Change is the forecast for Community High School District 94 next year, including a new principal, Moses Cheng, and looking into entering a different athletic conference.
However, teachers did not openly welcome two changes — the addition of an eighth period and the restructuring of school departments, which were unanimously approved by the School Board Feb. 6.
“It was important to have these changes in place for the new school year and get them started with the new principal,” said School Board President Tony Reyes.
The board approved adding an eighth period for teachers and students to work together on goals, Reyes said.
“The class will meet for a half-hour advisory period, plus discuss current events,” he said.
A curriculum is to be developed for each grade and will have a pass/fail grading system. The concept came about after the board explored the possibility of a modified block scheduling to combine some periods three days a week to allow for longer science labs, assemblies and tutoring time, but a committee of parents, teachers and students recommended the new 25-minute advisory period, he explained.
“The flex-eight schedule meant a daily change and the advisory committee felt a daily implemented curriculum for all four grades would be best for the students,” said Barb Laimins, president of the Association teachers’ union. “Our concern about starting for the 2007 school year is not having a true curriculum in place. It takes time to develop. We have to make it meaningful for the students, plus make certain administration and faculty are on the same path. We are not protesting the schedule, just the timing.”
Reyes said the board did not see any reason to postpone the start of the new schedule. To assist the committee in planning the curriculum, the board is committing 800 additional staff hours, using $21,000 from a grant, he explained.
The restructuring involves the change from the 12 current department chairs to nine division heads, which will be administrative positions.
The change includes the discontinuation of activity director and assistant athletic director, and creating the new position of division chair for student activities and athletics. It also eliminates the position of director of curriculum, instruction and staff.
Superintendent Leroy Rieck said the re-definition would save money, expand leadership roles, benefit the students and eliminate conflicts of interest.
In the restructure proposal to the School Board, he mentioned the current department chairs have been members of the teachers’ association since 2002.
“A key task of chairs is the evaluation of teachers,” Rieck said. “This is also a conflict of interest in that role when evaluating teachers who are colleague members of the Association.”
“We have had no problems with conflicts in the past. Issues were easily settled and resolved,” Laimins said.
Equity in responsibilities is another facet for the change, explained Rieck.
“The difference in responsibilities of the department chairs is not completely indicative of the number of teachers in the department as currently conceived,” he said.
Rieck said some chairs have greater demands, such as grant writing and monitoring, equipment purchase and inventory, and dealing with high-risk student populations. Basing compensation and released periods solely on the number of teachers in departments is not equitable, he said.
Another factor involved is budget reductions and/or a lack of properly certified candidates in some departments have prompted the insertion of administrators into the role of chair, citing the example of the superintendent becoming the unpaid chair of the Learning Resource Center and the principal becoming a paid chair for the Fine Arts Department, Rieck explained.
With the retirement of the principal, special education administrator, team leader in the Special Education Department and the chair of the Foreign Language Department make restructuring at this time more conducive, Rieck said.
Laimins explained it is not that teachers are averse to change, but so much at one time is difficult.
“We also are dealing with larger classes and the monetary difficulties of the district. Another problem was the lack of communication between the administration and the persons affected by the change,” she said.
She said she was briefed on the restructuring about two weeks before the board meeting and the department chairs were told Tuesday afternoon before the board meeting.
“This involves a change in career direction for some,” Laimins said.
The current department heads have the opportunity to apply for the new positions, which were posted Feb. 7. Interviews are expected to begin Monday, Feb. 26, and hiring to take place shortly after that. The division heads responsibilities are to develop curriculum, evaluate teacher performance, teach one class per semester to maintain credibility and touch, and, some may oversee a school-wide initiative, Rieck said.
“This is a wonderful change to the school and improves the overall results aligning the division heads to the administration. The changes will continue to add to the quality of our school,” Reyes said.
