‘Butchered’ budgets put students out of classes

Nearly four dozen Sisters High School students — almost all seniors — have been granted either a daily late start or early release for lack of appropriate classes they could take. Superintendent Ted Thonstad says this is one effect of a reduction in elective classes caused by inadequate budgets in recent years.

Thonstad worked with Sisters High School Principal Bob Macauley to put this and related information together in response to questions from Rep. Gene Whisnant, R-Sunriver (see “Whisnant raises school questions,” The Nugget, p. 10, April 6). The legislator has accepted aninvitation to visit Sisters schools on Friday, April 22.

In reviewing the record, Macauley traced a history of cuts back to 1999-2000, the year Boyd Keyser became principal. Keyser left the district for a job in Washington state at the end of the 2002-03 school year. When he announced his resignation, he commented:

“One of the tough things about being a principal in Oregon is that any more all of us are simply butchers. We are just butchering up our budgets.

“All you do is cut, cut, cut and that’s a hard thing when what you want to do is build programs and be able to say that you made a significant contribution.”

Sisters cut six teachers (4.1 full-time-equivalent positions) at the high school during Keyser’s first year. Partly in response, the school moved to a trimester system from the more traditional semester system.

With five-period days, trimesters allow the school to offer 15 periods a year vs. only 12 with a six-period day on a semester plan. This makes it possible to offer more classes with the same number of teachers.

Even so, the list of classes cut since 1999 is impressive. It includes four foreign language classes, seven technology classes, four classes in the professional/technical category, six physical education electives and 15 other types of electives.

The latter ranged from the American West to freshman humanities to journalism (the school newspaper).

One result of this shrinkage is that during the current trimester 45 students have been granted either a late start or an early release each school day. In 19 cases, the releases are for at least two periods.

Three of the 45 students are juniors; all the rest are seniors.

Thonstad said he is “concerned” about these students, “and particularly those who have (early or late release) for more than one period.

“These are 12th graders who may only need one or two classes for graduation and there will always be some of this. But this is one-third (of the senior class) and is an indication of a lack of electives for these students.”

According to Macauley’s records, a number of students have other arrangements that allow them to miss one or more classes during the five-period day:

• 54 (grades 10 through 12) are involved in the school-to-work program, either obtaining career experience or just working.

• 54 (grades nine through 12) have independent study for one period.

• 58 (grades nine through 12) are serving as student aides for one period.

In an e-mail transmitting this information to The Nugget, Thonstad wrote: “It is important to realize that in some cases students, especially in the lower grades, may have a specific reason for taking an independent study course (ninth grade TAG student taking a music course) or to be serving as an aide.

“So not all of these are due to the lack of an appropriate class at the given period.

“However, just based on the numbers there are too many in each category for a school our size from myperspective.”