One School One Campus
As our school community may already be aware, the CUSD School Board has been analyzing the concept of moving our ECDC TK and Kindergarten classes to Village Elementary School. Many valid questions and inquiries have been brought forward by parents and other community members. In response, we have created this document to provide our school community with important information regarding the factors involved in making this decision.
Why is the District considering moving ECDC to Village Elementary?
CUSD sees value in exploring a ‘One School, One Campus’ concept in order to maximize instructional programs and resources, increase safety and support for students, teachers, and families, and realize budget and operational efficiencies.
What are some benefits to this move?
If approved, when will this move take place?
The Governing Board will meet on Thursday, March 7th, to consider the Superintendent's proposal. The current recommendation is for the TK/K program to move back to Village Main for the start of the 2020-21 school year. The proposal will list incremental phases of transition beginning Spring 2019 including, but not limited to, renovations to the 700 Building at Village, calibration of staffing and enrollment, bell schedule and traffic study, and proposed use(s) for ECDC (with community input) in 2020-21 and beyond.
Are there safety concerns with TK & Kindergarten students mixing with older students?
As can be seen on this chart, the vast majority (about 94%) of elementary schools in San Diego County house their TK & Kindergarten classrooms with older students.
Special attention is given to meet the needs of our younger students in terms of restrooms, playgrounds, and transitions around campus. We see many opportunities for older students to serve as “big buddies” or mentors to our TK & Kindergarten students.
Will student learning be impacted by this move?
The current curriculum at ECDC will continue at Village Elementary School as the curriculum is not exclusive to the facility but rather delivered by expert teachers who would move to Village Elementary along with the students.
Will permanent ECDC staff lose their jobs as a result of this move?
No. Any savings that come as a result of reduced staffing will be through natural attrition of staff who resign or retire from the District or from the elimination of currently contracted services with outside agencies that we would no longer have to continue.
Will class sizes balloon as a result of this change?
No. Class size targets are regulated per an agreement between our District Office and our Association of Coronado Teachers (ACT). The link to the class-size contract language can be found HERE. Class size averages are determined by school-site and not District-averages so the enrollment at Silver Strand Elementary School has no impact on the size of the classes at Village Elementary School.
What are the potential cost savings from making this move?
From preliminary analysis, CUSD anticipates saving about $450,000 per year due to staffing redundancies. It should be noted that these savings can be obtained without any layoffs of current staff.
How will traffic concerns be addressed?
Student safety is our top priority and we have already begun discussions with the City of Coronado staff. A thorough traffic study will be completed and recommendations will be made to the District as to the best way to ensure safe and orderly arrival and dismissal for our students and may include staggered start and end times for different grade levels.
Can the facilities at Village Elementary house the number of students moving from ECDC?
The pod of classrooms being considered at Village Elementary was originally designed for Kindergarten students with appropriate restroom access as well as a separate courtyard. In fact, the classrooms at Village are larger (per sq. ft) than the current classrooms at ECDC.
How will this move affect how CUSD accepts inter-district transfers?
As an ongoing practice, we accept inter-district transfer students in alignment with Board Policy and space availability. We will continue to accept inter-district transfers based on space in our classes and programs. We do not accept students that we cannot accommodate in our existing facilities and/or which exceed our targeted class sizes.
Was ECDC built using community tax (bond) funds?
ECDC was not built with bond funds. The only school bond that currently exists for CUSD is from Measure KK that passed in 1998 to help fund construction at Coronado Middle School, Silver Strand Elementary School, and Coronado High School.
Is this a way to get a dog park?
No. After the Governing Board approved a proposal to lease a section of the ECDC field to the City of Coronado in August 2018, the Coronado City Council delayed a decision regarding the installation of a dog park on the facility. CUSD Governing Board subsequently rescinded the offer.