Plans for development of an alternative school to serve students in the Belle Plaine and HLV school districts took a step forward this week, as the Belle Plaine Board of Education voted to continue exploration of the plan and directing staff to return with more details next month.
Several administrators and staff recently visited four other school districts that have established alternative schools for students who are not succeeding in the traditional school setting. They visited Monticello, Tipton, Sigourney and Williamsburg. Those who spoke at the board meeting were impressed with what they saw.
Cherie Brown, a building head and teacher, said what she saw was better than she expected. She said there was flexibility in each program to adapt to the needs of each student. The accountability factor was “amazing,” she said. And though the students in each program came from different circumstances, there was a real “cohesiveness” to the members of the classes.
Principal Dennis Phelps said each of the programs was unique and all four districts made it work.
Board president Joyce Livermore was also impressed and she said that if the Belle Plaine and HLV districts decided to proceed, they would be able to make the program their own. “This is not an easy way for these kids,” she said. “It’s not the first consideration, but it is a way for them to succeed.”
Superintendent Bill Lynch said the visits were positive. He also said that Kirkwood Community College has offered to assist in the development of the program and a representative of the college accompanied the local educators on the visits to the other districts.
Board member Don McKinney said each student learns differently and this might be a way to give special attention to those who might otherwise fail.
Board member Mike Bachelder seemed to favor the concept, but he was concerned about the cost of starting the project. The district continues to face declining enrollment issues and the prospect of another possible state aid cut next year. He said he would hate to have the program started, then have to cut it for budget reasons.
Board member Jim Pierce said there are several questions to be addressed, including where the school would be established and what curriculum would be used. He said that contrary to rumors in the community, the board had not decided where the school would be. Reports that it would be placed in the soon to be vacant junior high building were at least premature. Lynch said the other possible locations would be a “school within a school,” using a classroom in either the Belle Plaine or HLV buildings.
With that, Pierce moved to continue exploration of the project, with the intent of establishing the school in a room in the HLV district, with that district’s board approval. The motion passed unanimously.
Another item which prompted considerable discussion was a request from the administration to allow the guidance counselor to work several extra days to help finalize student schedules for next year. But several board members questioned why these extra hours were needed this year, when in the past the principal did the scheduling as a part of his 11-month contract. Lynch explained that scheduling is complicated this year with the combining of the junior and senior high schools into one building. Phelps said that scheduling students who take some classes in the HLV district was another factor.
But earlier in the meeting, the board discussed when the ICN room would be completed at the high school and what courses could be offered over the televised network. Pierce suggested that if additional hours are needed, perhaps they should be included in August, prior to the start of school, when school officials know the availability of the ICN network.
A motion to approve the additional hours failed, 5-0.
The board also received an update on the construction projects and was asked to approve a couple of change orders. One was for $688 to install a window between the librarian’s office and the computer lab at Longfellow. The other was a request for an additional $2,205 to add two more drains in the area of the mechanical equipment at Longfellow.
Pierce asked why that change order was being requested now and why the architect didn’t include it in the original design. Officials explained that the mechanical engineer requested the two additional drains in the area.
The board approved the change orders, but directed staff to consult with the district’s attorney to determine whether the district or the architect should be responsible for the added cost of the added drains.
In another move, the board decided to halt construction on a storage addition on the north side of the high school gym until new designs for a much larger room can be developed and bids let. The original room had been 11 feet in length, but members of the board decided to possibly increase the size of the room to 30 feet.
Following a public hearing, the board approved the calendar for the 2010-11 school year. Classes will begin on Wednesday, Aug. 25. The Christmas break will extend from Dec. 23 through Jan. 1. Spring break will be March 25-28 and the scheduled last day of classes will be May 26.
The board accepted the resignations of Cathy O’Hara and Leah Mast, cheer coaches. Permission was granted for members of the science club to take a three-day trip to Chicago. Club members will pay their own expenses and the school district will furnish vans for transportation.
The board also set a fee of $300 for out-of-district students who wish to take the driver education course in Belle Plaine.
The final item on the agenda was a closed session for the annual performance review of the superintendent.
