Criteria for the Solution to the Challenges at Center School and Elmwood School

The Criteria Working Group (CWG) comprised of several community members, as well as town and school employees, has been working since March on developing a set of criteria to address the constraints at Center School and Elmwood School. On June 7, the CWG presented their report and their 11 recommended criteria to the School Committee. CWG members were:

Pat Baratta, Council on Aging Representative
Kim Brennan, Community Representative
Ben Chirco, Ballot Question Committee Representative
Kenneth Clark, Fire Chief, District Safety Committee Representative
Laura Connolly, Sustainable Green Committee Representative
Mary Ann DeMello, Ed.D., Assistant Superintendent
Greg Denon, Community Representative
Ron Foisy, Community Representative
Trina Macchi, Real Estate Agent Representative
Greg Martineau, Hopkins Principal, Elementary School Principal Representative
Erika Maurer, Special Education Advisory Council Representative
Thomas Nealon, Chamber of Commerce Representative
Pam Pendleton, Hopkinton Teachers’ Association Representative
Tara Sanda, Educate Hopkinton Representative

[NOTE: Frank Sivo, Community Representative, resigned from the CWG on May 31, and did not wish for his name to be associated with the final recommendations]

Eleven Recommended Criteria:

1. The solution should minimize safety concerns including: safe building access, safe pick up and drop off area, clearly identified school zone, safe playground area, free of known, or the potential for future, environmental hazards and issues.
2. The facility (or facilities) is conducive to contemporary educational practices for student learning, such as: small group activities (student collaboration), whole class instruction, small group instruction (teacher directed), technology integration, virtual learning, laboratory space for problem and project-based work.
3. The facility (or facilities) includes appropriate measures to accommodate emergency safety needs, including but not limited to fire, medical, disaster and lockdown.
4. The solution must resolve or remove the need to resolve facility issues as identified in the most recent Capital Asset Assessment document as prepared by Habeeb and Associates related to the Elmwood and Center Schools.
5. The facility (or facilities) supports the strategic visions for the Hopkinton Public Schools and the Town of Hopkinton.
6. Adequate space is provided to accommodate professional services and meetings conducted within the school including, but not limited to: nurse’s health area, guidance offices, art & music spaces, therapeutic rooms, speech and language services, and consultation areas.
7. The facility (or facilities) allows for flexibility to accommodate resources for students with documented needs, including but not limited to, a therapeutic space.
8. The solution identifies costs outside the domain of the school district including but not limited to town services such as water, sewer, utilities, signaling lights and signage, roads and sidewalks.
9. If either Center or Elmwood Schools are decommissioned as school buildings, the solution should address the financial impact of maintaining or disposing of either property.
10. The solution considers cost and operational efficiencies in each of the following categories including, but not limited to: administrative, educational, and operations and maintenance
11. The feasibility study for the Center and Elmwood Schools must include options for expansion and renovation of existing school buildings and new construction.

View the full CWG Final Report
https://ehop.org/pdf/CWG-Report-Recommendations-06-07-12.pdf