When Henry Wilson School closes, who goes where? Temporary plan revealed

Mar. 12—After Henry Wilson Elementary School closes this summer, Manchester students enrolled there who live on or north of Spruce Street will go to McDonough Elementary School and those living south of Spruce will attend Beach Street Elementary School.

The school assignments are part of a temporary redistricting plan to divide up Wilson students that city school board members approved Monday night. The plan was unveiled at the meeting.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted in December to approve a $290 million bond to begin construction on facilities next fall. Phase I of the long-term facilities project includes closing Wilson Elementary School, building the new elementary school, transitioning Hillside and McLaughlin middle schools from grades 6-8 to grades 5-8, and renovating Parkside, Southside, McLaughlin and Hillside middle schools to house fifth-grade students.

Wilson Elementary School will close in the fall, and a new Beech Street Elementary will be built at the Beech Street site. The new school will be built in the same ward as the former Wilson Elementary School, and parents, students and staff will still be able to walk there.

Wilson students will be split between Beech and McDonough while the Beech Street Elementary School is being built. Other district students in fifth grade at Beech, Green Acres, McDonough, Smyth, Webster and Weston elementary schools would be moved to middle school.

To avoid overcrowding, modular classrooms will be installed at Beech, McDonough, Parkside, Southside, McLaughlin and Hillside while renovations and additions get started on Hillside and McLaughlin middle schools. Construction on Parkside and Southside middle schools will begin nine months later.

According to Forrest Ransdell, the school district's superintendent of operations, an estimated 318 K-4 students would have attended Wilson Elementary in the fall.

The plan approved Monday will send 158 students to Beech Street and 160 students to McDonough.

Factors in plan

Ransdell said "numerous considerations" were used in crafting the plan, including keeping families together, balancing the distribution of students between schools, making the best use of space and minimizing the need for additional regular transportation.

"Every student was hand-mapped when the determinations were made," Ransdell said. "We believe we've caught the nuances of the group and are able to move forward."

Ransdell said the best plan wound up being to split the Wilson Street School boundary area into northern and southern zones.

Ransdell said projections put average class sizes across all grade levels at 19.89 at Beech Street Elementary and 20.38 at McDonough Elementary.

"Those are extremely close to our current numbers, and they are very close to our goal of being 20 or under," Ransdell said.

The district will not have to add any bus sites at this point, Ransdell said.

School board member Peter Argeropoulos said he didn't "love" having the item brought forward under the "New Business" section of Monday's agenda.

"I do feel it's a larger decision than just looking at it quickly," Argeropoulos said. "I think what you guys did here is fantastic. I think you considered everything."

School officials said families of current Wilson students will receive a letter the week of March 18 detailing their new school assignments for next year.