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MILL HALL -- With a vote on the future of Dickey Elementary set to take place at next week's Keystone Central school board meeting, the board used Thursday night's work session to address concerns related to the closure.
KCSD superintendent Jacquelyn Martin spoke at length about the district's reconfiguration. If Dickey closes its doors at the end of the year, students in kindergarten through fourth grade would attend Robb Elementary. Central Mountain Middle School would house students in fifth through eighth grades.
Martin said there are many layers to next week's vote. She has heard -- and understands -- concerns from parents, students, teachers and administrators.
"We are listening to stakeholders -- parents, teachers, members of the community who live on fixed incomes -- and we are being responsive to their concerns," Martin said. "Many of the concerns that we have relate to fifth graders coming into the middle school in the new configuration. The main takeaway from tonight is that we are using experience and research to design programs that are respectful to students and developmentally appropriate."
According to Martin, just because the fifth-graders will be part of the middle school, the curriculum won't change.
"We're not changing any instructional programming, but we are looking at the environment," Martin said.
Martin said a vote on Dickey is planned next Thursday.
"Yes, unless something changes and the board tables the vote. But we feel pretty confident that we have enough information and enough feedback that the board is ready to take action -- one way or another," Martin said.
In addition to Dickey's students, fifth-grade students from Robb, Liberty-Curtin, Woodward and Mill Hall would also move to CMMS.
With the possibility of fifth graders heading to the middle school, Martin said some parents have voiced concerns over interaction between younger and older students.
"We cannot guarantee that a fifth grader and an eighth grader will not cross paths in the building just as we can't guarantee now that a kindergarten student and a fifth-grade student aren't going to cross paths in an elementary school. There is research that shows sixth graders can be more successful in an elementary setting but there's also research to show that if you use the proper techniques and you pay attention to the transition, fifth through eighth grade models can be extremely effective," Martin said.
Martin cited research from the Association of Middle Level Education (AMLE). She has been "very actively involved" with the Pennsylvania division of AMLE in hear years as administrator.
"It's possible to do these things," Martin said of moving fifth graders into the middle school. "I have the experience in seeing that, but we need to do a better job explaining to people and providing that confidence to them."
According to Martin, transitioning fifth graders into CMMS won't be a quick, easy process.
"I suspect, as fifth graders typically have questions for their counselors about that transition to sixth grade, that our fourth graders are going to start to have questions as well. What we'd like to do is bring those counselors down to the middle school with some elementary principals, show those folks the maps, have them walk the facility and see exactly what it looks like," Martin said.
Next week's voting session is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 12 at the Central Mountain High School library.