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A unanimous vote of the nine-member Stamford Board of Education sent a controversial resolution back to committee for further study. The resolution in question would have turned Rippowam Middle School into a full International Baccalaureate magnet school effective March 1. That would have put into place a citywide lottery among all incoming sixth-graders for admittance.
"With the new committee assignments just announced, it's going to take some time for the new members to get up to speed on this issue," newly elected board member Geoff Alswanger said.
Betsy Allen, a Newfield Elementary PFO board member who was joined at the meeting by 25 other Newfield Elementary parents, said, "We consider this a victory in that the board now must do more research and include parents in the decision-making process."
An IB program is an internationally recognized academic program that prepares students for competition at a higher level than a traditional curriculum. Rippowam currently is about 52 percent IB students and 48 percent traditional middle school students, Principal George Gibertie said. The IB program is now offered to students in Rippowam's zone, those entering the middle school from Davenport and Newfield elementary schools and to students in Toquam Magnet Middle School's zone.
If instituted, a lottery would mean that some students who live in direct proximity to Rippowam might not be able to attend their neighborhood school and would be required to travel to another middle school.
Let us know how you feel about this school issue by making a comment below or on our Facebook page. You may also contact me directly with your concerns at jlupton@mainstreetconnect.us.
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