Salerno and Molinelli defend Plan B

WINSTED — With much attention focused on petitions and protests, few in Winsted have gotten a good grasp of the benefits that will result from merging the town’s two elementary schools under the Winchester Board of Education’s restructuring plan. The benefit, in short: better educated children.

So says Winchester Board of Education Chairman Rose Molinelli and Superintendent of Schools Blaise Salerno, who said in an interview April 3 that many parents have approached them about disparities and inequalities in programming between Hinsdale and Batcheller elementary schools. Restructuring, they said, will eliminate the disparities while having a positive impact on the education budget.

“Restructuring to save money is a very viable reason, but if the education program would be any less than it was, it would be unreasonable,â€� said Molinelli, who has been a supporter of the approved plan — identified as Plan B — from the beginning.  

A Board of Education subcommittee looked at nine restructuring options, with educational programming the critical factor. The group quickly narrowed its choices to two plans, A and B, eliminating a joint venture with The Gilbert School almost immediately. The full board held two meetings, with public input, to discuss the plans and ultimately determined that Plan B has a better educational program and is more cost effective.

“We realized that the educational issues could not only be met but be surpassed with Plan B,� said Molinelli.

When broken down, the programs at Hinsdale and Batcheller elementary schools varied greatly in areas ranging from teaching resources to available funding. Hinsdale receives Title 1 government funding, a program that provides money for schools with a high percentage of low-income families. Batcheller does not. Strong differences exist between the school’s special education and early childhood education programs, which are considered critical to successful learning.

With separate administrators and budgets, students in the same grades had unequal opportunities by being in two different schools, and that raised concerns, explained Salerno. Restructuring to bring all students from the same grade into the same building was a viable solution, he said, improving the town’s educational system and saving the taxpayers money.

“Can the teachers provide the kids with a better education in the end?� Molinelli asked. “I think the answer is yes.�

In addition to creating a “team-teaching� concept for teachers of the same academic grade level, students will benefit from having more resources available, Molinelli added. For each grade level, a reading/literacy teacher and a special education teacher will be assigned, which was not possible with two separate schools. The outcome is seven teachers for five classrooms at each grade level.

“The overall plan is powerful in terms of rolling out instruction. It’s something that I don’t think that Connecticut has done before,� said Salerno. “And we are doing it at a savings.�

As for the middle school, Salerno said concerns over the fifth grade sharing a school with the eighth grade have been addressed since Plan B was first presented. Grades five and six will have their own “house� with classroom space separate from the seventh and eighth grades, as well as their own start and end times.

“The fifth grade will be substantially self-contained,� said Salerno, adding that there will be opportunities for collaboration with sixth-grade teachers and students to facilitate the transition aspect and cooperative learning.

As for the bussing concerns, kindergarten through grade six will be bussed together, as will grades seven through 12, with no anticipated increase in transportation costs.

While the plan is still evolving, Salerno and Molinelli agreed that the restructuring plan is best for Winsted and said they are confident residents will be pleased with the end result.  

“If someone can come in and show me a strong or stronger educational program for the same level of savings or more, I will take a hard look at it,� said Salerno.