November 15, 2022
Dear LREI Community –
I am writing to follow up on the announcement you received from me a few weeks ago regarding LREI’s strategic agreement with Blue School.
To begin, a question – Why has LREI entered into this arrangement with Blue School? To answer this, I quote from my message to the community, shared on October 17, 2022,
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Blue School’s Board of Trustees made the difficult decision to close their school at the end of this school year.
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Our agreement will provide Blue School “families with a chance to continue their educational journey together at a school closely aligned with the one they initially chose for their children.”
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Additionally, “we see significant value for LREI in pursuing this type of agreement with an institution like Blue School and fortunately, we are in a position to do so.”
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And, finally from my earlier letter, “It’s important to emphasize that this will not change our mission to provide a progressive education that teaches children to be independent thinkers who work together to solve complex problems – in fact, this strategic agreement will strengthen our community and enhance our programming. Having a more robust enrollment offers additional programmatic and social opportunities.”
Since we announced this agreement, we have offered opportunities for the LREI community to ask questions about this endeavor. (You can view the recording of one of these sessions on this Connect page.) Our team has arranged for Blue School Families to visit LREI on several occasions and is planning to offer additional opportunities to get to know our community. I have also joined PA meetings to share more information and answer questions. I write today to share those answers with the whole community and to offer additional opportunities to talk about this important topic.
Frequently Asked Questions:
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Can you please describe the arrangement between LREI and Blue School?
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Blue School is closing at the end of this school year. LREI is offering enrollment to current students at Blue School. Their current 2’s, will have to wait a year and their current eighth grade will have to complete a modified application process.
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Does LREI have room for the Blue School students?
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We do.
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Will class sizes increase?
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It is important to know that some of our classrooms are somewhat under-enrolled. Full classes in the lower school and middle school have between 18-22 students. Under-enrolled classes will hopefully gain students.
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Those lower school homerooms, for example, that have fewer than 18 students have empty seats. We aim to fill those seats with Blue School students and children who apply from other schools.
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Middle school homerooms might gain more students. Teaching class sizes will not grow beyond what we consider to be full for half-groups or full groups. We will add teachers as needed.
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Why are some classes under-enrolled?
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LREI has been impacted by demographic changes that are impacting all schools, private and public. That said, we are financially strong and are seeing modest growth in applications for key entry grades for the coming school year. Excellent news.
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Will LREI have to hire additional teachers?
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We may. Once we know how many new students (from Blue School and elsewhere) will join LREI we will be able to make staffing decisions.
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Will LREI hire Blue School teachers and staff?
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We may. We have agreed to interview Blue School teachers before interviewing other applicants from outside of LREI. These teachers are experienced progressive educators and will be terrific additions to LREI’s faculty.
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Might LREI’s Board of Trustees make the decision to close as Blue School did?
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No. LREI will not close. We are in a strong financial position. LREI has three divisions, we own our buildings, and we have a generous endowment. In addition to supporting families from a peer school, Blue School student enrollment will support LREI’s enrollment for the next few years. LREI is not in danger of closing.
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LREI’s arrangement with Blue School supports Blue School families in a challenging moment for their community. Our agreement will also bring a number of families already committed to a progressive school into the LREI community where, if history is any indication, they will support the school, participate as our current families do, and whose children will add a great deal to our classrooms. This has absolutely been our experience with the Blue School graduates who have joined our ninth grade.
If you have additional questions, please:
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Email me. I will respond and will add common questions to my next update to the community.
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Join me for a conversation on Friday, November 18 and/or Friday, December 2 from 8:30a.m.-9:15a.m. in the Sixth Avenue cafeteria on both days. These are times for you to share your questions and for me to answer them. I hope to see you at these conversations.
If you have a question about this important moment for LREI please ask me, join a conversation, or check in with your child’s principal. We want to hear from you.
