10/10/98
The Auburn Bulletin10/10/98
Article: Rookie mayor faces anti-YRS crowd in City Council debut
By ELlOTT C. MCLAUGHLINAuburn Bulletin
A horde of citizens, irked by the controversial year-round school study, filled the City Council Chambers Tuesday evening to say they were not well-informed, and the media was not doing its job.
Despite radio broadcasts and stories in the Oct. 3 Auburn Bulletin and Oct. 2 Opelika Auburn News, several citizens complained they had not read or heard anything about the Oct. 12 public forum on the matter.
Scott Enebak of Jenkins Drive said he heard first wind of the proposal in August, and, I'm concerned about the speed in which this is moving."
Will it improve education? Is it cost efficient? Does it meet the community's needs? Is it what's best for the children? These are just some of the questions citizens wanted answered.
After several citizens spoke, Bill Ham told the audience he had confidence the Auburn City School Board would make the right decision for the community.
"I feel when the process, as it is, is finished, the community will not be disappointed," Ham said.
Councilman A. L. Dowdell elicited applause from the audience when he said only 4 percent of the schools in the country were on the system.
"I am not for year round schools because I think we have the best system right now," Dowdell said. "If it doesn't need to be fixed, why are we working on it?"
Councilwoman Carolyn Mathews said she thought the program would be effec tive for its original purpose, which was to help at-risk children, but Bernhart Kaltenboeck of Sunnyslope Court complained that deeming children at-risk because they receive free lunches, the review committee's method, was not viable. The public forum will be held Monday in The Auburn High School Auditorium at 6 p.m. Council members said there will be no chance for discussion, but the commit tee will take written questions and comments from the crowd beforehand.
Letter: YRS has no academic benefit
I am responding to a letter published Sept. 28 in the 0-A News concerning the potential change to Year Round Schools (YRS). With regard to terminology, even Dr. Suzanne Freeman has stated that YRS is used interchangeably with alternate calendar. I know that my children will not be attending school more days during the year. Those of us concerned about this issue are seeking information to better educate ourselves on the pros and cons of YRS.
Interestingly, the "Icons" in (the) letter are not my reason for opposing this change. I oppose the change because research has shown me that no academic benefits will be gained by changing the school calendar. Therefore, why would this be a good change for our children?
Potential airfare discounts, adjusting day-care center, recreation center and university schedules and teacher/student off school employment have no effect on the quality of education. However, these are not my concern. I want to know how the change in the school calendar will improve the quality of education my children receive.
Auburn schools rank within the top 100 to 200 schools in the country. My readings indicate achievement scores do not increase significantly with a calendar change. Should we risk losing national recognition and the knowledge that our children receive a top-rated education to enable some people to take vacations in off-seasons?
Incidentally, since a calendar change does not improve the quality of education, I see no reason to force our community to deal with problems which may be created by the change. Some problems indicated in my readings include increased costs, increased absenteeism (student and teacher), forcing local businesses and organizations to adjust and, most importantly, diminished self-esteem and self-confidence of children who no longer have time to unwind and explore non-school related activities over a longer summer break.
Initially, I was noncommittal on this issue. I fear that I have been too complacent. I encourage all parents and concerned citizens to seek further information, both pros and cons, to this issue. Having done so for myself, I now ask the school board for a resounding "No" to Year Round School in Auburn.
Mary Ann MacKenzieAuburn
Letter: Literature on YRS shows no benefits
It has been said that a Year-Round School calendar provides continuous learning and reduces forgetting of material during the sum mer. Such a rationale would, I suppose, point to the shorter, seven week summer as the plan to be adopted (several plans have been pro posed, with summers ranging from seven to 11 weeks). As plausible as these ideas sound, the research literature on alternative year calendars, and even on the reduction in forgetting that would occur by shortening summer from 11-12 weeks to seven weeks, does not sup port these claims.
I have read much of the material placed in the library by the Auburn City Schools regarding year-round schooling (and, by the way, school administrators are to be commended for making this available). I've read other material in the Auburn University library. Some studies are brief, two to three page reports, and. others describe the experiences of school systems in 80 page reports with detailed Tables, charts and statistical analysis. The only conclusion that can be derived from this literature is that no educational benefits can be expected. When one reads past optimistic summaries it is clear that sometimes there are improvement in student performance, sometimes things don't change, and sometimes performance suffers. Make a bet and flip a coin. The outcome cannot be relied upon. Some details can be found at http://www.auburn.edu/~enebasa.
Some studies identify benefits to at-risk children and if these were significant then such a plan would be worthwhile. Unfortunately, even here the effects are small, at best, and still can not be relied upon to occur. their cause could well be other things done by the school systems examined: reduced classroom size, after school tutoring or remediation programs are often done simultaneously. There are better ways to solve this problem.
Identity a problem and address it with the best techniques available. Please don't impose such a disruptive change without a clear rationale and solid evidence that it works.
Chris NewlandAuburn
Letter: We parents will not stand for undemocratic handling of YRS issue
I am sending you this letter because of the undemocratic manner in which the school board committee has handled the issue of year-round schooling (YRS) in Auburn. In fact, it now appears that the committee, led by Dr. Martin, has a pro-YRS agenda to pursue, and is not interested in engaging in any meaningful, reflective discussion with Auburn residents about YRS.
At Thursday's meeting, questions about which school year calendar is being looked at were roundly ignored. Answers to other important questions were dismissed out of hand. Moreover, the committee's draft paper is biased toward YRS. Indeed even some members of the committee itself have objected to the wording of the draft paper.
Parents in our town are not expected to make an educated choice about YRS. The school board committee wants to do that for us. It is more interested in forcing the issue than being democratic and listening to the community. I strongly urge all interested parties to stand up and take action.
The school board is functioning in a parallel universe where we, the parents of Auburn school children, play a meaningless role in our children's educational future. Rest assured we will not stand for this.
Donna CashoreAuburn
Letter: Several questions need consideration before altering school calendar
In the debate over the "alternative school calendar" or "year-round education" or whatever you choose to call it, there are a couple of things that are of key importance in any alteration of the present system of education in the Auburn City School System.
First, and most important, will the proposed change (or the potential changes to be outlined by the Alternative Calendar Committee) improve the education of our children? Is there scientific evidence that the change will make a difference? If there is no sound evidence for making the change, then discussing all the pros and cons of change with regard to effects on family vacation, daycare, sports activities, summer camps, etc., is simply a waste of time. Drawing up alternative calendars is simply a waste of time. My readings indicate that simply a change in the calendar, i.e. keeping the number of school days the same, reducing the summer break and having slightly longer breaks during the school year, would not have a significant improvement on the education of my children. Why make a change? If Auburn schools rank in the top 100 to 200 schools nationally of 100,000 as stated by a writer to the 0-A New~ on Oct. 2, why make a change?
Secondly, what will any change in the school calendar cost the taxpayers of the city of Auburn? A significant amount of taxpayerÌs money is going toward building of schools and modifications of existing schools for children of this city. If I was a retiree on a fixed income I would be very concerned about this issue.
Finally, the Îpublic forum" is just days away on Oct. 12. Where is the information for the community-at-large to consider and be able to ask intelligent questions? Why will the "public forum" require questions to be submitted in writing at the beginning of the forum and not throughout so that follow up questions can be submitted? A true forum would allow verbal questioning throughout the session and allow follow-up to incomplete answers.
Bruce ZutterAuburn
Letter: Beware sample calendars; you don't know what you'll be getting
I attended the Alternative Calendar Committee meeting on Oct 1. There are two things I want to comment on.
First, the committee will release at least four example Alternative Calendars early next week. (It may be out by the time this is published.) These calendars range from removing one week from current summer vacation to removing five weeks, almost half the summer.
All Auburn residents should be aware that these are only examples. If the Year Round School (YRS) concept is approved by the Auburn Board of Education, Auburn City Schools can adopt any of these calendars or even take additional weeks off summer and add them to fall and spring "vacations." If you oppose any of these possible calendars, I urge you to oppose the YRS concept because you don't know what you will get.
Second, the committee seems not to like the term "Year Round School" but prefers "Alternative Calendar." Beware, taking only two more weeks from summer on one of the example calendars and adding it to fall and/or spring will result in a true YRS calendar. The example calendars may not be quite YRS, but the concept is. If this concept is approved, the calendar can be changed, now or in the future.
The Auburn City School system is an institution member of National Association for Year Round Education (NAYRE) with Dr. Suzanne Freeman as Auburn representative. The NAYRE is an organization whose sole purpose is to promote YRS.
Finally, if you are at all concerned or interested in YRS at Auburn, attend the public forum on Oct. 12 at Auburn High School Auditorium. You won't be allowed to speak, just submit written questions (let's keep the people quiet).
Steve Stuckwisch,Auburn
Letter: Confidence in superintendent, YRS process must be earned. not given
At Tuesday nights City Council meeting, a number of parents had the opportunity to express their concerns about the pending decision by Auburn's Board of Education regarding a potential change in the academic calendar of Auburn City Schools -- a change that would result in a move to what is loosely referred to as Year-Round school (YRS).
Apparently, the main argument forwarded in support of this change is enhanced academic achievement, particularly for students in the ill-defined "at risk" category. Parents expressed justified concerns about the apparent lack of data to indicate that such a change would improve education for our children, at risk or otherwise. Parents and students also expressed their concerns about the inadequate and rushed public dissemination of information about the potential change, including concerns regarding the short notice, weak advertisement and limiting format of the public forum to be held on this issue on Oct. 12. Responses from council were limited but insightful. Noting the current high-ranked standing of Auburn City Schools in the state and nation, Councilman Dowdell expressed his opinion that our school system shouldn't be altered without sound reason, a sentiment with which we fully agree. Mayor Ham and councilwoman Mathews recognized public concerns, and indicated that they are confident that the board of education and the superintendent's office will have the wisdom to make the right decision for our schools.
Unfortunately, we are not so personally familiar with the members of the board and as parents of four children, require that our confidence be earned; The committee assembled by Superintendent Martin is just now completing its arduous investigation of the apparent strengths and weaknesses of YRS. Although we admonish the corruption of an important facts subcommittee report by certain individuals, we commend the committee's efforts on the whole. However, we are left to wonder whether all of the committee's work will be thoroughly considered by the superintendent and the board.
Our confidence is shaken when we see that this year's academic calendar was adjusted in a way that would facilitate a move to YRS as early as summer 1999. Our confidence is shaken when we hear that at least some teachers in the system, many of whom have children in city schools, have been told not to talk about the issue publicly. Our confidence, is shaken when, with all the previous talk about rnisinformation, the superintendent office continually has aired its YRS program every night at 8 on Channel 5. This is a program that was produced several months ago, well before the research by Dr. Martin's committee was completed, And disposes an arguably biased panel "discussion" by local committee members in between parts of a video produced by the National Association for Year Round Education, an organization that profits from and, hence, has a vested interest in pushing YRS (and in the sale of videos). Is this wisdom? Or, is this haste, and misdirected zeal by those in whom we entrust our children's education?
We urge that the latter one-sided "mis-infomercial" be discontinued and replaced with the full proceedings of the aforementioned public forum. We also recommend that concerned parents consider the information available on the website prepared by the Stop Year Round School Citizen's Group (http://www.auburn.edu/~enebasa/).
Charles and Diane SavrdaAuburn
Letter: Auburn education establishment is losing trust of parents
Tuesday I attended the Auburn City Council meeting long enough to get the impression that the concerns of parents who would like the school year to remain as it is were being brushed off. Wednesday I listened to a group of parents who believe they haven't been heard and who are afraid the new program is being rammed through using dubious, if not dishonest techniques. Last year I heard parents complain about having their children bussed around Auburn (a very bad idea, at least if the purpose of schooling is to educate children).
No government, board of directors or ruling body can succeed without the trust and confidence of those it rules, and the Auburn education establishment is losing the confidence of the parents whose children are in its care. And deservedly so. We have had nearly half a century of social engineering driving a wedge between children and parents, and this sounds like more of the same.
No matter who I ask, the success of Auburn schools is attributed to parental involvement and individual teacher performance. So why is the establishment going out of its way to estrange half of those who account for its success? Why, other than changing things just to be changing things, try another untested system? Is it possible we have an educational bureaucracy that is out of control, hampering the efforts of teachers and parents?
If I had children in school in Auburn, and they were doing poorly, I would be at my wit's end, overwhelmed by a sense that in Auburn, bureaucratic experiments matter more than family. If I were Mayor Ham, I would be looking long and hard at the school board.
George CrispinAuburn
Letter: Teacher: 'Alternative calendar can be better option'
The children of Auburn City Schools spend about seven hours of every school day with a teacher. The teacher is the one who smiles at them; asks, listens, and answers continuous questions; shares knowledge about our world and the people in it (past and present); gives hugs and pats on the back; and creates the environment that children learn in day after day7 year after year. A child can come to school as early as 7:15 a.m. from a terribly stressful morning at home and a soothing, caring teacher can calm those feelings within an hour. A happy, spirited child can also walk into a school at 7:15 a.m. and spend one hour with a stressful, frustrated teacher and that child can become tense and unhappy as well.
I want the opportunity to experience an alternative calendar similar to the one that Alexander City and Dadeville are using this year. I am beginning my 24th year of teaching and I have two children who attend Auburn City Schools. My goal, as a teacher, is to greet each of the 350 children I teach every day with a smile and an exciting, effective lesson. I like to think that my son and daughter walk into their classrooms with a caring, skilled teacher who truly wants to provide the best learning environment possible. An alternative calendar, with a minimum of two weeks off between each nine weeks of instruction (plus a two month summer vacation) would allow teachers time to recuperate and refresh themselves mentally and emotionally. My 10th class of the day deserves the same effort and quality that my first class received, and most teachers will tell you that this is one of the greatest challenges of each day. Teachers want to see every student reach their capacity for learning, but it takes a stable, healthy person to strive for this objective. The wear and tear of public school teaching is heavy. The needs of school children are many and varied, and the job of teaching goes so far beyond giving out information and evaluating student knowledge. Teachers need to be at their best, and I sincerely believe that with a little time away from school between each nine week grading period I can come back and be the best teacher possible. The 1~week stretch from January to June makes it so hard to give students my best effort by the time May rolls around. This leaves an entire month of school and many burned out teachers. I feel we owe it to our community to pro vide quality instruction every month of the school year.
Coming back to school the last week of July, after eight weeks off in the summer, would still provide plenty of time to visit relatives, attend camps and just relax. I would certainly be as excited to return to school that week as I am the third week of August.I would love to have two weeks off in the autumn to evaluate my new classes and the goals I have set for the year, relax at home with my children without the stress of daily homework assignments or projects, or possibly go on a vacation somewhere that has never been an option before in October.
A three week holiday scheduled around Christmas would give teachers a week to get ready for any holiday celebrations, a week to visit with family or friends and a week to spend at home preparing for the third nine weeks of school.
An equally important time away from school would be the spring break. Two weeks are better than one for clearing your mind, calming your senses and preparing to offer the last and best nine weeks of the school year. Children deserve the best all nine months of the school year.
Many women select teaching because it is a career opportunity that is challenging, important, rewarding and one that can balance with raising a family and helping manage a home. The standard of excellence that is expected of teachers in Auburn City Schools is the same standard teachers set for themselves at home. I feel that one of the most positive benefits of an alternative calendar is that teachers would be able to do a better job in the classroom and students would find themselves in a more happy, productive environment. Better scheduling, better planning, better teachers, better students ... A better opportunity for Auburn.
Robyn HinesAuburn City School Teacher