Overcrowding Prompts Reopening Doyle School

The Wakefield School Department will open an Early Childhood Center at the Doyle School this fall in an effort to alleviate the problem of overcrowding as preschool and kindergarten enrollment continues to climb at three of the district’s four elementary schools. “Over the last few years, growing enrollment, the addition of new programs and specialized student support has resulted in multiple space issues for our schools,” said Superintendent Dr. Stephen Zrike.Consequently, he explained that the kindergarten program at the Walton School is presently being housed 2 ½ miles away at the Woodville School. Therefore, Walton’s half-day and full-day programs will be transferred to Doyle. “They’re pretty maxed out, there’s no extra space,” said Zrike. The preschool programs at the Dolbeare School and Woodville are slated to move to Doyle as well.  Since becoming the district’s new superintendent last summer, Zrike explained that there has been a considerable amount of positive feedback from parents in terms of creating more space and programming for Wakefield’s youngest students.  “Coming to Wakefield, I found a lot of kindred spirits,” he said.   Currently home to the Odyssey Day School, the single-story, eight-classroom building on Paul Avenue was closed in 2008 as a result of rising operational expenses. Doyle had served the children of Wakefield for 47 years prior to closing. However, in January, Zrike told Odyssey administrators that an Early Childhood Center could be possible for the fall. Therefore, Odyssey will move elsewhere when its lease expires at the end of June.“It’s such a perfect spot for the young students we serve,” said Zrike. He explained that in February, the School Committee voted in favor of reopening Doyle. The vote came after an extensive ongoing discussion to ensure that funding would be available.“You’re always weighing the pros and cons of a major initiative like this,” he said.  According to the FY15 Budget, approved by the Committee on March 25, $604,539 is being requested to bring Doyle back into the system. However, this number reflects a $14,320 cut from the initial request that Zrike released one month earlier.    He explained that within the current budget, $150,000 has been earmarked for staff salaries and recurring costs. In addition to the budget figures, a one-time capital investment of $100,000 will be needed for the installation of wireless Internet, interior painting, lighting and other repairs. In the future, Zrike would like to be able to offer full-day kindergarten free of charge. The program currently costs parents $4,000 as the School Department only receives Chapt. 70 funding for the half-day program.  Zrike said that Walton Principal Margo Perriello will take the helm at Doyle and will be assisted by Early Childhood Coordinator Ann Mannino. He explained that the Center will have five integrated preschool programs and two special education preschool programs as approximately 100 students, ages 3 to 6, are expected to attend Doyle in September. In terms of class sizes, he explained that there will be a limit of 15 spots in each program in order to accommodate more students per day. “In the same room you can run two half-day programs,” said Zrike.The superintendent added that enrollment figures could reach 145 in the coming years thus, creating a need for up to three additional programs. However, that will depend on the Center’s long-term success rate.“You have to have a track record first,” he said.