A committee of parents, teachers, staff, administrators, superintendent and a school board member worked for 10 months to research multiple elementary configurations. It was strongly recommended that there be NO CHANGE to the present configuration of Narragansett, Great Falls, and Village Elementary Schools.

Despite this committee's recommendation for NO CHANGE, the School Board has recently drafted alternative configurations in an apparent rejection of the committee's work and subsequent findings.

Research supports that Neighborhood K-5 schools are the best configuration to address the academic, social and emotional needs of our children. They foster greater community and family relationships and decrease transitions that are detrimental to student achievement. Generally, the more grades a school serves, the better the student performs. Conversely, the more transitions a student has, the more performance declines. 

For this and many other reasons, we request that the school committee accept the K-5 configuration committee's recommendation for NO CHANGE.