Board of Education Scraps Reconfiguration

Ding, dong, the switch is dead.

That was three general reaction from residents at Monday's Board of Education as they sang in the Vernon Center Middle School auditorium aisles the praises of a decision by the board not to pursue elementary school reconfiguration for the 2012-13 academic year.

The chatter on the Vernon Patch Facebook page expressed similar excitement.

The unanimous vote came after an intense public comment session in which 13 residents spoke out against the plan and implored the school board to maintain the current neighborhood school concept.

The comments on Monday reiterated what hundreds of parents said in petitions, and at focus groups at each of the five elementary schools.

The vote was met with thunderous applause from the 100 or so in attendance at Vernon Center Middle School.

But before the loud display of approval, the crowd hushed in anticipatory silence as the agenda item to discuss potential reconfiguration came up. Board of Education Chairman Dean Houle reminded his colleagues that no action had to be taken, but board member David Kept moved that the board not pursue the matter for the upcoming school year.

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Board member William "Wil" Nicholson, a staunch foe of reconfiguration, nearly jumped out of his chair to second the motion.

It passed unanimously, and the school board then outlined an aggressive plan for academic reform that will start with a new language arts curriculum that Superintendent of schools Mary Conway badly wants implemented.

Reconfiguration - and more importantly reform - is in response to the state placing Vernon on a mysterious "bottom 30" list that local officials say has never been clearly outlined.

Kemp urged the board to study academic options and board member Anne Fischer said that means to "be creative."

Fischer also thanked Conway for "dodging bullets that should have been directed at the board," during a few testy moments during focus groups on potential reconfiguration at the five elementary schools.

One of those academic reform studies should revolve around all-day kindergarten across the system, board member Terri Goldich said.

Goldich also urged the board to attempt to end "socio-economic isolation" at schools.

The board directed Conway to bring the details of her language arts curriculum forward by the end of June and to deliver the results of academic assessments to members within a month of when they are delivered.