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      02/23/08 
Talk of ending K-8 pilot project in Mount Vernon Schools creates dilemma for new Superintendent
     Currently, there is a pilot K-8 program in place at two Mount Vernon elementary schools, Pennington and Graham. The design of this pilot program anticipated that it might extend to two more schools, Columbus Elementary and Grimes Elementary, in academic year 2008-09. But, there is now great concern throughout the Mount Vernon community that the pilot program may be scrapped.
     The Board of Education voted and put the pilot program in place under Superintendent Brenda Smith's watch. Now, the current Superintendent, W.L. "Tony" Sawyer, is facing community backlash, since there is talk about the pilot program coming to an end soon. In addition, the parents of the students participating in the pilot program at Pennington and Graham are poised to resist the idea of their children being transferred to the Davis Middle School.
     It is a known fact that when many students enter middle school, not only in Mount Vernon, but across the country, their grades start to diminish; absenteeism rises; some join gangs; and many end up dropping out of school.
     In an effort to reverse the negative trend taking place in middle schools, pilot K-8 program have been put in place throughout many school districts in America.  The reasoning behind the program: Allowing students to continue as students in an elementary setting, will hopefully keep them focused on academics and school in general.
     Several educators in Mount Vernon are against the pilot program. Danielle Marrow, Principal of Pennington Elementary pointed to sharing teachers among classrooms as a catalyst to teacher burnout. She also pointed to limited tutoring opportunities, the lack of a guidance counselor and the absence of a fully stocked science lab as reasons to consider discontinuation of the program that today is home to about fifty (50) 7th graders. Marrow summed up by stating, “I feel they are being cheated out of a true middle school experience.”
     Frances Lightsy, Principal of the Grimes Elementary School, now K-6 only, warned that extending to grades 7 and 8 would present unmanageable space challenges. With the addition of 7th and 8th grade students the school might increase from 540 students to over 700. Lightsy estimates that the K-8 model would necessitate 4 lunch periods, and that the gym and media center would simply not bear the traffic. She also expressed concern that ingress and egress of the building would present a daily bottleneck.
     Similar concerns were echoed by Peter Ragaglia, Principal at Columbus Elementary and by Natasha Hunter-McGregor, the Principal at Graham Elementary. Hunter-McGregor left no uncertainty, stating, “I am asking that we not have a 7th and 8th grade in our building.”
     Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Shelly Jallow confirmed that there is no evidence to suggest that academic outcomes have improved under the district’s K-8 pilot.
     A very important meeting on the subject has been scheduled for March 26th, (7:00 PM) at the Pennington Elementary School. Superintendent Dr. Sawyer will be addressing parents at this very important P.T.A meeting.