From the Eagle Tribune;
Renovations in full swing at Timberlane schools
By Meghan Carey
Staff writer
PLAISTOW — Cooking lessons for special needs students at Timberlane Regional Middle School used to involve just a microwave and a hot plate. This fall, they will have their own life skills area complete with a full kitchen and other facilities.
Workers are renovating the old woodworking room into four areas specifically designed to help students with intensive needs to succeed in school, according to Assistant Principal Carol Mrowka.
The special needs department has occupied the space for years, but teachers had to get by with their own "makeshift" setups, she said.
"This has really been a dream of the special needs staff," Mrowka said. "With the rise in autistic children, this is a real need now."
The $144,000 project, approved by taxpayers in March, will include two rooms for occupational, physical and speech therapy, a room for the life skills area, and a room for academic needs.
There will also be a room with swings since a rocking motion calms children with autism, Assistant Principal Marilyn Hutnick said.
About 30 students will likely use the areas each day, Mrowka said.
Earlier this week, workers installed drywall in some rooms and painted others. The walls and rugs will be soothing solid colors, such as a soft shade of blue, to help provide a calm setting for the students, Hutnick said.
Business Administrator George Stokinger said the project is expected to be completed by Aug. 19 and is slightly over budget because of a plumbing problem.
Because that part of the school is at a lower elevation than the rest of the building, wastewater from the newly built bathroom and kitchen did not flow properly through the lines. A special sewage ejector system had to be installed, costing an extra $13,000.
Summer construction at the high school is going more smoothly. The project is on budget and has a completion date of Aug. 15. The $500,000 physics and chemistry lab renovation project is being funded through the district's operating budget.
The floors and walls are finished, and ventilation systems were being installed at each lab station this week. Each station is also equipped with emergency shutoffs, he said.
The hallway outside the labs was filled with boxes of cabinets, which will be installed in the rooms and the central teaching station next week.
Science experiments were previously done in regular classrooms, and teachers had to carry the equipment up and down the hallways, Stokinger said.
Harvey Construction of Bedford is handling the work at both schools, he said.
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25 comments:
51% of timberlanes student can perform basic math functions, but we continue to throw money at the school.
The high school and middle school are being evaluated to determine whether new school(s) should be built. What a waste of txpayers' dollars to renovate the existing school buildings when the administrators' goal is to create brand new buildings!
Yes, it is an indirect monopoly on the tax payers money. Regardless how bad the system is, we still have to pay for it. And if you don't want little Johnny going there, you have to pay extra to so place else.
What a racket! Any the kick to the groin, is that we cannot do a thing about it even though they tell us we can.
I love the idea that someone posted earlier of a free market education system. I would be using my tuition money for a different school system other than what I am forced to pay for now.
JUST VOTE NO, PLEASE!!!!
Hmm. Sometimes, methinks this place is just a place for people to whine...
I'm here enough myself, complaining about actualy government abuse, but here we have a story not about mindless spending but about renovations to an area that serves disabled children.
It isn't those childrens' fault that the place wasn't renovated correctly, or that they didn't get the numbers right of the new students that would be going there. This is about sending kids out with lifeskills so that you won't be paying later in life to support these future adults (have you ever though of what's going to happen to adult autistics when their parents die? Are you going to leave them homeless on the streets to die?).
Let's not just turn this place into mindless b*tching about anything and everything...
I thought the job of a public school was to teach reading, writing, math, geography, science, history, and subject like that.
When did it become the job of the school system to teach special needs kids to cook their own meals, go to the bathroom, swing, play, and learn "life skills"?
There are many establishments set up just for those types of things, why the schools?
And could the millions of dollars spent on this type of education be siphoning off money from the mainstream students?
Life Skills for tards? Isn't that the parents' responsibility?
Can't teach home ec and shop anymore because they bread sexism. I must say I wish they had canned those classes backed when I was in school. What a waste of time. If parents want their kids in a trade school, then send them to trade school.
If their kids have "special needs" that make it difficult to teach them how to boil water, then maybe the kid should not be allowed anywhere near a kitchen.
But I must say, the "on time on budget" thing is a shocker. Public funding almost always extends deadlines and budgets beyond initial plans.
Still, how smart is it to renovate a building from 1966 that has been done over several times and may just have to be torn down and rebuilt in a couple years?
My wife asks me that question every time I break something on my Jeep and upgrade when I repair the break. But my Jeep is not a multi-million dollar project. Just multi-thousand.
Yes, but Fishgutz is a loveable jerk, and he likes it that way.
He says things to provoke both thought and humor and has for the 38 years that I have known him.
by the way, he would have made the same comment even if his own child was autistic. And laughed about it.
Anonymous, August 6, 2008 9:16 AM said...
When did it become the job of the school system to teach special needs kids to cook their own meals, go to the bathroom, swing, play, and learn "life skills"?
I went to elementary school in the early- to mid-70's and I clearly remember a trailer for special needs children. So I would assume this has been around for a while.
Boy, this post has really brought out the worst in some people and you all come across as really bitter and uninformed. Last I checked, parents of special needs children were paying taxes towards a public school education as well.
If you read the article carefully, they reference children with autism. Autistic children need occupational, speech, and physical therapy. In fact, current data shows that if a child is diagnosed with autism at an early age and given these "life skill" therapies, they have a higher probability of being a contributing member of society as they enter adulthood. Alternatively, those undiagnosed or untreated have a higher probability of clinical depression or mental illness, making them a candidate for state aid and welfare. So, you see, perhaps the school system is actually saving you, the taxpayers, money in the long run.
Here's hoping the anger and name calling on this board goes away and the interesting dialog that was found on the original AR blog returns.
Marc, he may be lovable to you, but please tell me if you were the parent of a child with Down syndrome reading that comment, you would see humor in it or find anything thought provoking? To me, it is mean-spirited. Do you tolerate racist comments from your friends as well?
Hey Mark,
The fact that you're trying to defend a person that called disbled children "tards" is bad enough.
The fact you would defend him by saying that he would call his own disabled child a "tard" is, well, incredibly stupid.
This is the kind of person you're bragging about being frieds with for 38 years? Do you have trouble finding new friends?
I am not defending him merely trying to point out that he is not the monster some of you seem to believe.
In answer to a couple of questions No if I had a child with downs syndrome I would probably not be happy with his comment, and to be precise I never implied I found the comment cute but that he has a right to say it.
2.) Given the fact that m wife is black, and my kids are bi-racial I have heard many racist commments from people I least expected to hear them, That is their problem not mine. I let them know how I feel about what they said, and leave it there.
3.) given my efforts to hold my public officials to some standard of honor in the last 4 years I have trouble making any friends, let alone new ones smart ass.
I have a nephew with down syndrome. He is 5 years old. Has survived open heart surgery when he was days old. Abdominal surgery when he was just a few weeks old. Ear and throat surgeries.
He does not speak well but he can sign. I can't even do sign language.
When I post regarding Timberlane, I go back to language that was not not considered vicious back then. I throw a little torch now and then as my own little protest against those who believe that no joke is funny unless everybody laughs.
Saturday Night Live episodes of the seventies would not be allowed today.
My sister is among the PC way far left and would be upset if I ever called her son a certain 4 letter abbreviation for mentally retarded.
I abhor political correctness and the censorship it breeds.
I also have concerns about the huge sums of money spent by schools systems to do things that the parents should be doing at home. So my choice of words is not always chosen like someone running for public office.
Almost every time someone writes an opinion, someone is going to be offended even if it is about what kind of fertilizer to use.
PS. Thanks for the valiant defense Mark.
I have seen you take a few anonymous shots that were not warranted and bordered on slander.
I have known people who have mentally handycaped family members and they refer to them as retarded, so someone making a comment to such, is just a comment.
Over $500k was spent to renovate the middle school and high school for additional classroom space. Middle School was over budget and the High School will cost over $350k (the majority of the construction cost). I'm not a fan of modular classrooms but it would make more economical sense to rent modulars at $30k for a few years than to waste money building new classrooms that will be torn down as soon as they are constructed.
Fishgutz, no one is attempting to censor you. When was it ever politically correct to call someone a tard? I grew-up in the 70's and I don't remember that being acceptable.
You (and Marc) can attempt to make this a political issue (i.e. you have a "right" to express yourself) and I have no problem with that. However, we all have the same right to respond to your incredibly insensitive and juvenile rantings. There is a difference between humor and poor taste.
Ca you add a link to your home page? http://www.timberlane.net/
You can read the warrant article as submitted and approved by the voters, including myself. I had no idea that they intended to spend the money this way. Life skills, in my humble opinion, teach survival, getting a job, and education. I will never again vote for anything this vague again.
Anonymous, August 8, 2008 9:09 AM said...
Life skills, in my humble opinion, teach survival, getting a job, and education. I will never again vote for anything this vague again.
I agree with your definition of "life skills." However, I think special needs kids may require a different set of life skills to help them as they get older.
I disagree, however, that the warrant article is vague. As a matter of fact, the title line specifies that this is for children with autism.
I can understand outrage on this blog when HAWC is trying to withdraw large amounts of water from under our feet or when our BOS or Chief of Police are up to theie usual tricks. I can even understand the questions asked about academic standards at Timberlane. All legit.
But the complaining about renovating an area for special needs kids...I just don't get it. I have a good friend whose child is autistic and from what I read in the article, what Timberlane is building to help them, is not unusual. I encourage you to visit the National Institute for Mental Health webpage and search for your self on suggested autism treatment.
This is from their website:
Children older than 3 years usually have school-based, individualized, special education. The child may be in a segregated class with other autistic children or in an integrated class with children without disabilities for at least part of the day. Different localities may use differing methods but all should provide a structure that will help the children learn social skills and functional communication. In these programs, teachers often involve the parents, giving useful advice in how to help their child use the skills or behaviors learned at school when they are at home.23
In elementary school, the child should receive help in any skill area that is delayed and, at the same time, be encouraged to grow in his or her areas of strength. Ideally, the curriculum should be adapted to the individual child's needs. Many schools today have an inclusion program in which the child is in a regular classroom for most of the day, with special instruction for a part of the day. This instruction should include such skills as learning how to act in social situations and in making friends. Although higher-functioning children may be able to handle academic work, they too need help to organize tasks and avoid distractions.
During middle and high school years, instruction will begin to address such practical matters as work, community living, and recreational activities. This should include work experience, using public transportation, and learning skills that will be important in community living.24
I don't mind spending money on education but I expect a return on my investment; and frankly that is just not happening. The district wastes money on non-essential projects and then comes right back to the tax payers when they need more money with the "its for the children" argument; enough is enough. Spend the money on the right things and do things right the first time so that you stop wasting our money. We are now getting to the point where people are so fed up with the wasteful spending that we, or at least I, will not vote yes on anything.
To anon at 12:50
I voted for this article and reading it now, I still think it's vague. I said it was vague referring to life skills, not that is was vague about targeting students with autism, so don't twist my words.
I voted for this because I know someone in town with an autistic child but the article is vague on what they were planning to spend the money on. I thought they'd help with education issues and maybe some therapy, not how to cook and iron.
I didn't complain about renovating area for special needs kids, I complained about what they are spending money on. This is a school system and this should be the number one priority.
Read before you rant.
Anonymous, August 9, 2008 8:14 AM writes...
I voted for this because I know someone in town with an autistic child but the article is vague on what they were planning to spend the money on. I thought they'd help with education issues and maybe some therapy, not how to cook and iron.
That is EXACTLY what they are doing! For children with autism, cooking and ironing is therapy. It is called occupational therapy. Look it up! Would you prefer it if "life skills" was referred to as OT instead?
If you know someone in town with an autistic child, I suggest you sit down and speak with them and learn more about autism. I think you would find that it your expectations/definition of education should be augmented for children with autism. Some children with autism are exceptionally bright, but badly need social skills/occupational therapy.
Learn before you whine!
Do you want to know where your money is being spent? look around at the dead weight at the SAU. They are the ones wasting our money. paying for trips all over the country for administators is just one of the many jokes of their spending. I have no problem with the Renovations for special ed, life skills program. what i do have a problem with is the way they go about getting what they want. as with everything else they do, they are not true to word on the actual costs. no matter what renovation or building project they have done the cost has been under estamatied...as a home owner when you hire someone to do a job don't you get the whole picture of cost, problems etc...they never take the problems into consideration. these are just a few things that tick me off as a tax payer. guess what they can forget about a new school. we just built,added and renovated our schools and the space and needs were not enough to get us through a few years.. someone needs to be accountable for stopping the wasteful spending.
This blog is definitely interesting to me as we have an autistic child and I do not personally feel it's the school's responsibility to teach my daughter to do laundry, cook, or clean. I feel it is MY responsibility to teach these skills. I do, however, believe in helping disabled children learn how to be socially appropriate in the "real" world -- ordering from a menu - shopping, etc., but again, it's MY responsibility to teach my child -- it's no different than a mom or dad teaching their child who is not disabled. I did not support the life skills project and as pointed out by others, it's already $13,000 over budget due to plumbing issues (news article). In school, I believe Occupational therapy (OT) for my child is teaching them to write - not do dishes. Physical therapy for my child is working their muscles/building their strength -- not sorting whites from colors. And, does this mean the District will build a second life skills apartment at the high school to carry on these skills? (Another building project)I know there are many life skills to be taught to all the children, but to me I would be happy if the district would teach math and reading - even to my child - than ironing and making a bed. This is very frustrating even to parents with disabled children.
Well said.
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