Concerns Over School Calendar Won't Go Away

Nearly two months after approving a 2012-13 school calendar that upset several district parents, the Whitnall School Board back-peddled and decided it needed more facts before making a decision.

On Monday, the board voted, 6-1, in favor of revisiting what has become a controversial calendar at its April 16 meeting, and in the meantime, it will conduct a district-wide survey to see what works best for parents.

That’s something many parents wished they had been asked in December when calendar proposals first started to appear on the board’s agenda.

“The whole process was handled poorly,” Franklin resident David Wunrow said. “Communication was not offered to the entire school district... I don’t think the parents in this district were given the information to make a decision.”

Board member Mike Clarizio asked Monday that the calendar approved Jan. 23 – it passed only 4-3 – be amended, igniting a nearly 2 ½-hour debate between board members, administrators and dozens of parents who packed the .

Clarizio’s proposal called for early releases on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at all school levels: elementary, middle and high school. included early releases for elementary school students every Wednesday and late starts for middle and high school students every other Wednesday.

The approved calendar has, “made it way too complex,” said Greenfield resident Kim Besler, who has a daughter in elementary school and two students in middle school. “Most people would agree the schedule in the morning has already been established. We know when and where our kids need to be.”

“A staggered schedule is a logistical nightmare,” said Franklin’s Jon Jones, who is running for school board.

The late starts and early releases have been built into the calendar to create professional learning communities (PLCs) or collaborative work groups. But the lack of uniformity of when those PLCs take place has been a growing issue.

“Of all the people I talked to, a far majority were in favor of the early release,” said Clarizio, who is up for re-election in April. “If we had gone through this with enough public information, there wouldn’t be this level of discontent.

“If you tell me (teachers) have to meet a half hour every day (for PLCs), let’s make it happen. But let’s pick a half hour that works best for the people that put us here.”

Board member Suzette Larson was concerned an early release for high school students – Clarizio’s proposal set that time at 1:45 p.m. – would give teenagers too much time to get into trouble. She also said their could be a hike in traffic around the school because several students would leave at 1:45 p.m. only to return later for a club meeting, athletics practice or another event.

The board agreed to conduct a district-wide survey at the request of board member Bill Osterndorf, who said the original process was completed too quickly and believes a survey will provide more guidance.

Only member T.J. Anderson, who was one of four to vote in favor of the calendar in January, voted against giving the issue more time. He said his vote was based on what the experts – in this case the school principals – said would be best for the students and their education.

“It’s a hard decision,” Anderson said. “I don’t think anyone on this board hasn’t take it seriously.”

Most of the parents who have voiced their displeasure over the last several months have said they are disappointed with the communication of such a major shift. They feel the calendar changes came about too quickly and that there are still many unanswered questions, particularly when it comes to free or low-cost after school options for the elementary students.

Administrators said they have plans in place for the after-school programs but have delayed rolling them out because the calendar issue remains in flux.

“People want to know what are the options,” Superintendent Lowell Holtz said. “We have stuff to go out there, but had the motion to amend (the calendar). … People want to know. The farther out they know the better.”

Thomas Vogel, the district’s director of special education and human resources, said the delay in finalizing a calendar will impact staffing, budgeting and student scheduling.