MPCSD school day will be longer in 2015-16

By BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

Mt. Pleasant Community School District students will be in school 27 minutes longer per day during the 2015-16 school year as the result of school board action Monday night.

The district has opted for a school year comprised of 1,080 hours (Iowa school districts are given the choice of a 180-day school year or 1,080 hours), and the district administrative team ? according to Supt. Dr. Mike Wells ? learned attendance hours do not satisfy the 1,080 hour requirement.

According to the current school day, classes would be in session 1,041 hours. Consequently, the administrative team recommended adding 15 minutes at the beginning of the school day and 12 minutes to the end of the day. The 27 additional minutes would give the district 1,108.5 hours, Wells said.

School officials also said teachers would report and end the day at their current contractual times so it would be a non-contractual issue.

?We need more time for a defined science program at the elementary school,? Wells said. ?We understand the day is 27 minutes longer, but we truly believe this is best for our curriculum and students. The building principals will have to work with the music programs because this will impact them the most.?

High-School Principal Todd Liechty, who presented the plan, agreed with Wells. ?Educationally, this is the best we can do,? he said.

Director Lonny Morrow said the board has discussed lengthening the school day for some time. ?We are behind and when you?re behind, you have to work harder to catch up. It is a known fact that more instructional hours lead to better academic performance.?

Board member Brad Holtkamp said his concern is how early some students will have to board the bus in the morning. ?Instead of getting on the bus at 7 a.m., they now will have to get on the bus at 6:45 a.m.?

Regina Erickson, school director, said she has received phone calls in favor of lengthening the school day.

The motion to lengthen the day was not passed unanimously. Karl Braun cast a nay vote and Ken Feldmann abstained.

Prior to the board vote, two community residents asked the board to proceed cautiously.

?The (school) day is going to be too long for kids,? warned Tammy Forseen. ?Are the extra 27 minutes for instructional time? This is going to affect sleep, homework and jobs. There are a lot of things to consider.?

Jennifer Crull asked the board to table the matter for more study and discussion.

?The more I have mulled this over, the more I think that ramifications aren?t being considered,? Crull said. ?What is the true purpose of extending the school day? Is it about hours and more contact with kids? If you are starting at 8 a.m., a lot of (co-curricular) groups will have to start at 7 a.m.

?Some studies have shown how important sleep is regarding academic success?We need a lot of open discussion if we are going to lengthen the school day. I ask that you table this for more input.?

Crull also noted that she has two children with ADHD. She said her children have worked very hard to focus in school. ?When you add 30 minute3s a day, it is going to ve very hard for them to maintain focus.?

The 2015-16 school calendar was approved. School will begin Aug. 24 and dismiss May 26, 2016, Graduation will be May 22, 2016.

Wells noted that unlike the current school year, the first semester will not end prior to the Christmas break. ?We can?t end before Christmas, this is the best we can do. It will cause some problems with college courses because the college semester ends before Christmas.?

Other highlights include Thanksgiving break from Nov. 25-27. Christmas break will be from Dec. 21-Jan. 3, 2016. Easter break will be March 25-28, 2016.

Only one weather make-up day (Feb. 15 or President?s Day) is included. There will be 81 hours for professional development with professional development moved from the current Monday morning to Friday afternoons beginning at 2 p.m.

In athletic matters, the board approved resurfacing and repair of the high school track at the Mapleleaf Athletic Complex and heard a plea from Anne Davidson to sanction soccer as a middle-school sport.

?The track is in desperate need of repair,? Wells noted. ?It is in very poor condition and is unsafe for students to compete on.?

Two bids were received for renovating the track. Midwest Track bid $100,820 and Fisher Track $137,304. The district went with the low bid.

Anne Davidson asked the board to consider sanctioning soccer as a middle-school sport. ?We did a club this year and hope next year it is sanctioned,? Davidson said. ?It is a growing sport.?

She said the season was very successful this year with a lot of participation from a diverse group of students. The past year, the sport was offered as a club activity.

Middle-School Principal Jason Martinez said that eight school districts within a 40-mile radius of Mt. Pleasant have middle school soccer programs.

The board set a fiscal 2015 budget amendment hearing for Thursday, May 28, at noon in the Central office. An amendment is needed because the district received $670,000 in grants (increased income) and its expenditures will exceed what was previously certified. The expenditures will be financed, school officials said, by the grants received.

Additional school board news will be published in Wednesday?s News. The board meets again in regular session on Monday, June 8, at 7 p.m.