There has been much discussion about the placement of fifth grade in a new middle school and, particularly, whether students of that age can be served effectively in a facility with older children. The National Association of Middle Schools recommends both 6-8 and 5-8 configurations for middle schools claiming that both models can function well in addressing the educational and social needs of pre-teen students. Middle schools across the state of New Hampshire are split between the two models with more than twenty schools of each configuration. Therefore, the decision of officials in Lebanon has focused on what serves the local community best, and there have been three prime factors involved in that assessment: Costs. Adding the fifth grade to the school’s configuration reduces the per pupil cost of the construction by about $10,000 per student. The common areas remain essentially unchanged while the additional classrooms add about $1.5 million. However, that cost increase is more than offset by the addition of 120 fifth grade students, and that reduces the cost per pupil. Long-term planning. The long-term facility needs of the district are addressed with the addition of fifth grade to the new building. With that addition, all of the district’s grades are appropriately housed for the immediate future with the future possibility of someday constructing a new elementary school at the Bank Street property. If fifth grade is not included at the new school, then there would be resulting dilemmas in housing and planning for the fifth grade. Curriculum and staff work. Lebanon has had housed its fifth and sixth grades together for generations although classes were split across the two sides of town. The fifth and sixth grade curriculums fit together well, and the teaching staffs work well together. That model and that cooperation would be maintained in the current proposal, and the teachers have expressed a general desire to remain together. Moreover, the Board has expressed great interest in a model by which the new school would open with co-principals and in the hope that Andy Mellow and Martha Langill would fill those roles for grades 7-8 and 5-6 respectively. |
Ed Programming |