Windham Magnet School

1
Windham Magnet School

• Public Forum
• August 31, 2009

2
Windham Magnet School

• Agenda
• Introductions
• School Facts
• Where we have been
• Where we are going
• Schedule
• Questions

3
Facts

• Windham Magnet School

4
Windham Magnet School Facts

• PreK- Through Grade 8 Magnet School
• 600 Students
• 450 Windham Students
• 150 Surrounding Town Students
• 40 million Grant
• 38 million paid and bonded through State
• 2 million through Town
• 82,000 sq. ft.
• Gymnasium, fields, 30 classrooms, support
  spaces, music, arts, science, greenhouses, school
  based health center..

5
Windham Magnet School Facts

• Grant is only for Magnet School can not be
  transferred to another school
• Cost to town would be more than 5 times as much
  if project rescinded and grant application made
  toward renovation/addition of an existing school
• Addition/Renovation Status or Renovate as new
  (75 reimbursement)
• Limited reimbursement on eligible items
• Most cost effective way to eliminate overcrowding
  of schools
• Lottery based attendance

6
Operational Expenses

• We are responsible for educating Windham students
  no matter which school they attend.
• For example, if there are 270 WPS students
  attending the magnet school in the first year,
  then staff from other schools would be shifted to
  the magnet school to educate these children.
  Costs for supplies and books would also be
  shifted. We will call these costs static
  costs, costs we would have had no matter where
  the WPS students went to school.

7
Operational Expenses

• What new expenses are incurred because of the
  magnet school?
• New expenses will be the addition of new staff
  and the cost of operating the building. We will
  call these magnet specific expenses.

8
Operational Expenses

• Old Revenue
• Full ECS funding for each WPS student
• New Revenue
• Magnet School Operating Grant
• 6,030 for each out of district student
• 3,000 for each WPS student

9
Operational Expenses
10
Overcrowding

• Magnet School allows the Town to move 450 of its
  own students in the Pre-K through 8 grade levels
  to new school.
• School is a community space- allows for more
  community programs

11
Jobs

• We still need additional workforces to educate
  and administer the school for the 150 additional
  out of town students- grants cover cost
• Construction and fit out will take about 22
  months.
• Average local workforce for project this size is
  about 130 workers throughout the project with
  combined fees of about 1.2 million
• Local preference language in CM Proposals
  vendors and workforce

12
Windham Magnet School
A look back..
13
Windham Magnet School
June 13, 2005 Bill Magnotta from the State
Department of Education, presented magnet school
information to the Board at a special
meeting June 23, 2005 Board of Education
approved the development of an operations plan
2006
2005
2007
2008
14
Windham Magnet School
August 23,2005 Letter of interest sent to
University Area Superintendents Association
superintendents August 29, 2oo5 Special Board
of Education Meeting to discuss Magnet School
concept
2006
2005
2007
2008
15
Windham Magnet School
September 15,2005 Public Forum held
2006
2005
2007
2008
16
Windham Magnet School
November,2005 Community Survey performed
2006
2005
2007
2008
17
Windham Magnet School Survey Results

• How strongly do you support or oppose the school
  district pursuing a PreK-8 Magnet School?
• Strongly Support/Support 78.1
• Neutral 8.8
• Strongly Oppose 8.2
• Not Sure 4.7

317 Respondents
18
Windham Magnet School
February 7, 2006 First meeting of Ad Hoc
Advisory Committee for the Magnet School
Proposal February to April Magnet Theme
Developed
2006
2005
2007
2008
19
Windham Magnet School
April 25, 2006 Public Forum
2006
2005
2007
2008
20
Windham Magnet School

• The theme of this proposed PreK-8 school will
  be environmental and cultural studies, exploring
  environments through the understanding of
  science, nature, and culture. Included will be
  world languages, culture, exploration and
  appreciation, technology, science, nature, math
  and service learning through community
  involvement. Adding to the excitement of the
  theme will be the design of a green building,
  environmentally conscious with the inclusion of a
  weather station and green house. The schools
  grounds could include areas for farming as well
  as sports fields and play areas.

21
Windham Magnet School
Exploring Environments Through the Understanding
of Science, Nature and Culture
22
Windham Magnet School
June 29, 2006 Referendum Vote
445 Vote No
627 Vote Yes
2006
2005
2007
2008
23
Windham Magnet School
Summer 2006 Presentations to interested Boards
of Education
Coventry Hampton Mansfield Hebron Franklin
Brooklyn Colchester Columbia Woodstock Lebanon
2006
2005
2007
2008
24
Windham Magnet School
September 11, 2006 Governance submitted to State
Department of Education September 28,
2006 First Building Committee Meeting
2006
2005
2007
2008
25
Windham Magnet School
26
Magnet School Goals

• Windham Magnet School

27
Windham Magnet School
Spring 2008 Goal, strategies and objectives
exercise Goal 1 - Culturally Literate/Socially
Astute Goal 2- Environmentally Focused Goal 3-
Community involvement in the School
2006
2005
2007
2008
28
Windham Magnet School Goals

• Goal Culturally Literate/Socially Astute
• Awareness of culture
• Awareness of History and its impact
• Perspective taking- history
• Stereotyping and bias
• Tolerance
• Language proficiency
• Interactions with individuals from different
  cultures
• Use of resources from different cultures
• Awareness of the way that technology influences
  worldviews
• Culture of technological environments

Objectives/Why?
29
Windham Magnet School Goals

• Goal Environmentally Focused
• Save operating cost
• Appreciation of both local and global
  environment
• Understanding of personal impact on environment
  and carbon footprint in day in day to day
  decision making and long term planning.
• Use building and land as a learning laboratory
  for students and expand as community resource
  for environmental awareness and knowledge.
• Teach sustainability

Objectives/Why?
30
Windham Magnet School Goals

• Goal Community Involvement
• Families and communities are regularly and
  substantively involved in the education,
  logistical and administrative decision-making
  processes.
• Information about individual student progress is
  used to inform instructional practices and the
  combination of information and interventions is
  supplied to families.
• Educational programs extend beyond the
  traditional hours of the school day and the
  academic year.
• Boundaries are removed that typically segregate
  students and families according chronological
  age, economic background, ethnic heritage, and
  residential patterns.
• Students learn to become active participants in
  their individual and collective futures by
  engaging in those practices as a regular feature
  of their school day.

Objectives/Why?
31
Windham Magnet School
December 12,2006 Educational Specifications
submitted to State for Grant application for new
Magnet School
2006
2005
2007
2008
32
Windham Magnet School
April 26, 2007 Magnet School Building Committee
(MSBC) voted to hire PinnacleOne to represent
and advise on design and construction throughout
the project Site first order of
business Advertisement for interested property
owners
2006
2005
2007
2008
33
Windham Magnet School

• Sites- Round 1
• 203/Jerusalem Road Pulaskis Pond
• Tuckie Road
• Behind Stonegate Manor- Twon owned property
• Behind Willi Bowl
• Bricktop Road
• Lauter Park
• Plains Road
• Old Firing Range across from Windham Heights
• Windham Mill 4

34
Windham Magnet School

• July, 2007
• Round 1 Site Shortlist
• Bricktop Road
• Tuckie Road
• 203/Jerusalem Road- Pulaskis Pond
• MSBC approves moving forward with Site
  assessments, testing and EDR report for
  environmental
• Bricktop Road seller backs out

35
Windham Magnet School
July 1, 2007 Legislature approves grant request
to construct new 40 million Environmental and
Cultural Magnet School for Windham Legislature
approves low bid procurement for professional
services on SDE grant projects Legislature
limits SDE reimbursement on environmental
remediation for school projects
2006
2005
2007
2008
36
Windham Magnet School
November, 2007- January, 2008 Testing Complete
on 2 remaining sites Met with new First
Selectwoman- to update on process- Addresses
concerns over sites, and asked to review
additional sites.
2006
2005
2007
2008
37
Windham Magnet School

• Round 2 Additional sites, or revisits
• Aiudi property (Behind Rail Trail-Boston Post
  Road)
• Franklin Farms property located in Windham
• Fairview Property
• South Street Property
• Shortlist from Round 1- Pulaskis Pond Tuckie Rd.
• 253 Bricktop Road- across from St. Josephs
• Property near intersection of Rt 203/14 and
  Plains Road

2006
2005
2007
2008
38
Windham Magnet School
Sites Ranked by MSBC
2006
2005
2007
39
Windham Magnet School

• Ranking
• Information Used by the SDE on their site
  assessment forms
• Accessibility
• Size and Shape
• Environment
• Services
• Curriculum Support

40

• Back to Original Shortlist
• Windham Materials Property of Route 203 adjacent
  to Pulaskis Pond
• Issue with Title and Deed
• New site on Windham Materials Property of
  Jerusalem Road
• To0 close to adjacent firing range
• Tuckie Road
• Selected Property

41
Tuckie Road Site
42
Tuckie Road Site
43
Tuckie Road Site

• Site is 25 acres- only can purchase 20
• Carve out 5 acres
• Traffic concerns with Tuckie Road
• Discussed options of alternate or secondary
  access
• Carriage Lane
• Old Mansfield Road
• George Street- Requires additional property

44
Tuckie Road Site

• Section 8-24 State Statues
• Requires local planning commission to review
  subject property for acquisition for a municipal
  building project
• Met with Planning Commission in January of 2009
  to give progress report
• Planning commission requested engineering due
  diligence
• Building Committee did own due diligence title,
  appraisals etc.

45
Tuckie Road Site

• Planning Commission approval
• Board of Selectman voted to refer property to
  Planning Commission on 5/19/09
• Site presented and approved by planning
  commission on 7/9/09
• Noted that even though a STC is not required we
  would be performing own traffic studies
• No extension of Sewer
• Can tap into existing sewer if available through
  easements or adjacent to property
• No extension of Water

46
What we currently are doing.

• Developing Detailed Program with Ed. Program
  Consultant
• Acquiring Property
• Contracting with Architect
• Qualify Construction Managers _at_ Risk

2010
2009
2011
47
Educational Space Planning Workshops

• Windham Magnet School

48
Windham Magnet School

• Pinnacle/Planning Alliance Hired
• Educational Programming Consultant
• Recognized Educational Facility Planner (REFP)
• Role- Work with Building Committee and Community
  to develop Space Program and needs
• 3 series of Workshops- (2 completed)
• Purpose-A guide for the Architect to know what to
  design to

2010
2009
2011
49
Educational Space Planning Workshops
50
Educational Space Planning Workshop 1

• Establish a work plan
• Discuss Educational Program
• Analyze Grade Organization Alternatives
• Articulate Vision for the Project

51
Workshop 1 (2 days)
52
Workshop 1 Draft ResultsPosted on Website
53
Architect Selection

• Windham Magnet School

54
Architect Selection

• Round 1 Request for Qualifications

• Round 2 Request for Proposals

• 15 firms submitted qualifications
• Shortlisted to 9 firms to Interview
• Further Shortlisted to 4 firms to submit Fee
  Proposals
• Perkins Will w/ Smith Edwards
• Perkins Eastman Architects
• Svigals Partners
• Newman and Associates

• Selection based on most qualified in combination
  with Fee Proposal
• Selected firm rated 1st most qualified from round
  1 AND had best fee proposal- under budget!
• Perkins Will with Smith Edwards selected
  firm/team

55
Windham Magnet School
Todays Forum..
2006
2005
2007
2008
56
Windham Magnet School
Next Steps..
2010
2009
2011
57
90 Day Look-ahead

• Issue Request for Qualifications for CM_at_Risk
• Process similar to Architect Selection
• Preliminary Site Design Analysis
• State Dept of Education Review
• Building location
• Traffic Studies
• DPH Permits- Well
• Sewer Connection Process
• Acquire Property
• Finalize Draft Space Program
• Architect Start Schematic Design

58
Required Dates

• Start Construction by June 30 , 2010 or lose
  entire grant and pay back state total
  expenditures to date
• School Start Aug/Sept 2012