Lawrence Township school district officials are expected to review proposed architectural plans for an expansion of the Lawrence Middle School to accommodate sixth-grade students at the Lawrence Township school board’s May 22 meeting.
The meeting, which begins at 7 p.m., will take place in the Lawrence High School Media Center. The high school is located at 2525 Princeton Pike.
The Lawrence Middle School enrolls students in grades 7-8. Students in grades 4-6 attend the Lawrence Intermediate School, and students in the lower grades attend one of four neighborhood elementary schools.
The proposal to enlarge the Lawrence Middle School is part of an overall plan to restructure the grade distributions of the schools, with the exception of Lawrence High School. It will continue to enroll students in grades 9-12.
“Restructuring the grade distribution is driven in part by the need to find room for approximately 500 preschool students who will be entering the Lawrence Township Public Schools over the next five years,” said Superintendent of Schools Robyn Klim.
“The school district received grant funding from the New Jersey Department of Education to bring in the preschool students, and school district officials would like to integrate them into the neighborhood elementary schools.”
Architects were hired to examine whether the four elementary schools could be expanded to accommodate the expected influx of preschool students.
The elementary schools are sandwiched between private property and wetlands, so adding a wing to the schools was ruled out, officials said. Adding an additional floor – a vertical expansion – would be too expensive.
“Consequently, we came to the realization that now is the opportune time to move forward toward our evidence-based, long-term goal of future grade-level reconfiguration,” Klim said.
The four elementary schools presently enroll students in grades preschool or kindergarten through third grade. Students in grades 4-6 attend the Lawrence Intermediate School and students in grades 7-8 attend the Lawrence Middle School.
The proposed grade redistribution plan calls for students in grades preschool to grade 2 to attend their neighborhood elementary school – the Slackwood Elementary School, the Ben Franklin Elementary School, the Eldridge Park School and the Lawrenceville Elementary School.
The new model proposes students in grades 3-5 to attend the Lawrence Intermediate School and students in grades 6-8 to attend the Lawrence Middle School.
“Adding another grade level to the Lawrence Middle School means it would have to be expanded and modernized,” Klim said. “The sixth graders would be housing in a dedicated wing, helping them to become accustomed to middle school culture and curriculum expectations.
“Moving the sixth graders to Lawrence Middle School will enable them to take part in intramural and school sports programs that have not been available to them.”
The expansion also creates space for special needs students who are attending out-of-district, tuition-paid schools, Klim said.
“Children with special needs can be taught in the Lawrence Township Public Schools, instead of being sent to private schools outside of the district,” she said.
“They will be able to thrive in our school community and receive the tailored supports to which they are entitled throughout their educational journey.”
Klim acknowledged that change is sometimes met with apprehension, but the changes that are being made are based on research, best practices and a commitment to the well-being and success of all students.