CLAREMONT — Reconfiguration of grades at the middle school and high school has been put on hold until at least the 2024-25 school year, Superintendent Mike Tempesta said.

At last week’s School Board meeting, Tempesta said while administrators are committed to the proposal, there is not enough time to implement it properly this fall.

“We still emphatically think it is worth pursuing in the future,” Tempesta said.

When the School Board voted to slash $1 million from the proposed budget in January, Tempesta and his staff were faced with having to find potential cuts quickly.

The result included moving the fifth grade to the middle school, eighth grade to Stevens High School and made all three elementary schools pre-K-4.

The $1 million cut was later restored by voters at the deliberative session prior to Town Meeting voting, and the budget was approved by voters in March, giving the administration more time to consider the reconfiguration. But with contracts needing to go out to faculty and staff this month, there was not enough time to finish the process.

“We know we have to vet it a little bit more,” Tempesta said. “The recommendation is to pursue it. Do more modeling, get input and get committees going late spring and summer.”

Tempesta again highlighted some of his reasons for the new alignment, including early access to the technical center, increasing access to music, theater, business electives, relieving overcrowding at the elementary school and universal pre-K in each elementary school.

Newly elected board member Arlene Hawkins, who was critical of the new grade alignments, said at the school board meeting she was happy to hear that implementation was being postponed.

Hawkins said there needs to be more opportunity for community input.

“Many parents didn’t know about it and felt it was being sprung on them,” Hawkins said.

Tempesta noted that the concept of grade reconfiguration — first considered more than three years ago at the elementary level — grew out of concerns about student achievement gaps and early literacy. He agreed that an open community process and a supportive School Board will be necessary to implement the plan.

“I think it is imperative we are rowing in the same direction and communicating early and often with the stakeholders,” Tempesta said.

Hawkins asked for periodic updates to the school board on the topic.

Before the pandemic, Tempesta had proposed shaking up the district’s three elementary schools by making them grade-specific by putting all students in one grade in the same school. The proposal was met with vocal opposition from many, including parents who would have children in different schools, and its possible implementation was pushed back a year. When COVID-19 hit in March 2020, the discussion of the plan was delayed indefinitely.

Last November, Tempesta proposed an Elementary Restructuring Advisory Board to study grade specific elementary schools. Members met a few times, but its current status is not clear. Messages left for Tempesta for more information were not returned.

Fall Mountain reconfigures

In March, Fall Mountain interim Superintendent Brendan Minnihan informed Charlestown parents of a change in the school configuration that was approved by the School Board.

Beginning in the fall, the North Charlestown Community School will go from grades 1-5 to all prekindergarten; the Charlestown Primary School will be K-4, instead of pre-K-5; and the middle school, currently grades 6-8, will be 5-8. 

Minnihan said the decision was made with input from the community, staff, administration and school board.

“The administration feels that, at this time, this decision is in the best interest of our students both socially and academically,” Minnihan said in his March 21 letter to parents.

Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.

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