Bangor school administrators are considering five options for relocating Fairmount School students next year after announcing last week the school would temporarily close due to asbestos issues.
The possibilities, shared late Friday in a newsletter to staff and families, follow backlash from parents over the department’s lack of communication after discovering asbestos in the school’s ceiling.
The first option would have the department get about 10 portable classrooms for Fairmount students next year. Under the second option, the department would lease space “somewhere in the city” for those students.
Option three would relocate all fourth graders to Mary Snow School, relocate fifth and sixth graders to the James F. Doughty School and relocate seventh and eighth graders to the William S. Cohen School. This would involve renovating two classrooms at Doughty, Superintendent Marie Robinson said.
Under a fourth option, all incoming fourth graders would stay at their neighborhood elementary schools for another year by adding portable classrooms to those schools, while relocating Fairmount fifth graders to Doughty.
The fifth option would also keep fourth graders at their neighborhood schools but move all pre-K students to the Fourteenth Street School, move Fourteenth Street students to Vine Street School and move fifth graders to the Mary Snow School. This would also involve securing portable classrooms at the elementary schools.
The last three relocation options would all require transportation adjustments.
Some of the reorganization options align with recommendations from a 2019 study that suggested possible new configurations of Bangor’s schools to address aging buildings, Robinson noted in a video included in Friday’s newsletter.
“We are doing the best that we can to ensure student and staff safety while maintaining a high quality learning environment,” Robinson said.
She encouraged families to send their feedback and any other ideas to the department through a survey that will close at 7 p.m. Tuesday. These responses will inform the proposal that administrators will present to the School Committee at a May 13 meeting.
Parents criticized the department at a Wednesday School Committee meeting over its handling of the Fairmount closure plan, saying it hasn’t been proactive enough in communicating with the public or asking for community input. The Bangor Daily News reported on the asbestos findings and the closure after teachers received a memo Tuesday, before the department informed families.
“I am absolutely horrified by the communication of this messaging,” parent Christina Murphy said at the meeting, adding that the lack of communication from the department about a plan to move students next year caused panic for kids and families.
School committee members also said the department should be communicating more, and member Benjamin Speed suggested at the meeting that administrators create a webpage and feedback form about the transition.
“We know this news brings a mix of emotions—uncertainty, sadness, and perhaps concern about the changes ahead,” administrators said in the newsletter. “Please know that while this decision to propose a temporary reorganization plan may seem sudden, it was not reached lightly. A temporary reorganization is a necessary step so we can properly assess upgrades and complete the recommended work.”
The department also plans to hold public listening sessions on May 18, from 5 to 6 p.m. at Doughty and 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Cohen.
