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Date: 9/18/2019
WEST SPRINGFIELD – At the Sept. 10 West Springfield School Committee meeting, Assistant Superintendent Kevin McQuillan informed the committee of a problem that had arisen regarding transportation for the district.
Beginning this school year, the district is providing transportation for West Springfield’s Hampden Charter School of Science (HCSS-West). To transport students who stay late at the charter school on certain days, a bus that had been servicing Tatham had been diverted to the charter school and two other buses had taken on two additional bus stops each.
McQuillan said that an unforeseen increase in kids going to the Boys & Girls Club briefly led to overcrowding in the afternoon on middle school bus number 2. A second bus was used to take on the extra students once the problem was realized. They have restructured stops for a permanent fix McQuillan said.
Each bus has a maximum capacity of 71 students, but as McQuillan told Reminder Publishing, elementary school students can comfortably sit three to a seat. Middle school and high school students, who are larger, can only sit two to a seat comfortably. McQuillan noted that the situation has been corrected so that no more than 51 middle schoolers are assigned to a bus, fitting that two-person seat model.
Though the problem had been solved, McQuillan did say that if there was an increase in the number of charter school students needing transportation it may mean an additional bus at a cost of approximately $60,000, as quoted by the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative, which provides the buses.
Committee member Nancy Farrell questioned McQuillan regarding why the bus left the school in an overcrowded state. McQuillan said the overcrowding may not have been apparent at first.
Counselor Bill Garvey clarified with McQuillan the reason for and remedy to the bus overcrowding. Garvey commented on “what a lousy policy this is. I’ve talked to our legislators about it, I think many of us have. Being beholden to what we need to do with our funds to serve the students in the public schools, to see this kind of disruption for 15 students going to a charter school just does not sit well with me at all,” said Garvey.
The director of the charter school spoke to the committee and said they would not require more than one bus this school year.
Mayor Will Reichelt asked why HCSS-West paid for bussing last year. The director said they “wanted to show good deed” during their first year.
“You don’t want to keep doing that?” Reichelt asked.
“It’s not my call,” replied the director.
The director invited the school committee to visit the charter school.
“It’s concerning to me as a taxpayer, as an educator. As a taxpayer this just blows my mind,” Darbie Pettengill, a second-grade English as a Second Language teacher said.
Reichelt agreed.
McQuillan reported that the gas, water, and sewer lines for the new Tatham modular classrooms had been installed and the foundation work was scheduled to begin. The modulars will ship in the third week of September. Farrell said that the curriculum subcommittee was receiving quotes on the furniture for those modulars.
The budget subcommittee received an additional $790,000 for transportation funding from the state that they had not foreseen when the budget was created.
Superintendent Richard explained that the business office the special education, curriculum and instruction, and the assistant superintendent have all moved to 11 Central St. The offices of central enrollment, coordinated family and community engagement, and food service are still located at 26 Central St.
Richard reported results on the District Improvement Plan. He said there were improvements in English Learner and Former English Learner graduation rates and engagement rates. Both of these metrics exceeded targets.
An objective to improve special education also saw improvements, including the expansion of social-emotional-behavioral classrooms, a new adaptive playground at Fausey to be installed later this Fall, and review all student IEPs.