Blog raises fears on New Berlin school's closing

New Berlin - A letter to Poplar Creek Elementary School parents seeks to ease fears that the school would be deluged with 180 students if Glen Park Elementary School closes.

Poplar Creek parents were apparently upset by a blog written by the Save Our Schools group of Glen Park parents who oppose the potential closing of the New Berlin school. Many parents also received the blog in email form.

In making the statement that 180 Glen Park children could end up at Poplar Creek, the blog said it was quoting an option in the recent facilities study that consultant IFF did for the New Berlin School Board.

Not the plan

But in the rebuttal letter issued before the weekend and signed by the principal and assistant principal, the administrators flatly denied that assertion.

"…That has never been considered or discussed by us, our district administrators, nor the board as a whole," the letter reads in part. "We certainly would certainly never support such a plan."

If the district took such a tact, it would fill the 490-student Poplar Creek to capacity, which would go against the district's facilities management principles.

"No one on our board or administrative staff has ever envisioned, discussed or proposed filling any of our schools to a capacity of 100 percent," the district said in its letter to parents.

The letter, signed by Principal Jane Gennerman and Assistant Principal Brady Reinke, seems to leave the door open for Poplar Creek getting some Glen Park students, though. Finding places to put the nearly 300 Glen Park students would involve "all or nearly all of the other elementaries in our district," the letter reads.

Ongoing facilities study

On Dec. 19, the School Board plans to talk about and possibly act on the IFF facilities report that suggests closing Glen Park.

The school's potential closure is tied up in the big picture of all the other facilities needs the district has, said Superintendent of Schools Joe Garza. The IFF report identifies priorities at all of the buildings, he said, and once the bigger picture is defined, the district can determine which priorities to tackle.

The IFF report says Glen Park is in poor but functional condition. The School Board had briefly discussed closing Glen Park and using the estimated $300,000 annual savings to pay for improvements to Eisenhower. Although the IFF report pinpointed projects at Eisenhower, it rated its condition as good.

Indeed, School Board President David Maxey confirmed that there are no pressing needs at either school. But that means the board is in a good position to make a reasoned, informed decision without having to make a rush to judgment, Maxey said.

Glen Park's pros and cons

For School Board member Art Marquardt, closing Glen Park is compelling. The district's three elementary schools, not including Poplar Creek, have enough capacity to absorb Glen Park children and take care of more children 35 years into the future, he said.

If Glen Park is closed, the district could get busy using the $300,000 per year savings to take care of the district's facilities needs while construction and interest costs are low, he said.

The School Board should set parameters, or what he calls "guard rails" to ensure nothing school officials, parents or taxpayers don't want happens. Then board should see if there's a plan that stays within those guard rails, Marquardt said.

Selling Glen Park for development could up the savings to $500,000 per year, according to the IFF report, and the district could probably sell the school for $1 million, Marquardt said.

Glen Park parents, however, have mounted strenuous opposition. The note that school officials themselves acknowledge that the two smallest schools, Glen Park and Orchard Lane, have the best academic records. They argue that larger schools are not as effective as smaller schools, even though class sizes are similar.

In addition, there is some resistance at the other elementary schools to making them bigger by adding Glen Park children.