JCPS superintendent: 'These are your schools, not ours'

Firsthand look at crowding as East School hosts latest JCPS ballots proposal session

Faculty and parents alike gather for a meeting at East School on the school district's April ballot issue.
Faculty and parents alike gather for a meeting at East School on the school district's April ballot issue.

Jefferson City Public Schools' Superintendent Larry Linthacum's words - "these are your schools, not ours" - represented the welcome the district wanted to convey Monday night at the latest of the Board of Education's community presentations on the April 4 election ballot questions for two high schools.

"This gives folks an opportunity to see our buildings for themselves," Linthacum said. Monday's presentation at East Elementary School drew about 30 people, not counting the district's board members, other district staff and local media reporters. Previous board meetings in the past few weeks were at the Thomas Jefferson and Lewis and Clark middle schools.

The crowd included a few East Elementary staff members, but many more people from the community this time than at the previous meeting at East, a presentation about a re-drawing of elementary boundary line pockets on Jan. 12.

Linthacum told the News Tribune he was "hoping for more folks - we just want to try to get as many community members (to attend) as possible.

"Until the gym's full, we're not going to be satisfied," he said. He added he appreciated the feedback he got from members of the community - positive overall.

The conditions at East have been the source of acute criticism of the board and its two high schools plan over the past few weeks - particularly the issue of overcrowding at East.

East currently houses two first-grade classes in a mobile classroom trailer, and the building itself has the smallest amount of space per student among the elementary and middle schools in the district.

The district did invest $3.4 million of renovations into East before the beginning of the 2015-16 school year - much of the cost of which was a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, along with new paint throughout the building.

Delora Scaggs, a behavior interventionist at East, said the renovations definitely add to the environment at East, but that issues remain beyond the look of the place.

"I wish people could've seen the building before it was remodeled," Scaggs said. The renovations "did not address the problem we had before, which was space."

Before the community presentation at 6 p.m. Monday, visitors were invited to wander the halls or take guided tours to get a look for themselves.

On a guided tour led by Principal Julia Martin, someone remarked "where's the broom closet?" in reference to small classrooms in the building.

Martin then showed the group what she called a "small learning environment" - a windowless room tucked between a girls' restroom and another classroom on the second floor, big enough for a couple desks and chairs.

Martin explained the room is a one-on-one classroom used by a behavior interventionist part time each day for students with behavioral challenges.

She also showed the tour room 22 on the second floor - the speech room. It was a little bigger than previous room - big enough for a half-circle of desks for students, along with some shelves and other furniture - and she said it's used for about two or three special education students at a time, who rotate through the room throughout the day. A full-time staff member works in that space, she said.

"Every classroom is full," Martin said of the school's lack of space for expansion.

When asked by Linthacum, a good number of people in attendance raised their hands to indicate they had never been inside East before.

Jim Aslakson said Monday night was the first time he had been inside East, and he had no expectations or opinions of it before he came.

He said "it looks like a good building" for being as old as it is.

East and West Elementary were built in 1938.

Glenna Honich said she has been in East for many meetings before, and "the building is in great shape." She added the amount of physical space in each classroom that she saw was good.

Honich is retired and taught for 28 years at Callaway Hills.

Given the trailer outside and the lack of available space inside to expand, the district has proposed a plan to alleviate overcrowding at East - and hopefully remove the trailer if it's an option.

Linthacum touched upon that proposal Monday night as well as the two high schools one.

The district has had three community presentations about the proposal to alleviate overcrowding at East - by re-drawing some pockets of boundary lines to decrease projected enrollment at East for the fall of 2017 by 66 students. The plan will be up for vote by the board at its next regular meeting Feb. 13 at Simonsen 9th Grade Center.

The projected result of the re-drawing plan would add 57 students to the population at Thorpe J. Gordon Elementary and nine at Moreau Heights Elementary.

Linthacum reassured Monday night "Thorpe Gordon is able to handle that," though he recognized it's affected most.

JCPS Chief Financial and Chief Operating Officer Jason Hoffman explained that Thorpe Gordon has the space to add three classrooms - one of which is currently unfinished in the basement.

Linthacum responded to a question at the beginning of the presentation and said there are no classrooms in the basement at East currently.

Linthacum also said once boundary lines are moved as part of the plan, they wouldn't be moved back to where they are now. 

Instead, the proposal is a temporary solution to the districtwide issue of needing to re-draw boundary lines to address overcrowding - something he's hoping can be addressed within the next five years, although he did not want to give a specific date or provide a guarantee otherwise.

At East, Martin said, "I know there's a need for space, and I hope that the presentation let people learn about that."

She added that she hoped people came away Monday night feeling East was a welcoming place.

"I'm so proud of East School. I was proud before the renovations, and really proud of it now," she said, citing great staff and families as well as facilities.