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Oct 2005 :::

LT Community Advisory Council Minutes

October 20, 2005

Discussion of a Balanced School Calendar

LTCAC Call to Order and Announcements
Co-Chair Report
1. Tom reviews the committee topic choices for 2005-2006 and recommends that the number one choice, Communications, be pursued at both the November and January meetings. At the January meeting the committee will meet with the consultants who have been hired for revamping the LT website for a focus group.
Secretary Report-The members in attendance unanimously accepted the minutes as written for the 9/21/2005 meeting.
Committee Reports
The Homecoming Dance proved to be an example of a goal met in that over 3000 students attended it. The attendees comprised of a diverse group representing the many layers of the LT student body.
The consultants to be hired by the end of the first semester 2005 for the LT website re-design will be directed to the LTCAC in order to accumulate data for their task.
The pilot study for technology involving 20 teachers has been approved. They will begin by bringing technology to the classroom.
Dr. Kelley asked that the LTCAC membership review the School District Goals 2005-2006 (handout) and get back to him no later than November 21 with their comments and suggestions before these goals are ratified by the Board of Education.
Review of LTHS Disaster Plans
1. Critical Incident Plan – Used by staff members only; in place for situations ranging from bad weather to incidents of violence in the school
  1. It was revamped after 9/11/2000.
  2. Copies are not available to the public, but are in the hands of all staff members.
  3. It is updated yearly, but has been used rarely.
  4. The means of communicating parental participation in concert with this plan is being developed now.
2. Crisis Team Plan developed in 1993
  1. Typically used to deal with deaths affecting the school family.
  2. Used 6-10 times a year.
  3. Revised in part this past summer and in the process of a complete revamp.
Superintendent Report (Dr. Kelly) (7:10 pm)
Technology Pilot study starts with attendance at the National Conference for Schools in Denver
$75K budget for the pilot technology study has been approved
Goal is to help integrate technology into the schoolroom
Potential for a partnering with a university in order to complete a technology study at LT
Introduced attending BOE members John Polacek and Todd Shapiro
School Board Member Report (Al Polich) (7:20 pm)
Dr. Monica Schmidt (Principal) and Tom Bartkus (Associate Principal of Curriculum, Instruction and Staff Development) from Lincoln-Way Central High School were introduced by Jim Mshar as guest speakers on the calendar change topic
1. Lincoln-Way Central decided in 2003 to make the school calendar change for exams to occur prior to the holidays.
2. Transition was well received by staff, students and community.
3. Lack of AC in the school kept the first semester shorter than the second semester.
4. Pacing of class plans proved to be a problem the first year that the calendar year changed, especially for one-year classes.
5. One year after the change, the new calendar has been overwhelmingly approved.
6. Some staff expressed difficulties in coordinating family schedules with family members working in other school districts due to lack of coinciding vacation breaks.
7. Sport participation was not appreciably affected by the calendar change.
8. Students work harder the week before the holidays.
9. Approximately 15% of the classes offered are one semester
10. Even groups like Madrigals (having heavy holiday extracurricular activities schedules) applauded the change after completing the first year.
11. The high school has 6 feeder districts. It is not a consolidated district, however, all the feeder districts moved to the new calendar.
12. "Adjustable" calendars dates were moved to after the holidays to accommodate the shorter first semester.
13. Decision for calendar change was guided by what is best for the students. It was announced the spring before it was enacted (announced spring 2003 for change in fall of 2004)
14. The positive outcome was not anticipated but the change has been wholeheartedly embraced as reflected via informal surveys sampling both the student and staff populations.
15. The calendar change was prompted, in part, by the fact that many of the surrounding communities already were running on the same calendar.
16. Ultimately, the change caused students and teachers to be more productive in the days before the holidays.
John Grundke (Director of Athletics) (7:45 pm)
1. Fall season participants would suffer because of lost practice time. Approximately 1000 students would be affected. Driven by the IHSA calendar.
2. Golf teams lose opportunities for 18 hole practice sessions
3. Student athletes end up participating in exceptionally long days (school and sport practice). Athletes can practice before school or after school on shortened or "abbreviated" school days
4. Student athletes seem to be less well prepared than those students who are not the new calendar.
5. Loss of "control" over the athletes as to what they do when they are away from school.
6. Academic eligibility is being checked from the start of the school year because classes and practice begin at the same time.
7. Survey of other athletic directors found that the best solution would be for all schools embrace the calendar change because of the scheduling problems that are inherent with the two school calendars.
8. No schools in our district have changed to the new school calendar.
9. IHSA is looking into altering their calendar by placing "deadtime" at the end of June.
10. Spring sports will continue approximately two weeks past the end of the class school year. Approximately 60 students would be affected.
11. Participation of students in sports seems to be higher with the new calendar because students are in school when the sport teams start practice.
Brian Nolan (Director of Student Activities) (8:02 pm)
1. Advantage for calendar change would be for planning, try-outs, Homecoming prep, etc.
2. Competitive co-curricular participants might suffer for the same reasons that sports would in that there would be less "practice" time.
3. Freshmen would benefit because of the assimilation into school and extracurricular activities at the same time.
4. Spring semester will cause end of school activities like prom to run into final exams.
5. When the calendars of other schools are not the same as LT’s, proms and other events could be attended at both LT and at other schools.
6. Overall, the impact of the calendar change would not be critical to the planning of and participation in extra-curricular activities.
Planning Committee Reports-Members reviewed handouts
1. Jim Mshar (8:10 pm)-High schools with the new calendar
  1. Teachers said that they could cover more material
  2. Athletically: plus for baseball and negative for football; Memorial Day conflicts caused finals to be rescheduled for the athletes
  3. First year was hard, but worth the effort
  4. Staff with students in other districts said that their children would have preferred to make the change at their current schools
  5. Review after the holiday break was significantly reduced
2. Julia Brenson (8:16 pm)-High schools w/finals before holidays
  1. Response in general was incredibly enthusiastic.
  2. No work over Christmas break for teachers and students was a real plus.
  3. AP teachers enjoyed the extra weeks added to the schedule before the Christmas break. It allowed them to cover more material.
  4. Calendar change caused students to be more focused before mid-term exams. Because they were more focused, there were less disciplinary issues.
  5. Students and parents were advised about pulling students out of school for the holidays: there are financial penalties, etc., if the student misses finals.
  6. Family vacations could be planned in early June so competition for reservations and airfare rates were more competitive.
3. Denise Adams (8:25 pm)-Unconsolidated Feeder schools
  1. Teachers take classes during the summer and had no vacation due to the shortened summer. First year is the hardest.
  2. Early school start date considered babysitting service for families with high school students with the early school calendar.
  3. Lack of AC was a concern, especially in areas where classes are cancelled due to extreme heat.
  4. Considerations for success
    1. Keep feeder schools in the planning loop
    2. Where the calendars are not the same, coordinate them as much as possible
    3. Communicate plans with feeder school administration as much and as early as possible
    4. Consider the real needs for AC-warmer in August than in May/June
4. Richard Rasch (8:32 pm)-Parochial Feeder Schools
  1. Parochial schools already deal with many of the problems of lack of AC and dealing with disparity with feeder school calendars.
  2. Schools believe that students do not need review after the break and should be able to retain information taught to them prior to the holidays/breaks.
  3. Hispanic students often return to Mexico for the summer and would not be able to return early for mid-summer school start date.
  4. In general, these schools did not see the need to make the change to a new calendar.
5. Tom Kokontis (8:35 pm)-Elementary Superintendents
  1. Uniformly understood why LT wanted to change the calendar but saw no real benefit to them in following suit
  2. Suggestions were to include staff and community in a non-hurried decision process.
  3. Delay implementation for a year of two in order to allow families to change "annual" travel plans, traditions, etc. to fit with the new calendar.
6. Angela Curran (8:37 pm presented by Tom Kokontis)-Schools that decided against the calendar change
  1. Four of the fifteen schools responded.
  2. Three of the schools did not seriously endeavor to make the change.
  3. Maine Township
    1. Faculty union was opposed
    2. Athletic opposition-football
    3. Immigrant student population would not be able to participate in a shortened summer; they travel home to work over the summer and would miss the first few weeks of school
    4. Religious diversity and religious holidays would not allow the ability to pick up the additional instructional days in the school calendar
7. Is there any empirical data showing that student performance is really improved?
8. Is the change only accommodating holiday breaks?
Dr. Kelley stated that the BOE has done very little research to date regarding the issue of changing the school calendar. LTCAC is charged with directing the Board to take the issue on as an action item to investigate. This is an issue that would take years to assess.
Student LTCAC members said that the feelings were mixed among the students that they polled at LT.
Many of the LTCAC Staff membership stated that the lack of AC at LTHS is a big issue to be overcome before classes in early-mid August are considered for the calendar
LTCAC Membership stated many issues to be considered in order to provide the calendar change that would benefit all parties involved: equal sized terms, coordinated schedules with the feeder schools, holiday breaks without assignments, etc.
Al Polich wanted everyone to understand that a vote for the issue to be investigated by the BOE would mean diverting Board energies away from other critical issues that they are charged with administering.
New Business (7:21 pm)
The LTCAC voted 3 to 1 in favor of charging the BOE with the task of investigating the school calendar change.
Vote for BOE Recommendation (8:58 pm)
Meeting Adjourns (9:05 pm)
Angela is out of town. Tom chairs the meeting alone.