Victory for Toquam, Rogers to Close

In case you were not following me on Twitter last night, here is the story from the Stamford Advocate

STAMFORD - Parents from Toquam and Rogers magnet elementary schools breathed a collective sigh of relief at last night's special Board of Education meeting after the board voted to keep Toquam open and move the Rogers program to the new environmental magnet school under construction in the Cove.

"We're going to go pop the Champagne," said Nicole Sandford, the mother of two Toquam students.

"It's overdue," responded Christine LeClue, who has one child at Toquam.

This outcome pleased both Toquam parents, who wanted their school left intact, and Rogers parents who hoped to see their school moved out of its aging building while gaining an added three years for their students in Rogers' International accalaureate program.

The IB program now ends in fifth grade. At the new school, it would be extended to eighth.

Faced with a declining student population and construction of a new school, the board must close one of its 12 elementary schools. The names of a number of schools have been mentioned, and a final decision was scheduled for May, until the board delayed so it could study the options for moving Rogers.

Despite pressure from parents and Mayor Dannel Malloy, the board's decision was not a given.

It voted 3 to 6 not to close Toquam, and 6 to 3 to move Rogers students to the new school, configuring it kindergarten through eighth grade, as recommended by a working group which studied possible scenarios.

"I take no pleasure in supporting this resolution, but I have a responsibility to consider the future of Stamford's public schools," board member Susan Nabel said of the resolution to close Toquam. "I believe closing the Toquam building will promote educational equity in the long run."

Closing Toquam makes sense because of its small student population, most of whom are bused to school, she said. Board member Rosanne McManus said she opposed the plan to move Rogers to the new school because it would close the school as a magnet school for children in Stamford and delay implementing the middle school program.

Board member Monica Lahiri-Hoherchak, meanwhile, said by deciding to vote to move Rogers' student body, she was making "the slightly better, or less bad, choice."

Both votes were met with applause from the audience packing the fifth floor meeting room at the Government Center.

"It has been a long, well-fought battle and we are thrilled with the result," said Karen Henrie, the mother of a fifth-grader at Rogers.

"Victory is ours," said Jeff Herz, the parent of a child at Toquam. "Rogers got what they wanted, we got what we wanted What's come out of this is a great sense of community."