Groves 4-Day Consolidation Plan

8/7/2019 Groves 4-Day Consolidation Plan

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GAPS Funding Dilemma

A recommendation by

Groves Parents

for a Solution Feb.2011



We all recognize that the fundingissue is real and has been forced

upon our School Board and ourcommunity requiring difficult

decisions to me made.



GAPS Guiding Principles;

Protecting Student LearningCriteria stated by district:

Least impact on student learning

Maintaining functional programsActual savings v. level of disruption and long

term consequences

Vision for school district when fundingimproves



Budgetary Reality

• $7 Million shortfall for 2011-12 School Year

• $8 Million shortfall for 2012-13 School Year

• Superintendent’s Recommendation is School

Consolidation to help close this Gap.

• Specifically “Temporarily Closing” Fairmount,

Fir Grove, & Takena elementary schools.

Estimated Total Savings of $400,000 per year



Areas of Concern From Grove

Parent Meetings

Overwhelming parent consensus againstmoving 5th graders into middle school

Flaws with Timber Ridge Model – School was built specifically for separation of

classes (two floors) – NAMS is not.

– Timber Ridge has not had any 8th graders fora full year so no data is available.

6th Graders are considerably more maturephysically and emotionally than 5th graders.

School Consolidation Path Presents the following issues;




Parent Meetings

Currently North Albany Elementary & TheGroves School are rated by the State as

EXCECPTIONAL & NAMS is ratedUNSATISFACTORY.

– Typically adding additional requirements to an

unsatisfactory model (however the quality)does not raise it’s level.

School Consolidation Path Presents the following issues;




Parent Meetings

Keeping the successful model of primary &intermediate campuses.

Primary Campus – N.Albany Elementary. – Available room for reading pull-outs.

– Age appropriate facilities. (e.g. playground)

Intermediate Campus – Oak Grove – Since pull-outs are not mandatory, adequate

space would be available.

– Age appropriate facilities.

If School Consolidation is the Path ;



Benefits of Primary &

Intermediate CampusesSynergy of teaching – More effective PLC.Children develop & maintain relationshipsstarting from Kinder through high school.

Reduces blends & splits in classrooms – Which aren’t optimal with current mandated curriculum

Having more classes of each grade allows moreoptions of spreading kids around for an optimal

learning environment.Allows more teaching styles to be presented. Abetter opportunity to match teachers withstudents.



Another Path

o The 4-Day School Weeko Research and anecdotal evidence indicate that this

approach will allow us to meet our budgetingshortfall while protecting student learning.

o By implementing this for the 2011-12 school year werealize immediate savings and delay consolidation byone year to better study alternatives to closing schools.

o Continue to research the best way to consolidate students.

o Provides time for other impacted elementary schools to comeup with creative solutions.

o Modular units

o Restricting



The 4-Day School Week Benefits

Provides the saving we require and followsThe GAPS school board criteria ofprotecting student learning by;

• Minimizing impact on student learning• Maintaining Functional Programs

• Actual Savings vs Level of Disruption &

Long Term Consequences• Vision for School District when Funding

Levels Improve



The 4-Day School Week Concept

Projected Savings Savings range from 2% to 9% of a schooldistrict's operating budget, according to

available research2009-2010 Operating Budgets of GAPS$68 Million Dollars

2% - $1.36 Million in Savings9% - $6.12 Million in Savings

To cover the $400K Gap Savings would

have to be .58%




Where Do We Get the Savings?

• Transportation

• Food and Food Service Staff• Hourly Staff

• Certified & Noncertified Substitute Pay

• Reduced Workers Compensation• Facilities Operational Cost




Additional Benefits • GAPS current unpredictable calendar is a major

point of contention with parents, teachers, and

administrators. The 4-Day Plan will provide astable calendar for the school year.

• PLC and Staff Development days could bemoved to Fridays, creating uninterrupted

instructional time between Monday andThursday, additionally saving the district moneyby eliminating substitution cost.






Additional Benefits • Positive outcomes cited in research identify increasedattendance for both students and teachers, decline inhigh school drop out rate, decline in student disciplinaryreferrals, fewer class interruptions and distractionsleading to increased efficiency of instruction, better useof class time with more in-depth focus on particularsubjects during a given class

• Allows for greater flexibility in the event of weather-

related school cancellations, as schools can make upmissed days without lengthening the school year

• Many Schools on a 4-day week actually have moreinstructional minutes over the course of the year.



District Comparison: GAPS & Central Linn2010/2011 Calendar

% of Weeks on

Standard Schedule*

36%

100%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

GAPS CL

Annual Elementary

School Hours

1,054

1,026

1,054

1,010

1,020

1,030

1,040

1,050

1,060

OG FG CL

*Standard schedule assumes four full days for Central Linn & five full

days for GAPS; Thanksgiving week and last week of school excluded



The 4-Day School Week ConceptImpact on Academic Performance;

• The majority of existing research, includingsummaries of annual reports delivered to theOregon Department of Education by districts

using a 4-Day week, document maintenance orslight improvement of student achievementacross grade levels.

• The broadest conclusion that can be drawn from

the research is that a 4-day week may have hada positive impact on student achievement; at thevery least it had no negative.




More critical than the length of the day or school year ishow time is actually used in the classroom

"If policy makers could open their ears and eyes to

student and teacher perception of time, they would learnthat the Holy Grail is decreasing interruption ofinstruction, encouraging richer intellectual and personalconnections between teachers and students, and

increasing classroom time for ambitious teaching andactive engaged learning.”

Larry Cuban , (2008) Phi Delta Kappan, 90(4), 240-251

“Fixing School Time”




Potential Challenges; Childcare-Easier to find quality childcare for one day a weekvs. some every day. Lots of middle school and high schoolstudents available to watch kids on those days. Communitypartners could shift Early Release Wednesday activities to

Fridays. Longer school day means children would be cominghome from school closer to their parents coming home fromwork, reducing latchkey issues.

Student Fatigue - Bulk of academic work is placed in theearlier part of the day. "The only major concern was thatsome teachers believed that the longer day would be tiring foryounger children. However, this did not prove to be aproblem, and we now even have full-day kindergarten." -Rachel Yarbrough, Assistant Superintendent, Webster County

School District, Dixon, Kentucky




Potential Challenges; At-risk Students -Concerns arise that a three-day break creates additional difficulties for at-riskstudents and students with special needs,

though there is limited research to support theirclaim.

Shift in Costs-Savings by the District are offsetby new costs incurred by parents for childcareand food. In addition, savings may be found byreducing hours of some of the District's lowestpaid, hourly workers.




• Nearly a 40 year history of use in the U.S.

• Currently in use in over 1/3 of the States inthe U.S.

• By starting in 2011, we’d learn the true

savings in GAPS and be better preparednext year to plan for the 2012/13 cycle.




• "The four-day school week was probably one of those few decisions made in education in the name of money that actually ended up having

educational benefits in terms of the academic performance of kids. Schools end up operating more efficiently, and they can maintain their programs even when their resources have been

reduced .“ Joyce Ley ,

Director – NW Educational Laboratory, Portand-OR

Referring 2001 Study



Thank You



Documents

Groves 4-Day Consolidation Plan