The Crookston Education Association (Crookston Teachers Union) asked the Crookston School District Administration for answers to several questions about closing Washington School. The questions and answers are listed below.
Where will the extra 25 cars for our WES staff park? THERE IS EXTRA SPACE IN THE CURRENT HES STAFF PARKING LOT, 40+ IN THE NEW PARKING LOT, AND POTENTIAL SPACE BEHIND HIGHLAND SCHOOL WHERE CUSTODIAL & FOOD SERVICE CURRENTLY PARK THAT COULD ACCOMMODATE A FEW MORE STAFF CARS.
All of our parents will park, unbuckle their child, and help them to the door each morning? THAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE NEW 40-CAR PARKING LOT FOR PRE-K PARENTS AND OTHER PARENTS THAT NEED MORE TIME TO GET STUDENTS OUT OF CAR SEATS AND WALK THEIR CHILDREN INTO THE SCHOOL, AS OPPOSED TO JUST DROPPING THEM OFF IN THE DROP-OFF ZONE.
Where will our students go when they arrive in the morning?PRE-K WILL GO INTO THE NEW ADDITION, EAST ENTRANCE. ALL OTHER STUDENTS WILL GO TO THE HIGHLAND COMMONS.
Will School Readiness/ECFE be in the addition? YES UNLESS SOMETHING CHANGES.
What is the plan for lunchtime? THE FOOD SERVICE DIRECTOR HAS GENERATED A LUNCH SCHEDULE THAT WORK AND SHE WILL BE WORKING TO REFINE TO MAKE SURE IT WORKS WITH SPECIALS AND THE HIGHLAND SCHEDULE.
Do we have space designated for the storage of our extra materials and our indoor gym equipment? YES, THE UPSTAIRS GYM HAS A STORAGE ROOM THAT WAS DESIGNED BY A LICENSED ARCHITECT FOR THIS PURPOSE. THE FORMER WASHINGTON SCHOOL PRINCIPAL VERIFIED THE SPACES WERE GOING TO BE ADEQUATE.
Will School Readiness be able to continue our own fundraising efforts? YES, UNLESS THE ADMINISTRATION OR SCHOOL BOARD DECIDED OTHERWISE. AT THIS TIME THERE IS NO PLAN TO CHANGE IT.
Will Gina still be the person to guide and plan programming? (Scheduling, staffing, etc). If so, where will her office be? CURRENTLY, THERE IS NO PLAN TO CHANGE THIS. THIS WOULD BE UP TO THE SCHOOL BOARD AND ADMINISTRATION IF THERE WAS GOING TO BE A CHANGE.
Will Brenda be our Admin Assistant AS OF NOW YES, TO BE DETERMINED BY ADMIN & THE BOARD.
Upstairs gym plan – stairway safety THERE IS AN ELEVATOR FOR THIS PURPOSE. CONSTRUCTION ADDED LOWER HANDRAILS TO MEET CODE FOR THE YOUNGER STUDENTS.
What will the end of day for School Readiness look like? Boarding bus at what time? STUDENTS WOULD BOARD BUSES BEFORE OLDER STUDENTS GET OUT OF SCHOOL.
What is the plan for children with behavioral issues that cannot regulate themselves in the classroom? WHO will take care of this? WASHINGTON CURRENTLY HANDLES THIS AND WOULD CONTINUE TO USE CURRENT RESOURCES EXACTLY HOW THEY HANDLE THIS NOW. THERE WOULD BE EXTRA SUPPORTS IF WASHINGTON CLOSES AND MOVES TO HIGHLAND.
Who takes care of messages from parents and calling parents in the morning? How does attendance work? Assuming Brenda will be our welcoming/friendly contact! CURRENTLY, THE PLAN WOULD BE TO CONTINUE HOW IT OPERATES NOW.
Do we need to attend Highland staff meetings? Can we do our own? THIS WOULD BE DECIDED BY THE ADMINISTRATION.
Will we get keys that will open to our EC addition? BADGES FOR MAIN ENTRY DOORS AND KEYS TO INDIVIDUAL CLASSROOMS WOULD BE GIVEN TO TEACHERS THAT TEACH IN THE NEW ADDITION.
Concerned about classrooms using gym space AND playground. PRE-K WILL HAVE THE UPSTAIRS GYM FOR THEIR ACTIVITIES AREA.
What do our prep times look like? THIS WILL NOT CHANGE AS OF THIS TIME.
How will the district preserve the savings gained ($130,000?) by closing Washington School to prevent the amount being quickly consumed by the hiring of extra staff, curriculum purchases, or other expenses? What is the long term plan for the savings benefit? THIS WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE ADMIN, SUPERINTENDENT AND THE SCHOOL BOARD.
How will ECFE sharing space with a School Readiness classroom impact programming and participation? THE SQUARE FOOTAGE MEASURED TO MAKE SURE IT WAS SIMILAR TO WASHINGTON. PROGRAMMING WOULD ONLY BE AFFECTED IF THEY CHANGED IT, FROM WHAT IT IS NOW.
What time will we start and end school?- currently we are staggered with times. THIS WOULD BE DETERMINED BY THE ADMINISTRATION AND SCHOOL BOARD IF THERE WAS A CHANGE TO THE START AND OR END OF THE SCHOOL DAY. THE ORIGINAL PLAN WAS TO CONTINUE WITH A SIMILAR SCHEDULE TO WHAT HAVE BEEN DOING. IF BUSES DON’T HAVE TO GO TO WASHINGTON SCHOOL THIS COULD ADJUST THE TIMES.
Highland Staff has had no updates or information since 2023, when will the staff at Highland be receiving information? THE PLAN WENT ON HOLD, WHEN A DECISION WAS MADE TO KEEP WASHINGTON SCHOOL OPEN. TRANSITION MEETINGS WILL CONTINUE AS THEY DID IN THE PAST IF THE BOARD DECIDES TO CLOSE WASHINGTON SCHOOL. TRANSITION MEETINGS WILL CONTINUE IF A DECISION IS MADE TO CLOSE WASHINGTON.
Are we certain all students will fit and all services will be able to be provided to fidelity PrKG -5? A LICENSE ARCHITECT DESIGNED THE NEW ADDITION AND WORKED WITH THE ADMINISTRATION TO MAKE SURE ALL STUDENTS WOULD FIT AND THE ADMINISTRATION MADE SURE ALL SERVICES WOULD BE AVAILABLE. THERE IS NO EXPECTED CHANGE IN PROGRAMMING.
When will the student contact day begin and end for all students PreKG-5? THE ORIGINAL PLAN WAS TO CONTINUE WITH THE SAME TIMES AS WE HAVE HAD IN THE PAST. IF THE BOARD DECIDES TO CLOSE WASHINGTON SCHOOL THIS COULD BE ADJUSTED DUE TO BUSES NOT HAVING TO GO TO WASHINGTON SCHOOL. THIS COULD BE CHANGED BY THE SCHOOL BOARD.
Will the bathrooms in the current 5th grade and Gym/Music Hallways be renovated for little children? Kindergarten kids currently have difficulty and/or cannot reach the sinks. THE LATEST PLAN IS TO HAVE K AND 1 NEXT TO OUR LARGEST BATHROOMS. THE BATHROOMS ARE ORIGINAL AND AGED BUT THEY FUNCTION PROPERLY AND HEIGHTS ARE SIMILAR TO NEW ADDITION.
Will SAC stay in the current location? SAC appreciates their current location for the convenience of having one designated space and convenient parent pick-up location. NO, SCHOOL AGED CARE IS CURRENTLY USING WHAT WAS A CLASSROOM THAT WOULD BE OCCUPIED BY A CLASSROOM IF WASHINGTON SCHOOL IS CLOSED. SAC WOULD USE AREAS THAT SAC USED IN THE PAST AT HIGHLAND SCHOOL.
Is the District willing to have our neediest students have services in hallways? In busy loud traffic areas? Where will services for academic interventions occur in a space that is best for students? THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE CASE IN THE PAST AND TITLE NO LONGER HAS PARAPROFESSIONAL AIDES AND USES A PULL-IN APPROACH THAT USES AN ENCLOSED TITLE ROOM. THE TITLE PARAPROFESSIONALS IN THE PAST USED HALLWAY AREAS BUT WE NO LONGER HAVE TITLE PARAPROFESSIONALS.
How much time will teachers be given to move classrooms and what will that process look like? It will take a great deal of time to pack, unpack, and set up a classroom. THIS IS SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFIED (16 HOURS) IN THE TEACHER CONTRACT.
Where do 5th grade Orchestra and Band have lessons? THE MOST RECENT PLAN PROVIDES LESSON AREAS NOT IN THE GENERAL MUSIC ROOM.
Where does orchestra and band have storage for instruments, chairs, stands, and other items? THEY WOULD HAVE STORAGE THEIR OWN PRACTICE ROOMS AND IN THE THE BACK OF THE GENERAL MUSIC IF MORE STORAGE AREA IS NEEDED.
All classrooms are full now, where will everyone be moving to? Will sections be cut to accommodate the move? NO, THE MAP HAS LOCATIONS FOR EVERYONE WITHOUT SECTIONS BEING CUT.
Families are being told that preschoolers will have computers. Where and how will that look? Who will provide that? Will additional staff be needed or current computer time be shortened to accommodate 4 more classes? PRE-K STUDENTS WOULD NOT HAVE COMPUTERS UNLESS THE PRE-K TEACHERS OFFER IT.
Will my child now have LESS than the 15 minutes of recess he currently receives at Highland (including transition times)? NO
What happens when Fisher and/or Climax close/contract in the next 10-15 years? WE DON’T KNOW THAT THIS WILL HAPPEN. THE BOARD WOULD DEAL WITH THIS SHOULD IT OCCUR.
When will Highland staff see a building plan? Sounds like WES staff has already seen it? IS HAS BEEN RELEASED NUMEROUS TIMES AND IF YOU NEED ANOTHER CONTACT THE HIGHLAND SCHOOL PRINCIPAL.
Do we really have Board members telling the media that if teachers take a zero WES would stay open? For how long? Is this truly endorsed by the Board? What others would need to take zeros? THIS IS NOT TRUE.
Do you have any evidence from MDE that because ESSA (COVID) dollars were used for the new addition, that WES must be closed? Please share those contacts so this can be verified. WE WILL SHARE WHAT WE LEARN WHEN MDE RESPONDS TO THE DISTRICT.
If all rooms are filled at Highland with preschool coming over, what does class size look like for elementary students? Does the board not support lower class sizes for better learning and behavioral outcomes? SIMILAR SIZES AS THE PAST BASED ON THE BOARD’S DECISION TO CHANGE SECTION SIZES BASED ON WHAT THE BUDGET CAN AFFORD AND WHAT IS ACCEPTABLE.
Is it true that the upstairs gym is being proposed now as a possible classroom option? NO THE UPSTAIRS GYM IS PLANNED TO BE USED BY PRE-K.
To be fair and equitable will classrooms at Highland be assigned or will it go by seniority when grade levels know where they will be located? THAT WOULD BE UP TO THE ADMINISTRATION TO DECIDE.
Special education numbers are high coming into Kindergarten next year, do we have a large enough special education classroom to accommodate and meet the needs of these children? YES, WE ARE OVER THE GUIDELINES MDE RECOMMENDS FOR A MINIMUM OF 450 SQUARE FEET FOR SPED RESOURCE ROOMS.
Do you have any evidence from MDE that because ESSA (COVID) dollars were used for the new addition, that WES must be closed? Please share those contacts so this can be verified. THE DISTRICT OFFICE HAS BEEN IN CONTACT WITH MDE REGARDING ESSR DOLLARS BECAUSE WE ARE OUT OF COMPLIANCE WITH OUR PLAN WE SUBMITTED TO MDE. THE DISTRICT OFFICE WOULD BE THE CONTACT FOR INFORMATION.