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2 school calendars, just in case
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · January 22, 2015
So if the state rejects West Branch Community Schools’ reasons to start the school year when preferred, that means:
• Instead of starting school on Aug. 17, school will begin Aug. 31.
• Instead of finishing the first semester before Christmas break, the semester will end Jan. 22, which likely will mean homework during the holidays.
• Instead of seniors getting out on May 12, seniors will remain in school until May 31. Graduation will be pushed back from May 22 to June 5.
• Instead of the last day of school falling on May 19, that will move back to June 7.
And, school administrators argue, those reasons do not address their biggest concerns of how the state’s new push to start school closer to Sept. 1 will lead to a “significant negative educational impact” on West Branch pupils.
The Board of Education, at its Jan. 12 meeting, talked most about the deepening ties between the high school and colleges: nearly 60 percent of seniors and more than 30 percent of juniors take college courses.
“We believe in a K-14 system of education,” school leaders wrote in a draft letter to the state.
Board member Mike Owen pointed out that Gov. Terry Branstad, who pressed for the Iowa Department of Education to make it more difficult for schools to get waivers to begin the school year in mid-August, did not call on colleges and universities to change their start dates. Owen presented calendars for Kirkwood Community College and the University of Iowa, showing that both plan to begin classes for the coming school year on Aug. 24.
Superintendent Kevin Hatfield presented two draft calendars for the 2015-16 school year. If the school gets the early start waiver, West Branch will begin classes a week before Kirkwood and UI; if the school does not get a waiver, West Branch will begin a week later than the colleges.
“I just hope they will consider the high school kids getting college credit,” school board member Richard Paulus said.
Branstad sent a letter to the IDOE, arguing that “starting (school) in early to mid-August unnecessarily interferes with families’ summer plans and seasonal hiring while it does nothing to improve the quality of education. It also results in students missing class to participate in 4-H, FFA and other Iowa State Fair activities.”
School board members took this to mean the governor values tourism and the Iowa State Fair over education. The Iowa State Fair this year runs from Aug. 13-23.
The school’s draft letter, which was only up for discussion, also argues:
• that 95 percent of Iowa schools use the early start waiver
• school boards … can decide what is best for their students
• that the school’s decision to end the first semester before Christmas break met with “significantly positive” input
• Since all West Branch schools have air-conditioning, they do not need to cancel or let children out early on hot days, which used to typically happen in August. Instead, most weather problems occur in winter, which means make-up days tend to make the school year cut further into June.
• “A one-size-fits-all approach, like most things in education, generally ends up benefitting a few.”
• “Tourism, while important, should not play a role in determining what is most important for Iowa’s students.”
Owen argued that the way the law is written to allow early start waivers, “the school has a role here.”
“(The law) doesn’t lay out what’s right or what’s wrong” as far as guidelines for starting early, he said, which leaves it up to the discretion of the IDOE.
Board President Kathy Knoop said her initial reaction to the governor and IDOE’s change is defiance.
“Who would police that,” she said. “This brings out the 10-year-old in me. (If we start early,) what are you going to do?”
Owen said that as much as the board dislikes the change, he encouraged them to follow the law.
“I don’t think we want to do what the legislature does,” he said sarcastically. “We want to follow the law.”
High School Principal Shannon Bucknell pointed out that if the school district does not get the early start waiver, the football team will have its first game before the start of school. A look at the activities calendar shows that also would be true for volleyball.
Owen said the state’s change would have a “ripple effect” well beyond the individual school schedule.
Knoop agreed.
“We’re going to hope they come to their good decision-making skills,” she said.
Knoop and board member Deb Schreiber encouraged people to contact their legislators to consider repealing or changing the law.
“Hammer on them,” Knoop said.
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