schools will continue to thrive under a renewed K-5 model, although there are trade-offs. The community can anticipate this change with excitement for what lies ahead. As the district settles into this configuration and builds new school communities, it will undoubtedly open new opportunities throughout the district. In the process, the hope is that Wayland residents will justly feel proud and unified to step along this new path.

Sincerely,

Paul Stein
Superintendent of Schools