“In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” –Benjamin Franklin
And although death and taxes are a certainty, change–especially in education–is inevitable.
As the Holland/Springfield area emerges from the pandemic, Springfield Schools officials are looking toward the future and a reconfiguration of school buildings.
In May, the school board unveiled a plan to better serve Springfield students beginning in the 2022-23 school year.
The district will be reconfiguring its four elementary buildings. Crissey, Dorr and Holloway will serve kindergarten through third grade students, and the district will expand its preschool classrooms–currently housed at Dorr–to preschool in each of the three elementaries.
Holland will shift from kindergarten through grade five to housing fourth and fifth grades.
Superintendent Matt Geha said school officials studied data over a five-year period, which showed that rather than constructing a new school building to educate the growing number of students, the greater need is to examine options that take advantage of existing facilities.
“Our research led to the conclusion that to better serve our students, we should refine grade-level instructional targets and reconfigure our elementary buildings,” he explained.
There are a number of rationale for reconfiguration, he noted, including the ability to:
•Promote collaborative teams to increase positive student outcomes;
•Develop the whole child by increasing access to multiple support systems;
•Offer professional development by grade level and building;
•Narrow focused instructional targets to enhance consistency across the district; provide children with a supportive age and grade level environment;
•Target student interventions by grade level;
•Expand preschool opportunities in each building;
•Avoid capping situations in classrooms that force students to be sent to another school in the district, and
•Heighten the responsiveness and planning for students’ emotional and developmental needs.
Changes in kindergarten to grade five do not equate to adjustments in the higher grades, Mr. Geha said.
“No changes have been proposed for either the middle or high schools. We will, of course, continue to study and identify ways to better serve students in grades six through 12.”
The superintendent expressed appreciation to administrators, principals and parent leaders for their input.
“Parent leaders remain very receptive to the plans and have contributed both insight and suggestions to ease the process,” he added.
Mr. Geha encourages anyone with questions or concerns to contact their current building principal or the administrative office, 419-867-5600.
“Communication remains key, and there are a lot of moving parts to an undertaking such as this,” he said.
