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Portsmouth Middle School Dialogue:Renovate or Relocate?
The Dialogue Question:
“What criteria should be incorporated into our city’s plans to improve the educational facilities for our 6th, 7th and 8th graders?”
Sponsors: The Portsmouth School Board and City Council have joined with Portsmouth Listens to enhance the public input into the difficult decision about what to do with our middle school facility.
Process: Portsmouth Listens will utilize the same four-week study circle dialogue process that was used for the Master Plan review and elementary school re-districting. At a Kick Off event in Eileen Dondero Foley Council Chambers, City Hall on April 30 at 7 p.m. , participants will be provided with info about the process and the “library” of resources being assembled by the PMS Dialogue Steering Committee. The “library” will include all info that has been presented on the issue and streaming video of meetings and presentations. Groups of 8-15 Portsmouth and Newington residents will deliberate the above question during four two-hour weekly meetings in May. Each study circle group will be guided by a trained volunteer facilitator. Each study circle group will prepare a written summary of its findings and conclusions. Each group will also have the opportunity to orally present their reports to a joint meeting of the School Board and City Council in the Eileen Dondero Foley Council Chambers, City Hall on June 11 at 6 p.m. .
Signing Up: All Portsmouth and Newington residents are invited to sign up. A sign-up mailer has been sent to all Portsmouth residences. Participants may also sign-up online by going to www.portsmouthlistens.org and scrolling down to the bottom of the page and clicking on Middle School sign-up. If someone does not have access online and/or does not receive a direct mailer, they can contact Jim Noucas at 431-7164 to sign-up. The sign-up sheets ask participants to indicate whether they favor renovation, relocation or are undecided/other. This info will be kept confidential but will be used to try to create a balance within each study circle group. The purpose is to create deliberation on all issues within a respectful marketplace of ideas. It is not a referendum.
Site Visits: In addition to the four meetings, arrangements will be made for all participants to tour the Parrott Ave. and Sagamore Creek sites.
Facilitators: As with prior study circles, the process will be facilitated by trained volunteers. Anyone interested in serving as a facilitator should contact Jim Noucas at jim@noucaslaw.com or by calling 431-7164. Facilitators will be trained at a three-hour evening session on May 2 from 6 to 9PM at the PHS Library.