Parent input sought on year round school plan

No plan will be adopted on year-round education in the Sisters School District until the district has heard from parents and the community.

The school board decided Monday night to present plans and hear comments from parents in at least two school board meetings before adopting a plan.

School board chairman Bill Reed said he is concerned about an apparent lack of interest being shown by parents. He said it is "terribly frustrating" when no one shows up at meetings. He said last year the board held at least four meetings and there were fewer than 10 families attending.

Tim Comfort, principal at the Sisters Elementary School, heads a staff committee charged with coming up with year-round education models. Comfort said in checking with other districts that have adopted a year-round calendar he has found that typically, the public does not respond until only days before the schedule is to begin.

He said various means to reach the public have been planned, including notices in the Nugget, coffee klatches and other methods. He said he already has had numerous questions posed by parents.

The board presently favors a "single track" calendar of year round school. On this calendar, all students attend school on the same schedule but there would be more and shorter breaks. Comfort will present several scheduling models, but one might be a nine-weeks-on, three-weeks-off calendar with adjustments made to coincide with traditional holidays.

Reed said the overriding rewards of such a schedule is a distinct improvement in "academic standards and performance."

With shorter breaks, less time is spent in review than under the present schedule.

Despite the year-round schedule, students and teachers would not necessarily be required to spend more days in class than under the present schedule.

Board member Harold Gott said, "It is my understanding we are moving toward a multi-track schedule, but not this coming year."

Reed said the single track system will position the district to move easily in to multi-track system. This system places portions of the student population on different, overlapping schedules.

Such a system might have one group in school while the other is on break. This system enables the district to handle a larger student population without necessarily needing more classrooms.

The multi-track option is attractive to districts like Sisters which face chronic overcrowding and lack funds to build new facilities.

Comfort said he would have several single track options for the board to study, and the public to comment on, at the December board meeting.