Windham News : high school

More than 1,000 apply at new Windham high school

Salem Editor — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 01:28:00 GMT

Finding a large pool of experienced and enthusiastic prospective teachers for the new high school, district officials have found a silver lining to the economic crisis.

“It’s been to our advantage. There’s no doubt in my mind,” Superintendent Frank Bass said. “We had them come in from a lot of places. Usually these people were fearful of how their positions were going to be maintained in their current schools.”

According to Bass, the district received more than 1,200 applicants for about 40 open professional positions within the new high school, some from neighboring schools and others from as far away as Africa.

While Bass said it is not unusual to see a high level of interest in positions within a new school, the nation’s economic woes have been to the benefit of the district.

As Windham opens up classroom positions to educators across the country, other districts are downsizing.

In Salem, school officials declined to renew a total of 13 contracts with teachers, and in Nashua, there could be more than 10 teaching positions cut as officials hammer out the budget. Five teaching positions have also been cut in nearby Merrimack.

Just as the poor economy and municipal budget cuts have increased the pool of potential educators, Bass said the advantages his district’s new facility offers teachers also plays a role. Classrooms will be equipped with smart boards and each student will be issued a school laptop to use both in class and at home as part of the district’s one-to-one computing program.

The high school will also have a partnership with Boston College and Plymouth State University, Bass said.

According to Principal Richard Manley, the technologically friendly environment at the Windham High School has become one of the larger attractions for prospective staff.

“Almost every teacher has cited the idea of the advantages of technology as a draw to the Windham High School. They relate stories of the difficulties they have in their own schools (where) their equipment is older and not working or they’re scheduling the available equipment among other teachers and students,” Manley said. “We are attracting a pool of candidates that are more technologically savvy than we would otherwise have.”

Manley also believes an interdisciplinary approach to teaching the school intends to adopt for next year’s first class of freshmen and sophomore students has attracted educators. Students at the high school will take a humanities class – a blending of social studies and English courses – taught by teachers trained in both fields.

While Manley and Bass have finished with the first round of hirings, Manley said he expects to hire more educators as the high school population expands in subsequent years.

For the time being, Bass is pleased with the crop of teachers that will take center stage when the building opens its doors for the first time at the start of the new school year.

“We’re really thrilled,” he said. “We’ve got a wonderful cross-section; we’ve hired some kids and some seasoned veterans.”

Windham planning director retires

Salem Editor — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:49:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

With 12 years serving as the Windham’s planning director under his belt, Alfred Turner has retired as the town prepares to implement a major restructuring of the planning department.

Turner said a number of factors had gone into his decision and that it was the “right time” to step down. In December, selectmen had effectively eliminated Turner’s position in favor of a new post aimed at attracting economic development. Turner’s last day on the job was Jan. 19.

The selectmen’s move to restructure the department came after an independent review of the planning department conducted last year by an outside consultant found Turner and his staff to be out of sync with the board’s economic vision for the town.

According to Turner, communication broke down between the department and the board early last year when selectmen began moving in a new direction when it came to encouraging economic development. By the time the department adjusted to the new outlook, Turner said both the economy and his relationship with the board had deteriorated quite a bit.

Selectman Charles McMahon said he was thankful for work Turner had done for the town and indicated that the decision to restructure the planning department and eliminate Turner’s long-held position arose out of a decision by the board to meet the challenge of paying for the new multimillion dollar high school.

“I appreciate the work he’s done in the past. He’s decided to move on in his professional life, and we’re moving forward to meet new challenges,” McMahon said. “We’re no longer just a bedroom community, because a bedroom community will not meet the challenge of a first-class high school.”

Though selectmen offered Turner the option of either accepting a vacant planner position – a demotion for the longtime department head – or applying for the new director of community development position, Turner has instead decided to explore his possibilities in the private sector.

Looking back over his 12- year tenure, Turner said he was most proud of developing two town-wide master plans and by bringing in over $68 million in new or expanded commercial establishments.

“The town’s been able to do that basically without much notice. You don’t notice a lot of change and that’s what attracts people to Windham,” Turner said. “Despite all the new community development, the town looks the same it did when you drive down Route 111 as it did 20 years ago. People find that very attractive, and that is why so many people are moving to Windham.”

According to McMahon, the town already had two candidates in mind for the positions of town planner and director of community development. An announcement would be made pending a background check on both individuals, he said.

Special Windham election for high school road bond

Salem Editor — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:49:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

Windham’s Board of Selectmen is planning a special election in September to obtain funding for a secondary access road for the new high school currently under construction.

The new road would overlap the current London Bridge Road, connecting the entrance to the high school on Route 111 to Castle Hill Road behind the high school, said Town Administrator David Sullivan.

The proposed warrant for the special election asks for voters to authorize taking out a $1.25 million bond and to accept any forthcoming grants toward the project costs. The Board of Selectmen approved the warrant at their meeting on Monday, June 9.

Sullivan said the town had planned on putting the project on its budget, but Selectman Charles McMahon submitted a petitioned warrant article for the townwide vote last March to put it on the school district budget, which would allow the project to qualify for 30 percent state reimbursement.

That warrant article failed with voters. The project does not qualify for state reimbursement, Sullivan said, because it will not be a part of the school district’s budget.

“The way we’re moving forward, it’s going to be part of the town’s budget,” Sullivan said.

A hearing on the conditional layout of the road, which would include construction parameters, width and a Board of Selectmen decision on whether the road is necessary will take place Monday, July 21, Sullivan said.

Prior to taking public input, the board will attend a site walk of the future road starting at 6 p.m. Sullivan said a deliberative session for the warrant will take place the week of Aug. 6, with the hope of including the warrant on the primary ballot for Tuesday, Sept. 9.

State may not reimburse cost for Windham high school access road

Salem Editor — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 23:14:00 GMT

BY JIM DEVINE

WINDHAM – If school officials want the state to reimburse part of the second access road to the high school, it cannot be a public throughway, state officials have mandated.

Superintendent Frank Bass said the condition was made clear during a special meeting called between selectmen, School Board and department of education representatives on Monday, March 3.

“If the road should eventually become a throughway, that changes the design of the road as far as the department of education is concerned, and it would make it ineligible,” Bass said.

Previously the town planned to extend Londonbridge Road to the high school for $1.25 million when state Rep. Charles McMahon submitted a petition article to make it a school project to qualify for 30 percent reimbursement from the state.

“The road is needed because the school is there,” McMahon said. “Otherwise the town wouldn’t need it.”

Regardless of the possible $375,000 reimbursement, the road is required to provide a second access road to the future Windham High School, which is presently under construction along Route 111.

While McMahon was confident the road would be reimbursed, he was happy a meeting could be called on short notice to give voters a clear idea on the final cost for the road.

“If that (front entrance) was ever blocked, say there’s an accident on Route 111, there’d be no way out,” McMahon said. “You need that second access road and that’s what’s required. There’s no doubt about it. You just don’t wait until after the fact to determine the final costs.”

School officials were to discuss the final purpose of the access road at their Tuesday, March 4, meeting.

High school focus of debate in Windham

Salem Editor — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 01:12:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

Following a lengthy debate, voters consolidated requests for additional athletic facilities for the new high school into one bond article during the Windham School District’s deliberative session.

Originally, $900,000 for a second gymnasium, $778,500 for three extra fields, and $3,819,980 for a multipurpose sports center were proposed in separate bond articles on this year’s school warrant.

But Chris O’Neil, chairman of the Athletics Committee, successfully moved at the Friday, Feb. 8, meeting to add funding for the fields and sports stadium to Article 2, the article that originally sought money only for the second gym. Article 2 will now seek $5,498,480 for all of them, with amounts in Articles 3 and 4 “zeroed out.” Article 2 needs a 60 percent majority to pass in March.

O’Neil argued that providing all the facilities fulfills a vision for the high school’s athletic program. That won’t happen if some of the articles, presented individually, don’t pass, he said. Another proponent of consolidating the articles, Mike Hatem, said there would be a construction cost savings by building the fields and the multipurpose center at the same time.

He also said that he didn’t want to pit parents of basketball players, who favor the gym, against parents of players of other sports by having separate articles.

Not everyone favored the idea. Margaret Case said she believes lumping the articles into one package together may jeopardize voter approval. And Mark Brockmeier noted that while the warrant for the proposed second gym can “stand on its own,” the extra fields and sports center depend on voters approving a separate article for a land swap.

“Everyone is intelligent enough to decide on each, on the merits of each one of them,” added *** Forde.

The three fields would consist of a baseball diamond, softball diamond and field hockey field. The sports center would consist on an artificial field surrounded by a track with bleachers, lights, outdoor scoreboard, a concession area, rest rooms and team rooms.

In order to have sufficient land to accommodate the stadium and fields, the School Board is asking voters to accept a transfer of 16 acres of town-owned recreation and conservation land to the school district. The district would exchange it for 40 acres of school districtowned land.

The School Board was not unanimous in its support of each of the three articles, and after the deliberative session it split on recommending them as a $5.5 million package. Beth Valentine, Bruce Anderson and Al Letizio, Jr. voted to recommend it, while Barbara Coish and Beverly Donovan were opposed.

“The benefit is great and the price is low,” Letizio said earlier in the meeting.

The $5.5 million package would be bonded over 20 years. A family in a $400,000 home would pay $68 a year. During the session, voters tweaked a $1.25 million bond article submitted by State Rep. Charlie McMahon. If approved in March, a second access road to Windham High School would be built.

An interest payment of $31,250 was added to the article, and the description of the road as a town road was dropped. By putting the road’s construction on the school ballot, McMahon said, the project would qualify for 30 percent state aid. And by law, he said, there needs to be another road for emergency vehicles.

“The school will not open unless we have a second access road,” McMahon said.

The road would be constructed over the area of the old London Bridge Road beginning at the entrance to the school and ending at Castlehill Road. Other warrant articles, including a proposed $34.45 million operating budget for the school district, generated little discussion during the session.

Parents petition to have Windham high school open with just freshmen and

Salem Editor — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 20:06:00 GMT

By Darrell Halen

Freshman Chris DiPersio likes going to Salem High School, where is he actively involved in the band program.

And he wants to stay there, even though his town will be opening a brand-new high school next year.

DiPersio was one of several students and parents who weighed in at a Windham School Board meeting on whether Windham High School should start with four grades – or as few as two – when it opens its doors in fall 2009.

More than a year ago, the School Board voted to have a full school – grades 9 through 12 – when the school opens.

But recently, several parents and students have asked the School Board to reverse its decision and open the school with only freshmen and sophomores and allow juniors and seniors to finish their careers at Salem High School before Windham High School becomes a full school.

They made their arguments late last year and aired them again at the board’s Tuesday, Jan. 22, meeting.

The last two years of high school are particularly important for students because that’s when they are gearing up for college, some of them said.

“Eleventh and 12th grades are where you’re taking the courses, applying to colleges and becoming integrated in a system that is going to move you into the college of your choice if that’s the field you want to go into,” said Renee Solomon, a mother of a freshman and a junior at Salem High.

Another mother, Lisa Van Berlo, said it was unconscionable for the School Board to move students out of Salem during those years.

“It’s like transplanting a tree in the middle of winter. It makes no sense,” said Van Berlo. “This does not just affect a class ring. It’s their future.”

School Board members did not make a decision that night. Some said they were receptive to receiving more information before doing so.

School Board member Barbara Coish, however, said she would not change her vote, and another member, Beverly Donovan, said she thinks the board should stick with its plan to open with four grades.

It’s a decision that is not easy for School Board members because they know some people will be unhappy with whatever decision they make.

“None of these solutions are terrific,” said Superintendent Frank Bass. “None of them solve all the issues. With each solution you propose, there are drawbacks.”

Currently, about 650 Windham students attend Salem High School, with Windham paying to send those students there through an agreement between the two communities.

Salem is willing to take Windham students as tuition students after Windham opens its own high school. Several people said they believe that if the Windham school opens for all four grades, there might be few upperclassmen there because many parents will opt to keep their children in Salem.

Those who do go to Windham, some said, may be those students whose parents can’t afford the tuition.

Several students told the board they’re unsure if Windham’s high school will provide the same opportunities they enjoy in Salem. And they don’t like the idea of leaving some of their schoolmates.

“We’ve met many people and met new friends,” said freshman Kim Movsesian, adding that students at Salem High, despite coming from two towns, think of themselves as one community.

“They’re part of a community. It’s extremely difficult for (them) to abandon that community and come to a new school,” Bass said.

About 40 people attended the meeting, and several speakers drew applause when they finished their remarks.

Not everyone, however, believes the school should have only freshmen and sophomores when it opens. Some parents have said they are concerned that the school will lack a “critical mass” of students to support a genuine high school experience for their children.

One parent, Patty Michal, asked the School Board to think about the students who are currently in middle school and will be in the new high school.

“There are a lot of (kids) who have to go to that high school who want a real high school experience,” she said. “A school with two grades, to me, is truly not a high school experience.”

Another mother, Cindy Hastings, said she worries about the message sent to the community at a time when the School Board is asking for more money to provide additional athletic facilities at Windham High School.

“To me, if you open a high school with just two classes, it says to the voters: We don’t need the facilities, we don’t need the fields and we can put off those things,” she said.

Articles to enhance high school on this year’s ballot

Salem Editor — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 19:54:00 GMT

By Darrell Halen

This year’s Windham School District warrant includes several articles to provide money to Windham High School, which will open in 2009.

Those articles, and others, will be the subject of discussion and debate when voters attend the school district’s Friday, Feb. 8, deliberative session.

The session starts at 7 p.m. and will be held at Golden Brook School.

A majority of the School Board is supporting three bond articles to boost athletic facilities at Windham High: $3,819,980 for a multipurpose sports center; $900,000 for a second gymnasium and $778,500 for three additional athletic fields.

Each bond article requires a 60 percent majority when voters go to the polls on Tuesday, March 11.

State Rep. Charles McMahon has submitted a $1.25 million warrant article by citizen petition to construct a second access road for the high school.

The new road would be built over the area of the former London Bridge Road from the high school to Castlehill Road.

Selectmen had proposed their own warrant article to build the new road but later withdrew it. McMahon has said that by having the construction proposal on the school district ballot, the project would qualify for 30 percent aid from the state.

The School Board may recommend that wording of McMahon’s article be changed at the deliberative session, but supports its intent.

To accommodate additional athletic facilities, the School Board is asking voters to accept the transfer of 16 acres of recreation and conservation land from the town. The district intends to transfer 40 acres of its land to the town in return.

Voters will be asked to approve a three-year collective bargaining agreement between the School Board and the Windham Education Association that calls for increases in salaries and benefits of $484,060 in 2008-09, $507,620 in 2009-10, and $483,618 in 2010-11.

The warrant includes these other articles:

• Add $286,082 to a capital reserve fund to fund repairs, replacements or additions to the driveway, parking lot or a new parking area at the middle school.

• Add $100,000 in surplus money to the school buildings and grounds maintenance fund. The maximum amount of money to be put in the fund, created last year, is $200,000 and would be replenished in future years. The fund’s purpose is to cover unexpected repairs and replacements.

• $95,000 for salary and benefits to add an assistant principal at Golden Brook School. The student population is approaching 500 students, the state’s suggested threshold for adding an assistant principal

• $65,000 to add a Spanish teacher at the middle school. This increases academic time for students and allows students entering high school to start at a higher level in the subject.

• Create a committee to study whether Windham should withdraw from SAU 28, which also includes the Pelham School District.

“Both towns have been experiencing, over the past 10 years, an amazing amount of growth,” said School Board member Beverly Donovan at public hearing on the budget.

Two other warrant articles by citizen petition will appear on the warrant.

One would change the terms of the school district’s clerk, moderator and treasurer from one year to three years beginning with the 2009 elections. It is recommended by the School Board.

The other, submitted by Jim Curtin, would designate green, gold and white as the officials colors of Windham High School, and the wildcat as the school’s official mascot. The School Board opposes it.

The School Board has already adopted the jaguar as the mascot, and navy blue, metallic gold, and green as an accent color as the official colors, according to School Board member Barbara Coish.

The School Board is recommending a 2008-09 school district operating budget of $34,453,396. If the budget is turned down by voters in March, officials will have to spend within a default budget, the previous budget with certain adjustments, of $34,185,643.

The new budget includes money for eight positions at the high school, an increase of $719,847 for Salem High School tuition, a $169,515 debt service increase for outstanding bonds, more money to keep pace with rising fuel and electricity costs, $85,062 more in transportation accounts, and more money for special education, an area that accounted for 27 percent of the budget’s increase.

Secondary road warrant to be on school ballot

Salem Editor — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:56:00 GMT

By Darrell Halen

Selectmen have withdrawn a $1 million warrant article to build a second road to Windham High School after a similar article was submitted for the school district’s March ballot.

A move may be made to modify the wording of state Rep. Charlie McMahon’s $1.25 million warrant article at the school district’s Feb. 8 deliberative session, but most officials are supportive of his proposal, said School Board Chairman Al Letizio Jr.

McMahon’s article, submitted by citizen petition, would extend the current road to the high school to Castlehill Road.

At a school district bond hearing on Friday, Jan. 11, McMahon told School Board members that state law requires a second road for safety for the school.

“We need to do this so the school opens on time,” he said.

Letizio added that placing the road construction article on the school district ballot enables the project to receive 30 percent in state aid, another argument that McMahon had made to the board a few days earlier.

“Substantial savings would be recognized by the town,” Letizio said.

A unique cooperative effort among School Board members and selectmen will get the project completed, he added.

McMahon’s proposal is one of four school district bond articles that voters will consider this year. Each requires a 60 percent majority to pass.

The other three would provide additional athletic facilities for the high school: $900,000 for a second gymnasium, $778,500 for three fields and $3,819,980 for a multipurpose sports center.

“I believe it fulfills the promise we made to residents that we provide a high school that offers the opportunities (students) had at Salem High School,” said Letizio.

He added that without the additional fields, the school can’t properly support a junior varsity program. “By not having land to put facilities on, the school district is shortchanging its residents.”

In order to accommodate the sports center and extra fields, the School Board is asking voters to approve a land swap so it can have 16 acres of town-owned recreation and conservation land known as the Gage property.

In return, the town would receive 40 acres of school district property.

Not everyone, however, supports the bond articles for additional facilities.

“I want to wait,” said School Board member Barbara Coish. “My plan would be to fundraise for bleachers and lights for the fields we already have and schedule properly before we build anymore fields.

“It would be nice to have,” she said of the gymnasium, “but my concern is I want the operating budget to pass and I feel these bond articles could jeopardize (it).”