One of the more notorious quirks of the Amherst Elementary Schools -- half day on Wednesdays -- is about to go the way of dogs swimming at Puffer's Pond: Abolished.
In order to come into compliance with state law for "time on learning" but not disrupt the busy schedule of the average family, starting in September the elementary schools will start ten minutes later (8:50 AM) every day of the school week. Dismissal will be at the normal 3:10 PM, so the only major difference is no longer having the 1:20 PM release on Wednesdays.
Or a net gain of one hour of school time. Yeah.
This realignment/normalization of hours will probably also make Leverett, Pelham and Shutesbury look a tad more favorably on the elementary school regionalization effort currently on a fast track.
28 comments:
The real question is how many more administrators will be needed now that the Wednesday schedule will be thrown off and one hour added. Teachers might need new administrative support staff. Perhaps even an administrative coach to help them figure out what to do.
Great comment Walter. I agree. How many more administrators will be needed to hand-hold the entire group!!!
Leverett, Pelham, and Shutesbury Elem. Schools all have short school day Wednesdays too. I wonder if these schools will now change their schedules. Some parents, though not many to be sure, actually prefer the current Wednesdays schedule over full days... With Amherst going to full day Wednesdays, if the other schools do not change to full Wednesdays too, it could impact family's school choice decisions both coming into Amherst schools and out, and the other schools too.
A main issue I have with regionalization is that Amherst will probably end up paying more while the smaller towns all save money. The proponents of regionalization talk about the benefits of aligning the curriculum more across all the elementary schools. Well, Amherst is still working on aligning the curriculum in Amherst schools and still has a long way to go on that. I don't see how adding 3 school elementary schools, all with populations significantly different and less diverse than Amherst's will help.
Actually the smaller towns are worried that regionalizing with Amherst will cause their costs to go up with Amherst benefitting from lower costs. I do not know which side is accurate, though.
I'm not sure the smaller towns will save money. If that happens it will only be a short-term savings. I can't imagine that the fiscal problems Amherst schools have won't affect the other schools negatively. Maria was quoted as saying that "nothing will change" for Leverett & Shutesbury if they regionalize with Amherst, but if anyone really believes that, there's a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you. If you can share in the wealth, you also have to share in the unfortunate cuts that have been announced by Maria. And down the drain go the "specials" in Leverett & Shutesbury - the arts, music, language, gym. Well, it's a given that the regionalization committee is going to vote to proceed with plans to regionalize. The towns vote in November. I hope our parents and everyone else who is concerned do their research and are able to read between the (political) lines. Our kids' future is at stake.
Specials have not gone down the drain in Amherst so I don't know why regionalization would cause them to go down the drain in Pelham, Leverett and Shutesbury!
Leverett & Shutesbury devote quite a bit more time to specials than Amherst and Pelham. It remains to be seen how regionalizing would affect the current situation. I guess my concern is the ability of Leverett & Shutesbury to maintain their current level of control over their schools under a regionalization with Amherst.
anon@1PM
at the least, language (a special in Amherst listed by anon@1209) has gone down the drain. Although that program never had the support of the Ms Geryk and thus was withering anyway (IMO)...
Does anyone know how many minutes per week or per day Leverett, Pelham and Shutesbury spend on specials?
Spanish was put into the specials rotation and has been there since it started..not sure how Maria Geryk was supposed to show more committment? Which academic subject was she supposed to curtail so that Spanish would have more time devoted to it? Which special was supposed to be curtailed for Spanish?
Very easy to take potshots but lets back them up with some facts and ideas. The SC voted to make Spanish one of the specials slots and that is where it remained. My child has taken two years of Spanish and I do not think the program was working very well. It will be offered as an after school option. Perhaps it will work better there. Who knows. But I do know that Spanish was placed in the curriculum as the SC directed - in the specials rotation.
Again, what other areas should be cut to make more room for Spanish? Any ideas anyone?
How weird to argue for regionalization to align the curriculum then tell Shutesbury and Leverret that they can keep their programs, like math, spanish, etc. They may be allowed to keep these programs in the short term to get them to sign on to regionalization. But the new and future regional school committees and superintendents will have the power to decide this in the long term.
to anon@436:
to my knowledge spanish has never extended to the upper grades. BTW I wasn't especially in favor of the program myself. I was simply pointing out that there is a special that is being cut (perhaps the only one). Jeez...
The time spent in specials was included in the consultant's report on the impacts of regionalization on education. There is a table on the time in specials in each school.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bwel5m9tNAI-OVQxUHdYdzFzRVE/edit?usp=sharing&pli=1
The Leverett and Shutesbury schools do spend more time on specials than Amherst and Pelham do. Maria G. has told schools that with regionalization, they can hold onto their unique special offerings, yet it is not at clear how that would work once the curriculum and the time for different subjects) are aligned across schools.
That's the point the superintendent is telling the schools what she will allow them to do. And then what will future superintendents say?
She already treats Pelham like another school in Amherst. What do you think will happen in Leverett and Shutesbury? As with most things, the superintendent will say whatever she thinks will get it through.
It continues to be appalling that a community that considers itself as illuminated as any in America cannot make a lasting, meaningful commitment to teaching a foreign language in the elementary schools, something Northampton was doing back in the Johnson Administration.
Our country does not seem to place the same value on communication with other countries as do those in Europe and Asia. We think of English as the universal language, and indeed, most other countries make sure English is taught very early on. But it's a bit arrogant of us to take that as a given and not make a very serious effort to reciprocate. Spanish, Chinese, even Russian, are important languages for us to at least be somewhat familiar with in this day and age. As far as Leverett & Shutesbury schools go, I see no advantages at all to regionalizing with Amherst, just trouble.
I am betting that Leverett and Shutesbury will vote not to regionalize with Amherst. I believe, for those two towns, the decision is made by the respective school committees and select boards. It will not be put to a town-wide vote, as it will be in Amherst.
Anon 9:06: If it's up to the select board in Leverett they will definitely regionalize. They're chomping at the bit to leave Union #28.
Yes, Amherst will have a town-wide vote, but I think it's actually up to town meeting in both Leverett & Shutesbury. I don't know if the select boards can override town meeting votes but Leverett's board will surely try if town meeting doesn't go their way.
Anon 9:45 - You are right. I erred when I said its up to the SC and SB. It is up to Town Meeting. Sorry for the error.
I do not think Town Meeting will vote to regionalize.
anon 9:45
Why do Leverett and Shutesbury want to leave Union28?
I am not sure that Amherst would vote in favor of regionalization either. I haven't heard much about how regionalization would benefit the Amherst schools and the costs of public school education for Amherst taxpayers is not expected to decline with regionalization, at least not from what information we have heard so far.
Surely someone has some updates to share on this issue?
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bwel5m9tNAI-eUpWNGF5dERVN1U/edit
Well, apparently Shutesbury has spoken but DeChiara isn't giving up quite yet. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.
Perhaps Leverett will come to its senses and back out before it's too late.
It is very interesting how the Spanish program was cut and is being judged when the program was run by the teachers since no one was in charge. Now they are saying students were not learning enough. Nobody came to observe, nobody took an interest. Now tell me if you are leaning a new language and you only take lessons 40 mins a week, how much do you think you will be able to learn? Also, at Fort River the program for 4th grade had a different rotation in the special schedule which had students having to wait sometimes weeks between lessons. I believe the program was set up to failure since the beginning.
Hah! I knew it. Shutesbury HAD spoken but DeChiara just rescinded his "no" vote. He's bound and determined to regionalize with Amherst and thereby ruin the Shutesbury Elementary School. You'll see, Michael, you'll see.
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