Winchester board to discuss decision to evict ACCESS from school

By Meghan Foley Sentinel Staff
 
WINCHESTER — The school board will discuss a decision by administrators to force a popular before- and after-school program to leave Winchester School by the end of June.
School board Chairman Kevin Bazan said at Thursday night’s meeting that board members would speak about the ACCESS program’s relationship with the school at their meeting next week, as they weren’t prepared to discuss it that night, or answer questions.

However, the board did take public comment, of which there was a lot, all in support of the program and keeping it at the school.

“ACCESS has taught me almost just as much as I learn in school,” said Soleil Laganiere, a 6th-grader at Winchester School.

Through the program, she’s learned about agriculture, cooking and “police things,” and the importance of being prepared for high school and college, she said.

She’s also had an opportunity through the program to attend a camp at Keene State College focused on science, technology, engineering and math, she said.

In addition, ACCESS staff are positive role models for students, she said.

“Though ACCESS, I’ve learned the importance of standing up for what you believe in, and I believe in ACCESS,” she said, to applause.

ACCESS is an acronym for All Children Cared for Educated Supported and Successful, and is a nonprofit organization with a local board of directors. The day care program provides homework help, activities and snacks for the children enrolled.

It has an agreement with the Winchester School District to use the kindergarten through 8th-grade school for its programming, and has an office in the building.

However, on Monday, ACCESS received a letter signed by Winchester Superintendent James M. Lewis saying the school district wouldn’t renew the agreement.

The letter didn’t explain the reasons for not renewing the agreement, but says ACCESS should vacate the school with all its property no later than June 30.

Lewis said Wednesday the school needs more space to grow because the budget passed last week allows it to add classrooms and programs. Because the school needs to reclaim the space, ACCESS has to find another place to run its programming.

Despite Lewis’ explanation, there was suspicion at the meeting among ACCESS supporters that there are other reasons for administrators wanting to give the program the boot.

One woman who spoke Thursday night referenced nonpublic meeting minutes from Feb. 2, which say Lewis and Winchester School Principal Michael Duprey advised the board there were “too many problems” with the program, which “seems to be a daily thing.”

The school board didn’t vote on the matter, but did give its blessing to the administration to end the program at the school, according to the meeting minutes.

Lewis said Wednesday the decision to have ACCESS leave had nothing to do with the program or its leadership.

“Every single time I’ve approached (ACCESS Executive Director Beth A. Baldwin) that there has been a problem, she has dealt with it,” he said.

But Lewis’ decision didn’t sit well with several parents, students and ACCESS staff members, about 30 of whom attended Thursday’s school board meeting.

Jane Cardinale, a special education teacher at Winchester School, is a volunteer with ACCESS and a past member of its board. She said the program, while providing day care, has enriched the lives of her family and her son.

Many of those enrichment opportunities, such as her son participating in a drama program and playing basketball, she wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford, she said.

She believes the school district’s decision not to renew its agreement with ACCESS was short-sighted, she said.

“I believe the partnership the Winchester School has with ACCESS benefits students greatly,” she said.

ACCESS, which started in 2000, serves children in kindergarten through 8th grade from about 75 families, Baldwin said Wednesday. Besides providing activities for children before and after school, it also has a summer program, she said.

About two-thirds of those families receive scholarships because they couldn’t otherwise afford the program, she said.

Besides having its office in the school, ACCESS uses the cafeteria as the main hub to conduct its programs, with some classrooms used for breakout sessions with students, she said.

The program’s annual budget is about $250,000; $80,000 of that comes from a federal 21st Century Community Learning Center grant, she said. The rest of the funding comes from other small grants and fees.

Regardless of whether ACCESS is allowed to continue operating in Winchester School, the program, as well as others in the region and nationwide that rely on the federal grant to cover some expenses, faces an uncertain future.

President Donald J. Trump has proposed eliminating funding for the 21st Century Community Learning Center grant in the federal budget be presented in mid-March.

Missy Calderwood, drug-free community coordinator for Winchester, told school board members the prime time students engage in risky behavior is between 3 and 6 p.m., and the ACCESS programs runs during that time frame.

“Without the program, you possibly could have kids going home to empty houses, which is of concern,” she said. “That’s when kids start experimenting with alcohol, drugs and sex.”

The program is a way the community can prevent students from engaging in risky behavior, she said, and without it, she’s concerned it will give them more opportunity to do dangerous things.

Karren Stetson said she became a single parent unexpectedly, and has a child in kindergarten who attends ACCESS.

“I think it says a lot about a program when your child asks you to come later to pick them up,” she said. “I can’t express how valuable this program is for a single parent.”

The Winchester School Board is next scheduled to meet on Thursday, April 6, at 6:30 p.m. in the Winchester School library.