Special Board Meeting/Public Hearing
April 10, 2002
Page 2
COOS BAY PUBLIC SCHOOLS APRIL 10, 2002
COOS BAY, OREGON
SPECIAL BOARD MEETING/PUBLIC HEARING
The Board of Directors of Coos Bay Public Schools held a special board meeting on Wednesday, April 10, 2002, at Millicoma Middle School for the purpose of receiving public input on the recommendation made by the Resource Advisory Committee regarding configuration of the district for the upcoming school year. Chairman Tom Bennett called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.
Board in attendance: Tom Bennett Charlie Sharps
Don Blom Sue Walberg
Wally Hazen Rob Wall
Caddy McKeown
Also in attendance were Jeremy Lyon, Rod Danielson, Donna Thomas, Gael Berhow, Dave Laird, Nancy Tedder, Arlene Roblan, Paul Swank, John Mobley, George Vandervelden, Carolyn Henriksen, Peggy Christensen, Brad Lillebo, Peggy Ahlgrim, Laura Post, Ann Marineau, Roxanne Steward, Teka Steward, Les Willett, April Hoy, Michelle Newsum, Lynn Allen Jones, Tina George, Chris Cartwright, Charlette Straight, Shelley Mobley, Carol Melten, Jeannie Barton, Suzan Hill, Mary Jones, Angie Sayler, Patti Taper, Devera Miller, Sharon Muffett, Rose Sweeney, Geni Inokuchi, Scott Bassett, Jared Bassett, Lynda Sanders, Vicki Goodrich, Karen Robb, Beth Bennison, Gail Mueller, Lori Gaither, Carol Smith, Steve Knowlton, Meredith Dooley, Monica Heyer, Karen Beisanz, Art Pierce, Judy Driscoll, Alan Henrickson, Jan Brock, Maureen Kelly, Karen Scott, Dena Morgan, Dennis Driscoll, Dave Stone, Jack Jacobson, Ashley Jordan, Debbie Feger, Cami Bullion, Randy Messner, Scott Banks, Linda George, Janice Crossland, Ken Dew, Fred Eschler, Jeannie Barton, Melody Sheldon, Karen Bones, Teri Griffith, Sam Scott, Susan Rodley, Brandie Wolfe, John Guetterman, Alan Aurdahl, Joyce Hammer, Jim Bowden, Lori Croff, Shelley Fuller, Greg Stanbaugh, Stan Sweet, Teresa Hancock, Steve Puckett, Fred Girt, Leticia Perrin, Nicki Haueter, Karla Rifkin, Mark McKelvey, Brenda Markel, June Kroeger, Jodi Gayewski, Erika Fenesty, Teresa Stacey, Carrie Hacker, Tony Crane, Becky Lancaster, Tony Jones, Teri Jones, Joyce Hammer, Ruth Greiner, Samantha Dew, Christy Marshall, Michael Marshall, Bill Moriarty, Elaine Dunham, Paul Zenchenko, Mary Hoffman, Judy Polhamus, Dave Polhamus, Pam Connelly, Penni Fields, Sabrina Walker, Lori Horath, Lyn Phillips-Maine, Carol Shipp.
Board Chairman Tom Bennett started the meeting by thanking everyone for attending and then introduced Board members, Superintendent Giles Parker, and Assistant Superintendent Jeremy Lyon. He stated the purpose of the meeting was to receive public input on the recommendation made by the Resource Advisory Committee regarding school configuration next year. After thanking Mike Hughes for his hospitality, Chairman Bennett explained the Board was here to listen and gather public input. He assured the audience the Board had not come to any conclusions and would not until they’d had a chance to receive different opinions than already received. He asked those who’d signed up to speak to stay within a 3-minute limit. He invited those not comfortable speaking in public to send communications via the Internet to the District or to individual Board members. All communications will be shared with other Board members. Mr. Bennett then asked Dr. Lyon to provide a brief review of the recommendations made by the Resource Advisory Committee.
Dr. Lyon said the district is faced with between a $1.5 - $2.5 million budget deficit with many contributing factors including loss of state funding and decreased student enrollment. In preparation of building a balanced budget, the Resource Advisory Group was formed – a 20-member citizens committee of parents, employees, local business employees, and members at large. The charge to them was to answer two questions – how should the school district be configured relative to grade alignment and number of schools; and what steps should the district take to balance the 2002-03 budget. One of their tasks was to look at where the district is going in terms of student population and come up with a “final configuration” of schools, with the concept that the quicker we can get to that configuration – the number of schools it takes to educate the students in our community – the more efficient we can run, and we can put the issue of school closures behind us. This committee did a very thorough job of looking at the issue from all different angles. Dr. Lyon read their recommendation.
“Based on its review of the relative strengths and weaknesses of the various options, the committee recommends the following grade alignment beginning with the 2002-03 school year:
· Primary – Kinderarten through 4th grade to be housed in three of the existing five grade school facilities. Due to the capacity of Blossom Gulch, it should be one of the three schools remaining open.
· Intermediate – 5th and 6th grade to be housed in one facility, most likely Millicoma Middle School due to the number of students.
· Middle School – 7th and 8th grade to be housed in one facility, most likely Sunset Middle School.
· High School – 9th through 12th at Marshfield High School with alternative education programs at the Harding building.”
Dr. Lyon said the committee provided rationale for making that recommendation. He commented that this is the second of two public input meetings, and the Board will hold a special meeting on April 15, 2002 at which time they will discuss and potentially decide on a direction for next year.
Brad Lillebo – Brad is a 26-year teacher in Coos Bay, 10 of them as a 5th grade teacher at Milner Crest and the rest at Sunset Middle School. Although he remembers the fear parents and teachers had bringing the 6th graders to the middle school, everyone is comfortable with it now. Kids are resilient; they are survivors. They made the transition easier than many expected. Brad said he had no doubt 5th graders could do the same thing. He said the 6th grader today has evolved into a different 6th grader than the 6th grader in elementary schools. He said he understands both options – and both have upsides and downsides. He said, however, he felt the 5-6 at Millicoma and the 7-8 at Sunset offered the most for our students in overall growth and well being. He said there are many teachers who feel the recommendation made by the Resource Advisory Committee is a sound one. Brad stated the Board, parents, and people of Coos Bay need to know the staffs at Millicoma and Sunset can and will make the restructuring work, no matter what decision is made.
Chris Cartwright – Chris has three children in the school system, a 2nd grader, a 4th grader, and an 8th grader. As he was considering the options, familiarity with the “structure” made his determination that 5-8 would be the best configuration. That would be a similar span as other schools – K-4, 5-8, 9-12, and even college with four years. It gives them something to look up to, and teachers would encourage the older students to be good leaders. Chris felt his up-and-coming 5th grader would do better in a 5-8 school.
Roxanne Steward – parent of a 6th grader at Millicoma Middle School, provided a background of herself and her schooling. In her high school years, she faced issues of drugs and alcohol as a result of bad choices. She dealt with and overcame them. When her daughter was ready for school, she entered her into a private Christian school. They moved to Coos Bay before her 4th grade and did not want to put her in a public school. They did put her in public school for her 6th grade and she had concerns of a quality education, concerns of drugs and sex, concerns of a 6th grader being with 7th and 8th graders, too many kids, and too few teachers, etc. Her concerns dissipated, and the system has proved good. Instead, her daughter feels secure and confident. Given a choice, Roxanne would support having two 5-8 schools. She had a question for Board member Don Blom, who recently attended a meeting with school board members from all over the United States. She asked if he inquired about the idea of a 5-6/7-8 junior high versus a 5-8 middle school.
Don Blom said 16,000 school board members from across the country attended the National School Board Association convention he was at last week. They talked to everyone they could about the situation. The focus of the meetings was increasing student achievement. There is a trend towards the 5-8 middle school.
Teka Steward – daughter of Roxanne Steward and 6th grader at Millicoma Middle School, talked about her fears before attending school with 8th graders and what they might do to her. Now she is isn’t that scared because the kids don’t do that. Teka said she does see 8th graders and has some 8th grade friends. Bathrooms are separated from 7th and 8th grade bathrooms. The “H” design of the building puts the 7th graders between the 6th and 8th graders. Teka felt the 6th graders would be a good influence on the 5th graders. She said she would learn to deal with the situation if the recommended proposal goes through but expressed concern especially about activities like student councils and sports teams.
George Vandervelden – father of a 5-year old and a 1st grader, shared his concern about losing their current baby sitter, who is state certified. He encouraged them not to close Eastside.
John Mobley – spoke as an Eastside parent and member of their parent organization. There is a community situation between Eastside and Millicoma. They share food preparation, joint evacuation, student aids come from Millicoma to assist at Eastside, the Millicoma Marsh proximity, there is a fire station next door and a police officer on staff at Millicoma, a newly-installed covered playground funded by the parent organization, the school is structurally sound and has a roof under two years old, the state report card showed Eastside rated STRONG for two years running. John said they are proud of their school and deserve a shot at staying open.
Les Willett – a teacher in the district since 1978, moved with the 6th graders to Millicoma when the outlying schools closed in the mid-80’s. He previously taught at Coos River Elementary School and at Sunset Junior High School. He said when the 6th graders first came to Millicoma, they were treated like other junior high students – seven different classes, electives, p.e., etc. Many were not ready for that, so they decided to change the curriculum to reflect the needs of the students. Staff and parents looked at various models of middle school configuration and curriculum. Always the focus was to serve the students with the available resources. Middle school is the time to open doors, to try things like electives, extracurricular activities, and academics specifically geared to a population who was ready to try things. Changes made, plus the fact the students knew where they would be for three years, made it a positive experience for most of the students. Sunset also has a successful model of its own. Les felt the fact that there are two middle schools not exactly alike is a strong point. As athletic director and a coach of 18 years, Les spoke about athletics and pointed to studies which show that extracurricular activities are positive influences on all students, especially at-risk students. Only recently have they had to cut some sports due to financial difficulties. Both middle schools have 7th and 8th grade A and B teams – 40-52 students on each team. He expressed concern how the district could serve these students if they are all in one facility and keep the same number of students involved. Les also talked about the burden on the family and students if they don’t live close to the facility, considering they practice after school. Mr. Willett submitted that the 5-8 schools were the best option to meets the needs of the students. He questioned abandoning the middle school configuration they have developed over the last 17 years for something we’re not sure about.
Karen Scott – a parent of a kindergartner, 4th grader, and 6th grader, was opposed to putting 5th, through 8th graders together. She said her child’s emotional state was more important than the transportation problem. 5th and 6th graders together would create a stable environment.
Charlette Straight – a Charleston resident with no children in school at this time, spoke about the community needing Charleston Elementary School. If you take the school away, you break down the community. Going way back, she said K-8 would work very well. The little kids looked up to the big kids in the school.
Jared Bassett – a 6th grader at Millicoma Middle School, said he really does not like the idea of being bussed over to Sunset, as buses aren’t much fun. He also does not like the idea of changing schools every two years. Jared felt they could keep the 5th graders separated and supported having two 5-8 schools.
Lynda Sanders – representing some of the staff at Millicoma and Sunset Middle Schools, recapped some concepts shared at Sunset the previous week, which supported the 5-8 grade configuration. She talked about the students sense of belonging, increased transportation if grades split, and the impact on special education students. Stan Sweet passed out information on research on 5-8 schools and communications from staff in support of 5-8 schools. Lynda said they took a poll to find out how students felt about busing. About 150 students were asked, “If there is a chance the way middle schools are set up next year would involve longer busing times, transportation people estimate it would take an additional 20-30 minutes each way to get across town. Would you be in favor of having the increase of 20 minutes to an hour on the bus each day?” Only 7% were in favor.
Karen Robb – Karen was a member of the Resource Advisory Committee and is a parent and a teacher. She said the committee worked towards a consensus; personal feelings were not considered. Karen said that transportation was a major concern of hers as their family made a life choice 25 years ago to live in a rural setting. They realized they would have to make many sacrifices by the choice they made. She asked the Board to consider all the ramifications the transportation issue brings with it. Karen also felt the additional transition would be hard on the students, even though they “move with friends.” Children become attached to their teachers and even the building – it’s their second home, providing stability and a sense of loyalty. Karen also questioned the number of students who could participate in extracurricular activities if the grades are split and expressed concern about discipline problems. The transition from 6th to 7th to 8th grade is a natural one. Karen said she has taught for 23 years, 16 of them in Bandon, which has had a 5-8 school for 27 years. It can be positive; it can be effective. It creates fewer transitions, more opportunities for students, and eliminates the transportation problem.