Eastlake School Community Council

Eastlake School Community Council

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Darla called meeting to order 6:07 PM

Darla opened meeting with intro about SCC, and introductions of SCC members and guests (JSD board).

In attendance: Alison Arsenault, Camille Brinton, Liz Erickson, Darla Thomas, Zakia Richardson, Valerie Hatch, Brad Sorensen, Tracy Miller, Marilyn Richards, Matthew Young, Bryce Dunford, Suzie Williams, Kristy Howe, and several community members

Matt: Legally when majority of board is public in a meeting, it has to be noticed 24 hours in advance. Meeting has to be recorded. Make everyone aware that meeting is being recorded. Legal formality with four people here.

April Pond: Why isn’t it more public? Why isn’t there more notice given for meetings like this?

Darla spoke about how the board wanted more feedback. Needed to have meeting posted a week in advance. Posted on website, and on school doors. Applications are posted online under SCC tab. Registration said to look for that.

Darla asked Brad to talk about projected numbers and where we are now.

Originally 2 options were created; A and B.

Numbers that were projected: Option A: 994 Option B:952 A modified C was created through discussion from the board and feedback. Option C didn’t really have effect on Eastlake. C was 952

Darla: Learning about how numbers were looking. In Spring,

Last year.. end of last school year…

Zakia: can Brad finish and clarify

Brad: The JSD gave the projections. They were off. They were approaching 1000. Currently we are at 1034. About 80 students off the projection process. Process of projections is outside: Davis Demographic. The result of the projection is only as valuable as the info that is put into the program. The district uses a district wide formula. Daybreak Development is now being looked at as an isolation of a different projection. Maybe what works district wide hasn’t worked on the Daybreak level. Hamblin that works at the DO is working with it, and aware of unique and specific info regarding Daybreak Communities. Hoping the info going into Davis Demographics is more useful. They have been having monthly meetings. Now Village 8 is opening up in Daybreak, and that is being looked at. The District is having monthly meetings, and working to get more accurate info with future planning.

Darla: we have 1034 students in our school. Ask Brad about capacity.

Brad: Main building capacity numbers, and how that is affected with new situations. Broken down the classrooms here at Eastlake. With population of 1034, we worry about class sizes

Kindergarten- 6 sections of 23, 23,22, 21, 23, 22

1st grade-Chinese immersion-start those classes larger because of attrition along the way. Trying to maintain to other classes 22, 22, 21, 23, 21, DLI: 30, 30

2nd- 26, 26, 25, 27 DLI 22, 22

3rd-23, 25, 24, 23 DLI 23, 23

4th-29, 28, 28, 26, DLI 24, 25

5th- 29, 29, 29, 29 DLI 21, 18

6th-21, 23, 24, 23, DLI 17, 18

Darla: very good classroom sizes, minus the 1st grade DLI

Darla asking Brad about student to teacher ratio: K-3 try to staff them at 23.3, 4-6th grades 26.3 staffing ratio. Can’t always have it exact, but it spreads it out over the grade levels K-3, and 4-6.

Darla: As we saw numbers were coming in high, Darla was talking to Suzie often, and wanted to make sure that community was aware of what was going on. Lots of talking about numbers being high. Reference to meeting in May with Brad and Tracy. Suzie and Darla met with staff beginning of June/end of May-days after May SCC mtg.

Later in the week following the community council meeting, Darla and Suzie met with the faculty and discussed with teachers path of taking computer lab and making that a classroom. The computer lab could be switched back, and keep art on the stage, discussion of trying to get portable.

When our school was built there was a commitment to Daybreak that we would have no more than 4 portables, and had to discuss with Daybreak communities that as a potential option. Concern of small playground already. Over the summer district facilities team came to see what could be done. 6th grade workroom was looked at as a resource room possibility. That was done with minimal work. Computer lab was changed, 6th grade classroom, and workroom turned into resource room.

In the summer numbers were looking big for 3rd grade. Suzie has them turn the 3rd grade kiva into a classroom. Physical facilities told them that the Kiva’s were intended to be turned into a classroom if needed. The downstairs space was larger than upstairs, so they used that one.

Zakia questioning if the kiva was the only option considered

Brad: Brad and Suzie discussed turning the stage into a classroom. It was voiced that the stage was left to be for other items, and for the Beverly Taylor arts. Eastlake is the first of those 3 built like Eastlake, but the architectural design was that the kivas could quickly be turned into a classroom, if needed. To protect the stage, Suzie and Brad went ahead and converted the kiva into the classroom

Zakia: Wants to make sure that we are discussing mere numbers, and not putting full context. When we discussed it as school community council, we wanted kids to have a quality education. As of February, decision was made for boundary change, projection was 952, SCC mtg was end of May and SCC was notified that number was over that, and up over 1000. Since SCC received notice, we have contacted the JSD and tried to give other option. Fearful that numbers continue to rise. After the SCC mtg, went and said no way to portable being added. Once it’s there, its there for life. Zakia apologized for those hearing it twice, Brad hearing it for 5th or 6th time. Biggest concern that just because numbers are under average, doesn’t mean that quality of education is acceptable. Wants to have a broader discussion that isn’t just numbers, but the quality of education for the students. Darla discussed portables. If there are portables on the playground, we are over capacity. When discussing where we are currently, discuss context of what is going on; tired of hearing numbers, but want to discuss quality of education. Can we discuss those issues.

Brad: There are 34 classrooms, not including computer lab, workroom, portables,

Instructional capacity without any modifications is 925 students, every portable added is 25, with portables it is 1025,

Kiva is now additional classroom, as it computer lab, so with those 1075 with instruction capacity with classroom with teacher in it.

Darla: SCC felt like they weren’t heard. Don’t want an even larger issue this year. How are we giving a quality education to that many children in this building. We can’t fit that many on the playground. Can’t even put half of school in gym because capacity is 499. We want a teacher workroom, we want a kiva, we want a computer lab

Allison: Was on Elementary school design committee, there were principals, members of the staff, principal. Focus was mainly toward new school buildings. Made decisions based on what was most appropriate. Feel that natural light, collaboration, and open space, having a building that fit the students. Feel that the modifications made over the summer to Eastlake took away the things that the school committee designed to do. Goes against recommendations made for school buildings.

Darla: Asking for populations of schools neighboring us.

Daybreak: 683

Golden Fields 692

Welby: 937

April Pond: What were the considerations in the boundary changes. Why wasn’t that corrected before the school started. Why wasn’t this fixed in July rather than now and adjusting the space?

Brad: In philosophy we think of Daybreak Elementary several hundred kids could have crossed 11800th South from Midas Creek. Decision was made to not have kids cross the busier roads. When that didn’t happen, it left it small. Golden Fields and Bastian Elementary are small because of massive projected growth in those areas. There is concern of kids in schools being ping ponged back and forth between schools.

Darla: There were two sets of boundary changes. We didn’t have a choice to vote on Bastians.

Matthew: All parents affected were choosing between option A and B.

Brad: All parents were asked what school they were attending, and surveys were given,

Daybreak did get all 4 portables removed

Camille: decision from Midas Creek. How many kids were diverted?

Brad: Midas Creek didn’t change boundary at all. Moving from year round to traditional. They stayed the same and switched to traditional.

Camille: Why did all the boundary options given start higher than our school capacity even to begin with?

Darla: told that 80 percent of school capacity flows best

Brad: as a district, programs are added at Golden Fields including SPED units, and preschools at Bastian. Where space is available, it is being used.

Zakia: There was enough notice to remove portables from Daybreak Elementary. Numbers are not in a vacuum. There was enough notice and time to remove the portables at the same time that the Kiva was being built here. Focus on what is needed today at Eastlake Elementary. Don’t get the impression that there is an emergency and crisis here at Eastlake Elementary. There are changes needed immediately. I don’t see how we can keep 1007 as projection. We are always growing at Eastlake. How can we get a long term solution? Things will get worse in winter when everyone is inside all day long. Something needs to be done today. These numbers will continue to grow.

Darla: How did we get to where we are. Last week she was told class sizes were at 35.

Concerns:

Safety: What if there is an emergency, or evacuation, or lockdown. What is fire code?

Brad: Getting building code; capacity of this building that would exceed fire code is 4247. The gym alone is 499.

Darla: Someone from fire dept told her that sqft and doors to exit are taken into account.

Parent: are the numbers being evacuated being considered for kids, not adults.

Brad: They are fire code capacity. Monthly requirement to go over safety and evacuation process. Asking Suzie about timing fire drills.

Suzie said they can time the drill and see how long it is at their next one with the number of kids at the school this year.

Darla: Playground space at elementary schools is typically 13-14 acres, we are on 7. Darla talked to playground aides and they expressed it was really crowded, not necessarily extra fights or skinned knees, but there are a lot of kids. Concern of kids leaving gates.

Suzie Williams: 4 aides on the playground, 2 grades at a time.

Brad said we have one additional aide at recess. It is tied to enrollment.

Darla: Daybreak Communities discussion with fencing and closing the field. They were told at the time that they would have extra aides with the back opening in the fences. Those aides didn’t last very long to make sure that kids aren’t leaving the gates in the back.

Liz: Concern of this many kids and getting PE, Computers, think beyond students in a classroom. Has a child who has a hard time focusing in the classroom, and he isn’t alone. Throwing so many kids in the school at a time doesn’t help. Quality education is priority.

Darla: 6 rotations at our school. It’s a week and half for everyone before they could go through things.

Liz reading concerns: Kiva decision; why wasn’t community informed

Why aren’t the patrons aware of this? Why is the population so high?

Darla: Suzie and Darla sent an email regarding the computer lab being changed.

Parent: When did you find out that this was happening?

Brad: Discussion was in May.

Kiva decision and discussion was when…

Parent: When did the red flags start going up..

We could have been informed…we weren’t informed, and taken some initiative.

Tracy: Red flags were raised at SCC meeting the end of May. Brad, Tracy and Suzie talked about boundary change, staying year round…

Parents upset that we made decisions under false pretenses.

Tracy: Charter School students have until the end of June to come back. There wasn’t time to redraw a boundary.

Darla: heard numbers two weeks after the boundary change. Checked into Suzie’s office to see how numbers were looking. Says she knew since March that numbers were high, but didn’t know how high.

Parents: If we weren’t considered, how do we know that our voices were heard.

Liz: We gave lots of suggestions, and told no at the end of May. We were told it was too late.

Darla: Parent said that we aren’t just here to complain, but are working toward solutions.

Discussions of Solutions and the board and Brad to give ramifications, and offer whether it would work or not:

Permits: Total of 130 students, 100 are not affiliated with Chinese. Dec to Feb paperwork is filled out. Has to be approved by principal. If under capacity we have to accept permits, if at or over capacity then we don’t have to. Lots of the Chinese ones are siblings who came to the school before boundary changes. The other 30 students have reasons. We lost several students who were on permit. Suzie says she hasn’t accepted any permits this year. These numbers are from today. JSD policy says that students have to be told within 6 weeks of the close of the open window if their permit won’t be honored.

DLI program: 2/3 of students in the program are DLI students, 1/3 aren’t boundary students. There are not students taking busses to the school who are outside the boundary.

Boundary Change:

Going back to Year Round:

Moving the DLI:

Ask parents who might want to go to a different school:

Removing Permits:

Adding more aides to the classroom:

Changing class size so it isn’t over 25

Portables: there are rules and regulations about how close they can be to the school. Parent discussing how hard it is for drinks and bathroom breaks.

Rotate classrooms out of portable:

Bryce Dunford: How many of you feel that this situation is so dramatic is it that we need to do something right now, like in the next couple weeks.

Parents want the options, and want to make an informed decision.

Parents concerned about wintertime.

Bryce asking when does it need to be changed…

Making a list of what needs to be done this year, and what needs to be done next year.

2017-2018: revoke permits, allow permits out to other schools, add aides to classes, more teachers, more portables, rotate classes to “share the short stick”

2018-2019: revoke permits, boundary change, calendar change, moving DLI, more portables,

Brad: we don’t want to separate families, send 100 DLI families out,

Sometimes students are told that in a year from now they need to go to another school. It depends on the connection of those 30 students on permit.

Parent: Everyone is going to be mad, what is the narrowest path to make the least people mad.

Allison: suggested revoking permits, but that it isn’t really going to help. There isn’t just one class of permits. We are looking for space in each class and overall in the school. Even with 5 more in each grade, that allows room for more growth that we will have. Upsetting those 30 is less impactful than the other 1000 students

Combining DLI:

Question posed if ay any point would the Kiva be removed, Tracy said it would be considered

Brad: talking about aides, look for 17 hour aides to come be a support in those classrooms. Typically over staffing ratio is 6 students over staffing numbers. Just traditional classrooms.

Darla: Example of Ms Simi and the number in her classroom compared to the student to teacher ratio.

Brad: Mrs Williams tracks numbers, look to enroll in smallest class first.

Is Kiva classroom smaller than others: Is size taken into consideration?

Are other classes smaller than the one that is in the kiva?

Guessing it is a little smaller. Is that taken into consideration when placing a student?

Suzie said she has a teacher in 3rd grade with challenging kids, so she takes lots into consideration. It isn’t solely the number of kids.

Comment: Are new enrollments going to Golden Fields, or Daybreak this year…

Matt: We can’t deny anyone admittance into our schools. We have to accept students into their boundary school.

Darla reading comment: Parent wants to be informed, and doesn’t want to make a hasty decision.

Parent’s want a right long term solution, not a bandaid solution

More teachers suggestion: we don’t have the space for more classes

Matt: FTE Full time equivalent based on population, for as many teachers as you have is based on number of students. Principals have flexibility for what to do with those dollars. Some hire a couple aides to assist in larger classes rather than hire another teacher. Purely a matter of how many are in the school.