SFL program spurs Potter-Dix debate

The Success for Learning program and teacher collaboration times were topics of discussion by Potter-Dix Board of Education members at their May meeting.

President Claire Smith said that the SFL program “ties into the idea about the sort of improvement programs that maybe work better in a shorter time frame.” She went on to say that SFL “seems to be working some of the time for some of the kids not all of the time for all of the kids.”

Smith pointed out that sometimes transportation issues prevent parents from getting children to the program.

They have been working on next year’s schedule to discover a way to conduct interventions on a daily basis, especially in junior high. They are thinking if they get this to teachers, they will be able to work it in their schedules.

Smith said that the junior high total PE time has been reduced to make time for some of those interventions.

Board member Mike Rotert explained that some kids were motivated to do better the next week if they were taken out of PE just to do the intervention on week.

Superintendent Kevin Thomas pointed out, however, that the children’s PE time had already been cut, so it can’t be cut anymore.

Thomas said that the way they hope to run that is by making Wednesday’s start time at 9:00 a.m. and dismissal time on Friday at 2:00 p.m. to give high school teachers collaboration on a weekly basis.

“Hopefully in that half-hour the teachers will be able to discuss aside for the week, where they need to be, who needs to do what and the principal will be on top of that and make those kids strive,” he added.

The program is available for any children who needs the help. Thomas said that the elementary teachers don’t want to lose the SFL time; it has worked for them.

Thomas invited the members to tell him another time that might work better; this time is what he is recommending because he doesn’t know of a time that would be more effective to do this for the high school.

He added that he had discussed this with staff at several meetings and that they never brought him back any other suggestions that he remembered.

It was pointed out that some sports are on Wednesday.

Board member Chandell Oleson commented that, as a parent who works full-time, it is difficult enough dealing with the shortened Friday hours as it is, let alone having a school day that doesn’t begin until 9:00 a.m. to drop her children at school. She asked if the day could be on Friday instead of Wednesday.

Oleson said that as a parent and is already having to make adjustments for Friday afternoons she’d rather go ahead and make them for Friday mornings also instead of two different days in the week.

If the collaboration times changed to Friday afternoons, it was pointed out that many teachers who are coaches would be absent from the collaboration meetings. And another point was made that they have a lot of Fridays off.

Thomas agreed that there would be a few absent and that fall would be the hardest time but that it wouldn’t be so bad after that. He said they would just have to be on top of their game and get prepared for the next week on that Friday. Thomas added, “We just need to do something.”

Rotert responded that if you tell parents that their kids are going to start school at 9:00 instead of getting on the bus at 7:30 a.m. “get ready for the phone to ring.” He said that he sees a huge change.

This was left open for discussion.