News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sisters schools are studying how year-round education works in other districts and how it might be implemented here.
Woodburn went to a multi-track year-round calendar due to severe overcrowding in their elementary and middle schools. A single-track calendar provides for year-round school -- the same several-weeks-on, a couple weeks off calendar for all the students -- but it doesn't allieviate space problems.
If current growth projections are accurate, Sisters schools will soon become critically overcrowded. The high school is already at capacity; that is why the school board has proposed bringing seventh and eighth graders back to the intermediate school campus.
The board has indicated that even if the proposed bond to build new classrooms at the elementary school passes, Sisters faces a choice between YRE and a building a new middle school in the next couple of years. If it doesn't pass, YRE may become an immediate necessity.
Either way, planning has to start early. Audrisht said planning takes about 16 to 18 months following a firm board commitment to instituting YRE. After that, committees can be formed to to develop timelines, calendars curriculum, staffing plans, registration procedures, scheduling and storage plans.
In Woodburn, parents were allowed to list first choice, second choice and so on for their childrens' track. Audrisht reported that they had 87-90 percent success in fulfilling those requests. She said the average success in providing parent choice is higher. Children from one family are all placed on the same track.
As to challenges faced in Woodburn, Audritsh said that "multi-track is the most difficult because you never have your staff there all at once; you never have your kids there all at once."
She also acknowledged that the schedule raised parents concerns about finding child care and activities for children who are on break at odd times during the year. In Woodburn, Audrisht said, the district worked with the parks and recreation district to provide activities, including indoor swimming, for students.
While she could not cite direct evidence of academic improvement attributable to YRE, she did note that Woodburn's state assessment test scores, which had been steadily declining, stabilized and have started to rise since the establishment of YRE.
And, she said, the staff likes the schedule and think it has beneficial results.
"They feel like they come back refreshed," Audrisht said. "The kids come back refreshed."
Year-round education did not permanently solve Woodburn's space problems; they are building a new middle school which should be ready next year.
Audrisht said the school will be full on opening.
When the new middle school opens, Audrisht said, the district will review whether to stay on a multi-track YRE schedule, return to a traditional calendar, or go to single-track YRE.
She said many parents favor single-track becausde they like YRE but want all the students to have the same breaks. But, Audrisht noted, with the new middle school full at the start, event if the district changes calendars next year, they may have to return to multi-track again.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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