The West Windsor-Plainsboro school district is considering changes to the grade configurations in several schools in conjunction with the planned expansion of Village School. The adjustments are part of an effort to maximize the utility of the district’s new and existing space, as superintendent David Aderhold explained to parents in a January 13 E-mail.
“I am recommending changes for the 2015-2016 school year [that] will specifically impact Town Center Elementary School, Village Elementary School, and Millstone River Elementary School,” he wrote. “Included within the recommendation is a change of grade configuration for Town Center Elementary and Millstone River schools. Town Center will become a pre-kindergarten to grade 2 school, and Millstone River will become a grades 3-5 school. Students who would have attended Town Center for grade 3 will attend now Millstone River School for grade 3, starting in September, 2015.”
Under this plan, only students from Town Center, who would have attended Millstone starting in fourth grade, will be affected; they will be attending Town Center a year earlier, as third grade students. The other three elementary schools, Dutch Neck, Maurice Hawk, and Wicoff, will remain K-3 schools.
Aderhold continued: “The Village addition is needed due to classroom overcrowding; projected enrollment growth; an increase of in-district programs; relocation of offices for central office; and alignment of district services for special services, transportation, community education, building use, guidance, and central registration.”
The addition itself will include six general classrooms; two small group instruction classrooms; occupational therapy and physical therapy workrooms; two large meeting room spaces (1,000 and 1,500 square feet); three small conference rooms; and office space for several departments, including community education, special services, transportation, as well as second-floor central office space. Space will also be available for outside groups to use.
The estimated cost of the project is $13 million. Financing will come from capital reserves and community education funds, Aderhold said, so there will be no tax implications for West Windsor and Plainsboro residents.
Aderhold also invited parents to attend the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, January 28, at 7:30 p.m. at Grover Middle School. At that time Aderhold will present his recommendation to the board and provide additional details about how space will be utilized, including the relocation of some special services programs, community education programs, and more, in an effort to maximize benefits to students. He also noted that the presentation will be made available on the district website (www.ww-p.org ) as of Saturday, January 25.
“The district architect [George Duthie, of Fraytak, Veisz, Hopkins, and Duthie] is finalizing the [Village expansion] plans and I anticipate that bids for construction will be awarded at the January 28 board meeting,” added Aderhold.
Aderhold will also present his plan at several upcoming Parent-Teacher Association meetings. These meetings are being co-sponsored by the PTAs of Town Center, Village, and Millstone River schools, and the Special Education PTSA. Two meetings were scheduled for January 23, and a third will take place Wednesday, February 12, at 7 p.m. at Village School.
