Presentation by SHP
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Questions and Answers from the May 27 Community Engagement Meeting
*****the following questions were collected from the 3x5 notecards handed out to the audience in attendence the evening of the Community Engagement Meeting.
1) Are the auditorium and gym included in the total square footage of the high school?
- YES! And thanks to the generations of previous Deer Park voters and residents who passed a bond issue in 1966 to add the beautiful Crawford Auditorium to our school, the Deer Park community still enjoys Parkers and multiple other performances on that very stage and many school events in our gymnasium!
2) Why would 2 different start times and entrances be needed at the Jr/Sr high?
- The desire from the input gathered by the community in the community survey stated a need for a middle school and a high school, and for keeping grades 6-8 separate from DPHS students. Separate start/stop times would potentially help alleviate some of the congestion during the hours students may be dropped off or picked up from school. The idea of different times and different entrances would also help foster students identifying with their respective grade levels.
3) Will Sycamore Township contribute to the cost of the project since their residents attend the schools?
- All Deer Park City School District residents pay into the same SCHOOL tax pool. This includes members of all communities included in the 2.2 square mile of the school district jurisdiction (Dillonvale, Sycamore Township, Silverton, Deer Park, Rossmoyne).
4) Is there any possibility of buying the lot between Amity and Beech Avenue?
- The possibility of purchasing any land is zoning and funding dependent. The property would also need to be available to purchase to be taken into consideration. Purchasing MORE land increases the amount of funding necessary for the overall budget, so the financial implications could be more costly than using the land we already have available to us (3.75 acres at Amity vs. 11.1 acres at Holmes).
5) Why is there no choice to renovate Amity?
- The choice to renovate Amity was presented as one of the eight overall options in SHP’s PowerPoint presentation to those who attended the Community Engagement meeting on May 27, 2010 at the Crawford Auditorium. It was not, however, favored by most of the members of the design committees. Several reasons make Amity a more expensive site to renovate, including but not omitting the fact that the structure is made of wooden tresses which is a fire and pest hazard, specific measures that are very costly would need to be taken due to the presence of asbestos, and the fact that at the end of the day when you renovate a 103 year old building it is still a 103 year old building with original foundation with other problems, etc.
6) Do residents bordering Holmes have any say about the property?
- Residents of the entire Deer Park community are always welcome to share their opinions, concern, and care at our district board meetings which occur the first and third Wednesday of the month in the Howard Board Meeting room (unless specified otherwise). Residents may also contact any of the members of the Deer Park Board of Education, the Superintendent, the Communication Coordinator and ultimately, as citizens of our nation, residents have the ability to vote. The Board members do take the information under advisement.
7) What will the traffic situation be like with the new proposed buildings?
- SHP is reviewing the potential traffic patterns with the help of engineers for both the Holmes and the Amity site. We hope to have some communication to you before the start of next school year.
8) Can we use sale of 2 extra school properties towards the cost of rebuilding?
- The sale of public property has its complexities and comes with many stipulations to the district and to the overall community. Once the facility plan is determined this option will need to undergo further study to do what is best for all involved.
9) Has there been a thorough study on future growth?
- Yes! A study on future growth was presented to the district by the Dejong and Healy firm on April 13, 2010. These statistics are shared with the public every year on a page of the district’s complimentary annual calendar found at the board office, in various businesses throughout the community, and at each of our 4 school building main offices.
10) What about the safety of kids walking with the number of vehicles passing for K-5?
- Safety is always a concern and all of this will be taken into consideration with the design of the proposals of the new or renovated buildings and sites.
11) Why do the schools need A/C added?
- Air Quality. Many students suffer from asthma and many students and staff suffer from various allergies. Air pollutants from traffic, road construction, industry, and natural pollens have also become more common in modern times which, combined with high temperatures, aggravates health conditions and makes it difficult to focus in the classroom.
12) Will Home Economics and Industrial Arts areas be included in the Jr. and Sr. High sections?
-Yes. Both courses are a part of the district’s adopted curriculum.
13) What will happen to the empty/unused school building once a plan is decided? Will it go to a charter school?
- Depending on the final plan chosen and supported by the community, there are many options for repurposing unused school buildings/spaces. Definitely the most favorable situation would be to use the space to enhance and benefit the Deer Park community and its residents. Whether it be “gifted” to the City of Deer Park to aid their efforts in increasing business revenue in Deer Park, or using the space for the community to have access to parks and recreational activities. Regardless, buildings cannot be “gifted” to charter schools; they would have to be purchased by charter schools.
14) Will class sizes be smaller with the new facilities?
- Class sizes vary based on enrollment at the grade level or per course offered. Sometimes more than one teacher is even assigned to the class as well.
15) Why do students need technology, we didn’t have it?
- Technology has become an integral part of everyday life. Whether our doctors send prescriptions to pharmacies using email, paying for gas at a gas pump, or check out items at the grocery store everyone uses technology, and many of us are using it without knowing we are! The truth of the matter is that our students are growing up and learning during a completely different time when technology is advancing at an exponential rate. They communicate with their friends, perform their college searches, practice sills they learned at school and have access to the entire world through the use of technology. Even Parkers has seen the enhancements of technology! It is something that is here to stay, and we want to assure that our students will be able to compete with students in neighboring communities who offer technology at school in case they do not have access to technology at home.