OMS Expansion

I have pulled my oldest 2 children from Ottoson School due to overcrowded classrooms, poor lunchroom experience (crowd control practices that are de-humanizing) and run down environment. We always supported public school, until we experienced Ottoson Middle School.

Expanding Ottoson will make an already-stressed building worse, not better. At the School Committee public meeting a month ago, hundreds of participants were polled as to their priorities, and Neighborhood Schools topped the list. As a former middle school, the Gibbs needs to be used to solve the Middle School overcrowding issue.

Arlington needs two middle schools and a smaller environment for children transitioning from elementary school that allows for physical activity and shared green space. Please consider alternative plans.

Cramming into Ottoson by adding additional classroom space without also increasing gymnasium, library, cafeteria, media, parking lot, etc seems ill-conceived at best and something bordering on fraudulent at worst.

We would consider moving to a new town before sending our kids to an over-populated Ottoson middle school that lacks facilities for gym, lunch, art, media, library, etc etc. Middle school is a tough time; imagine the increase in bullying and students feeling lost in a sea of kids at the age of 11! Split the population and use Gibbs to solve this problem

At a time when the trend in education is toward smaller more neighborhood focused schools, it seems misguided to create a mega-middle-school. The lack of adequate common space and the sheer number of students under one roof, with the stresses this puts on administration and staff, are both serious concerns.

The town needs two middle schools. Adding capacity to Ottoson will not give the same quality of education and social experience to students as two reasonably sized schools would.

Using Gibbs school as an East Arlington middle school is the answer: it would alleviate all the concerns regarding building onto Ottoson. At a minimum, a cost analysis/feasibility study should be conducted. Why add onto a middle school and cause chaos when a perfectly good building exists? I don't get it...

Expanding the Ottoson campus might seem to make sense from a financial and administrative perspective, but it sounds like it creates a detrimental experience for the students. Let's address the problem thoughtfully for the long-term and do what's right for our community.

Please renovate the Gibbs Building and bring back the Arlington East Middle School. Ottoson is just too big and children are slipping through the cracks.

Moving just the 6th graders to the Gibbs seems to be the best solution.

The public schools in Arlington will get worse if higher quality plans are not put into place. Children need to play and to eat. Please give them the space and the time to do so. Many world-renowned Reggio educators tell us that space is key in the construction of a school as it gives shape to its curriculum. Thank you.

Arlington's reputation as a town that provides quality education for its children is clearly on the line as it considers an Ottoson expansion. I support utilizing the existing asset as an option, Gibbs School in East Arlington.

I appreciate all your efforts on behalf of our children

Please do the feasibility study to ensure money spent on the expansion is made in consideration of both educational benefit as well as future investment in the infrastructure.

Bring back Gibbs for East Arlington, supporting neighborhood schools and limit overcrowding.

Expansion of classrooms without adequate common spaces is not acceptable to me as a parent of a next- year middle schooler. I advocate study of Gibbs School renovation so that we can compare it with Ottoson expansion.

This option is not the best for our children nor a healthy learning environment. We need to consider other options and be creative and thoughtful regarding funding.

Makes sense to bring back the Gibbs..

I do not support the Ottoson expansion. Use the Gibbs as intended and split the middle school.