Center School Community Workshop Sat 11/22 @ 9:00am

The Elementary School Building Committee invites you to participate in a series of community workshops related to the Center Elementary School Feasibility Study. The first workshop will be held on Saturday, November 22, 2014 at the Hopkinton Senior Center from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

The Committee has selected Drummey Rosane Anderson, Inc. (“DRA”) to develop a Feasibility Study and Schematic Designs.  DRA has begun assessing the Center School site and other possible sites and will be meeting with school staff to conduct programming and educational planning meetings throughout the Fall.

The first public workshop will focus on gathering community input. The ESBC will hold subsequent community workshops to explore possible alternatives for the facilities plan, and will then shape specific recommendations for committee consideration.

The workshop schedule is:

The Center School Feasibility Study will evaluate a range of options and possibilities to address the operational and educational constraints of Center School.

WORKSHOP AGENDA

At the first of three proposed workshops, the ESBC is seeking community attendance and participation. You are invited to join them, along with your thoughts, ideas and suggestions. Students are encouraged to attend and participate in workshop activities.  In addition, children age three and above are welcome and will participate in age-appropriate activities to also provide input.

The ESBC has put together answers to several frequently asked questions regarding the school building project and the forums.

I’ve attended previous school committee meetings about our school system. Why do I need to attend this meeting?

Your knowledge, understanding, and input are welcome and needed in this process.    This is one of the key issues facing our community; there are many issues and options to explore.  We hope that you will choose to continue to participate in this process.  

I see there are three different community workshops being scheduled over the next two months.  Should I attend all three workshops?

Yes.  The focus of each workshop is different.  The purpose of the November 22 ^nd workshop will be to listen to citizens and obtain community input.  In January, the focus will be on taking information from the previous workshop and developing possible alternatives for consideration. Finally, the workshop in March will focus on the specific recommendations that may be proposed to the Elementary School Building Committee.  Workshops will build on each other.

What specific topic will be discussed at this first community workshop?  

Concurrent breakout sessions will collect community input on the topics of:

• “Containers” – the physical facilities / sites
• “Contents” – contemporary early childhood education programming
• “Currents” –  Hopkinton’s trends, including demographics and enrollments
• “Children/students” – focusing on the issues and needs of students

I have ideas about what’s important for our elementary school.  How can I share those ideas with DRA and the Elementary School Building Committee?

Attend the November 22^nd community workshop!  If you are unable to attend in person, please send your comments to schoolproject@hopkintonma.gov. Information sent to the email will be collected and shared with DRA.

What will be done with the results of this workshop?

DRA will use community input to shape options and recommendations that they will present to the Elementary School Building Committee.

Has the Elementary School Building Committee made any decisions about the future of Center School?

The committee has made no decisions about Center School.  All options and ideas are being considered.

When will the Elementary School Building Committee act on DRA’s study recommendations?

The Elementary School Building Committee expects to have a decision on preferred solution by March/April 2015, which will involve review and approval by the Hopkinton School Committee, Hopkinton Board of Selectmen, and the Massachusetts School Building Authority. DRA would complete the schematic design for the preferred solution in July 2015 for approval by the Hopkinton School Committee, Hopkinton Board of Selectmen, and the Massachusetts School Building Authority.  The Design and Funding request would be presented for the Town Meeting vote by Fall of 2015.

Additional information:

• NESDEC projected school enrollments
• ESBC October Update
• ESBC Selects Design Firm for Center School Project