Forum Considers Impact Of Closing A Groton Middle School

About 45 people gathered at Fitch Middle School Thursday to brainstorm about their most pressing concerns about closing one of Groton’s three middle schools.

The meeting was the first of three forums to be held at each of the town middle schools.

Parents said they didn’t know what to expect and were disappointed by the low turnout; the forum included about 15 parents among the audience. Fitch Middle School enrolls about 400 students.

There was no presentation by the school board or question and answer session. Rather, the board divided the audience into four groups, then directed them to return with their main concerns about the pending closure's affect on academics, community and facilities.

Ryan Brookhart, a parent with children at S.B. Butler Elementary, said he believes more parents would attend if they knew what to expect. He said the approach could generate good ideas.

“This will be a good start to a plan, but it needs to turn into a plan,” he said. “It’s got to go somewhere. It’s got to go somewhere quick.”

The next forum will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10 at West Side Middle School.

School Board Chairman Brian Shirvell said the board would use data gathered at the forums to develop a survey, which would then be available to all residents online and on paper. Results would be compiled by the December break.

The board would then consider survey findings when making a decision about which school to close.

For example, if the biggest concern is money, Shirvell said portables might be deemed too expensive. Fitch Middle School has the largest number of rooms, so portables would not be required if it stays open.

On the other hand, if the biggest concern is the age of facilities, Fitch could be most likely to close as it is the oldest.

The audience Thursday listed issues such as class size, student safety, redistricting and building quality as primary concerns. One group also said it didn’t want to see the only school in Groton City close.

Wes Greenleaf, the school district buildings and grounds director, said he spoke to several companies about leasing portables in the event they are needed. To buy portables new would cost about $730,000 for a four-room unit, he said.

Greenleaf said he believes Groton could obtain about 40 percent reimbursement for new portables from the state.

If Fitch Middle School closes, the district could accommodate five teams of 100 students each at West Side, Greenleaf said. The school cannot take more because the lot would not accommodate portables. Seven teams, or a little less than 700 students, would have to be placed at Cutler, he said.

Greenleaf said he is still considering a combination of using existing and new portable classrooms.

Groton has a set of 1992 portables at Fitch Middle that could be disassembled, moved and reassembled at Cutler, Greenleaf said. The district also has portables at Pleasant Valley, but they’re too told and rickety to move, he said.

Other portables at Mary Morrisson and Charles Barnum are being used.

“Time’s wasting,” he said. “The summer is eight weeks long. We’ve got to get some of this work done.”