How do Sisters families see school excellence?

Newspaper articles detail major ongoing budget shortfalls for public schools. National TV news and major news magazines decry the floundering public schools screaming alarm at 30 percent dropout rates. Bill Gates is championing the hotly debated movie "Waiting For Superman" which sends a dire message about the state of our public school system.

Gates followed up last week in the national press with a strong call for education funding reform which included a call for the elimination of teacher's automatic seniority increases. He favors pay based on demonstrated teaching excellence.

But even in light of all this negative news about public schools, when asked about the quality of Sisters public schools, most Sisters residents reply that Sisters public schools are excellent.

In earlier articles The Nugget explored the "excellent" job Sisters school district is doing relative to other Central Oregon districts, and Oregon public schools in general.

After reviewing the rating data presented in previous editions of The Nugget, parents and students were asked if they believe Sisters schools are excellent and, if so, why.

Despite all the test scores, AP rating data, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) judgments, magazine rankings, OAKS test data and national ratings data, none of the interviewees mentioned test scores as the basis of their judgment of excellence in the school system.

One middle school parent summarized it this way: When asked "Do you want your child to be able to compete on the world stage?" his answer was "No. I want her to find her passions and be able to act upon them in a way that enables her to make a living doing something that is meaningful work to her.

"I don't see it as a competitive question; I see it as a fulfillment of potential question on an individual level. Competing for what prize?"

Cathy Stadeli has a child in each of the three Sisters schools. Her family moved here five years ago from the Silverton area.

"We don't need to have our kids in honors classes," she said.

She had high praise for the middle school leadership class.

"I really hope they don't cut this class. This class turned my son's life around."

She spoke of major growth in self confidence and engagement with his classes. She spoke of excellent teachers her children had encountered and of the high standards of personal responsibility and mutual respect clearly expected of students and, in particular, student athletes at Sisters High School.

Zander Albertson, a Sisters High School graduate in 2009 observed, "Even as a freshman there is a niche for you, someone cares about you. 'We want you to succeed.'"

Albertson spoke of teachers engaging one-on-one with students, expressing high expectations and requiring the students to exercise critical thinking in resolving questions based on real-life situations.

Everyone interviewed spoke of engagement and a sense of community. Each mentioned that "everyone is watching you," which makes it harder for a student to make a bad choice.

Specialty classes such as the aforementioned leadership class, the Americana Project music program, the Wolftree programs, and the integrated outdoor education (IEE) class were noted not only for the "hard skills'" they impart, but even more for the tendency of these courses to build self-confidence and a positive sense of place. This sense of place gave students a respect for and an appreciation of the unique environment where they live and learn.

When asked about how well prepared he felt for college, Albertson said, "There are very few if any ways that I feel I could have been better prepared."

To date Albertson has found the lack of rigor and engagement in his college courses disappointing when compared with how he was challenged at Sisters High School. "Some Japanese kid may be able to smoke me in math, but I believe in life skills, and solving real-life situations I am much better prepared."

As a direct result of their very positive feelings about the engagement and caring they experienced as Sisters school students, and keying off their outdoor education and IEE experiences, Albertson and his friend Parker Bennett have opted to pursue careers in teaching IEE-style integrated classes and coaching.

The ongoing budget crisis at the national and state level promises to put ever-increasing pressure on the schools to do more with less. This in turn will make defending the programs that make Sisters School District unique all the more

difficult.

The district is already gearing up for the next budget cycle. New superintendent Jim Golden has indicated that his contacts in Salem are anticipating flat funding for the next two-year budget cycle, but with ever increasing expenses, some quite significant.

"I see three major scenarios," said Golden. "The first option is to 'bet on the come' so you spend all your reserves in the first year hoping that the second year is not so bad or you take all your hits there. The second scenario is the 'everybody is hungry' scenario where you cut across the board and just sort of hobble the system. The third scenario is the 'get 'er done' and cut now and say this is what we are going to operate on now."

The budgeting cycle has already begun within the district and after the first of the year, citizen input will be solicited. Regardless of the scenario that evolves it seems clear that programs will be cut. Deciding which programs are offered up will force the citizens of Sisters into what Golden refers to as a "values clarification."

On one side will be those that view the public schools as a primary social institution with the charter to develop "good citizens" that are good in the basics but also capable of functioning well in society by exercising such skills as critical thinking, conflict resolution and values assessment. On the other side will be those that view public schools as an institution secondary to the family social structure and responsible only for teaching the basic skills of reading, writing, and math, with values, self-discovery, and self-expression taught at

home.

What is your experience of the school system in Sisters? Let The Nugget know. E-mail [email protected]