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Overcrowding/Redistricting Issues
Redistricting/School Overcrowding -- How does it affect me?
The West Hartford Office of the Superintendent of Schools issued a report on December 18, 2007 to the Board of Education indicating that several of our elementary schools were over crowded. Click HERE for a copy of that report. The report maintained that the overcrowding situation was temporary. Some people believe that the problem is not temporary and that our town's elementary school system is currently operating at capacity. The result is that any particular school could quickly shift from under used to full by the enrollment of less than 15 children in a school where they were not expected. Click HERE to see a copy of an analysis supporting the idea that the numbers are not temporary. In response to the overcrowding issue, the Board was considering several options including redistricting. Other possible solutions include use of non-classroom space as classrooms (such as putting music on the stage or in the cafeteria or putting art on a cart), new construction, and adding portables onto schools. The Board has voted to handle the overcrowding situation through a combination of portables and improvements at the impacted schools. Click HERE to see a summary of the Board's vote.
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What are "modulars" or "portables"?
Modulars, otherwise known as portable classrooms, are prefabricated structures that can be used as classrooms. They are cheaper and faster ways to provide additional classroom space and have their place. This is the option the Board of Education has proposed for overcrowding circumstances at Braeburn Elementary School.
This option has been used widely in West Hartford -- there are 30 portables in the district of varying age. As they age, some have these portables have started leaking and have other problems. Recently the Board of Education has proposed instituting a plan to maintain the portables in West Hartford, which will, hopefully extend the number of years they can be used.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the most common problems with portables are:
- Poorly functioning HVAC systems that provide minimal ventilation with outside air;
- Poor acoustics from loud ventilation systems;
- Chemical off-gassing from pressed wood and other high-emission materials, which may be of greater concern because of rapid occupancy after construction;
- Water entry and mold growth;
- Site pollution from nearby parking lots or loading areas.
At the link below, the EPA continues on to say that "Although portables are often the lowest cost option for housing students, they range in quality. Care should be taken during specification and selection to ensure that the students' health is not compromised for inexpensive, low quality designs."
The California Environmental Protection Agency Air Resources Board did a study on the portables and listed many of the same issues as the EPA. The report found these issues in both permanent and portable classrooms, but found them more often in the portable classrooms. The report included recommendations on the proper design, construction, operation and maintenance of portables.
For more details, see these websites:
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