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June 9th: Agenda & Voting Process

Photo by Chris Collins

Agenda for June 9th Special Town Meeting*

  • 8:15am: Voter Check-in Begins
  • 9:30am: Presentations Begin
  • 11:00am: Discussion of the 5 Concepts
  • ~12:15pm: Vote #1 (paper ballot; top 3 move on) + Break
  • ~1:15pm: Discussion of the 3 Remaining Concepts
  • ~2:00pm: Vote #2 (standing vote; top 2 move on)
  • ~2:30pm: Vote #3 (standing vote to make final choice)

* PLEASE BE ADVISED:  This is a Town Meeting – The committees involved promise to stick to the presentation time, but please know that voting and discussion times will be as long or as short as necessary.

Other Notes:

  • To vote, you must be registered in Lincoln. Deadline to register is May 30th; there is no same-day registration!
  • It is strongly recommended that voters sign in early, even if they need to come and go!
  • Parking will be tight! Carpooling, walking, and biking are all encouraged!
  • Both the Auditorium and the Reed/Brooks Gym will be set up for the meeting. Participants in the Gym will be able to view the speakers and presentations but will need to come to a designated microphone in the Auditorium to speak.
  • Vote #1 (~12:45pm) will also serve as a break to eat, stretch, etc. Light snacks will be available, please pack your own lunch and bring it with you!

How the Voting Works

Vote #1: Ballot Vote on 5 Concepts

  • There will be 3 voting stations: Voters may choose to vote at any of the stations.
  • At the start of Vote #1, the Moderator will release non-voters for a break, with a time-certain to return.
  • Procedure:
    • Voters get a 2ndhand stamp and receive a ballot.
    • The Ballot Question is: “Lincoln School concept you prefer.” (CHOOSE ONE)
    • Please completely fill in the bubble next to one concept with a Sharpie – no checks, x’s, pens, pencils (Sharpies will be provided).
    • Put your ballot in the machine; take a break!
  • The three (3) concepts with the most votes will move on for further discussion and Vote #2

 Vote #2: Stand and Count

  • When the Meeting is ready for the 2nd vote, there will be a 15-minute break to ensure that all the Volunteer Inspectors are ready to conduct the vote.
  • The doors will close! Voters must be in the Auditorium or the Reed/Brooks Gym.
  • The Moderator will start with the concept that received the most votes in Vote #1 and ask all those who support that concept to stand and be counted.
    • This gets repeated with the other two concepts; results from the two locations tabulated.
    • If one of the concepts gets more than 50%, then the voting is done!

 Vote #3: (if necessary) Stand and Count (no 15-min break)

  • Conducted the same way as Vote #2
  • The concept that gets the majority is the one that moves forward into the Schematic Design phase.

The vote to bond the project will be in December:

  • Special Town Meeting – Saturday, December 1st
  • Ballot Vote – Monday, December 3rd

Mid-Week Update

Here’s an overview of the 5 project concepts that you’ll be considering on June 9th and how their features compare.
Coming Soon! A guide to the June 9th Special Town Meeting, including the (approximate) schedule for the day and a description of how the voting process will work.
Other Information: 
  • Here are the 5 project concepts
  • If you’re wondering about grade-level hubs – what they are and the difference they make in teaching and learning – watch this video of Hanscom Middle School faculty talking about the impact of their new (2016) building (note: their “break out spaces” are what we call hubs).
  • TOMORROW (Thursday): Outreach Event @ the Commons, 11:00am, Meditation Room (new location)
  • WEDNESDAY, MAY 30th: Last SBC meeting before June 9th, 7:00pm, Hartwell Multipurpose Room
  • FRIDAY, JUNE 1ST: Outreach Event in the Story Room, 8:15am, Lincoln School

Are you Registered to Vote? Deadline to register is May 30th. You MUST be registered to vote at the June 9th meeting.  Check your status by visiting https://www.sec. state.ma.us/ voterregistrationsearch/ myvoterregstatus.aspx Register on line at https://www.sec.state. ma.us/ovr Register in person at the Town Clerk’s Office during regular business hours (Monday–Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm).

Looking for a Babysitter for June 9th? LEAP has kindly offered babysitting services for ages 5+ on June 9th from 9-3pm; $20/child.

• Sign up for babysitting here 
• Contact LEAP with any questions LEAP0615@gmail.com

Size Matters! Part 2

First, some business…

  • Deadline to visit the Hanscom Middle School on May 21st is NOON on MONDAY (5/14)! We need a few more people in order to run the tour. Please contact Janet Gross: jgross@lincnet.org
  • Tuesday, May 15th: Community Workshop 7:00pm – 9:30pm, Reed/Brooks Gym
    • The latest info on the June 9th concepts; time for Q&A; rank the concepts
    • The more people participate in the workshop, the easier it is to hone the presentation on June 9th!
  • Community Outreach Events:Conversational gatherings tailored to the audience on hand!
    • Monday, May 21st, 8:30am, Lincoln Woods Common Room
    • Thursday, May 24th, 11:00am, The Commons, Great Room
    • Friday, June 1st, 8:15am, Story Room, Lincoln School

Can we have it all for $85M? The SBC challenged itself and the design team to consider whether, for $85M, it is possible to have a compact, educationally transformative, energy efficient building that supports our current curriculum, accommodates our class size policy, and provides enrollment flexibility.  How much square footage would we need, and what would be the trade-offs?

  • Big Picture Cost: Based on the MSBA’s preK-8 model, and accounting for Lincoln-specific curriculum, class-size, and enrollment flexibility factors, a new preK-8 school with a planned enrollment of 660 would need to be about 130,000 – 135,000SF. At $625 – $650/SF for total project cost/SF, the estimated price range would be $81.3M – $87.8M.
  • Trade-offs: No Auditorium; reduction from 2 large gyms to 1 full-sized gym (about Smith Gym size) + a multi-purpose room (about ½ the size of a gym).
    • The Donaldson/Brooks Auditorium w/lecture hall & stage is ~8450SF, and seats about 625. In an all new building, there would be a dining commons that seats up to 350, and incorporates a stage. As noted in last week’s post, towns are required to hold Town Meeting within their borders, and there are also robust drama/music/community programs that fully utilize the Auditorium.
    • The Smith Gym w/stage is ~7600SF; Reed Gym w/locker rooms is ~11,100SF.
    • All of the concepts on the table renovate the Auditorium and the Reed Gym, preserving two “over-sized” (in MSBA terms), but heavily used spaces that are a vital part of the community.
  • At its May 2ndmeeting, the SBC came to the conclusion that a project that eliminates the Auditorium or the Reed Gym is not a viable solution to meet the needs of the school or the Town.

What are the educational differences between L2, L3, and C? A lot of the conversation in SBC meetings and in the wider community has been about understanding the educational (and cost) differences between these three concepts.

Current Educational Space Model vs Transformational Educational Space Model:  All 3 concepts include a dining commons that creates a new, centralized “heart” of the school.  The differences between the concepts are: 1) level of renovation; 2) amount of new construction; and 3) how the educational spaces are organized.

  • L2 provides a very nicely renovated version of the current educational model: strings of classrooms along a corridor. There are a couple of “flexible spaces” built in that could be shared among grade levels. They are not adjacent to all of the classrooms that might want to use them. At this conceptual phase, the breakdown of renovation/new construction for L2 is as follows:
    • Modest Renovation = 108,380 SF ($250/SF construction cost)
    • Medium Renovation = 13,023 SF ($300/SF construction cost)
    • New Construction = 36,942 SF ($430 – $500/SF construction cost)
  • L3 allows for heavier renovation and some more new construction, which gives the project enough space and budget to transform how the grade 3 – 8 classrooms are organized. The “hub spaces” are common areas that are adjacent to the classrooms and shared by a teaching team.  This allows the teaching model to move from 1 teacher/1 classroom to a team of teachers/grade level. The goal is to meet students’ needs by being able to flexibly group students on a daily basis. To hear more about this kind of model, watch the presentation a group of Lincoln-resident educators made to the SBC. At this conceptual phase, the breakdown of renovation/new construction for L3 is as follows:
    • Modest Renovation = 65,890 SF ($250/SF construction cost)*
    • Medium Renovation = 39,835 SF ($300/SF construction cost)
    • Heavy Renovation = 21,803 SF ($400/SF construction cost)
    • New Construction = 39,160 SF ($430 – $500/SF construction cost)
  • C achieves the transformation of teaching spaces as described in L3, has more new construction, and allows more flexibility in how the classroom neighborhoods are arranged. At this conceptual phase, the breakdown of renovation/new construction for C is as follows:
    • Modest Renovation = 22,319 SF ($250/SF construction cost)
    • Medium Renovation = 26,275 SF ($300/SF construction cost)
    • Heavy Renovation = 17,513 SF ($400/SF construction cost)
    • New Construction = 86,791 SF ($430 – $500/SF construction cost)

*Construction costs only include materials and labor – no site work, temporary facilities, escalation, design/engineering fees, or furniture and equipment.

Can we get all the educational benefits of L3 at an L2 price? The short answer is no. The level of renovation that is built into the L2 concept does not allow for the internal reorganization of grade levels. That is what keeps the price lower.

What about those hallways? There has been discussion about the amount of the school currently dedicated to hallways, and how that might change in a more compact school.  Turns out that “apples and oranges” got tangled up in the same basket, and the 50,000SF vs 25,000SF information shared at recent meetings confused the total grossing factor (bathrooms, closets, hallways) with just the hallway space.  The square footage needed to move people from one place to another is roughly the same for the L concepts and the C concept.  However, what does change is the linear distance traveled from one location to another. For example, Kindergarten students currently walk about 600ft from their classrooms to art class.  In the C design, that changes to about 375ft.

Click to see an invitation to Town Meeting:

 

 

Size Matters! Part 1

In the building business, square footage = cost. What factors drive school size? Answers to some size FAQ’s are below, but first…

Thank you, DaDDa! The fabulous Lincoln band, DaDDa, performed at a “Rock the Vote” event on Saturday night at Bemis Hall. The event was to raise awareness about the importance of attending the June 9th Special Town Meeting. Kids and grownups had a great time dancing the night away! (DaDDa will also be appearing at Club Codman on May 19th – visit codmancommunityfarms.org to purchase tickets!)

Tuesday, May 15th: Community Forum! 7:00pm – 9:30pm, Reed/Brooks Gym

  • Help us prepare for June 9th
  • Minimal presentation, mostly focused on Q & A
  • We’ll ask you to rank the concepts – crucial information for the SBC and other boards as we prepare for June!

Monday, May 21st is “Back to School” Day! It’s a double-header – Here is your chance to ride a bus and see both the Lincoln and Hanscom Middle Schools in action! To visit one or both of the schools, please contact Janice Gross (jgross@lincnet.org) by NOON on Monday, May 14th.  If you are going to Hanscom, you must provide your full legal name (as shown on your license) and your date of birth. To gain access to the Base, you will need to travel with the group by bus.

  • 9:30am: Bus leaves from Hartwell
  • 10:00am: Tour the Hanscom Middle School (HMS)
  • 12:00pm: Return to Hartwell – lunch will be provided in the Multipurpose room
  • 12:45pm: Tour the Lincoln School

If you just want to tour the Lincoln School, please let Janice know, and meet at the Smith office by 12:45.

~ A minimum of 10 people is needed to run the tour. ~

Size and Cost FAQ’s – Part 1 (During this final month, we will be increasing the number of blog posts per week to try to address as many questions as possible!)

What factors determine the size of a school? The primary factors are the number of grades, enrollment, class-size policy, the curriculum and programs offered, and the non-school requirements or uses of the building.

How many grades are in the school? Currently the Lincoln School houses grades K – 8. Ideally, the School Committee and Administration would like to move the pre-school out of the Hartwell building into the Lincoln School, which is reflected in concepts L2, L3, C, and FPC (updated cost summaries are here).

  • Why move preK? As a public school system, we are required to provide a “Free and Appropriate Public Education” (FAPE) for children with special needs starting as young as 2 years 9 months. In accordance with best practices, Lincoln operates an integrated model, meaning children with special needs are schooled with a matching number of typically developing children. Currently our music, art, and wellness teachers, and our occupational and physical therapists serve children in the Lincoln School and Hartwell buildings. Having the preK students in the same building would allow for more time with students. Click here to read more about the preK program.

For what enrollment are we planning? The SBC is planning for 660 students.  This figure was validated by our work with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) in 2012.

  • While our enrollment for the 2017-18 school year is 544 (not including preK), we need to plan options that will meet the town’s needs over over the next 30 to 50 years (remember, we’re taking out a 30-year bond). The average enrollment since 2000 is 643, and as recently as 2005 our total enrollment was 674.
  • As a small town with a single school, we do not have capacity across other school buildings (e.g. multiple elementary schools) to absorb variations in enrollment. As such, we have to plan a little more conservatively.

What is the Class Size Policy? The Lincoln community strongly values a low student:teacher ratio.  Click here to see Lincoln’s Class Size Policy.

What is the Lincoln School curriculum?  Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, World Languages (starting in 3rdgrade), Art, Music (including band, orchestra, and chorus), Drama, Wellness, Library/Media, Technology, and Engineering form the core of the curriculum.  The curriculum is supported by literacy and math specialists, special educators, occupational and physical therapists, counselors, and social workers. The school also offers after-school middle-school sports teams. Visit the Lincoln School website for more information.

What are the “non-school” (community!) requirements? We are a one-school-town, and the Lincoln School serves the entire community in many ways. As a result, and because we do not have a high school within our town, we have facilities that are larger than those found in a typical elementary or middle school.

  • Every town is required to have a meeting place within its borders to gather for Town Meeting. Over the years a variety of locations in Lincoln have filled this need – In 1963, after decades of planning, the town built the Donaldson Auditorium. This is a shared community space – not only does it house our robust drama and music programs, middle school meetings, and special presentations, but it is the the home of Town Meeting, Girl Scout ceremonies, lectures, and many other events.
  • Gyms: The Smith Gym (1953) was billed as the “auditasium” in the 1951 Town Report. It is larger than current guidelines for an elementary gym because it was built as a shared community resource that supported physical education and Town Meeting. It is currently used for lunch, physical education, school meetings, Science Share, PTO movie night, school and community sports teams, and voting. The Reed Gym (1970) was built for middle school physical education.  It is currently used for lunch, physical education, Winter Carnival (Bingo and Energy Blaster!), community events (SBC forums!), after school sports, the LSF Spelling Bee, and Parks & Recreation programs.

Stay tuned for “Size Matters, Part 2”  that will go into square footage details!

Back to School Day!

MONDAY, MAY 21st – Tour both the Hanscom Middle School (HMS) and the Lincoln School in one day! 

Deadline to sign up is NOON on Monday, May 14th!!!

Here’s your chance to see both schools! The tour starts with a bus ride to Hanscom from Hartwell, followed by lunch back in Hartwell and a tour of the Lincoln School.

Here’s how it works:

  • 9:30 am: Bus leaves from Hartwell
  • 10:00am – 12:00pm: Tour of Hanscom Middle School
  • 12:00pm:  Bus returns to Hartwell; lunch will be provided in the Hartwell Multipurpose Room
  • 12:45pm – 2:45pm: Tour of the Lincoln School

If you’ve already seen HMS, but want to tour the Lincoln School, meet at the Smith office by 12:45. 

~~Deadline is NOON on May 14th!!!~~

To go on the tours, you must contact Janice Gross, Assistant to the Superintendent, and provide your full legal name (as shown on your license) and your date of birth.  Email: jgross@lincnet.org  

A minimum of 10 people is needed to run the tour.