February 22, 2011

SCPS Citizens Capital Improvements Planning Advisory Committee

Stafford County School Board Alvin Bandy Building 31 Stafford Avenue Stafford, Virginia 22554 Subject: Stafford High School Renovations/Rebuild Dear Chairman Healy, Vice-Chairman Reinboldt, Mrs. Phillips, Mrs. Mancini, Mrs. Johnson, Mr. Scheiber, and Mrs. Bohmke: The Capital Improvements Planning Advisory Committee is writing to you today to express our full support for the rebuilding of Stafford High School over the proposed renovations. The CIP Committee, along with School Board Members Mancini and Bohmke toured the 35-year old Stafford High School this past Friday. We spent nearly 4 hours touring the facility and speaking with Administrators, teachers and students. We want to make you aware of some of our findings. When we first arrived, Principal Lewis led us to a conference room where teachers from various departments and differing years of experience spoke to us about their concerns and how they impact their ability to teach. We then witnessed several class changes and observed the lunch population. Afterward, we returned to the conference room and were able to speak with students from each grade level about their concerns and how they felt it impacted their education. Our visit concluded with Mr. Ripley hosting a tour of the entire school. We visited general education classrooms, the gymnasium, the library, the band and chorus rooms, the Commonwealth Governors School, technology rooms, various science rooms and other areas of the school. Listed below are a few observations we made either through personal observation or through personal testimony of administration, teachers and students. Concerns: - There are no real lab tables in any Science classroom. Students (at least 25) line up with their backs to the teacher and try to safely complete a lab. Sometimes one student stands up to the counter along the wall and their partner stands close behind them. We find this to be an unacceptable and unsafe learning scenario. Two chemistry labs for 5 teachers are insufficient for the needs of this school. - Labs cannot be done as needed which means students are at an academic disadvantage. Many students are in need of hands on experience in a structured, functional laboratory to understand science concepts. Frequently, teachers are forced to conduct demonstrations rather than a full lab for the entire class. Again, this takes away from the students ability to learn.

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Governors School does not have a lab. They run a cart up and down an elevator. Many experiments they need are not done which affects AP testing. Students are missing curriculum basics. The chorus room has a fire capacity of 49. It is the smallest choir room in the county, yet he has the 2nd largest program (170 members) in the county. Students cannot practice together due to space and fire code restrictions. The band and orchestra rooms are too small causing unhealthy volumes the room is also too small for any storage space for instruments. Maximum capacity in this small room could result in hearing loss for both students and faculty. All 3 music programs are still growing and because of space limitations and fire code restrictions, students interested in music programs are being turned away. There is 1 art room that has to hold 2 simultaneous classes. Again, students interested in further art programs are being turned away. There are 10 teachers on portable carts because no home base classrooms are available. They are on carts all of their work day and any break-down of the elevator make it impossible to get the cart to the second floor. Calculating the 10

teachers with the average 25 students equates to 250 kids. There are 6 blocks which means 1500 kids over a 2 day period are touched by a teacher on a cart.

Carts also make it difficult to do break out activities (extremely important for differential learning to reach all student learning types). A science teacher who wants to do a lab and is not in a lab classroom has to make arrangements to swap space. Still there is NO time to set up a lab or clean it up for the next incoming class causing back-ups in scheduling. Classroom sizes vary from 450- 650 sq ft (MVHS rooms are 700-750) making for tight teaching conditions. Cosmetology, carpentry and shop dispense fumes that can be smelled throughout the building. One teacher CGS needed medical assistance last year due to respiratory issues and had to be transported to the hospital via ambulance. Most rooms are either too hot or too cold. There are 3 or 4 stalls in the girls locker room and 3 urinals that are inappropriately close together with only 1 toilet in the boys locker room and not always in working order. We were told by students that personal embarrassment occurs often for athletes from SHS and other local area schools that come in to compete. Additionally, there arent enough accommodations for the 50 or 60 girls that stay after for sports. Mr. Lewis has purchased active boards for his school. Due to the lack of physical support within the surrounding infrastructure, shaking occurs. This resets the smart boards and projectors which eliminates the careful calibrations already made making those tools inaccurate and awkwardly ineffective. Due to limited space, SHS is forced to run 4 different lunch times the other high schools within the county only provide 3 and have realistic lunchtime schedules. The antiquated electrical system doesnt support multiple microscope use if attempted, the system reacts with blown fuses. It was also reported to us that average electrical outlet use has also resulted in blown fuses.

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There are 6 stalls downstairs and 12 (if all are working) upstairs for almost 2000 students. One of the two mens rooms on the second floor did NOT have accommodations for anyone in a wheel chair. When we arrived in the cafeteria during the last 5 minutes of a lunch shift, we witnessed students still in line to get their food. Some students told us they are allowed to bring their lunch to class in order to finish their meal and others could not. A student told us that her Math Analysis classroom had to permanently move because there were too many students (35) and that they had to find a larger room. This scenario still did not have enough seats or desks forcing the teacher to give up his. A couple of students share one desk and even some are forced to sit on the floor. Tests are taken by some on a stool with the test in their lap. We witnessed the thin walls and the amount of noise that could be heard through them. One class was quiet, as though they were testing and the teacher next door talking in her normal voice sounded like she was in the room. Testing and concentration are impossible with the many exterior variables these students are exposed to. There are no windows in classrooms at all. Teachers are forced to bring in lamps to their classrooms because there are no windows and kids cannot see to take notes when viewing overhead projections.

We realize some of these issues could be somewhat rectified with a renovation (adding windows, widening halls, etc.) -- however, there are some areas that cannot be adequately retrofitted which leave many questions unanswered. We understand that once the building is opened up for renovation, all aspects of the building must be brought up to county/state code. The electrical problems addressed in the last renovation that resulted in litigation still remain unresolved. The HVAC system that was designed for open space is no longer functional. With the open space now closed in, the HVAC system doesnt provide the needed regulation of hot and cold air as was the intention of its design. Temperatures are hard to keep regular causing an uncomfortable learning environment. This is quite a challenge for any student, but even more so for any student with an emotional or learning disability. There are very few load-bearing walls upstairs -- assuming that the floor is not designed to withstand the combined weight of permanent walls, lockers (filled with books and personal belongings) and the additional students -- a renovation would not rectify the floor movement and all of the issues associated with it. As challenging as the learning environment is now, a phased renovation could make things worse for the student population there already. A phased renovation would start within a year and the students there now who have to sit on floors and move to open science labs would lose even more space while areas are under renovation. Swing space will be limited due to cost and there are limits to what a trailer can accommodate. This could lead to 2 or 3 graduating classes

that go on to college with significant disadvantages because the staff could not accommodate a basic lesson plan. A direct re-build would prevent this. Phased renovations also result in inevitable change orders. Change orders are typically priced at time and material and can get very expensive. The existence of asbestos, lead and other particulate matter could delay and add to the cost of a renovation We are told that contractors do not bid school work with a whole lot of mark up. They count on change orders to off-set this. The $40 million will likely not account for increases that could ultimately pop up. It is our belief that the amount of retrofitting and renovations needed to be done to this school are substantial. It is our opinion that this building has reached the end of its life cycle and will ultimately need more than what has been projected for a renovation in order for it truly meet SCPS parity. A new school would finally afford the students in the southern part of the county the parity of other schools within the county. We also believe that if a new school is built, that it must contain all the necessities needed for a 21st century school. Old architectural engineering plans dont necessarily meet the needs of todays learning requirements. While we support a rebuild of Stafford High School, we encourage the School Board to continue to look forward and resist the urge to take one step forward while taking two steps back. The School Board has taken some bold and brave steps to moving our schools forward as was demonstrated with the ES renovations vote. It is our opinion that no one school should be sacrificed at the expense of another. Every school is important and every child deserves an equal education. It is our hope that you will see the value in rebuilding the oldest High School in Stafford and will work with the Board of Supervisors to take this important step for the future of Stafford County. Respectfully, THE CITIZENS CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS ADVISORY COMMITTEE Susan Randall Chair, George Washington District Irene Egan Aquia District Laura Dean Hartwood District Heather Stefl Rockhill District Marybeth Ghinea Aquia District Bob Tortorici Falmouth District Jennifer Bowles At-Large

SCPS Citizens Capital Improvements Planning Advisory Committee