Public HearingPossible Closure

Lincoln Park & West Wyomissing Elementary

Schools

Wilson School DistrictTuesday, November 29, 2011

6:00pm

The official vote on this issue will take place during the first week in March.

The Purpose of Tonight’s Meeting Review information related to both Lincoln Park and West Wyomissing Elementary Schools.Review the qualifications, procedures and data developed by E I Associates. Speak to the present Wilson experience as well as the challenges we face currently and those we anticipate in the future. Hear concerns and questions from our community.

Lincoln ParkBuilt 1948

Renovated 1954-57

West WyomissingBuilt 1936

Renovated 1961

Lincoln Park & West Wyomissing

Firm Overview More than 300 Educational Facilities since

1985 More than 180 Master Plans since 1985 40 in-house staff at Harrisburg Office 5 LEED AP on staff at Harrisburg Office 20 LEED Designed Projects 6 LEED Certified Projects

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Alternatives ConsideredThe Wilson School Board is considering four options, as presented by EI Associates, as we continue to work through our due diligence on this topic:

Option 1 Renovate both Lincoln Park and West Wyomissing $ 9,400,000.00

Option 2 Additions to existing buildings along with closure of Lincoln Park and West Wyomissing. $ 4,000,000.00

Option 3 Build a new elementary to replace Lincoln Park and West Wyomissing. $ 13,000,000.00

Option 4 Renovations to existing elementary buildings to accommodate additional students along with closure of Lincoln Park and West Wyomissing. $ 2,300,000.00

After considering all options the Wilson School Board will make a decision as to which option is in the best interest of the district.

Staffing Staffing is always the largest part of our budgeted

expenses as it is in every school district. If the decision is to close we would experience

substantial savings in this area. As part of the redistricting/closure process none of our

grade level classroom teachers nor Principal Flannery would be without a position.

We very much value all the employees we have here at Wilson. In keeping with this appreciation we would work in an intentional manner to handle all professional/support staff job eliminations through transfers which open up through attrition/retirement as much as is possible.

Utility Savings: Lincoln Park $ 42,067.00 West Wyomissing $ 69,751.00Total Annual Cost Avoidance: $ 111,818.00Staff Savings: Lincoln Park $ 139,670.72West Wyomissing $ 213,214.50LP/WW $ 79,277.33Food Service $ 47,644.26Total Annual Cost Avoidance: $ 376,852.30Total Annual Cost Avoidance: $ 591,514.81* Important to note that due to redistricting there would be changes

in transportation costs. The original estimated annual increase would be $ 104,355.00. In the first year the cost would be estimated at $ 374,355.00 due to the purchase of additional buses. Again, this figure will change based upon the redistricting model that is implemented.

Annual Cost Savings (if closure is the selected

option)

An Analysis of Enrollment and Enrollment Projections

Since school construction programs are based in a large part on estimates of school enrollment, fairly reliable population and enrollment projections are essential to sound plant planning. However, because of the number of interrelated factors which influence school enrollment (population growth, local birth rate, local zoning ordinances, home building activity, waste-water treatment, nearby employment opportunities, children attending non public schools, etc.), it is difficult to make an exact prediction of future enrollment in the Wilson School District.

Uncertain events can influence and alter pupil projections such that no projections, no matter how carefully constructed, will be completely accurate. Mitigating issues include birth data; migration patterns; internal policies (such as, retention and acceleration of pupils, age requirements for admission to school, full day kindergarten programs, who provides special education programs and to whom they are provided); statewide policies on “school choice,” vouchers, and other aspects of the educational program; the formation and/or termination of charter schools; transfers of pupils between school districts which are permitted under the “No Child Left Behind” law when individual schools fail to meet one or more state standards or goals for two consecutive years; economic climate; zoning and land use controls; infrastructure considerations;

Additional Considerations

Much of the turnover involves lower-priced housing (i.e., compared with new construction costs and the prices of existing houses elsewhere in Berks County) which will likely continue to attract younger families who are looking to buy “starter homes.” If turnover accelerates dramatically, additional changes in the demographic mix could occur, and this may have a further impact on the district’s enrollments. The district should be mindful of this potential.

Trends in population and housing units in the Wilson School District have not had a direct correlation with public school patterns. While population and housing units increased during the 1970s (at noticeably different rates), public school enrollments decreased. In the 1990s population, housing units, and enrollments all increased, and the rate of growth in enrollments surpassed that of the total population and housing units by a factor of about 50 percent.

Turnover of Existing Homes & Enrollment Trends

Enrollment projections for the Wilson School District were prepared using the “grade progression” technique, which is based on the ratio of enrollments in a given grade in a given year to enrollments in the next lower grade in the preceding year. The grade progression formula was developed by reviewing the recent experience in the district with respect to pupil progression and tempering that with the various community growth data which were analyzed. This approach is designed to detect such factors as in-or-out migration of pupils; transfer of pupils between public and nonpublic schools, and into and out of special programs; withdrawals; promotional policies; and participation in any full-time vocational-technical program.

Mechanics of Enrollment Projections

Elementary Schools Build an elementary school similar to Spring

Ridge on the present southern site for opening in the 1997-98 school year.

In 1997-98, close one or more elementary schools that do not meet the standards of Whitfield, Cornwall Terrace or Spring Ridge.

Acquire another site for possible elementary school construction needs after 2004. Lower Heidelberg Township would seem the most advantageous location.

April 21, 1995 – Board of Education Special Facilities meeting: Report on

recommendations – Elementary & Junior High

Wilson School District ~ 2012-2013 Elementary Enrollments (Maximum)

SCHOOL K 1 2 3 4 5 2011-12

2012-13 TOTALS

Cornwall Terrace

24

24

24

24

24

24

27

27

27

27

27

27

612

24

24

24

24

24

24

27

27

27

Sub-Total 96 96 96 108 108 108 543Green Valley 2

424

24

24

24

24

27

27

27

27

27

27

612

24

24

24

24

24

24

27

27

27

Sub-Total 96 96 96 108 108 108 389Shiloh Hills 2

424

24

24

24

24

27

27

27

27

27

27

612

24

24

24

24

24

24

27

27

27

Sub-Total 96 96 96 108 108 108 385Spring Ridge 2

424

24

24

24

24

27

27

27

27

27

27

612

24

24

24

24

24

24

27

27

27

Sub-Total 96 96 96 108 108 108 420Sub-Total 22 22 22 22 27 27

Whitfield 24

24

24

24

24

24

22

22

27

27

27

27

612

24

24

24

24

24

24

22

22

27

27

27

27

Sub-Total 480 480 480 540 540 540 584TOTALS 374 374 374 374 459 459 2,626 3,060 (+

434)Avg. Class

Size22.0 22.0 22.0 22.0 27.0 27.0

# of Sections 17 17 17 17 17 17

Enrollment Projections for Wilson School District Prepared by the Pennsylvania Department of Education May 16,

2003

YEAR K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 TOTAL

1997-1998 322 366 332 303 364 364 370 347 338 403 330 350 325 4,514

1998-1999 320 376 358 351 326 375 376 381 352 352 399 334 335 4,635

1999-2000 305 377 361 362 350 345 386 406 386 357 360 387 315 4,697

2000-2001 317 362 375 373 389 370 362 402 409 399 374 364 377 4,873

2001-2002 345 347 352 392 398 410 395 396 410 420 415 365 353 4,998

PROJECTIONS2002-2003 302 359 338 364 413 420 428 419 401 421 430 411 350 5,056

2003-2004 323 315 350 350 383 436 438 454 424 412 431 426 394 5,136

2004-2005 366 337 307 362 368 404 455 464 460 436 422 427 409 5,217

2005-2006 403 382 329 318 381 388 422 482 470 473 446 418 410 5,322

2006-2007 411 420 372 341 335 402 405 447 488 483 484 442 401 5,431

2007-2008 418 429 410 385 359 353 420 429 453 502 495 480 424 5,557

2008-2009 426 437 418 425 405 379 368 445 434 466 514 491 461 5,669

2009-2010 434 445 426 433 447 427 395 390 451 446 477 510 471 5,752

2010-2011 442 453 434 441 456 472 446 419 395 464 457 473 490 5,842

2011-2012 451 461 442 449 464 481 493 473 424 406 475 453 454

5,926 5,871 Actual

Wilson School DistrictTotal Enrollment Projections (Grades K-12)2007-08 to 2012-13 – February 2008 PEL

School Year Enrollment Change from Previous Year

K-12 # %2007-08 (actual) 5,771 72 1.32008-09 5,857 86 1.52009-10 5,924 67 1.12010-11 6,002 78 1.32011-12 6,117- 5,871

Presently (under 246)

115 1.9

2012-13 6,246 129 2.1

Change 2007-08 to 2012-13 475 8.2

Wilson School DistrictExtended Total Enrollment Projections (Grades K-12)*

2012-13 to 2017-18 February 2008 PEL

School Year

Enrollment K-12

Change from Previous Year

2011-12 5,871 Actual2012-13 6,246 (+ 375) 129 2.12013-14 6,360 114 1.82014-15 6,467 107 1.72015-16 6,576 109 1.72016-17 6,670 94 1.42017-18 6,777 107 1.6

Change 2012-13 to 2017-18

531 8.5

Change 2007-08 to 2017-18

1,006 17.4* Based on births fixed at the average level of the three most recent years for which data are available.

Historic First Grade

Takes the net change in the number of students in first grade in the last five years, averages it and applies the average sum to each previous first grade class for the next projected 10 years.  A cohort survival ratio is calculated for each second through fifth grade by taking the sum of the last four years of the grade for which the ratio is being determined and divided by the sum of four years of enrollment figures five years prior in the previous grade.  Projections are then generated for second through fifth grade by multiplying the cohort ratio for the grade that the projection is being determined by the enrollment (actual or projected) in the previous year of the previous grade.  Kindergarten projections are calculated by taking the first grade projection for the year prior to the Kindergarten year being determined and dividing it by the first grade cohort ratio.

We have used our resources as well as those individuals who work with us on a regular basis concerning renovation and building cost options. At this time we have not found any programs that would be of significant benefit.

We will continue to investigate possibilities throughout the next three months.

Other Options with regard to building renovations

and construction.

TO:         All Local Education Agencies FR:          Ronald J. Tomalis, Secretary of Education RE:          Review of School Planning and Construction Workbook

(PlanCon) Applications Each year, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) provides

partial reimbursement for approved school renovation and construction projects through PlanCon.  The fiscal year 2011-12 state budget appropriates $296.1 million for PlanCon, of which $291 million is already obligated for the reimbursement of debt service on projects with approved financing.  Therefore, $5.1 million is not currently obligated.

Presently, there are more than 100 projects in the PlanCon application process.  It is evident from PDE’s review of these projects that the available funds would not sufficiently cover the projected reimbursements.  Therefore, all local education agencies should note that project financing will be approved subject to the availability of funding.  As such, applications will continue to be received and reviewed through the PlanCon process; however, Part H approvals will only be granted based upon the availability of funds.  Please note that there is no change for those who currently receive a debt service reimbursement through PlanCon.

Secretary of Education

If the decision is to close, a significant concern that our community has voiced in previous meetings is in regard to what happens to the properties.

It is important to note that what happens in any part of our Wilson community effects our entire Wilson community. With this in mind if we were to move towards closing, we would engage the surrounding community to explore as many options as possible to make the best decisions on the properties.

Building Possibilities

The last time we implemented a redistricting plan was six years ago as we prepared for the opening of the Green Valley Elementary School.

As we consider the possibility of closing Lincoln Park and West Wyomissing Elementary Schools we are again exploring options as this is an integral component in order to fully complete due diligence. It is important to note that redistricting is a process that school districts around the Commonwealth engage in from time to time due to the shifting patterns of student enrollments. The Wilson School District is no different.

Once we have a proposed plan in place we will share this plan with our community to hear questions and concerns. This meeting will take place at least one month prior to the formalized decision on possible closure as to allow time for comment.

Re-Districting

Consistently high academic achievement.A diverse offering of courses.A top notch staff of professional, para-professional

educators and support staff. A district wide Academy program which allows our

students opportunities that many schools are not able to offer.

A robust offering of extracurricular activities.A mindset toward continuous improvement with an

emphasis on achieving the highest possible accomplishment in all areas we sponsor and support.

What Makes Wilson “Wilson”