Cost containment and instructional needs, current and future, were uppermost in the minds of the Board of Education (BOE) as it considered and made decisions about the components of a model middle school on Wednesday evening, September 29. Refining the elements of the middle school was one of three subjects the BOE discussed at this meeting; the others, the district's reponses to the state comptroller's audit and the topic of environmental consultants and duties will be detailed in next week's newspaper.

Deciding to make all classrooms 900 square feet, and creating technology-friendly rooms that will serve students well into the future, were among the major decisions made by the school board at the meeting. The next step, according to School Superintendent Albert Inserra, will be having the architect translate or apply this model to the Sousa building. Currently, Sousa is an elementary school and would need renovations to be converted into the middle school. Dr. Inserra also hopes that by October 12 the architect will provide cost estimates of a Sousa renovation.

From the principal's office to student locker rooms to an OT/PT room, the school board members covered all sections of the model middle school plan, and the inclusion of technology played a major part in their deliberations. The BOE asked about a building infrastructure that would allow 25 computers per classroom, and the cost of such a provision. BOE Vice President Sandy Ehrlich also inquired about having a networked computer on each student desk. The BOE also discussed the need for flexible classrooms, wherein space could be reconfigured according to variable instructional programs.

While it was agreed that each of the proposed 38 classrooms should be 900 square feet, the size of the gyms, at 8,000 and 9,000 square feet, was questioned. Weber Principal Matthew Sanzone said there would be a total of four teaching stations, and added that 8,000 square feet would be a minimum allotment. The BOE agreed to return to this point following the submission of a departmental report. Mrs. Cowles also sought greater space for the area of home and careers and hoped room for a display case would be incorporated into the plan. The four art classrooms were also questioned but a Weber assistant principal pointed out that they are very much needed as there is increasing integration between core classrooms and the art program. The school board also decided that both the PEP and ESL rooms should be enlarged slightly.

Community member Elaine Berman asked the BOE about the status of an interactive language laboratory for Weber, and asked that they consider two more rooms for language; with these, she explained, students "can go anywhere in the world." She also expressed the importance of a resource room for students to meet and get help from their teachers, outside of class.

Before the above-noted suggestions and changes were offered, Franklin Hill and Associates, the district's educational facilities planner, had estimated the gross square footage for a new middle school at 164,247 square feet with a target enrollment of 1200 students. Their approximate gross square footage per student numbered 127. Hill also estimated that if the district were to build a new model middle school, from the ground up, the budget would be $31.2 million.