Grade alike schools added to February school board agenda

MT. PLEASANT — At work session, Monday, Jan. 23, the Mt. Pleasant Community School Board placed age-alike schools as an action item on the Feb. 13 school board meeting agenda.

The work session focused on the advantages and some of the concerns for switching to grade-alike schools for the next school year.

“Students… parents, teachers, board members, administrators meet three times a year and we consider the big questions,” Superintendent John Henriksen said.

According to Henriksen, many of these conversations revolve around programming.

“Grade-alike elementary buildings or moving out of the neighborhood schools back into grade-alike had come up every year for several years,” he said. “We would talk about some of those advantages, but then COVID hit and we didn’t meet as a team for a couple years.”

This past fall, this group, the School Improvement Accountability Committee (SIAC), began to meet again and discussions continued.

According to Henriksen, the following are advantages of grade-alike schools put together by SIAC:

Improves the opportunity for teachers to plan, collaborate, communicate and schedule together.

Improves curriculum and instructional consistency across the grade level.

Allows for targeted supports and interventions to focus on a much smaller span of grade levels.

Increases the opportunity for teachers to specialize content, curriculum, and instruction.

Eliminates stigma of students from certain elementary schools.

Builds grade level cohesiveness for students moving to middle school.

Switching buildings, every couple of years allows students to experience different building cultures and leadership.

According to Henriksen, most of the disadvantages presented by SIAC revolved around logistics of transportation and pick-up.

“There were quite a few social emotional responses about siblings being separated and relationships with teachers,” Henriksen said.

“There was concern about our special education students having to transition buildings every two years,” he said. “The transition of students in general having to transfer every two years.”

Jessica Howard, Mt. Pleasant School District parent, expressed concerns about transitions, and losing kids with all of the transitions.

Howard explained how her sixth-grader Camden struggled with ADHD and found success in a K-5 elementary through teacher supports and mentoring opportunities.

“From a parent that watched their child thrive in a K-5 school, you’re taking that away, and that’s huge,” Howard said.

Board member Josh Maher posed a question to the board that they may need to be more transparent about the board’s long-term plans for the school district’s elementary schools.

“I think they need to understand what our long-term thinking is so they understand the process,” board member Melinda Huisinga said.

“It’s almost madness that everyone is agreeing that this is what’s best for kids and we exist for teaching,” Curriculum Director Angie Butler said.

“I fully support that with the research,” Maher said. “We still have to address those concerns our parents have…”

Another parent expressed concerns about how fast the plan seems to be moving.

“My concern is that if the master plan for the district is not transparent, you won’t get parent buy in,” the parent commented. “Having been in situations where there are strategic plans in place that take a number of years for transition and implementation, to implement a change this drastic to a community school district this vast.”

This parent also brought up concerns about the lack of including Salem Elementary in these plans.

“This is going to have a very direct impact to [Salem],” the parent said, “because those kids are going to be implemented into the middle school eventually and so that other portion will have to be addressed.”

“My question to the board, is why is this being looked into being implemented for the upcoming academic year, verses having this be implemented with enough time, 24-25, to allow for plans for transportation and logistical concerns and be able to gradually implement this?” the parent concluded.

“I’m not sure how long the board wants this process to take,” Henriksen said. “Maybe it’s not the board. Maybe it is educating other people on it. I don’t think, my personal opinion, I don’t think it is going to change people’s opinion on K-5.”

“I agree with Mrs. Butler,” he said. “If we think this is the best way to educate and serve our kids, this is something we should move to. If we don’t feel like it is the best thing for kids, then we should keep doing what we’re doing.”

Despite concerns about needing more time to plan and educate from both parents and board members, Henriksen asked to put grade-alike schools on the February Board Meeting agenda as an action item.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com