In response to the article by Crystal Anderson, "Shift eyed at Jeffco middle schools" article, nearly $100 million of the $535 million bond request is allocated to moving sixth graders to middle schools. There are a few items that need further attention. The rationale used is it's "a better way to utilize existing facilities." If that were true, why does it cost $100 million to add 120 classrooms? How is that utilizing current facilities efficiently when sixth graders already have space in elementary schools?
If sixth graders are moved, there will be 24 elementary schools with less than 300 students. The school board used 300 students in the initial facility plan as the cut-off to determine if a school should be closed. The school board said they wouldn't close those small schools "yet." But will smaller schools have to be financially subsidized so they can operate comparably to larger schools? How will this impact neighborhoods in which smaller schools are an integral part of communities? Having 24 schools potentially close and sit empty is not a better way to utilize existing facilities.
Moving sixth graders will negatively impact teachers. Five thousand sixth graders are projected to make this move resulting in over 200 teachers having to make a choice to move to middle school. Since the teaching credentials are different in middle school, teachers will have to be accredited as a content specialist. They will have to do that on their own time and on their own dollar. Special teachers (PE, art and music) will also be impacted as middle schools already have elective teachers. How many specials teachers lose jobs?
The school board didn't do an adequate job of soliciting community feedback on this topic. When the school district discussed moving sixth graders in 2008-09, a team of 50 community leaders spent nearly eight months studying and soliciting feedback. In 2012, the school board spent nearly 12 months gathering input. This board spent less than 90 days having this conversation and nearly half of the neighborhoods weren't even scheduled to have their sixth graders moved, so parents in those areas weren't engaged. The online survey had 851 responders, and only about half agreed with this proposal. With over 170,000 parents in Jeffco, this survey is statistically insignificant. Moreover, under 500 people participated in the two calls and 12 public meetings, most of which were held during summer break. Shouldn't we have a much larger conversation before facing the largest-ever bond request?
The article included feedback from parents of autistic children who will lose a year of services if moved to sixth grade. There are 14 center programs in elementary schools --; providing the support these students need to be successful. There are zero autism center programs in middle school, so moving sixth graders means one less year of specialized support for those who need it.
I am glad there is a school like Sobesky as an option for special needs students, but they service students who struggle with significant emotional and/or mental health disabilities, not children attending autism centers. It is insulting to those parents who are striving to meet the learning needs of their children to tell them Sobesky is a viable option.
Dr. (Dru) Tomlin (director of middle-level services at the Association for Middle Level Education) mentions that middle schools can offer students additional opportunities, but what are Jeffco's plans? How is Jeffco going to address the loss of direct literacy hours or the fact that test scores in middle schools are some of the lowest in the district? Shouldn't parents know plans for improving student achievement prior to the move? Dr. Tomlin also said "Kids are neurologically hooked up to take risks and make questionable decisions." How will Jeffco handle this? Why put kids at risk a year earlier, especially when studies show sixth graders in middle schools have more discipline problems than those in elementary schools?
Mr. (Terry) Elliot (chief school effectiveness officer for Jeffco Public Schools) is quoted as saying "Grade configuration is not as important as what is happening in the classroom and at the school," so why spend $100 million moving sixth graders? Just because other school districts are doing this does not mean it is the right choice for Jeffco.
Finally, the article makes no mention of the actual cost of the $535 million bond. Our ballots will tell us that we will actually be paying $987.22 million, $200 million more than is necessary because of the financing payback plan. That's a billion dollars in debt with nothing in it to specifically help our students.
from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.comhttp://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Questions-remain-about-Jeffcos-sixth-grade-shift,236030?branding=15
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