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Date: 9/28/2022
EAST LONGMEADOW – East Longmeadow Public Schools (ELPS) Superintendent Gordon Smith approached the School Committee with a proposal to relinquish control of 19 acres of Heritage Park.
Smith explained that at a 1958 Town Meeting, a portion of Heritage Park was designated as under the control of the school department. To his knowledge, Smith said, ELPS had never used the land.
The town now has plans to renovate the park and is pursuing funding from the state. To receive the funding, however, the entire area must be designated park land and so the town has asked for ELPS’s 19 acres to be redesignated.
“Take away this 19 acres and there is still 40 acres of park land, so why can they not utilize this?” asked School Committee member Elizabeth Marsian-Boucher. School Committee Vice Chair Antonella Rashilla Manzi replied that the town’s documentation states the grant requires the entirety of the land be in its control. Chair Gregory Thomas speculated that the amount of the grant may be tied to the size of the park.
“There’s a whole lot of assuming happening,” Marsian-Boucher commented.
School Committee member Aimee Dalenta asked why Marsian-Boucher was hesitant to redesignate the land. “Why not allow the Recreation Department to better the town?”
Thompson defended Marsian-Boucher’s position and said there was “nothing wrong” with asking questions. He said he would like to see the original warrant from the 1958 meeting to better understand the town’s intent at the time. He also had questions about the scope and cost of the proposed park renovation project.
School Committee member Sarah Truoiolo noted that if the land under the control of the schools is developable, ELPS may someday need it. She pointed to the pool and community building included in one of the proposed high school renovation plans as an example.
Washington D.C.
Birchland Park Middle School Principal Timothy Allen and Instructional English Language Arts Coach Stephen Pearson received approval for an eighth-grade trip to Washington, D.C. between May 17 and 18, 2023, with a day of travel on either end.
The middle school had been taking student on a trip to the capital before the coronavirus pandemic began in 2020 and continued the tradition last year.
Allen explained that the major difference from previous years is that this trip will span Wednesday through Sunday. Allen said this change will help the school secure chaperones. The trip’s timing will also allow it to take place after the MCAS testing period.
“Obviously, it’s a great extension of our civics class,” Allen told the committee.
Usually, about 200 students participate in the trip, which is run through the company, WorldStrides. For this trip, the school anticipates about 140 students to take part. The trip is open to all eighth graders.
Truoiolo asked if leaving in the middle of the week would lead to staffing problems for the remaining students. Allen told her that while it would require some adjustments, “it’s doable.” Existing staffing issues are “slowing down,” he said. The most challenging task logistically is finding a nurse to come along on the trip, a state requirement.
Dalenta asked why some students decided not to participate and, if it is solely a function of financial hardships, could the district help those families in some way?
Of the roughly 50 students who are not participating in the trip, Allen said some have been to Washington, D.C. and do not want to go again, while others are concerned about missing athletics while away, however, finances are a struggle for some.
Pearson said that WorldStrides, which directly handles all the finances, offers payment plans and scholarships for students in need, but acknowledged it may be too late in the season for students to be eligible. Allen added that the aid is available, but it is up to the families to pursue it.
Truoiolo mused that the East Longmeadow Educational Endowment Fund (ELEEF) may be able to help with the financial burden of the trip, but Rashilla Manzi pointed out that ELEEF generally raises funds for use by schools as a whole, rather than individual students.
“I just think it’s really great that kids are given this opportunity to go to our nation’s capital. It’s such a great learning experience outside of the classroom,” said Raschilla Manzi.