January 29, 1988|By David Enscoe, Special to The Inquirer
A consultant recommended last night that Merchantville end its 16-year sending agreement with Pennsauken High School and begin enrolling eighth-grade graduates in Haddonfield High School.
Robert Savitt, who conducted a four-month feasibility study for the Merchantville school board, told the board that Haddonfield High scored higher in 13 categories used to compare the two schools.
Savitt concluded that phasing in 105 Merchantville students at Haddonfield High would create “no substantial educational, financial or racial balance impact on Pennsauken High School.”
Speaking before about 50 people at the school auditorium, Merchantville school board President Wayne Rambo said the board would make no decision on whether to seek to transfer the students until its Feb. 16 meeting. He said the 50-page report would not be released to the public until after that decision is made.
Savitt emphasized that his decision was in no way influenced by the fact that he was paid by the Merchantville board and that his recommendation did not necessary reflect poorly on Pennsauken High.
“Our study was not designed to prove that one high school is a good high school and the other is a bad high school,” he said.
Savitt headed a team of evaluators from Guidelines Inc., a New York-based consulting firm. He said the team made several visits to both high schools to determine which was better suited for Merchantville students. He said Haddonfield scored better than Pennsauken when considering 13 criteria, including:
* A caring, composed and purposeful school climate.
* Encouragement of self-discipline of pupils.
* A continual review and updating of curriculum.
* Small class size.
* Extensive support services.
* A variety of after-school activities with high participation by students
from other districts.
Savitt said: “Using the desired criteria, an analysis comparing the programs, services and school environment . . . indicates that the educational needs of Merchantville students can be better met in Haddonfield High School.”
Rambo said the board probably would not comment on the recommendations until its Feb. 16 meeting, when it has had a chance to study the report.
Pennsauken school board members, most of whom attended last night’s meeting, were also reluctant to discuss the issue. But the board has publicly opposed a Merchantville pull-out, and board members Bernard Kirshtein and Joanne Palmer have been critical of the Merchantville board in the past.
