Measure E Meeting
Thursday, May 3, 2018
Host: Alan Reising, AReising@LBSchools.net
Additional information: http://www.lbschoolbonds.net/longfellow-hvac.cfm
PowerPoint presentation: http://www.lbschoolbonds.net/pdfs/longfellow-community-meeting_05032018.pdf
Q: How will construction be addressed? Why can’t each school just get bungalows pin their site so we don’t have to move?
A: If every school within the district was to get enough portable bungalows on their campus to accommodate all of the students, The budget would need $120-$140 million strictly for bungalows. After researching the need among the district it was determined that $3.5 billion where needed, however the bond measure was only approved for $1.5 billion. Taking $120-$140 million of that $1.5 billion would take away from the funding to complete other projects. By having the students move to another campus and each year the bungalows be used by a different school we are able to extend the amount of money that was originally budgeted and use it more wisely. By not putting bungalows on the Longfellow campus we are not saving money from our own budget but in fact allowing those funds to be used elsewhere.
Q: Which grades will be affected by the move to Riley Elementary?
A: Only grades 3-5 will be transferred to Riley Elementary. Kindergarten through second grade will remain on Longfellow campus; however, they will be in classes at different locations throughout the year to accommodate construction as each phase is completed. Longfellow teachers and staff will be available at Riley for our students. We are simply setting up a Longfellow campus on a host site.
Q: How long will all of the construction take? And when will our students be allowed to return to Longfellow?
A: Construction will begin June 2018. Some portions of the campus such as the library have already began the process of packing in order to begin construction as soon as school is dismissed for the summer. Construction is expected to be completed before the beginning of the 2019/2020 school year. All incoming third and fourth graders will return to Longfellow for their fourth and fifth grade years.
Q: How much time does transportation add to the school day? What time will the third through fifth grade children be arriving back at Longfellow after school?
A: Students will need to arrive 30 minutes early to allow time for transportation and busing to the Riley campus. Transportation will begin as early as 7:15 AM. After school dismisses buses will be filled and transported back to Longfellow. They are expected to arrive beginning as early as approximately 2:30 PM.
Q: Will instructional minutes change? Will students still start school at 8:00 AM and have a dismissal time of either 2:05 PM or 2:10 PM?
A: Instructional minutes will not change. Third grade students will still begin class at 8 AM and have a dismissal of 2:05 PM fourth and fifth grade classes will still be again at 8 AM and dismiss at 2:10 PM. As instructional times will not be changing passing schedules will need to be followed in order to maintain that children arrive at school on time and ready to learn. More information about transportation will be coming home before the end of the school year.
Q: Will Longfellow students have interactions with Riley students. For example will we share bathrooms, lunchtimes or recesses? Will our children share spaces?
A: Due to the logistics of the campus, there will be shared locations such as the kitchen and cafeteria. Playground spaces will also be shared; however, principals from both schools have been in contact to work on scheduling issues to make sure all students are properly serviced during lunchtime and recess period.
Q: Will students be required to take the bus every day? Will students have the option to take the bus some days and receive rides on others?
A: Buses are provided as a convenience to parents and students. Your child may ride the bus any day of the week. You also have the right to choose to drop your child off at the Riley campus. Please understand of the area around Riley is a compact neighborhood with limited access. Congestion is to be expected, and for that reason bussing is highly recommended.
Q: Will there be buses available for “late” students?
A: The bus is capacity is 75 children per vehicle. Once the buses filled it will be sent on its way over to the Riley campus. Once the last bus is full, it will leave. If your child is not at school before the last bus leaves (approximately 7:30/7:40 *Edited 6/13/18: All buses will be scheduled to leave at 7:30) you will need to provide your own transportation to the Riley campus. The school will not be providing transportation for late arrivals.
Q: Will the playground at Longfellow be open earlier for siblings of students going on the bus? Or will parents have to wait with younger children until 7:40 AM?
A: Additional yard recs will be provided and playgrounds will be open earlier to allow parents the opportunity to drop off younger siblings and not have to wait until the later time for younger children.
Q: Have you considered accelerating the working hours to minimize the disruption or shorten the amount of time our older children will be displaced? Possibly working later in the day or even on Saturdays?
A: We are trying to avoid detrimental impact to families living immediately around the school. Working later into the day and on weekends also causes a dramatic increase in the cost. The excess cost would come from an already stretched budget. The team is looking into ways that can increase productivity or increase efficiency with time to attempt to bring each phase to completion quicker. A second factor to consider is if work is completed in April or May, moving back would conflict with testing periods. This information will be considered should work be completed before schedule. Our goal is consistency for the children within our program and that is very important.
Q: Incoming fifth grade students will be displaced next year to Riley and then again in sixth grade from Hughes middle school to Jordan plus. Would anything be done to lessen the impact on the students?
A: Hughes was selected as the next phase of construction due to the ability to simply continue the progress from one school to the next. Proximity of hours for efficient transition.
Q: Have any further thought been given to the six grade (incoming fifth grade) students staying on campus at Hughes middle school during construction while the seventh and eighth grade students go to Jordan plus?
A: Options are currently being explored. This is one of the ideas being presented. Longfellow and Hughes have the largest number of students in the district, so we may not be able to house all of the Hughes middle school students at Jordan plus. Options are being discussed and information will be provided sometime next year in regards to construction the following year.
Q: Will the kindergarten playground be relocated?
A: The kindergarten equipment will remain in the same area, as moving it can cause issues with reinstalling it later. Playground equipment does not dismantle and move well.
Q: Has any consideration been given to putting in a permanent structure where bungalows are currently located? Possibly with the second story?
A: Yes, this option has been explored however it has not been approved yet. This current project will focus on the existing permanent buildings. Due to the unfunded $2 billion excess needed this is listed as a non-priority item at this time. The planner has been working with the board to make this a priority, at this time it has not been approved and is not included in the current funding.
