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Date: 9/6/2022
HOLYOKE – A five-year effort to rezone the schools is moving forward. Erin Linville, chief of strategy for the district, told the School Committee at its Aug. 22 meeting that the goal of having elementary and middle school grades in separate buildings is on track for fall 2023.
The current structure has 11 schools with students in grades pre-K through eighth grade, under-enrollment issues, nine grade configurations and different staff support structures at each school.
The new plan to be in place for next fall is to have nine buildings – six elementary and three middle school – with enrollment aligned to each building’s capacity. This will be adjusted in 2026, with the hope that funding for a new middle school comes through from the Massachusetts School Building Authority. Should this happen, the Peck School will be closed, then demolished and rebuilt.
Linville said that the question will be whether to move middle school students to the Sullivan, Donahue, or Kelly schools. Each of the schools offer the same number of classrooms, with the differences being in location or space for cafeterias, gyms or libraries.
“None of the features make it obvious which would be the best choice,” she said. “The superintendent would make that call.”
Linville said that there will be several meetings in the fall and continued community and school-based outreach. The Rezoning Task Force will meet Sept. 12 and the three different scenarios will be presented at the next School Committee meeting.
Superintendent evaluation matter tabled
Following a brief discussion, the committee voted to table the evaluation of Receiver/Superintendent Anthony Soto done by Commissioner of Education Jeff Reilly.
The evaluation is part of the receivership statute and included feedback from four members of the committee. Holyoke Schools were placed into receivership in 2015 after being labeled as chronically under-performing.
Members of the committee expressed concern that all of their opinions weren’t sought for this evaluation. Committee member Mildred Lefebvre said this was important as the district works to get itself out of receivership.
“It’s important for us to put in our two cents,” she said.
In the end the committee decided to table the matter until the Sept. 19 meeting so that each member could work on questions for Reilly.
Committee discusses strategic plan
With goals of increased student learning, a culturally responsive instruction and retaining a diverse staff, Soto presented his strategic plan for Holyoke Public Schools.
The plan follows feedback from over 1,500 residents, workshops and many meetings. The slogan associated with the plan is “Together We Can” and demonstrates a desire to unite the town behind the schools, something Soto said has been a concern since the 1990s.
“I believe if we work together we can make sure students get a high quality education,” he said.
The plan includes a multitude of goals for staff and students. Among these are increasing student performance in early literacy, reading and math, along with English language proficiency. He told the committee that quarterly reports would show progress made on these and other goals.
Soto stressed the need for differentiated classroom supports to help all students achieve. He said that approximately 28 percent of Holyoke students require some form of Individualized Education Plan or English Language Learning services, but these needs must be met without taking away classroom time.
“I firmly believe this is going to really change the game for a lot of students,” he said.
The plan also includes job- embedded support for educators to build relationships with families. Soto said there is a need to grow and retain a talented and diverse staff, adding that diversity in the faculty has risen from 11 to 28 percent.
“We’ll continue to develop career pathways for educators,” said Soto.
The plan incorporates the core beliefs of the district, which include “students are at center of everything we do, every child can and will learn, school is a joyful place of discovery, support, and belonging, students and staff hold high expectations of themselves and each other, and trusting relationships lead to successful partnerships.” Soto added that there is a commitment to equity and creating an anti-racist, inclusive, and culturally responsive environment.
“I’ve heard a million things about what is going on at Holyoke Public Schools” said Soto. “I have to believe that kids can and will learn.”