Facing the pressure of a growing student population and a tight budget, the Newton School Committee Monday night approved new buffer zones that will work to give Countryside Elementary School some flexibility with its growing enrollment.

In an 8-0 vote (Mayor Setti Warren was absent), the committee gave the OK for buffer zones that will send students to either Bowen or Angier Elementary. Those students and families new to the Countryside School who fall within the buffer zones will be assigned to either Angier or Bowen instead, shifting some of the population burden. 

The committee also approved $32,000 in additional staffing to help with the population at Countryside, the district's largest elementary school. The new staffing includes an added Northeastern co-op student, two additional lunch attendants, three additional days of instructional support staff and two additional teacher-in-charge stipends.

"This will be enormously helpful," said Countryside Principal Emily Ostrower. 

Last night, Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education Joe Russo presented an update to the original buffer zone recommendation, including a change to a buffer zone that initially included more families shifted to Zervas Elementary.

That extended buffer zone to Zervas was reduced and shifted to Angier, Russo explained, due to concerns over "dividing up" the Upper Falls village into three elementary schools and two middle schools. To view the buffer zone maps and memos about the buffer zones, check out our .pdfs in the media section above.  

According to the school district's website, a buffer zone is defined as and area "for which individual addresses may be assigned to one of two elementary schools." 

"This is the best way to really have an impact on lowering school size at Countryside," Russo said, adding that he will personally reach out to the new buffer zone families.

Russo said the buffer zones currently place 16 new families in Angier and another seven in Bowen (six of which will actually be assigned). Families with siblings already at Countryside, though, will not be asked to transfer their new kindergartener to a different school.

After adding in the new students, Russo said Angier will grow from two sections of kindergarten classes with 21-22 students to three sections of kindergarten with 22 students each. Bowen will have a slight change with its new students, growing from three sections of kindergarten with 19-20 students to three sections with 21-22 students.

Meanwhile, Countryside will drop from the four sections of 22-student kindergarten classes to three sections of 21-22 students.

"The impact is pretty significant," Russo said. 

Although the shifts will only bring Countryside down to around 500 students (it currently has 513 enrolled in 22 classrooms), the added staffing will help the large population. Over time, Russo said the district can look at more long-term solutions including adding space at Angier and Zervas.

While parents agreed the buffer zones were effective short-term solutions, they also encouraged School Committee members and administration to keep those long-term solutions on the table.

"I think short-term is great, but long-term, to take away a designated school, is going to rob [Upper Falls] of our community," said Pennsylvania Avenue resident and Countryside parent Pam Weissman.

Meanwhile, the community at Angier School "wholeheartedly welcomes" the new families. Emily Prenner, a Waban resident and Angier PTO representative, stood up in support of the buffer zones and the new Angier students while reminding the committee of its long-term plans for renovation or replacement of the aging Angier School.

Budget Add-Backs Approved

After voting in the buffer zones, School Committee members last night also voted 8-0 to add back $250,000 into the fiscal 2012 budget for positions and classroom time.

Superintendent David Fleishman explained that the add-backs were necessary to "help schools function" and included "a little over 1" full-time equivalent (FTE) librarian, 1.1 FTE teacher to help with large classes at Lincoln-Eliot and Ward as well as 15 minutes of added music time to make up for a reduced recorder class and chorus. 

The $250,000 included the $32,000 in staffing added to Countryside.

Both Fleishman and Deputy Superintendent/Chief Administrative Officer Sandy Guryan explained that the additional funds are expected to come from the state as it finalizes its budget. The money will likely be in the form of Chapter 70 funds and Circuit Breaker reimbursement.

Due to the fact that the schools need this additional $250,000 to "function," the committee agreed the money will have to be found elsewhere in the budget -- through cost savings or other small tweaks -- if the state funds do not come through. 

The committee is set to meet again July 19, at which point it could discuss additional add-backs to high school courses and other programs throughout the district if the money is available.