10/13/98
Opelika * Auburn News* THE NEWSPAPER OF EAST ALABAMA*10/13/98
Article: No heat at YRS meeting
Greg MarkleyOpelika-Auburn News
There were no fireworks at the Auburn town meeting Monday concerning the alternative school calendar/year-round school concept, but there were a lot of YRS opponents cheering on Alice Pate, one of the organizers of the Stop Year Round Schooling Citizens' Committee.
Dr. Pate was a member of the panel which answered audience questions posed by Dr. Terry Ley, the moderator, in front of about 400 people at Auburn High School's auditorium.
Dr. Ley said the idea of YRS for Auburn schools came about to address the problems of at-risk students in the system. He said 21 percent of ACS's students are on academic alert or caution in standardized testing and 27 percent of the students in grades one and two are in remedial pro grams.
Dr. Suzanne Freeman, assistant superintendent said remediation would continue with YRS, using the new schedule's intercessions for remediation. Dr. Pate countered that the costs for remediation spread through out the year would be higher than at present.
In answer to a question of how many Auburn University students have children in the Auburn City Schools, Dr. Freeman said just 23 out of 820 children have parents who are students. She said the impact on parents' schedules would thus be minimal.
Dr. Cathy Long said efforts have historically been made to align the ACS breaks with breaks at the university. She said those who developed the sample calendars tried to achieve a close proximity to AU's schedule whenever possible.
Dr. Michael Martin, Auburn schools chief, was asked why several districts tried YRS but reverted later to the traditional approach. ~ He said the schools returned to the old system for political, not academic, reasons.
But Dr. Pate said many of the schools returned to the traditional calendar because YRS caused too much of a disturbance to family life.
"Year Round School does not improve achievement," she said. "Before we take this plunge, we need to consider the cost and benefits."
Cleone Brock pointed out that many of the school systems which had problems with YRS were on multi-track systems, not the single track that the advisory group is recommending for ACS. .
"I can't guarantee there won't be erosion," Dr. Martin said in response to a question that an eleven week summer break might eventually become a seven week hiatus. "But that could happen with a traditional schedule, too."
One questioner wanted to know why he wasn't surveyed. Dr. Martin said the surveys will be sent out in November for students, faculty and staff, parents and others such as chamber of commerce members and ministers. The surveys will also be printed in local newspapers, he said.
"The intent is to give as wide- a look at it as we can," Dr. Martin said. He projected the survey would cost $5,000 to accomplish.
Dr. Freeman said remediation on a YRS schedule may be for one week during a break, and to give students the second week to spend with their families and at leisure.
Martha Hardy answered a question about how child care providers in other cities with YRS felt about it. "I was really surprised by the positive reception of the directors," she said. "They didn't lose business because of a change in the school calendar.'
Dr. Freeman said those on the YRS exploratory committee looked at about 80 articles on the concept and that they looked for fact-based accounts, not opinion pieces. She said that as many as 20 articles were distilled into the fact sheets that were publically available.
Dr. Martin is expected to present a recommendation on year round schooling to the Auburn Board of Education in December. The board will then vote on his recommendation.
This is the second time in six years that YRS has been considered in Auburn. In 1992, the school system decided to stay with its traditional calendar.
Letter: Let's slow down the YRS train
The opinion articles from Carolyn Pittard and Lynda Rainer have caused my concerns regarding year-round schooling to increase as they repeatedly discuss the history of this issue. My questions pertaining to the opinion articles (I have many other questions) are listed below.
l. Are minutes of the six Alternative Calendar Committee meetings available to share with the community?
2. What schools were contacted in the telephone survey? :How are they similar to and different from Auburn City Schools? Why were their calendars changed?
3. Were any schools contacted which had changed to an extended year then returned to a traditional system? Were any schools contacted that had researched changing but decided against the change?
4. At Wrights Mill Road Elementary SchoolÌs PTA meeting Monday, Sept. 21, the PTA president stopped all questions regarding year round schooling. If the committee's third phase is to release information and to gather input, why are my questions not allowed at PTA meetings where information should be provided to parents who may not be able to make other meetings?
5. Who is conducting the "independent" survey? What controls will be used to ensure an unbiased survey and well-informed respondents?
6. Will I receive information on the "plan" in time to provide an informed response?
7. Although the articles state that judgment will not be rushed, my PTA president said that a decision needs to be made in December to set the calendar for next year. With so much apparent work left, how can a decision by December not be rushed?
8. Auburn Schools do not do just a "good job." Auburn Schools continually rank high nationally in many surveys with varying criteria. Has a review of schools which rank higher than Auburn been done to determine if they are on year-round schooling? Can Auburn learn from their successes and failures?
9. If this is to be an open decision with input from the community, why are most people I talk to not aware of this crucial decision in December?
If misinformation is a problem, please clear the confusion by answering some basic questions. Articles on the history, etc. only add to parents' concerns and fears. Parents want to be included in decisions affecting their children, their families and, in many cases, their jobs and careers. I believe this decision should be postponed.
Mary Ann McKenzieAuburn
Letter: YRS opponents ill-informed
I read the articles about parents in Auburn who are upset over the "year-round" study. First of all, let's use the designation of "alternative calendar" so these ill-informed parents aren't panicked any further, thinking their child will actually have to go to school more days.
Second, the parents complaining of a lack of information have their heads in the sand. Auburn has discussed this in almost every school board meeting for at least eight months (all open to the public), they aired a public forum on the TV (local channel), they held workshops at the schools and they have discussed the topic in classes with students. Additionally, articles and letters to the editor have appeared in the Opelika-Auburn News sporadically for at least six months.
One article in the paper concerned "parents" criticizing the school for not revealing the names of those kind, involved volunteers who are studying the topic. The criticism asserted that these "parents" simply want to be able to contact the members to pass on their views and to get further information. Passing on one's views can he accomplished by sending any views to the Board of Education, "attn: 'Year-Round' committee." Getting further information from the members will have to wait until the committee has studied the topic enough to draw some firm conclusions. What these complainants really wish to accomplish is the ability to put pressure on a few isolated individuals to achieve their own self interests, all in the name of "democracy.
As a concerned parent, I was initially opposed to the concept of an alternative calendar for a variety of reasons. I have compiled a small Pro and Con list of the most discussed reasons for opposition to the year round calendar.
CON1. Summer vacations lost.2. Recreation programs will be lost.3. Summer day-care programs will be disrupted.4. Summer education options for teachers will be lost.5. Summer employment for teens and teachers will be lost.6. Sports programs will be disrupt ed.7. Summer school for failing students will be lost.
PRO1. Vacations distributed to different seasons, at times when fares are lower and weather is less humid and hot.2. Recreation centers adjust to fit the vacation schedules and to make money.3. Day-care centers adjust to make money.4. Universities offering summer pro grams for teachers adjust to make money.5. Almost all of the same jobs will still be available, scattered through out the year, and new jobs will open up.6. Sports programs actually get more participation from students, and related activities are better participated in with less disruption of classes.7. Summer school will no longer be needed because remediation of students with problems in a topic will be provided immediately after each quarter, rather than waiting until the end of the school year when the student is actually failing.
Beccie SeamanAuburn