9/11/98 - 9/18/98
Opelika * Auburn News* THE NEWSPAPER OF EAST ALABAMA*9/11/98
Article: Auburn refuses to release list - Access to names of year-round committee members denied
By Lorie Johnson Opelika-Auburn News
Auburn City School officials refused to release the names of their year-round school committee members this week, adding to the growing fury about their inquiry into changing the school year.
"I know that several people have been trying to get the names of the committee members and haven't been able to yet," parent David Elton said.
Another parent, David Strobel, said he understood reasons for anonymity but thought the names should be made public." I respect people's privacy, " he said.
"These are well-intentioned individuals from the community serving without pay to try to assist the school board. But the task of the committee is supposed to be receiving public feedback, and if the committee members do not make their names and numbers or email addresses available, how can they fulfill their task and receive feedback?"
The committee, composed of about 50 people, is charged with researching the year-round school option and offering "actual and factual information" about it to the school board, Auburn Assistant Superintendent Suzanne Freeman said Thursday.
"We are not giving out the names of committee members at this time because several of the committee members have asked us not to release their names," she said.
One member of the commit tee, Karen Parker, said she didn't mind being recognized as a member and wasn't aware the names could not be released. She said she had not been given a list of the members.
Mrs. Parker said she saw no reason for secrecy.
"I would prefer the public to be invited to every meeting," she said.
Mrs. Parker said she was sent a letter last year asking her to be on the committee. She was also a member of the committee that investigated year-round school seven years ago.
She said if some members of the committee didn't want their names released, it was because some had been lobbied by parents wanting information .
"I think the public feels disenfranchised," she said.
"I think they feel desperate, like they have been kept at arms' length. They think their voice isn't being heard. I think there needs to be much more public input, dialogue and discussion about this."
According to information released by the Auburn Board of Education, the committee was formed Aug. 14, 1997, and held its first meeting Oct. 7, 1997.
"Last year it was pretty much an open door committee," Dr. Freeman said.
"Some people volunteered to be on it, and some people expressed interest and we asked them to join it. It wasn't just (Auburn superintendent) Dr. (Mick) Martin coming up with names. People suggested others who had expertise in a particular area, and we asked them to be on the committee. And as we went along, we discovered other areas that needed someone's expertise, and we found some one, such as from athletics," she said.
Dr. Freeman said the first members of the committee were the members of the school system's calendar committee for 1997.She said the calendar committee includes a teacher representative from each school, parents, a principal, the PTA council president, a child nutrition employee and a classified employee.
She would not release the names of the calendar committee.
Also on the year-round school committee are rep representatives from impacted programs, including a board member, public relations person and band director from the school system, a local minister, a child care provider and representatives from the city's parks and recreation department and Boys & Girls Club. Parents were also selected from each school.
Dr. Freeman said throughout the school year additional members were added to the committee, including two Drake Middle School students who addressed the board on the topic and a few parents who expressed interest.
She said this summer, new members were added to the committee, including the PTA Council co-presidents and PTA presidents from each school, a city council member, three parents referred or invited by committee members, one community member from the original strategic planning committee and the school system's athletic director.
Dr. Freeman said a breakdown of the committee included 17 school system employees, one board member, six community representatives, 16 parents and 10 PTA representatives.
Mrs. Parker said the committee's makeup may be faulty.
"The committee consists of lots of school system employees," she said.
"I don't know of any employees who would say to their boss, 'Your idea is lousy,' especially in public."
Mrs. Parker said she thought the system was moving way too fast with its year-round school option .
"We have had so many changes," she said. "We have two middle schools now and that concept is new to us. Fifth grade is now in elementary school for the first time and block scheduling is still new. Block scheduling needs a lot of work and so does the high school."I think we need to put all of our focus and energy and time into working with what we have for now before we consider any new changes," she said.
Article: Auburn parents frustrated about year-round school
Auburn City School students may have just finished their last full sum mer break.
If a year-round school program is approved by the Auburn Board of Education in December, it will begin next July.
At the school system's board meeting Tuesday night, residents expressed concern that things are moving too fast and the board is not listening to those opposed to the change.
Auburn City Schools spokesperson Lynda Rainer said misinformation was at the root of the parents' frustration
"A lot of the information or statements I've heard from (the parents) seem to suggest they really don't know what the committee is discussing," she said.
A committee of about 50 was com piled by Auburn Superintendent Mick Martin and Assistant Superintendent Suzanne Freeman to research a year round school program.
"The length of the school year will be the same," Ms. Rainer said.
"We are going 175 days now, and we would go 175 days with year round school. We are just looking at having more breaks during the year, such as a couple of weeks off in October, at Christmas and at spring break."
Dr. Nancy G. Kincaid, whose children attend Auburn High and Ogletree Elementary schools, said those breaks, instead of the tradition al summer months, were precisely what the parents were against.
"This changes the whole climate of the family," she said.
"We like to have the summers to spend time with our family. I don't teach in the summer, and a lot of parents have made arrangements to be off with their children or have an older sibling stay with them," she said.
David Strobel, whose children attend Ogletree Elementary and Drake Middle schools, said Year-round school would impact every facet of the community.
"If this was just an academic issue, the school system should make the decision," he said. "But this will affect everything --- even people who don't have kids. The social infrastructure and local economy will be impacted," he said.
Dr. David Elton, whose children attend Auburn High, Dean Road Elementary and Samford Middle schools, said he had noticed several flaws in the year-round school plan.
"I see several things that concern me," he said.
"The No. I concern is that hardly anyone in the Auburn community knows this is going on. We have less than 90 days until the board will decide whether to change our system to year-round school and not enough people in the community know about it. They are moving forward too quickly," he said.
"This is really being approached the wrong way by the board. The question it should be asking is, 'Is there a problem with Auburn City Schools?' But they have given us a solution with no problem. The process is going backwards."Dr. Elton said he had researched year-round school himself.
"Only 3 percent of the school systems in the U.S. are on year-round school, and some of those, after trying it, go back to a regular calendar," he said.
"The committee, however, has not interviewed anyone from the schools that have gone off year-round school. The only schools they have looked into that have it, have only been on it a short time and haven't had time to see any problems yet."
Opelika * Auburn News* THE NEWSPAPER OF EAST ALABAMA*9/13/98
Editorial: Year-round info should be public
When Auburn City Schools decided to change the high school's classes to a block scheduling setup, parents were upset. They were concerned about how the challage would affect learning, teaching, special programs and elective classes.
A group in opposition to the block classes questioned the school board and school officials about how the changes would affect the school, its students and teachers. Not only did parents want to know about academics, they were also concerned about band, chorus, athletics and other electives. . At that time, school officials addressed the concerns in public forums, school meetings and through the media. Although everyone was not pleased, the program was put into place and students have adjusted to the changes.
Last year, when Auburn school officials decided to change the structure of its fifth-, sixth- and seventh-grade classes, parents were concerned. Questions arose about how the transition from junior high back to middle school would affect students and teachers, how the system would function with two middle schools, how sixth-graders would adapt in a setting with eighth-graders and how athletics, band and other functions would be handled.
School officials again addressed community concerns at parent meetings, PTA gatherings and through the media. Superintendent Dr: Mick Martin welcomed questions from parents, teachers and others interested in the changes.
With school in .session for three weeks, there are still some kinks to be worked out in the middle schools. But classes seem to be going well, and there seems to be a general feel ing that teachers are concerned with helping students succeed.
The joint football team and cheerleaders are still something that has yet to be permanently worked out. The temporary Band Aid is for the two schools to play as one team, bused back and forth to practice, and without a real team identity. But that's another matter.
Hot on the heels of the middle school healing is the year round school committee. The committee, a group made up mostly of school employees, PTA leaders and others some how already connected to the school system, has been meeting for months to study the possibility of changing Auburn to the year-round system.
Parents with questions and concerns about the possibility that the community structure may be drastically altered have | been searching for answers. A group, Save Our Summers, has formed to fight what it believes is a biased committee rushing to a snap decision.
The committee, a group of anonymous community members being protected by school officials, has been strangely mum. Some have apparently asked their names not be released, so the public, taxpayer-funded school system is withholding the list. It seems even committee members and city officials don't know exactly who is serving on the board.
How are concerned parents, those who pay the taxes that pay the school officials, teachers and the council that appoints the school board, supposed to buy into the proposal if they don't understand why a change is being considered?
We urge Auburn school officials to take the information to | the public as it did with block scheduling and the middle school changes. Waiting until December, when the proposal is scheduled to be presented to the board of education, is too late. The time to gauge public sentiment is now.
Opelika * Auburn News* THE NEWSPAPER OF EAST ALABAMA*9/14/98
Letter: Committee member invites public input
Recently, the Auburn City Schools Extended Year Exploration Committee held a scheduled meeting at Auburn High School. Apparently, a week before the meeting, rumors began to circulate indicating that decisions would be made at the meeting that would exclude community input. Someone, outside the committee, even sent a notice to the paper stating that the public was invited to attend. As a result, many responsible citizens, thinking this was the only way their voice would be heard, gave up their evening and time away from their families to attend the committee meeting.
To prevent the spread of more rumors, and as a committee member, I would like to provide some history about the committee and its purpose. In 1996-97, approximately 200 citizen volunteers, elected officials and city staff worked on a comprehensive report called Auburn 2020, the city's long range plan. Three of the committees, the Education Financing Sub-Committee, the Education At-Risk Sub Committee and the Family and Community Committee under "Service for Teen-agers" recommended that the Auburn City Board of Education evaluate the options of extending the school calendar. In response to the work being done on Auburn 2020 (later adopted by the Auburn City Council in May 1998), the Board of Education on March 11, 1997, charged the administration to set up a committee to study the ramifications of an alternate/extended calendar.
In the fall of 1997 the Extended Year Exploration Committee held its first meeting with Dr. Mick Martin and Dr. Suzanne Freeman serving as co-chairpersons. The rest of the committee consisted of teachers from each school, staff members, an administrator, a board member, parents and community representatives.
Some members were asked to be on the committee and others requested to be added. Members were not asked where they stood on this issue before they were added to the committee, just that they be fair and open-minded to the information gathered.The work was to be divided into the following four phases: Phase I --- gather facts, Phase II --- share information/facts, Phase III --- gather input from parents, teachers, students and community, and Phase 4 --- make recommendation.
The rest of the 1997-98 school year was spent in Phase I. The committee became familiar with the terminology, found and read articles, determined the pros and cons (which can be tricky because one person's con is another one's pro), and contacted school systems (that on paper look similar to Auburn's) who were currently engaged in a year round school calendar. One of the first things the committee members learned was that in the literature, the terms Alternative Calendar, Extended Year, and Year-Round School were used interchangeably.
In the spring of 1998, a video was made featuring several members of the committee discussing some of their findings. Flyers were sent home from all of the schools letting parents know the dates and times the videos would be shown on Channel 5. At the final meeting before school was out, a time line was discussed for presenting information to the community.The tentative time line is as follows:
September-Present information/receive input at faculty meeting at each school. (This has been changed to October.)October-November --- Present information/receive input at PTA meet ings at each school/possible town meeting.November --- Have an independent survey done of parents and teachers.
Late November/early December --- Extended Year Exploration Committee meeting; review surveys; make recommendation to Dr. Martin.December 1998 --- Dr. Martin makes his recommendation to the School Board.
The committee agreed that it would only consider a one-track option with students attending the same number of school days (175) that is presently in place. Breaks would just be spread throughout the year differently. As a" possible example, instead of the 12-week summer we have this year, have a nine-week summer with a two-week break in October and March. Families would conceivably have more travel options and children who needed remediation would have the opportunity in October and/or March during one of the two-week breaks to obtain the help they need.
One thing that needs to be addressed is why our school system should look into the Year-Round School issue at all even without the Auburn 2020 directive. We have a good school system. As the saying goes, "If it is not broken, why fix it?" Certainly it is a reasonable question. As caretakers of the school system, however, we can't afford to wait until it breaks. Just as with anything of value, you don't let it break. You maintain it, check on it fine tune it and do everything you can to improve on it.
Education is not stagnant and it is crucial to stay current --- that means knowing the research, knowing what has been successful in other systems, etc. To be the best, our school system has to investigate different programs. There is so much research right now about how children learn and the different ways they learn. Few of us would consider going to a doctor or dentist that had not modernized or improved anything since the 1950s. We should view education in the same way.
New is not always better, but as educators, we need to study the research. If Auburn City Schools were remiss in exploring better ways in which to serve children, it would be letting the community down. To investigate a program, however, does not mean that it will be implemented. On the other hand it would be ridiculous to ask the 29-committee members from last year and now 50 committee members total to waste their time in long meetings if the board did not see some merit in the Year-Round School proposal.
The Extended Year Exploration Committee is in the process of organizing the information for the public and deciding when the public meetings will be held. This is Phase II. There will be fact sheets and examples of possible calendars to help in the informational process. These meetings will be publicized i the newspapers, on radio and on cable Channel 5. The Year-Round School video is being shown on Channel 5 each night at 8 p.m. Before making up your mind, read the information and come to the public forums at the schools. The most important step in this process is public input. The school system needs to know your ideas and concerns.
As always, there will be a wide variety of opinions as we proceed, but hearing the community views b what keeps our school system strong. Working together as a community, we can decide what is best for Auburn. The time for real concern would be the day our school system concluded that it no longer needed to examine itself because "I was as good as it could possibly be.
Lynda RainerPublic Relations DirectorAuburn City School
Opelika * Auburn News* THE NEWSPAPER OF EAST ALABAMA*9/17/98
Editorial: School debate sure to hit council's desk
When the last vote was cast Tuesday night, Auburn began a new era.
In what seemed to be almost a showdown between business interests and those wanting to protect green spaces, Rod Popwell took the Ward 3, Place 2 seat out from under incumbent Auburn City Councilman Bill Mixon.
Auburn University Associate Professor David Cicci took the most votes in a contest for the Ward 4 seat being vacated by Bill Ham, who was elected to serve as the city's next mayor.
On Oct. 5, these men will join Thomas Worden K. Ted Wilson, Carolyn Mathews, A.L. Dowdell, Logan Gray and Cheryl Gladden on the Council.
In the months prior to the municipal election candidates discussed, or shall we say hedged, the issues of whether they were for limited growth, controlled growth or no growth at all. The definitions for each of these I categories was blurred as candidates tried to juggle a suitable response.
How much growth is too much and how many 'green spaces' are needed in the Loveliest Village is an issue that will likely surface at many council meetings during this body's term.
Another issue that will surely hit the Council member's desks in the next few months is whether they support the year round school proposal being considered by the Auburn Board I of Education, which is appointed by the council.
With a new leader and fresh faces in the Council chambers, some new and possibly controversial ideas and philosophies are certain to surface.
Leading Auburn into the next century is an important task and one we are certain the new city leaders will not take lightly.
We urge the new members of the council and Mayor-elect Ham to attend as many of the meetings as they can, to listen to the wants and needs of all of the residents of Auburn, and to consider carefully what the future holds for the city when making each and every decision.
Opelika * Auburn News* THE NEWSPAPER OF EAST ALABAMA*9/18/98
Letter: President of School Board tries to clear confusion
I am concerned that there seems to be a certain amount of misconception or miscommunication regarding the issue of an alternative calendar for Auburn City Schools. I would like to clear up any confusion or ambiguity on the history, chronology and the process itself.
The initiative to investigate an alternative calendar was originally brought for ward in the strategic plan developed in 1992 by community members and school representatives. As part of Auburn 2020, committees representing education, finance, education at risk and family and community recommended exploration of alternative school calendars. Since there was an interest from various sources including the Board itself, we requested the issue be studied.
So in March of 1997 the Board of Education charged the administration with establishing a committee to explore the ramifications of a change in the school calendar. Is it sound educationally? Would it meet the needs of our community? But most importantly, would it be in the best interests of our children?
The committee, established in August 1997, includes teachers from each school, parents, administrators, a minister, a board member, a representative from parks and recreation and a child care provider among others. Additional members were added who either expressed an interest or were able to provide additional information.
The committee has been meeting since October 1997 and has had six meetings to gather and disseminate information. During this process, there have been articles in the newspaper, flyers distributed in the schools K-12 and a panel discussion on channel 5 (which is currently being shown every night at 8 p.m.). In addition, a telephone survey was conducted to talk to other school systems who have implemented an alternative calendar.
The committee is currently in the third phase of a four step plan. They will now be sharing information and gathering input from teachers, parents, students and the community. This will be done through public forums, presentations to PTA's and faculties as well as an independent survey.
This committee has spent countless volunteer hours researching a concept and is trying objectively to evaluate information. The only plan they are considering is single track, which means all children and all teachers will be on the same schedule attending school the same number of days they are now. The only difference is longer breaks throughout the year and a shorter break in the sum mer. The premise is more continuity of learning.
Will it work? Has it been proved? Is there statistical data to support it? Is it fiscally responsible? We don't know because the study has not been completed. The Board of Education has made no decision because we have no data upon which to decide. We appreciate any input on the specific plan being discussed. A compilation of the data studied by the committee thus far is available in three locations for anyone interested in reviewing it: Central Office, Auburn University Library and the Auburn Public Library.
It is a tribute to the citizens of Auburn that you are so interested in education and you want your voices to be heard. We commend those of you who are willing to commit time and energy to service in and for our schools. You are an integral part of the success of our system.And that is what this committee is doing --- offering a public service to our school system. Let them complete their task so we can have data upon which to form an opinion. On this issue, like any controversial subject, there will be differing opinions. But it is through honest, respectful dialogue that we all learn. Let the process work.
Auburn City Schools is doing a good job. But we're always striving to do better. It is our responsibility as a Board to evaluate and consider changes which could enhance educational development. It is also our job to reject changes which would not contribute to that development.The Board will carefully review the committee's report, input from parents, faculty, students and the community as well as the superintendent's recommendation. Then, and only then, can we come to an informed decision. We will not rush to judgment and we hope no one else will either.
Carolyn PittardPresidentAuburn City Schools Board of Education
Letter: Make informed decisions about school debate
I am writing in response to the alternative calendar that seems to be the topic of so much debate. I am a parent, an educator and the wife of someone who is employed with the Alexander City School system.
They just adopted and are implementing an alternative calendar this school year. With minor adjustments to the traditional calendar, their students enjoyed an 8 week summer vacation where high school students were able to keep summer jobs and summer ball was not affected.They began school only three weeks before Auburn City Schools did and school will end May 25. In two weeks, they will enjoy a two-week fall break, there will be a three-week break during winter holidays and a two-week spring break in March.
During the two-week breaks, those students who fell behind during the nine weeks will be offered remediation classes so that when the new nine weeks begins, students are on the same page. I see this as an advantage, especially to those with drop-out potential. Why wait until June to learn something you didn't learn in October?
Also, the last day of each nine weeks is a work day for teachers to grade exams, turn in report card grades and have two weeks to reassess. How can this not help with teacher stress and burn-out? Also, these two-week breaks will allow families to travel when rates are lower and so are the crowds.
The field of education is much like the medical field in that we must change as society changes. If you went to a doctor who was using methods of 10 years ago, wouldn't you find another doctor?
Auburn City Schools has made many changes, but these changes are important in keeping up with this fast paced society and the changes of everyday life. More is expected of the typical student than 10 or 20 years ago. Students need time during the year to breath and be children.
Since the calendar mentioned above brings with it little change to the present calendar, and brings with it quality time for families during the year, keeping summers intact, I think it is one we should take a look at as we consider a change in our system. But most importantly, make sure your decision either way is based on accurate information because there is a lot of misinformation being circulated within this community.
Deborah BrooksAuburn