Proposed changes at MES draw concerns
Parents of Marion Elementary School children spoke on two issues Monday at the meeting of Marion-Florence Unified School District board of education.
One request was that the board address a study that showed up to 44 percent of students at MES were struggling academically. The second was that four sections of first grade be retained, so students in one section would not be divided among the remaining three.
In both issues, school officials said they believed the best decisions had been made, and that legal requirements prevented discussion of some specifics.
Parent Jeff Herzet presented the first request, regarding academic struggles.
He provided a copy of a study by at-risk coordinator Pam Speaks. It showed that in the third nine weeks, from 25 percent to 44 percent of each class had at least one D or F, or was not performing at grade level.
"At work, if somebody's performing at 80 percent, that's reason enough to talk with them," he said.
Herzet suggested the district rescind its decision to accept the resignations of teachers Danae Flaming and Julie Schlesener. This would retain two good teachers who were having success with children, and whose overall evaluations were good, he said.
"Kindergarten through sixth grade is where they're going to get that habit for learning," he said.
Herzet said several times that "administrative problems" may have been a factor in the teachers' decision to either leave voluntarily or resign to avoid a non-renewal of contract.
Other parents also said it wasn't clear why the teachers weren't offered tenure, compared to some who have been in the past.
Also, they wanted to know why parents and students couldn't play a role in teacher evaluations.
Board president Rex Savage said tenure was required by law and the negotiated contract with the teacher's union. The other side of the tenure rule is that teachers in their first or second year can be released without explanation.
Parent, student involvement
As far as parent and student evaluations are concerned, no solution has been developed that would prevent retention from becoming a popularity contest, Savage said. A teacher who sets high academic standards and maintains strict discipline isn't always well liked by parents or students, he said.
However, parents and students always have the right to express their concerns to administrators or board members.
"It does have an effect but is it a formal part of the evaluation process? No," Savage said.
"Whatever the problem is, we have a problem we need to address," Herzet said.
Board members said they hadn't seen the study until Herzet presented it. They wanted more information on what the numbers represented.
Missy Stubenhofer, teacher and curriculum coordinator, cautioned those present about accepting the figures without additional information.
"We need to make sure what 'unsuccessful' means before we start throwing these numbers around because I have very high hopes for our fifth grade reading scores," she said.
Fewer sections
The second issue involved plans to split students from one section of the current kindergarten into the remaining three sections starting next year.
Parents were upset because this goes against the principle of "looping," in which a section of a class remains together for the first few years of school, often with the same teacher each year.
Staff members say this helps children by maintaining a consistent group of classmates and the same expectations.
Under the proposal, the four sections of kindergarten will be reduced to three first grades. One section will be divided, with four or five students going to each of the remaining sections.
Parents are worried those students won't be accepted by classmates or that they will fall behind academically.
Superintendent Gerry Henderson said that while looping is good, teachers assure him they will work the additional students into the classroom routine quickly.
Parents also were upset that they were not informed about the proposal. They said they first learned about the change when their children came home and announced it.
Henderson said the proposal only came about in the past two weeks, when a current first grade teacher resigned. If that hadn't happened, "this wouldn't have been considered."
He said the district probably should find a better way to work with parents about such changes. However, teachers also have privacy rights that must be respected. Until a resignation is formally accepted by the board, it is wrong for administrators to share information on that teacher's plans, he said.
Parents asked if the three sections could be mixed together, creating three all-new classes. Henderson said it was less disruptive to move a dozen or so students than all 50.
Savage said the best thing they can do is stay involved and in contact with the school and with next year's teachers. This would help ensure they, their children, and the school are doing their part to make the transition work smoothly.
"The fact you are involved indicates your kid probably is going to succeed," he said.
