MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (March 9, 2016) — The $108 million 20/20 Vision school bond referendum that Mount Vernon residents will vote on March 15 will bring historic changes to elementary education in the city, transforming the Cecil H. Parker Elementary School into an early childhood learning center that will offer universal full-day pre-kindergarten.
The bond will also allow the district to convert all other grade schools to either a K-8 or Pre-K-8 structure. Students would attend their grade school and then go directly to high school. The Turner schools will work similarly but as two separate buildings, with the Rebecca Turner school housing K-5 or kindergarten to fifth students and the Benjamin Turner school housing 6-8 or sixth to eighth-grade students.
National research studies show that replacing the middle school environment with Pre-K-8 learning communities is a more successful approach to academic achievement, Superintendent Dr. Kenneth R. Hamilton said. The changes would bring universal Pre-K to all students in the public schools, allowing educators to nurture students from an earlier age and devote significant attention to each child as they advance to the high school level.
“These changes would bring a new era for elementary education in Mount Vernon, building a stronger, more consistent school system that offers all of our youngest students the tools they need for a successful academic career, regardless of their background,” said Dr. Hamilton. “What’s more, the Pre-K-through-8 and K-through-8 structure would be better suited to nurture students throughout their elementary and middle school years as they grow to become successful young adults.”
Universal Pre-K has been proven to play an important role in closing the gap between students who are far behind in school readiness when they first enter classrooms and their more advantaged peers, according to a 2015 study by the National Institute for Education Research. The institute found the program helps develop language, mathematics and literacy skills in students from disadvantaged circumstances, raising them to approach national levels.
The classes would also save hard-working Mount Vernon parents the exorbitant costs of day care while at the same time providing their children with a robust , dynamic curriculum aimed at raising achievement and closing learning gaps.
This restructuring will create the space necessary to implement a Pre-K-8 configuration districtwide (Pennington, Holmes, Traphagen, Lincoln and Columbus will become Pre-K-8 buildings. The new early childhood learning center will house the Pre-K programs for Williams, Grimes, Graham, Turner and Hamilton schools, which will become K-8. Again, the Turner schools will provide K-5 in one school, then 6-8 next door.)
With bond funds, the district will upgrade the elementary schools, creating new science labs while retrofitting technology wiring for high-speed Internet and wireless communication. Many items will receive badly needed repairs or replacements, including roofs and ventilation systems.
Shifting to a Pre-K-8 and K-8 configuration will provide a safer, more consistent education as students are guided toward their high school years.
Elementary school reconfigurations:
Cecil H. Parker Elementary School
A $5,808,993 investment is planned. Parker will be converted into an early childhood learning center with universal full-day Pre-K. The interior will be rehabilitated, and a bathroom will be created in every classroom. Technology wiring will be retrofitted for high speed Internet and wireless communication. The traffic pattern will be reconfigured for safe pickup and drop-off. Developmentally appropriate play areas will be created.
Traphagen Elementary School
A $4,049,364 investment is planned. It will remain a Pre-K-8 school. Technology wiring will be retrofitted for high speed Internet and wireless communication. New science labs will be created.
Graham Elementary School
A $3,377,980 investment is planned to convert to a K-8 school. New science labs will be created.
Technology wiring will be retrofitted for high speed Internet and wireless communication. New play areas and fields will be created. The parking lot and other paved areas will also be resurfaced.
Edward Williams Elementary School
A $2,857,737 investment is planned to convert to a K-8 school. New science labs will be created.
Technology wiring will be retrofitted for high speed Internet and wireless communication. There will be replacement/repair of auditorium seating and the parking lot.
Hamilton Elementary School
A $2,142,860 investment is planned to convert to a K-8 school. New science labs will be created.
Technology wiring will be retrofitted for high speed Internet and wireless communication. The roof will be repaired and the parking area, walkways, steps and curbs will be replaced.
Pennington Elementary School
A $2,428,482 investment is planned in the school, which will remain a Pre-K-8 school. New science labs will be created. Technology wiring will be retrofitted for high speed Internet and wireless communication.
- A $6.8 million addition will be constructed with eight classrooms that will replace current modular classrooms.
Columbus Elementary School
A $2,635,139 investment is planned to convert to a Pre-K-8 school. New science labs will be created. Technology wiring will be retrofitted for high speed Internet and wireless communication. There will also be building rehabilitation to address urgent infrastructure needs.
William H. Holmes Elementary School
A $2,012,466 investment is planned to convert to a Pre-K-8 school. New science labs will be created. Technology wiring will be retrofitted for high speed Internet and wireless communication. Existing lockers will be replaced with appropriately sized lockers. The parking lot and other paved areas will be resurfaced.
Lincoln Elementary School
A $2,080,847 investment is planned for the Pre-K-8 school. New science labs will be created. Technology wiring will be retrofitted for high speed Internet and wireless communication. There will be replacement/upgrade of drinking fountains, walkways, steps, curbs, flooring, and the ventilation and exhaust system.
Grimes Elementary School
A $789,451 investment is planned to convert to a K-8 school. New science labs will be created. Technology wiring will be retrofitted for high speed Internet and wireless communication. The roof will be repaired and emergency lighting will be replaced.
Rebecca Turner Elementary School
A $1,970,542 investment is planned. The school will remain a K-5 school. Technology wiring will be retrofitted for high speed Internet and wireless communication. There will be replacement of the roof, all exit and emergency lights, and concrete walkways. The parking lot will also be resurfaced.
Benjamin Turner Middle School
A $1,063,125 investment is planned. Benjamin Turner School will serve students in grades 6-8, receiving students from Rebecca Turner Elementary upon their graduation. New science labs will be created. The gymnasium floor will be refinished and damaged wall pads will be replaced.
About Mount Vernon City School District
With more than 8,000 students in 16 schools, the Mount Vernon City School District is committed to providing a quality education to its children as well as developing programs that meet the diverse academic and social needs of its students.
