My email to the committee below: September 24,2014 Dear Tony, Pam, Sadhna and Building Committee Members, Thank you for your hard work on the Devotion School Renovation Project over the last several years. I appreciate the many hours, contemplation of difficult issues, willingness to revisit key points over and over, and tense discussions. I am confident that we can have a good educational outcome with each of the three designs being considered, but I do want to make sure that we are challenging ourselves as a community to push for a great, not good, outcome, particularly as the long term costs of a lesser solution are significant for Brookline as a whole. 1. I believe that at the core of a good school are families that are involved in their children’s education and the communities that form to shepherd children through their 13 years of school. Once a group becomes too large, it risks breaking down into smaller groups, jeopardizing that sense of a single, unified community. To that end, I am concerned that after the school is completed, it will absorb additional students (above the 1010) to relieve population pressures on other schools, particularly as we are seeing some of the other K-8 schools organize to resist expansion. In this scenario, I have concerns that the already too large community of 1000, then becomes even larger. What reassurances and commitments can you provide that this will not happen and that Devotion does not become the singular solution to the entire town’s school population challenges? 2. I am concerned that we are considering suboptimal solutions in the interest of keeping the 1913 building. While I understand that this building has some historic import, when we are talking about education, I believe the most important focus must be on creating future presidents and leaders, not in maintaining shrines to former ones. When these can co-exist, all the better, but please let’s make sure we are not compromising our future to preserve the past. 3. I understand the importance of focusing at the current moment on design issues so that we meet important deadlines, however, are the architects, engineers, contractors and others 100% confident that a build or renovation can be done with students in place? Is there a chance that once this project begins, the builders, et al learn that because of debris, mold, asbestos, etc. it will become impossible/ illegal to renovate with children in place? Must there be a contingency plan in place before we start the renovation? Is there such a plan? Should this sort of planning be a part of the discussion and decision process? 4. Three to four years is a long time to live through a construction project, and the data suggests that most projects run 20-25% over. I understand there are union and political issues to confront, but as the customer, holding the purse strings of a very large project, why can we not establish upfront that weekend work, evening work, etc., without significantly increasing the project cost, must be a part of a successful bid, (being respectful of residents, of course)? 5. Perhaps outside of the scope of this committee, but continuing the idea of great, not good: has eminent domain been properly considered for Brookline as a whole and for Devotion in particular? Should we be examining tracks of land/ buildings that the town should purchase (at market rate) to achieve the best possible outcome for the most people possible? Should our already very dense community become even denser? Are we shortchanging our community because we are not willing to carefully explore these very difficult, but critical, issues? Finally, a question: it is unclear as we lead up to a possible override vote what the implications are for Devotion School, the Brookline School District, and the town of Brookline if an override does not pass. Clarification around this prior to a vote is very important in helping residents assess the pros and cons of such a vote. I would like to close with a recommendation. A lot of excellent work and thinking has gone into the Devotion renovation and greater Brookline school plans. However, because of delays in sharing information, the tone of various persons in official capacities that are involved in the discussions, the difficulty in understanding timing, votes, roles, and commitments, and a general lack of transparency in the process, there is a sense that disorganization, information filtering, and that personal biases and agendas are superseding the overall Brookline community and specifically the Coolidge Corner and Devotion school interests. This is creating a climate of distrust, unease and confrontation. I do not believe that these things are deliberate, however, this is the perception/ public face and it is not conducive to positive public discourse. There are a number of ways to address this including filling what appears to be a leadership vacuum, sharing information in a timely fashion and making that information more accessible by distilling it into key points, not catering to specific interest groups, inviting broader groups to participate, and more. I am certain that there are many in Brookline with greater expertise in this area that can provide advice regarding how to address this public relations challenge and I am confident that it would be beneficial to do so. Thank you again for your time and energy and willingness to be the public face working through these issues with our school and community, Julie Wingerter Devotion School Parent Coolidge Corner Resident
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 16:31:54 +0000
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