The Saga of Surry Village School

Part II: The Town Goes to Court & Children Rally

Surry elementary children will be on Keene Common tomorrow (August 13) at 10:00 a.m., selling cookies to save Surry School from closing. That deserves a story.

Meanwhile, 200 of Surry’s 750 residents signed a petition “for equitable relief,” submitted to Superior Court July 29th. The resulting court hearing is Monday, August 15th. The background of this story is captured in our earlier Saga of Surry Village School. Feedback we’ve received is posted on the NHCSR weblog.

According to the court filings, “In November 2004, the Monadnock Regional School Board named the MRSD Advisory Committee on the Northern Schools to investigate and advise the Board” about the northern schools “consistent with the timeline below.” And the timeline below states: “August, 2005 – June 2006 Transition Year (if change in current configuration advisable.”

The school district’s 2005-2006 budget was then adopted “which included the cost of the Surry elementary school “transition year.” The court petition continues: “On June 21, 2005, the Monadnock Regional School Board met to consider the Committee’s recommendation to close the Surry elementary school…and that this take effect immediately, without a “transition year.”

Official minutes of this meeting give the impression of real decision-making turmoil. Committee members made motions to close the school and then other people made motions not close the school. Surry’s one school board representative got so frustrated he actually got up and left.

The court petition goes on to notice and describe how the Board’s required meeting notices didn’t take place the right way. The court petition states: “no notice was given to the Board members because the district, although it always sent notices, forgot to send the notice on this occasion.” “No notice was posted in the Surry Town office. The routine for posting in the Surry elementary school was wholly ineffective, because the school had closed for the summer on June 23, 2005, at 11:00 a.m.” According to the court filing, the Monadnock School Board wasn’t following the Right to Know Law or its own policies.

The petition from Surry residents asks the court to invalidate actions of the Monadnock Regional School District and grant relief to the parents and residents of Surry.

Three groups in Surry are taking action on behalf of the Surry Village School. First, a group of citizens representing parents, old-timers, new-comers, selectmen, and everyone else are petitioning for a special town meeting. Their goal is extricating Surry from this large consolidated school district. A second group of parents and residents is petitioning the court to invalidate recent actions of the Monadnock School Board. They hope to keep their school open next year. Two parents advanced the $3,000 needed to have legal assistance. “We had no time for bake sales to raise money,” said Nickki Conroy. “We just had to get the ball rolling to protect the town and our kids.”

And last, but certainly not least, the elementary children of Surry are even having their own rally tomorrow. They have made signs and will sell cookies with proceeds going to support attorneys trying to help them. The children were so busy making signs they wouldn’t even stop to go swimming.

One student wrote to the judge: “I have been going to Surry School since I was 6. I… have big hopes and dreams. Someday I hope to be in a spelling bee. When I was in second grade I knew how to spell metamorphosis. That was because I had one the best teacher, Ms. Leclerc.”

A letter to the editor in today’s Keene Sentinel was forwarded: “To the Sentinel: Imagine having to send your 2 young children on a one and a half to two hour trip to school and back each day, when we have our own fantastic school just a few minutes down the road. Imagine having 3 kids in three different schools, Monadnock, Gilsum and Sullivan and then trying to get them all to a doctor's appointment. We don't have to imagine it, we are living it!” [Note: Monadnock, Gilsum, and Sullivan are all different towns.]

And a member of the Northern Schools Committee wrote and explained the committee’s request for immediate action to close Surry School (also posted on our weblog) “In the just-past academic year, Surry School had 31 students, it will be 25 for this coming school year and is projected to be 24 in 2009.” “…teachers on the committee told us that there are always children at several levels within a single grade. A teacher who has taught single grades, double grades and triple grades told me that students get the best education in a single grade classroom.” She describes a committee process that seemed thorough and thoughtful.

Tom, from Salem, wrote us that Surry school’s closing for reasons on record was questionable. On the harm the committee attributed to children in multiage classrooms spanning 3 grades, Tom wrote “…The Monadnock School Board uses the excuse to close the Surry school that multiage classes provide an inferior education compared to classes consisting of kids of the same age. I cannot find a shred of evidence to support the proposition that classrooms with kids of the same age have anything to do with either superior achievement or with sound pedigical policy.”

Surry might just become the poster child for communities who feel strongly that they, not a multi-town consolidated school board, should have the most to say in decisions about their own town’s children. With increasing frequency, communities want to leave consolidated school district arrangements.

An experienced school board member sent this thoughtful comment: “I would suggest that the Board not close this school until they have had at least one public forum on the matter at which they can outline the research and data they are basing their decision on to the public and the public has the same opportunity to give the board their rational, data, research. I do not know anything about Surry's situation, but without public input and the sharing of information (not emotions) the closing will fester ill feelings for many years and that cannot be helpful to anyone's interest. Just a thought.”

What will happen in Surry? We will follow the results as parents go to court and children make signs and rally on Keene’s common to support their village school.

Stay tuned,
The Editor
www.nhschoolreform.org

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