Schools Squeezed for Space

Darien Public Schools are feeling the pinch as student enrollment reaches its peak, and the Board of Education says the worst is yet to come.

Each year, the school administration reevaluates enrollment and space utilization among the public schools. The study looks at enrollment trends over time, which not only benefits the here and now, but also serves as a helpful gauge for the future.

Now is a peak time for enrollment at the elementary and middle schools, and space—while tight—is adequate; but the Board of Education says that the high school is already too small and predicts that the influx of students in coming years will prove further problematic. As a result, school officials are beginning to brainstorm creative ways to maximize space on a tight budget and a ticking clock.

As of Oct. 1, enrollment of the Darien Public Schools is 4,778. That includes 2,338 elementary schoolchildren, 1,156 middle school students, and 1,284 high schoolers. Superintendent Fiftal said that once enrollment meets its peak, the drop-off is likely to be very gradual—more like a plateau.

This year, enrollment at the elementary schools has “plateaued” at just over 2,000 students, Fiftal said. There’s not a lot of wiggle room but enough space to maintain the Board of Education’s strict class-size policy.

“We walk a close tightrope at each of those schools,” said Fiftal. “We are monitoring that situation very carefully.”

Fiftal said he is keeping a keen eye on pre-school class size, which is slightly harder to predict. The addition of portable classrooms where and when necessary is up for consideration.

Middlesex Middle School enrollment is also in its peak year (1,156). Fiftal said that careful scheduling has helped to keep class sizes below the 24-students limit.

“By history, I think we’re going to continue to be okay so we’re not proposing any changes at the middle school,” said Fiftal.

A drop-off in enrollment over the next few years will bring extra breathing room to MMS; but as a “just in case,” back-up plan, Fiftal said that he would convert the faculty dining room into a classroom and “relocate staff to other places.”

The real space crunch is at Darien High School, where the building is already too small for its 1,284-person student body (up 82 since 2007). Enrollment is projected to peak at 1,367 in 2012-13. That number may run shy if administration continues to see a steady increase in the number of special education students. 

“We’re looking at a high school that may have met its max,” said Fiftal.

To deal with the current space crunch, high school administration has converted an entire “locker pod,” or group of lockers, into a full-size classroom.

Creating the extra space is not just a matter of comfort, said Fiftal. Cram too many bodies in any given space, and the Fire Marshal comes running. As it stands, not everyone at DHS can fit in the auditorium per fire code, and the school has to rely on technology to broadcast assemblies and productions. It’s a problem that will only worsen with the influx of nearly 100 bodies by 2012, school officials predict.

Time and money constraints, however, do not allow for elaborate construction plans. The peak is right around the corner, and securing architectural and funding for grand projects would simply take too long.

“You do have to accept the reality that for a certain period of years you do have to tighten the valve. And we’re entering those years,” said Fiftal.

One solution is to renovate another locker pod into a classroom. Alternatively, the reconfiguration of the Community Council room could buy the school two full-size rooms. But the “leading contender,” said Fiftal, is a three-classroom conversion of the existing auxiliary cafeteria.

The auxiliary cafeteria caters to the overflow of students and faculty who, given time constraints, cannot travel across campus to the main cafeteria in time for lunch. Eliminating the auxiliary cafeteria would leave those people hungry; moreover, the main cafeteria cannot accommodate the projected near-1,400 student body peak.

To remedy this, high school staff and administration are considering a restructuring of the current three-shift lunch into a possible four waves.

 “We’re trying to think creatively this year and think outside the box. We’ll see what happens with the budget, but for now this what we’re looking at,” Fiftal said.

The four-wave lunch plan will be brought before the Board of Education for review at their next meeting, Nov. 24.