Smart
Growth Planning Study & Design Competitions underway in Perth Amboy
and Trenton with Grants from the National Endowment for the Arts
Perth Amboy Steering Committee at work |
(October 2002)
- With grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Department
of Community Affairs Smart Growth Office, Perth Amboy and Trenton are
taking major steps to design quality learning spaces that will be the
centers of their communities. Phase I of the project, led by Project
Director Ellen Shoshkes, involves extensive research and widespread
community participation in the development of the educational program
and physical design for the Perth Amboy High School. Phase II of the
project, the Design Competition, invites architects from all over the
country to compete on designing a school that is in line with what the
community says it needs. The Community School Smart Growth Planning
Study and Design Competition is a pilot project that may serve as a
model for facilities planning in other districts throughout the state
and even the country. The idea is to stimulate creative thinking amongst
diverse sectors of the community about what a 21st century school should
look like.
In January 2002,
Perth Amboy sent out letters inviting the residents to attend a public
forum about the new high school as an initial outreach effort. Over
100 people, including parents, teachers, students, residents and civic
leaders volunteered to participate on this major task. Out of that effort,
a Community Steering Committee was formed, on which the City and Board
of Education actively serve, along with the State Department of Education,
NJSCC, and a dedicated group of community organizations, parents, residents,
and the principal of the high school. All public forums were broadcast
on Channel 34.
The Committee organized
into four subcommittees that focus on the following areas: (1) Innovative
Learning Environments (2) Special Themed Academies (3) Healthy Schools
and Lifestyles (4) Community Learning Centers. Over
the course of several months, the Committee made a concerted effort
to gather well-thought out input from all facets of the community -
including teachers, students, and parents.
A major challenge
for the Committee was locating a site for the new high school. Like
other Abbott districts experiencing a shortage of land, members of the
Perth Amboy Community Steering Committee are navigating the challenges
of finding a suitable site for the new school.
Superintendent of
Schools Dr. Pablo Clausell credits Ellen Shoshkes, Ph.D., the Project
Director & Facilitator, for the group's progress. Clausell points out
that having "a good facilitator who knows the ins and outs of the system
has been a real asset" to their facilities planning efforts. Clausell
hopes this project will take place in the other districts, but, "If
it's not structured," warns Clausell, "it won't work."
To read more about
progress in Perth Amboy's community-oriented site selection and design
process, click here.
(PDF, 1.28MB)
Similar efforts
are underway in Trenton as the municipality and school district partner
to host a Community Schools Smart Growth Planning Study and Design Competition
for the Robbins Elementary School.
Corporations and
other private funders will be much more likely to finance community
features if the district can show that the community is actually involved
in the designing of the project and the effort is made to collaborate
with other social service and youth development agencies.
In line with the
Governor's Executive Order 24, NJSCC fully supports meaningful community
participation in both site selection and the design of school facilities.
Providing ongoing assistance to districts as they involve the community
in the planning of school facilities is one of NJSCC's top priorities.
Benefits of encouraging community participation in the design process
include:
- higher likelihood
of building a school that is responsive to community needs
- higher attendance
among teachers and students
- stronger parental
involvement
- decline in the
mobility rate of students and families
