School district is growing

By Courtney Llewellyn

Reminder Assistant Editor

EAST LONGMEADOW Growth and expansion are not unfamiliar concepts for the town of East Longmeadow, nor are they unfamiliar to the town's School Committee. A meeting last Monday evening confirmed this.

A Growing Student Body

Superintendent Dr. Edward Costa's report at the School Committee meeting confirmed that the East Longmeadow school district is growing. As of Aug. 20, the number of enrolled students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade totaled 2,932, a 25-student increase from last year. He expects up to 25 more to join the school district before the final day of official enrollment count on Oct. 1.

Costa announced that with the rate of growth the school's been seeing, it may reach 3,000 students two years before projections predicted it would.

A fifth section of full-day kindergarten will also be added at Meadowbrook Elementary to help deal with the student population growth this year. "The highest impact of new enrollment is at Meadowbrook," Costa said.

In Massachusetts, only half-day kindergartens are paid for in full by tax payers. Full-day kindergarten requires a tuition fee for the other half of the day; the cost this year is $2,650. Tuition fees from the new kindergarteners will pay for the new teacher's salary and all remaining funds will go into the town's coffers.

With the large number of students, transportation to and from the schools is as important as ever. Letters about the busing schedules and routes were sent to parents in June. An Aug. 1 deadline was set for registering students as bus riders. Students living within two miles of a school can ride a bus for a fee, and 648 students will be doing so this fall. Up to 744 students outside the two-mile radius will ride for free.

A Growing Staff

To deal with the growing number of students, the staff in the East Longmeadow school district must grow as well. Four new appointments of personnel were announced at the meeting Dr. Joanne Welch as the Acting Director of Student Services, Margaret Sabonis as a Foreign Language teacher at the high school, Suzanne Lovotti as school nurse at the high school and Gisella Leven as a paraprofessional at Mountain View Elementary.

Additionally, the contracts for the Acting Director of Student Services and the secretaries were approved of through June 30, 2010.

There will also be nine new full- and part-time teachers joining the district who will be taking over for seven teachers who retired and two who resigned.

Expanding Through Repair

Before growth and expansion can occur, repairs are often required. Two of the relatively new boilers in the high school need repair because they've developed cracks caused by cold water coming back into the boilers. Because they are so new, the manufacturer's warranty will cover the cost of the parts needed but not the labor required. Theresa Olajarz, the district's business manager, recommended Accurate Mechanical of West Springfield to do the work. Of the three businesses contacted for bids, Accurate Mechanical produced the lowest cost ($22,325). Olajarz said that the school has used the business in the past with good results.

Work on the boilers should begin within the next week or two, according to Olajarz, and the repair work should last approximately one week. "It will be done long before heating season," she said.

A Developing Relationship

One of the final issues covered at the School Committee meeting included reviewing upcoming important dates for the school district. The new teachers had their orientation Aug. 24 and the staff's convocation takes place Aug. 27. While the usual group of teachers, principals, bus drivers, paraprofessionals, food service employees and Superintendent Costa will be present, a new face will be speaking to the group this year Board of Selectmen Chairman Jack Villamaino.

"We really appreciate the growing relationship between the School Committee and the Board of Selectmen," Bob Mazzariello, chairman of the School Committee, said.

The first day of school for East Longmeadow students will be Aug. 28.