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Teachers and parents urge board to reconsider Newtown–Betty F. Williams merger, citing safety and capacity concerns
Summary
Multiple Newtown Elementary teachers, staff and parents told the Virginia Beach School Board they oppose a proposed consolidation with Betty F. Williams, citing overcrowded gyms and cafeterias, insufficient bathrooms during testing, lack of music and art space, and apparent funding disparities with other recent school projects.
At the Virginia Beach School Board meeting, Newtown Elementary teachers, staff and parents urged trustees to reconsider a proposed merger that would consolidate Betty F. Williams students onto the Newtown campus.
Kevin Rickard, instructional-technology specialist at Newtown Elementary, said the current design would reduce Betty F. Williams to 14 classrooms, three resource rooms, two offices and a single student bathroom in a new wing, creating overcrowding in art, music, physical education and the library. Rickard said Newtown’s gym is only 5,250 square feet and that under the plan PE periods could grow from four classes per period (about 53 students) to seven classes with roughly 138 students per period, which he called “unsafe.”
Several teachers described equipment, program and facility…
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