By Carol Britton Meyer

The Hull Public Schools leadership team is “digging into planning and implementing phase one of the reconfiguration plan,” according to Superintendent of Schools Judith Kuehn, who outlined next steps in the Best Educational Use of School Facilities process.

Communication and collaboration among all those involved with this major change is key to the plan’s success, she told The Hull Times.

While the school committee has already approved the first step – housing pre-K through 6 at Jacobs Elementary School, grades 7 and 8 at Memorial Middle School, and grades 9 through 12 at the high school for the 2023-24 school year – the committee’s stamp of approval also is required before implementation of phase two. This plan envisions the Jacobs School housing grades preK to 7 and the high school grades 8 to 12 in the 2024-25 school year.

This means that for the next school year, fifth-graders who would normally move on to the middle school will remain at Jacobs.

The phase one leadership team is concentrating on logistics, from scheduling, transportation, cafeteria details, room assignments, new furniture for the sixth-graders, maintenance, and painting classrooms and hallways, among others.

“We’re taking a deep dive into those details to ensure we get everything right,” Kuehn said.

The leadership team is comprised of Kuehn, Memorial Principal Tony Hrivnak, Jacobs Principal Kyle Shaw, Director of Curriculum and Assessment Christine Cappadona, Director of Student Services Kristen Ryan, Business Manager Diane Saniuk, and former Assistant Superintendent David DeGennaro, who is working as a consultant.

“All decisions are made with the best interests of our students in mind,” Kuehn said. “We’ll be rolling out a comprehensive communication plan for families soon.”

The consolidation plan is outlined in the MARS Best Educational Use of School Facilities report, which evaluated the educational adequacy of the three school buildings. An ad hoc committee supported the consolidation recommendation. Declining enrollments also played a part in support of the consolidation plan.

The reconfiguration plan would leave the middle school open to municipal and other educational uses. Whatever the outcome, the school committee would maintain control of the building.

If it’s decided to move some town services to the Memorial building, a memorandum of understanding would be crafted between the school department and the town.

Kuehn has spoken with Town Manager Philip Lemnios to create a draft memo.

“There are no details yet. This is at the preliminary stage,” she said.

As plans for implementing phase one of the school reconfiguration move forward, “we acknowledge that change can be both difficult and exciting,” Kuehn wrote in a recent email to teachers and staff. “To support the transition, we will continue to provide updates and seek faculty input as we develop the implementation plan.”

To date, Kuehn and Hrivnak have met with the middle school staff on two occasions, and Hrivnak and Cappadona have met with the grade level teams there as well.

Shaw has met with fifth-graders regarding the reconfiguration and is planning to meet with the middle school grade level teams. The grade six team will have opportunities to visit the space at Jacobs School, according to Kuehn.

“We want to create a fun, exciting, and innovative space for our students,” she said.

Kuehn and Shaw will meet with the middle school staff on March 1 about the plan. On March 6, grade six teachers and a special education teacher plan to visit Jacobs School to view the space.

“This collaboration will continue throughout the process, and we are committed to updating and listening to staff,” Kuehn explained. “Consistent communication is important as we implement phase one and will remain a priority if implementation of phase two is approved for the 2024-25 school year.”

A series of informal meetings, “Brewing Conversations,” is under way for parents and guardians to share their thoughts and suggestions with Kuehn and Cappadona “to support the continuous improvement of the Hull Public Schools.”

A session is planned for Thursday, March 23, from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Wheelhouse, located near the Jacobs main office.

Kuehn also is working with the South Shore Educational Collaborative to facilitate the moving of students from the Jacobs to the Memorial by June in preparation for its summer program. This move allows time for painting and updating of the six classrooms the collaborative is vacating to ensure they are ready for grades four and five.

“There are many details to our work, from obtaining boxes for packing and then the move to changing the location of some summer programs, ensuring technology is in place in appropriate classrooms, and other needs,” Kuehn said, invoking a familiar phrase she has used in the past: “Together we ‘gut’ this!”