New Woodburn Community School

REVITALIZING THE OLD AND PROVIDING FOR THE NEW

Those who wish to maintain the tradition of the century old school building in Woodburn, while maintaining a school in Woodburn and providing for the needs of today and the future by building the new, should pay serious attention to the work of Jared Gorby. And they should tangibly support his efforts. His community school design is the best way to maintain tradition while also moving forward. In fact, incorporating tradition within progress is the only way to maintain strong and lively traditions. Otherwise, tradition essentially dies.

It still seems that the bulk of the new green school should be on the sidehill – that ground cannot be wasted – even if the reconfigured, revitalized original building is refashioned up top. All the additions, post-original-structure, should be knocked off to clear flat playground space up top, unless additional adjacent land is acquired.

Counting the basement which currently contains multiple offices, a classroom, and the lunchroom, the old Woodburn school is essentially a 3 story structure. The sidehill could be pulled away from the basement so that the basement is transformed into part of a first floor.

Incorporate those three stories to one or two (sub but ground level) stories stretched across the sidehill below, including shared spaces such as a gymnasium and lunchroom, and you’ve got a unique and highly functional four or five story building with no part of the building standing more than two stories off the ground. More-or-less a primary school on the sidehill and an elementary school above (pre-k through first, second through fifth).

Some land grading would be required but that is required at every site, and in any case this site has been previously heavily graded. In fact, given this design, some of the original grade could be (would need to be) restored.

Sound complicated? Too complicated? Possibly. But nothing that award winning designers couldn’t figure out. The designers of this school should win awards, from the local communities and beyond.

What about it, people of Morgantown with an interest in history and preservation? Time to step up with your wallets and purses and help it get done. See Gorby’s current and potential designs, how he puts the old in the new, and thereby adds dignity, grace, and utility to both.

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FROM THE COMMENTS

The reason the Administration requests input from teachers is not to get any input — it is to say they can go to the public and say they did it… When they were building UHS, they requested comments and concerns – the building was built and the majority of the comments were never used—Teachers were told that it was too late to add comments and they were already told by Central Administration not to look at these comments – This is why there are so many problems with UHS – no heat in winter (still has not been fixed in two wings of the building, no air in spring, no outlets in the business computer rooms, no shut off valves in the science rooms….etc… all were mentioned as teacher concerns…

Oh, if the teachers could tell stories, or would, what stories would the teachers tell…

Mon Schools administration and the school board aren’t worthy of the teachers. That is as plain as day.

Put any group of teachers in the same room with the administration and the school board and it’s obvious.

Maybe that is why the administration and school board continue to refuse to broadcast or podcast the board meetings.

They had better do so soon, or that court order will be coming.

Image Source: Alec Couros. Faculty of Education, University of Regina, Canada. Creative Commons.

THE TEACHERS SHOULD LEAD THE SCHOOLS, NOT THE MANAGERS

Why do the planners and Mon Schools administrators ask for teachers’ input on how Eastwood should be designed and then don’t listen to them? Why should teachers waste their time going to those meetings? Why when teachers prefer the lockers be IN the rooms does the architect locate them outside in the hall? Teachers ask for tables instead of desks, but those calling the shots don’t want that. What’s the point of going through the process if the decisions are already made? Why aren’t the teachers in charge of creating the best teaching and learning design for their classrooms? They practically live in that space. They know it best. They should be free to organize it accordingly.

No surprise: In a recent study on graduation rates only half of the local school respondents ” ‘agreed or strongly agreed that their opinions are respected’ in their respective school [in Mon Schools] – compared to 65 percent nationally who answered the same way.”

The teachers should have far more authority for running the schools as compared to the administrators. That’s crucial for making big steps toward providing a “thorough and efficient system of free schools” as mandated by the Constitution of West Virginia.

Time to move to teacher-run schools.

BOE DESCENDS TO THE SEWAGE OF THE MINES

It has very recently come to our attention that the Eastwood school grounds are to include an additional 2.5 acres of a portion of an adjacent trailer park with 20 trailers on it, as yet to be purchased.

This is an intended acquisition of Eastwood school grounds that has never been publicly discussed, to our knowledge, let alone approved by any agency. We discovered this information subsequent to inspecting the Mon Schools link to the Eastwood architects’ website (Williamson Shriver), wherein one finds a “Report of Geophysical Study” by Triad Engineering claiming that the trailer park portion already “has been purchased [by Mon Schools] to accommodate the scope of the [Eastwood] project.” It has not been purchased. Further, the Eastwood architect (Williamson Shriver) notes in the February “Design Development Educational Specification” that the Eastwood site “tract” consists of 11.3 acres, well above the 8.85 acres purchased from WVU and previously known to the public. Thus, Mon Schools continues to operate very quietly with minimal public awareness, let alone involvement, and continues schematically designing part of the State SBA-funded facility on land that Mon Schools does not own. The Petitioner knows of no documentation expressing intent to either sell or purchase the extra acreage, and yet the schematic design wholly encompasses it (see below). Again, such procedure is forbidden by State SBA contract, Section 8.

More expense upon more expense: the Eastwood site design shows a parking lot, a school drive, and a “play field” superimposed over the current trailer park section, and the architect has spoken repeatedly of putting the geothermal well pipes for the school building under the playground. Triad Engineering states that this ground too will need to be mine-mitigated, though no bore samples were taken of this portion, unlike on the purchased site. To our knowledge, Mon Schools and Triad have not adjusted (up) for public knowledge the cost of mine mitigating this extra portion of land containing the geothermal well. [UPDATE: THE ACTUAL COST OF THE NEW SCHOOL PROJECT NOW LOOKS TO BE ABOUT $21 MILLION.]

Additional violation: no archaeological study has been done of this additional land, or even of all the previously acquired Eastwood land. The archaeological study that was undertaken encompassed only “7.16” acres, rather than the 8.85 acres of the purchased site, let alone the 11.3 acres of the schematically designed site. While, according to the archaeological study, “Systematic survey did not discover evidence of archaeological sites or historic structures or buildings within the boundaries of the project area” the study adds that “Areas outside the direct area of potential effect were not examined for sites or other types of cultural resources.” This neglected area of study includes the entire 2.5 acres of the trailer park yet to be purchased, and 1.7 acres of the purchased portion of the school grounds.

Of further concern is that, apparently, as far as is known, the septic “system” for the trailer park is the mine void a scant few dozen feet below the trailer park and the school grounds both. So it is that apparently part, perhaps a large part, of the Eastwood school grounds contains a sewage dump. No explanation has been given, to the extent that it can ever be known, where that sewage would go when the mines get filled to provide support for the building and geothermal pipes. Will the sewage ooze out onto the backside of the school grounds (where the proposed nature trail would be), school grounds that slope down to and below the level of the mines and the mine portals? Triad Engineering reports:

“…a 5 foot by 12 foot by 6 foot septic tank was installed on the Site Property (trailer park portion) in 1949. The location of the septic system is unknown. A 10,800 gallon concrete septic tank with filter system was installed on the southern portion of the Site Property; however, it is unknown when this septic system was installed. The septic systems may be connected to an underground mine located approximately 10 to 30 feet below the ground surface.”

Triad Engineering shows that the mines all interconnect (figure A-2) (see below) under virtually the entire Eastwood grounds. Once the mine voids are filled, the water and sewage displaced, would any nature trail then traverse a sewage seep? What test has yet been conducted for sewage seep? Apparently the new school would be heated and cooled by the temperature of the trailer park sewage radiating through the geothermal pipes into the classrooms. Now that’s what we call brownfield development!

Former Mon Schools President Nancy Walker had said that a new school at the 705/119 intersection site would allow the children from the trailer park to walk to school, as was repeatedly reported, but now well over half, about two thirds, of those trailers are going to be entirely displaced, so that ever fewer if any children at all would be able to walk to the brand new school on the sewage dump.

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???

MON SCHOOLS & BIG MONEY TO REFURBISH FOOTBALL FIELD INSTEAD OF BUILDING NEEDED SCHOOLS

Monongalia County Schools will spend $2 million to refurbish its downtown high school football stadium, which will be matched by $2 million from the Hazel Ruby McQuain Trust. Theoretically, private donations will add another $2 million more.

The neglect and abuse by Mon Schools is so bad that it claims not to be able to replace an 86 year old elementary school (Easton) and a 101 year old elementary school (Woodburn), but pleads poverty in being forced to combine them.

• And then out pops this $6 million football field project.
• And out pops a scandalous approximately $3 million dollar purchase price for the new school land that is undermined and must be mine-filled to the tune of at least $650,000, and that is otherwise negligently located.
• And out pops the fact that Mon Schools is planning to build this new green school for a planned $15.2 million dollars with a 450 student capacity (not counting the $3 million land cost), even though Berkeley County, WV, is building their 600 student capacity green school for only $13 million.
• And out pops the fact that Mon Schools has pre-designed a greater capacity for the green school to accommodate at least 545 classroom seats, at cost of perhaps, what? another $2 million?

And Mon Schools claims it has no money to individually replace its two elementary schools that are nearly a combined two centuries old.

Once again, we see that the priorities are all wrong at Mon Schools.

The football refurbishing price tag makes the superintendent’s recent 26 percent raise look like peanuts. Although, those “peanuts” will add up to serious elephant food as the years go on.

In the meantime, the multi-million dollar cost of football will hit like a brain-damaging blow to the students’ heads.

EVER GREENER

Jared Gorby’s early designs, Woodburn site, bottom.

UPDATE: SEE NEWEST PLANS, WOODBURN SITE:

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BOE PLEADS THE FIFTH

That’s the Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination over totally unjustifiable pay to the superintendent, especially as compared to the lack of pay to the teachers, bus drivers, and other workers.

Charleston Daily Mail:

Bob Hendricks, who teaches biology at Morgantown High, said there’s a disconnect between teachers and the central office — and that the board reinforced his feelings when it granted the raise to Devono after 70 teachers and other workers landed on the reduction-inforce list for layoffs next year.

“It’s starting to feel like ‘us versus them,’ ” he said of the board. “They’re definitely marginalizing what we do.”

Meanwhile Monongalia County Schools moves ahead with its $6 million plan to refurbish the downtown football field.

An entire small school could be built with that money, or close to it, a school that is badly needed.

Couple that $6 million instead with the Eastwood green school funding and that’s enough money to build the TWO modest sized elementary schools that the county badly needs. And at good locations.

The town financial fathers and and the town financial mothers in Morgantown need to get together with the BOE to better prioritize their spending decisions.

$6 million dollars for a football field when you’ve got schools, or lack thereof, going unfunded, and when you’ve got workers without cost of living raises, essentially taking pay cuts?

“The money, though, said Pam Korzun, isn’t trickling down the system. She and her fellow aides, she said, can’t get a cost-of-living raise.”

Where are the adults on the board?

Did they leave the building with Elvis?

“I just want you to know we appreciate your hard work and your passion,” board president Barbara Parsons said at the meeting.

President Parsons should can her condescending references to other people’s passion. And she should lead the board into putting its money where its mouth (sometimes) is. Otherwise, they are what they are on the Mon school board: patronizing and derelict.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 7:00 p.m. at WOODBURN ELEMENTARY LIBRARY

Some of the Agenda Items Include:

• • Conversation with new Morgantown City Manager Terrence Moore
  • Conversation with new Woodburn Elementary Principal Charlene Brown
  • Report on Lawsuit Against the Mileground Site of Eastwood Elementary (Tony Christini)
  • Election of Officers
  • Collection of Annual Dues ($5.00)

If you would like to run for any office (President, VP, Secretary, Treasurer) contact Susan Eason, also if you have items to be included on the agenda…

NO SUPERINTENDENT SHOULD BE PAID MORE THAN THE COMPARATIVE RATE OF THE TEACHERS AND OTHER WORKERS

According to reports, 21 counties in West Virginia pay teachers on average more than in Monongalia County.

Meanwhile, only 4 counties pay their superintendent more than in Monongalia County, and due to the superintendent’s recent pay raise only 1 county will be paying its superintendent more.

Why?

What justifies the superintendent in Monongalia County making more in comparison to superintendents in other counties than the teachers (and other workers) make in comparison to other counties?

Is the superintendent’s record so very stellar? Hardly.

The question must be asked: Is the superintendent paid so highly to keep teachers’ salaries down?

Is the superintendent paid so highly to keep the public shut out, misinformed, and its will pushed aside?

AFT rally today.

AND WHO WILL PAY THE PRICE OF THE BOE’S DELAY? THE CHILDREN

A decent report on the school site status, below.

But why has no media organization conducted its own independent investigation of the issue?

WV MetroNews:

Judge Dismisses Lawsuit to Stop Construction of Monongalia Schools

Staff – Charleston

A Kanawha County judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Morgantown man to stop construction of a new school at a site near the intersection of West Virginia Route 720 and U.S. Route 119 in Monongalia County.

Judge Jennifer Bailey ruled the plaintiff, Tony Christini, did not give the state and the board of education adequate notice prior to filing the suit.

“The statute requires that before you sue entities of this sort, you have to give 30 days written notice,” said Monongalia County Board of Education attorney Greg Bailey.  “That was not done in this case.”

Christini, who represented himself, argued that after initially filing incorrectly, he followed all instructions the state gave him.  But Bailey said resubmitting his suit did not comply with the 30-days notice rule.

In her decision, Bailey said Christini could refile his suit with proper notice.  Christini says he plans to do just that.

“They just keep delaying, delaying, delaying it on meaningless procedural grounds because they’re afraid to have the case heard on its merits because they have no case,” Christini said.  “These are black and white violations of Department of Education policy.”

Christini says those violations include building a school so close to a traffic-congested area.  He says that’s against state code.  Moreover, Christini claims, vehicle exhaust from a large number of cars could pose health risks to students.

“It’s an unsafe and unhealthy site.  It should have never been considered for a school site,” Christini said.

Monongalia Board of Education President Barbara Parsons says plans for the schools will go forward.  If Christini refiles, Parson says the board will address any code violation issues at that time.

“He’s passionate about his issues, obviously,” Parsons said.  “He has the right to proceed in any way he desires, but this is where we are at this point.” Read the rest of this entry »

RALLY TUESDAY

JUDGE’S DISMISSAL PROVIDES AN EXTRA OPPORTUNITY TO BLOCK THE INTERSECTION MILEGROUND SITE

Judge Jennifer Bailey provided a fair hearing of the lawsuit seeking to block the Mileground intersection site, corner of WV 705 & US 119.

Though she dismissed the case, she did not do so “with prejudice” – as both the State and Mon Schools asked, which would have prevented a lawsuit from being filed again.

Instead, she pointed out that the WV Attorney General must have 30 days to decide the issue before the courts can weigh in.

So, within about a month, the WV Attorney General could rule that the Mileground intersection site is prohibited.

Or not. If the Attorney General does not so rule, then the case will simply be refiled in Kanawha County Circuit Court, where a judge should at last rule on its merits.

State Board of Education Policy 6200, which is legally binding, prohibits new school sites that are not “located away from”:

• • “arterial highways”
  • or “traffic and congestion”
  • or “heavily traveled streets”
  • or “the possibility of risk of entrapment”
  • and so on.

The would-be intersection school site violations:

• • access and egress directly at the intersection of two “principal arterial highways,” by federal and state classification
  • borders arterial highway with 25,000 vehicles per day and rising, and borders intersection with a second high traffic arterial highway
  • borders arterial highways and intersection with the worst and second worst possible federal/state rankings for congestion, levels E & F, “approaching gridlock”
  • borders worst levels of congestion thus experiences at least “the possibility” or even the reality “of human entrapment” every school day

Such features at the would-be new school site violate the legally binding state policy four times over.

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BY JARED GORBY

Check it out: here and here and here.

Awesome work, Jared.

Can you put the whole school on the sidehill and somewhat on the playground below, so that the students can attend school while the new building is being built?  What about a T type shape – with the top of the T being the side hill, and the stem of the T being into the middle of the playground, with bus drop-off/pick-up on one side and car service on the other side of the stem. Then when the students move in, the top of the hill is razed and converted into playground?

updated view:

FAR BETTER ANSWERS EXIST

The WV 705 & US 119 Mileground intersection site of Eastwood Elementary is a vehicle-exhaust-polluted, accident-prone menace to the children of the would-be-consolidated Easton and Woodburn Elementaries.

The ultra-congested highway intersection site is a safety menace to the children, parents, and community members of both elementary schools and of the entire city, county, and to local and regional commuters.

As we sue the local and state educational agencies to prevent this law mocking disaster from proceeding, there’s one thing to keep in mind: the great alternatives to this disaster that exist.

The greatest alternative is to build two good modest-sized schools on two good sites, rather than one large school on one horrible site.

The money exists to do this, or can be made to exist. After all, the current cost of Eastwood is $18.1 million dollars, not counting hidden costs and any cost overruns. [UPDATE: THE ACTUAL COST NOW LOOKS TO BE ABOUT $21 MILLION.] And this is for a school of 450 student capacity. Meanwhile the schematic drawings have already been drawn up to immediately, or very soon, expand the school to hold 545 students. Expanding to 545 students would in fact complete the symmetry of the 450 student capacity structure. Completing Eastwood to the larger capacity would take the overall cost up to or over the ballpark figure of $20 million. And that is enough money to build 2 small schools, or very, very close to it.

Where could the 2 small or modest sized schools be located?

One on the existing Woodburn schoolgrounds. Thus, no necessary land costs, and no mine-fill costs unlike on the Mileground.

And one in Easton’s catchment on a good inexpensive or FREE site. One free site would be on the dozens of empty available acres already owned by Mon Schools in Easton’s catchment at the new University High School (UHS) site (94 acres). This site would also have zero acquisition costs, unlike on the Mileground, though it likely would have mine mitigation costs, as does the Mileground.

For the UHS site as a possibility for a new Easton Elementary, all the environmental, archeological, and geological testing is already done. Meanwhile, a school has stood for over 100 years on the Woodburn schoolgrounds.

So for two school sites like these, virtually the only costs would be building and site preparation costs.

The UHS site for a new Easton Elementary has the added bonus of being on the border of North Elementary’s catchment and near to Suncrest Primary’s catchment, both accessible via Stewartstown Road and Baker’s Ridge Road. Thus this new Easton school could take care of the overcapacity overflow problem of North Elementary and Suncrest Primary.

And the city and the countryside in and around Morgantown would both benefit from having two new schools, with new gymnasiums, new libraries, vital new resources.

And all this could be obtained for ballpark $20 million, the same cost that delivers only 1 new school, one new gymnasium, one new library, in a terrible, dangerous, unhealthy, and wildly-expensive location.

This two-school alternative is one of the very good options that could have been pursued by Mon schools and its partial funder the WV School Building Authority. And that is why we are suing to block the school from going in on the Mileground. We are suing to achieve this two school option or one like it. We are suing to protect the children (also the teachers); we are suing to benefit the city; we are suing to benefit the countryside; we are suing to benefit people who use the roads; we are suing to uphold the laws of safety for the children; we are suing to uphold the laws of health for the children; we are suing to uphold the laws mandating the well-being of the children; we are suing to uphold the right to a “thorough and efficient system of free schools” required by the Constitution of West Virginia. We are suing the local and state educational agencies because it is the right thing to do and because it is the only option left to us.

Otherwise, a consolidated school located next to Mountaineer Middle or on the Woodburn schoolgrounds, slightly expanded, would make for a much better option and location than a school at the potentially lethal Mileground site.

And it is to the everlasting shame of the West Virginia University College of Law, part of the university that negligently suggested and then negligently sold the dreadful intersection site, that they are not (yet) helping us out.

We expect to prevail, regardless, because the laws and the facts are on our side.

Maybe the best question now is how big will our victory be, and in what way, shape, and form will how many people benefit?

“433 wrecks, 30 weeks, 8 sites” – first 30 weeks of 2010:

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MON SUPERINTENDENT TO RECEIVE 26% RAISE OVER THREE YEARS

And the teachers, cooks, bus drivers, and other workers?

The raise would make Superintendent Frank Devono the 2nd highest paid superintendent in the state, among 55 county superintendents, today’s Dominion Post reports. Meanwhile, Monongalia County teachers rank 22nd in pay out of 55.

Current salary of Monongalia County Superintendent Devono:

$125,000

Salary rank among the 55 county superintendents:

5th

Salary of Monongalia County Superintendent Frank Devono three years from now:

$157,000

Salary rank among the 55 county superintendents:

2nd

Monongalia County teachers’ salary rank among the 55 WV counties:

22nd

(What a great job superintendent Devono and the Board have done lifting Mon teachers’ salaries to the superintendent’s high rank!)

West Virginia teachers’ salary rank among the 50 US states:

47th

Salary of newly hired West Virginia state superintendent Jorea Marple, head of 55 counties:

$165,000

When the superintendent is at or near the top level of pay for superintendents around the state, and the teachers are in the middle level of pay for teachers around the state, then it looks like the superintendent is getting paid to keep teacher salaries (and other salaries) low. One can only suppose that he is.

See the article by Judy Hale, AFT President of West Virginia: “AFT Leader Speaks Out…“

SUPERINTENDENT WORSE

A mere few weeks after a study showed that only half of the local school respondents “‘agreed or strongly agreed that their opinions are respected’ in their respective school [in Mon County] – compared to 65 percent nationally who answered the same way,” the Monongalia County school board rewards the dismal and repugnant performance of the superintendent with a huge raise.

Board President Barbara Parsons: “We’re exceptionally pleased with his performance.”

Exceptionally pleased with the way he leads a school system that does not respect people’s opinions?

Exceptionally pleased with the way he shoves little children into a negligent intersection school site?

“He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do,” said President Parsons.

Well, congratulations President Parsons, you and the entire board must be very proud of yourselves, very pleased. Exceptionally pleased.

West Virginia needs a law providing for communities to recall and replace officials by referendum. The American Federation of Teachers in Monongalia County has leveled its criticisms and could take some action with the general public to get the legislature involved.

West Virginia needs schools that are administered by teachers, and school systems that are actually run by the communities, rather than by a few overwhelmed or incompetent names on a ballot every four years. (Increasing the election cycle and more-or-less doubling the number of school board members could be a first step in that direction.)

Superintendent Devono refers to members of the public who attend school board meetings as “the audience.” What a condescending and repelling view. The attendees should be shown some respect, and should be referred to as “the public” which is exactly what they are. They are not “the audience” there for some show. Though what a show it is.

Exceptionally pleasing? Please.

MORE THAN $18 MILLION FOR A “SMALL” ELEMENTARY

[UPDATE: THE ACTUAL COST NOW LOOKS TO BE ABOUT $21 MILLION.]

“At 450 students, this will still be a small school,” said former Mon BOE President Nancy Walker last year.

Are we reading those numbers correctly?

If so, the combined price of the congested and sound and air polluted Mileground intersection site and the planned new green elementary school comes to over $18 million.

Assuming all goes well.

Does it ever?

Has it so far?

Over $18 million for a “small” school.

(450 seats. That’s what the BOE is still claiming. Ludicrously.)

When was anything approaching an $18 million figure ever even suggested to the public?

Let’s do the math of some, probably not all, of the costs. Approximately:

$2.9  million for the site

$13.7  million for the “building area” (66,416 square feet, 450 student capacity)

$1.5  million for the “soft costs”

_________________________________

$18.1  million for Eastwood Elementary

It would seem that amount of money could instead build two new modest sized elementary schools, one on the Woodburn schoolgrounds, and one in the Easton area – and neither anywhere near the high traffic, congested, and air and sound polluted Mileground.

$18.1 million and still cramped and crowded in Monongalia County elementary schools.

What a scandal.

It’s a scandal that strikes a blow to not only the children of Woodburn and Easton Elementaries, but to the neighborhoods, to the city, to the countryside around Easton, to the commuters and other drivers…to just about everybody.

“It might not be that bad.”

No, it is that bad. And worse. On many levels.
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MAKES FAVORABLE PREDICTION

In the early morn of Groundhog Day, Woodburn Will trundled out of his sidehill burrow, stood up on his hind legs, sniffed the dewy air, scanned the bright sky and chattered in such a way as to declare that the Woodburn neighborhood of Morgantown will win its lawsuit against the local and state educational agencies, in favor of the health and safety of the area schoolchildren.

“No school on the Mileground!” declared Will with a wag of his little tail and one paw stretched high in the air.

Woodburn Will kicked some patchy snow across the winter grass, ambled about, then ducked back into his burrow for a few more weeks hibernation.

Woodburn Will