Questions and Answers Howland Reconfiguration School Year

In what building will my child attend all-day kindergarten? Students will be assigned for all-day kindergarten according to their current residence. We will continue to use East Market Street as the dividing line for Kindergarten enrollment only. Grades 1-5 will be combined into prospectively assigned buildings, regardless of residence.

My family will have students in several buildings. Will the buildings continue to have the same start times? Two start-time models are being considered: One model has the four buildings with staggered start times (two or four staggers). The second model has all buildings starting at the same time. With the current configuration, families also have students in several buildings. Unfortunately, this can’t always be avoided in any proposed scenario.

What is the benefit of All-Day Kindergarten? Studies show that the earlier learning occurs, the better a child's outcome will be for learning down the road. Kindergarten is a critical level for learning and offering longer duration at this critical time is essential.

Will half-day Kindergarten still be an option in Howland? No - we are transitioning to a full-day Kindergarten program only

What is the longest anticipated bus ride for K-3 and how does that compare to present bus rides for K-3? The current school year has routes that run from 20 minutes – 60 minutes. The average route now is 39 minutes. This will remain unchanged. Some riders will see a change in the amount of time they are on the bus because of the redistribution of routes.

Will younger children ride with similarly aged children? The bus routes will encompass two route schedules: K-5 and High School and Middle School (6-12) route schedules are planned to be combined due to decreased ridership in the Middle School and very low ridership at the High School (25% or below in most instances).

Is any reconstruction anticipated/required? No major construction projects are tied to the reconfiguration. Walls may be erected or classrooms reconfigured. Future proposals will be investigated to construct a corridor that would connect the library/media room at Mines to the main building.

Are classroom capacities rated for fire protection purposes? All classrooms were evaluated for the intended reconfigured purpose; all codes are being adhered to during the entire process. All classrooms will be inspected by appropriate authorities for final approvals. Buildings are inspected on a regular basis. We will continue to utilize rooms according to the ratings established by the State Fire Marshall and other State and Local Health Agencies.

Will Kindergarten classrooms have self- contained rest rooms? If not, how will unscheduled rest room breaks be managed? Some will and some will not. Historically, we have had Kindergarten classrooms without self-contained restrooms without impeding our students’ learning. It is not a requirement to have self-contained restrooms. Teachers will take full-class restroom breaks and also offer opportunities for individual restroom use as needed.

Are there sufficient age-appropriate desks and chairs to accommodate the additional Kindergarten classrooms? Most Kindergarten classrooms utilize tables and chairs. All classrooms will continue to have this type of furniture. The District will determine the need to purchase a limited number of classroom furniture items to outfit the new Kindergarten once final enrollment numbers are confirmed.

Will there be sufficient Smart Boards for the new Kindergarten classrooms and other grade-appropriate teaching aids for the additional teachers? All Kindergarten rooms will have access to the same district provided teaching materials.

How many Kindergarten classrooms are there at present and what is the average teacher/student ratio? There are four Kindergarten classrooms. The current teacher/student ratio is 1/19 Historically, the average ratio has been 1/24, but numbers in recent years have decreased due to low Kindergarten enrollment. Average ratios are not anticipated to change (See Chart).

What is the anticipated teacher/student ratio? Grade LevelTotal Number of students Building A Avg per class Building B Avg per class After reconfiguration Kindergar ten approx. 190 (current numbers are only 153) First Gradeapprox Second Grade Third Grade Fourth Grade Fifth Grade

Do you plan to have art/music come to the K-3 classrooms or will students leave their classrooms? The plan is for all students to have their special classes outside of their regular classrooms, as is the current practice. There might be some cases where the special teacher would prefer to have the class within the regular room.

Will there be open houses for parents of K-5 children to be able meet teachers and ask questions regarding the new schools/classrooms their children will attend? We will have activities and opportunities for the students to tour their new buildings and are planning open houses prior to the startup of school for parents and students.

Do we anticipate an increase in Kindergarten enrollment due to change to all-day, every-day programs? If so, will there be sufficient additional classroom space to keep the teacher/student ratio similar to what it is now? Our projections don’t anticipate Kindergarten enrollment to increase to levels greater than average grade level numbers. The plan we have in place; however, would accommodate needs should unexpected growth occur.

Have you considered having moving assistance for those teachers who will be moving to new buildings/classrooms? The school district will move all district- provided materials that need to be relocated. Spaces in each building will be provided for teachers who wish to store personal items they will be moving to their new building.

Are the pre-K programs Howland programs or County programs? Who is eligible for pre-K? These are County Cooperative Classes in which the district receives rental fees and resources. Half of the openings are allotted to our district for our use. Applications are accepted in April and we hold a lottery at the April/May board meeting for enrollment awardees.

Are inclusive classrooms available at each grade level? Inclusive classrooms are in all buildings at all grade levels. They are listed on the map at H.C Mines because those classrooms have extra space attached to them.