The 2006-2009 teachers contract with District 150 specifies that teachers’ “hours of work” are “six (6) hours and thirty (30) minutes for primary and middle schools,” and six hours thirty-five minutes for high schools. By comparison, Pekin District 108 teachers’ work day includes the six and a half hours of the school day, plus thirty minutes before and twenty minutes after those hours, or about seven and a half hours. Dunlap schools have a similar requirement.
At Monday’s District 150 board meeting, union president Bob Darling spoke to the board during the “audience presentation” portion of the meeting, and among other things he defended the hours of work by saying, “I don’t know any teacher that only works six and a half hours.” The implication is that, even though they’re not contractually required to work longer, most teachers put in much more time than the minimum. I have no doubt that his assertion is true.
Nevertheless, because of the contractual limitation on hours, the school board only has six and a half hours to work with when scheduling the day. If they want to add teacher collaboration time to the day, they can’t tack it on before or after school, nor can they require teachers to use their prep periods (use of the prep period is also restricted in the contract). The board’s only options are not to add teacher collaboration time, or to take time away from the students. The latter is exactly what they did when they established so-called “wacky Wednesdays.”
I think critics have a point when they ask what other full-time job requires only six-and-a-half-hour days (32.5 hours per week), 180 days a year. I’ve never heard of it anywhere else. Full-time jobs usually require eight hours a day (40 hours per week). If teachers worked a standard full-time shift each day (or even seven and a half hours per day) with teacher collaboration time and a prep period(s) built in, then the district wouldn’t have to take time away from the students and the collaboration time would improve instructional quality, right? And since they’re already working those extra hours anyway, why would they object to making it part of their contractual work day, especially when it will greatly benefit the students and not obligate teachers to any more time than their peers in other districts?
You know you’re on the blog too much when: Tonight coming home from dinner the Adkins-Dutro children said some things that made us all laugh. Six-year-old Jhaydon said, “Sharon, put it on the blog.” Hot in the City: Your blog stated very well what Terry Knapp suggested at dinner that I should put on the blog as soon as I got home–thanks for saving me the time. The invitation to become a certified teacher is open to all. Jon, I do not totally disagree with you. I know people who are not certified that would do very well in the classroom. Kcdad is one. Frankly, I do believe the “art of teaching” might even be considered a God-given talent. During the 1960s my education classes for certification were a complete joke–absolutely no content. Later, when I took education classes in the 1980s I had to admit that the courses were far more credible and helpful. I firmly believe that elementary teachers really do need methods classes–that there is some credible research about child development that does guide the classroom teacher. I believe that fewer hours should actually be spent in education classes, however, especially for high school teachers, and that subject-matter courses are far more important for teachers of high school courses–to them to keep up with what is new in their field.
On the usual subject regarding time, Jeff said he might not have time to get on the blog, but that the public really needs to recognize how many teachers were working volunatarily and happily throughout the district at yesterday’s registration before their contractual year has yet begun. At Peoria High today (and undoubtedly all over the city) many were again working voluntarily in their rooms. Many of the teachers have already worked probably 16-20 hours before their contractual year starts. Let’s see–that’s 20 hours “paid ahead” for that 1-hour you all want added to the school day.
C.J., back to your original argument–which is Jim Stowell’s argument–about teachers in Pekin, etc., working 7.5 to 8 hours a day. Terry has addressed this at many BOE meetings. I believe those hours are actually a bit inflated and don’t exist in reality. How many of those hours are actually spent in the classroom and how much of the time is the “contractual time to be spent in the building before and after school?” Go to those buildings and check out how soon after the students leave, you also see teachers walking out the door–and how many come in a little later than expected in the morning. They don’t punch time clocks and principals probably pay little attention to the few who leave because most stay in the building most of the time–just as they do in 150. Much of it is just on paper–not what really happens.
C.J. wrote and the contract he put on the blog states, “By comparison, Pekin District 108 teachers’ work day includes the six and a half hours of the school day, plus thirty minutes before and twenty minutes after those hours, or about seven and a half hours.” Today at church, I spoke to a Pekin High department head. This is what I learned:
Pekin students have a 6-hour day, starting at 8:00 and ending at 2:42—Students are in the building for 6 hours and 42 minutes.
Woodruff, Peoria High, and Richwoods students have a 6-hour day (new schedule ) starting at 8:20 and ending at 2:50 – isn’t that just 6 hours and 30 minutes
It appears that 150 high school students are in school about 12 minutes less than Pekin students are—which does affect the total time count for teachers by 12 minutes.
Pekin teachers are expected at 7:20 and leave at 2:52 (from my information, just ten minutes—not 20, as the contract seems to state) after the students leave. That’s 7 hours and 32 minutes for teachers.
Let’s say (conservatively) that 150 teachers are expected 20 minutes earlier than students and can leave 20 minutes after students leave (it could be 30 minutes both times, I don’t know) – That would be 8:00 to 3:10, which is 7 hours and 10 minutes. If they are expected 30 minutes before and after, then a 150 teachers’ day would be 7 hours and 30 minutes—same as Pekin.
So just what is the argument? At worst, 150 teachers put in 22 minutes less time—which wouldn’t be the case if 150 weren’t cheating students out of 12 minutes—then Pekin and 150 would be almost the same.
Anyway it is true that Pekin teachers are expected to be in the building 7 hours and 32 minutes. Now I didn’t ask, but I would be willing to bet that as is the case in all high school buildings, if you stood at the doors in the morning, you would notice that some teachers will regularly arrive later than 7:20—and that no one is punching a time clock.
Pekin does not have any regularly scheduled weekly or daily teacher collaboration or common planning. As this teacher stated, the collaboration is done mainly through the curriculum guide—high school departments do get together at specified times, but certainly not daily.
On another note, accidentally and happily at church, I ran into a friend who is a teacher at Richwoods who was talking to Steve Ptacek—glad to meet him and find that I will probably be seeing more of him.
C.J. – “The 2006-2009 teachers contract with District 150 specifies that teachers’ “hours of work” are “six (6) hours and thirty (30) minutes for primary and middle schools,” and six hours thirty-five minutes for high schools.” Just talked to Terry and he stated that the contract does read that way–the there is some terminology called “past practices” that assumes, of course, that teachers are expected to be in the building at least 15 minutes before and after students come and go.
The new schedule for next year shows that six hours and thirty minutes are the exact hours that students are in the building. From the 150 website: “Woodruff, Peoria High, and Richwoods students have a 6-hour 30- minute day (new schedule ) starting at 8:20 and ending at 2:50.” Why, by an stretch of the imagination, would anyone assume that teachers are allowed to come in with the students and leave with the students? That would just be way beyond reason. A minimum of 15 minutes extra before and after has always been expected. That extra 30 minutes would bring 150 teachers to 7 hours. I, too, find it strange that the contract doesn’t specify teacher-hours–certainly for perception’s sake, if nothing else. I guess the taxpayers still want another hour. Personally, I think 150 should specify the added time as Pekin and Dunlap obviously do–then some teachers would still do what they do at all the schools–come late and leave early without anyone watchdogging them.
It was great meeting you today Sharon.
I was going to post an invite for everyone to come to our Fresh Start night. I often get questions about what I find important as an administrator and I spell it all out that night. I will post the invite next year. (It was last week.) Jeff was there as a parent and I look forward to working with him this year. Also, I got to meet his family last week.
CJ… this edit works great!
Yes, Don had only a few minutes earlier told me that you had been coming to our church; it was a pleasant surprise to run into you–looks like you have a couple of really cute kids. With Mahliyah at Richwoods, we probably will all be running into each other often. It’s great that Peoria is such a small world–and this blog is becoming an interesting mix of people. I think Karen may be helping with diving at RHS. Mahliyah was really excited to get her band uniform this week.
Here’s one for everyone to figure out—
I have 2 HSers. We get their bus assignments last week. They have an early bird class that will begin at 7:20. The bus will pick them up at 7:15. When I call the bus barn to inquire about it I am told that the bus only has to drop them off before the bell rings and it will, at 7:19, because the driver says they can get from our house to the school in 4 minutes!
This was a problem last year (along with having to arrange for an early bird bus to begin with). We fought with them for the first week about a pick up and thought we had it all settled only for the bus to NOT pick them up for the entire 2nd week (driver apparently would be running 15 minutes ahead because no one was being picked up). We took them to school the entire year after being late to classes for a week and a half (that were counted as tardies).
Whatever it takes to save a buck, right District 150???
From your house to Central in 4 minutes??? NO WAY!!!! Not unless it sirens and lights aflashin’!
I don’t don’t know where you live exactly relative to Central but if the bus really can get to the school in 4 minutes, then your kids can probably walk.
Dist 150 should try saving money by not bussing kids who really are within walking distance.
My kids are in the Fine Arts Academy at PHS. We live more than a mile away (I run over that way and I hit the 1 mile mark long before I get there). I just went to pick them up from a marching band function and it took me 7 minutes, with 1 red light. I don’t know how they bus thinks it can get there in 4 minutes.
They have walked to school this summer for band practice and to the pool for swim practice and it takes them about 30 minutes. They have talked about biking to school, but there are no bike racks provided and no where to lock them up.
There is something Dist 150 could invest in…. bike racks. Then fewer kids would need to ride the bus. A two bike, U rack that mounts onto existing concrete runs around $60. An 18 bike ‘grid’ rack runs around $210.
http://www.globalindustrial.com/gcs/cat/info/4933/sub/2/category.web?&infoParam.campaignId=T9A&gclid=CLaYjfHHvJwCFQoMDQodclbBnQ
Maybe some parents could donate one?
Here is a useful tool for figuring distances: http://www.mapmyrun.com/
That is one of the tools I use to design new running routes.
According to that, we live 1.87 miles from school and that is directly to the front door not going around the block to the side door by the pool.
Wonder what sort of reaction Dist 150 would get if it discontinued bus service to students who lived less than 1 mile from school, for grade school, and 2 miles for junior high/high school students. How much money would be saved?
How much money would they save if they shut down the entire system and gave vouchers to parents to hire private tutors?
Probably not enough to cover the insurance claims for students injured on the way to school because they had to walk in the street during the winter months when there is snow on the ground and people don’t shovel sidewalks. I know from speaking to principals that the district is responsible to each student from the time they leave for school until they return from school.
I know if my students were forced to walk to school and were injured by a car, a mugging, or, heaven forbid, a shooting, just so the district could save a few bucks, I would be meeting with an attorney!
As an aside, my 19 y/o delivered newspapers in this area and last week he had a gun pointed at him at 4 am. The guy was looking for a rival gang member and thought my son was him. My son quit his route that day.
In the winter months, it gets lighter later and some students have early bird classes. Let’s see, let’s imagine that it is January, it snows the night before (we all know that Peoria isn’t too keen on plowing) and students have to walk to school because they live 2 miles or less from the school. School starts at 7:20 and they will need to be there with enough time to take their jackets to their lockers, put homework away, retrieve books and supplies needed to class and go to class. If they run (assuming a 10 min/mile pace), it would take my children almost 20 minutes just to get there. Allowing for time to do those things mentioned earlier,they would need to leave 30 minutes before school starts (that would mean they are leaving at 6:50. But wait, I forgot to factor in that they can’t run because it has snowed, so they will have to walk which could potentially add 15 minutes to the walk. So now they will need to leave their homes at 6:35.
I think I see a problem with this. Catching a Citylink bus would be better in that they wouldn’t have to walk to school, however they would still need to leave their home by 6:45 to catch a bus that would get them to school in time for class.
This is a hypothetical situation, but I hope you can see why many parents are opposed to changing the bus routes. I think 1 mile is too far for a primary student to walk to school, just as I think that 2 miles is too far for an older student.
I guess they could catch a ride with a friend that has their license and hope that they aren’t breaking the law by taking friends to school because they haven’t had their license for the required 6 months yet. Or, better yet, hope that they don’t get into an accident on the way to school riding with a friend, who, legally, can’t drive more than 1 friend at a time!
I honestly understood the need for busing in the 1960s–no reason to argue about that now–it happened. However, I think that after racial segregation began to subside as real estate opened up throughout the city, the district should have been proactive to ease back into neighborhood schools again. The choice schools–Edison and, I guess, I’d have to throw in Washington–and then the high school academies (which have not been a total success anyway) have increased, not decreased, the need for busing. Hindsight is so much better than foresight–but some of us did see the dangers that 150 ignored.
BAMC, I’m certainly sorry to hear about your son’s experience–and I don’t care how much we try to play down the dangers, the streets of Peoria are often not safe, especially, in the darkness of morning and night. My cousins and I had these discussions last night at dinner. My cousin and her husband–both black–raised on Peoria’s southside–now college graduates with children at Peoria Academy and thriving there–were recalling the minor disadvantages and dangers of living on the southside in their youth compared to today’s circumstances. The district can’t have been expected to solve all the societal problems that have created these changes, but I think the district has been moving in the wrong direction for quite some time, mostly because the decision-makers refuse to look at things as they are–they are still looking for magical cures instead of real solutions. Perhaps one of the solutions would have been neighborhood schools with all kids walking in the mornings–some with parents–you know taking back the streets. Maybe even that is too idealistic–or too late to turn it all around–hope not.
The not so hypothetical… in another city, from 5th grade on, I road the city bus 6 miles across town and then walked another mile to and from school every day of the year. Everyday, whether it was the coldest of months or the hottest, light or dark, I walked. It is totally doable.
The idea that the school is responsible for my safety to and from school is ridiculous. That may be the law today but that sure was not, nor currently is the sentiment of myself, or my parents at the time. I can see District 150 being responsible for the children if they are riding a bus or are supposed to be riding the bus. If they opt to be dropped off by parents, walk, ride bikes… refusing the bus service, then 150 should be totally off the hook.
Kids should be able to walk a mile or two easily. If they can’t then you are parenting wrong…. ie too much tv, video games, food… etc. Even in 1st grade I was walking by myself a half mile to and from school, and that’s if I took the shortest route. Mom knew how long it took to walk the distance. If I wasn’t in the door at X:XXpm my ass was chewed and possibly worse.
Mahkno–I did all those things, too–the walk to Kingman wasn’t so bad through 8th grade. I walked the Rock Island Railroad tracks from Park Street to get to Woodruff–rain, shine, snow, etc.–always with friends. My parents didn’t have a car–so we all rode the bus almost everywhere–walked three or four blocks down to get to the bus and then up hill to get home–sometimes late, late at night. I frequently walked from Averyville to church at 800 Madison on Sunday nights, etc. On a few good days I even walked from home to Bradley when I was in college–up the hill in Glen Oak Park. However, I don’t think we can just suddenly go back to those days again–we have become a mobile society. You are overlooking a whole lot of reality that has taken over since we walked to school. It takes more than just a few people dedicated to turn back the clock to return us to what we may or may not consider the good old days.
“Kids should be able to walk a mile or two easily. If they can’t then you are parenting wrong…. ie too much tv, video games, food… etc. Even in 1st grade I was walking by myself a half mile to and from school, and that’s if I took the shortest route. Mom knew how long it took to walk the distance. If I wasn’t in the door at X:XXpm my ass was chewed and possibly worse.”
For the record, my students are 3 seasons athletes at school and often carry their gear with them because the lockers they are given for sports are easily picked and we have stuff stolen from them.
Yes, they can walk to school, but why would I put them in harm’s way? If I knowingly let them walk to school in the dark of morning or home in the dark of night in an area that is known by my family, personally, to have gang activity with gun involvement then I am neglecting my duty as their parent to protect them.
I do often drop them off because the bus can’t be bothered to pick them up and take them to school with an arrival time of no more than 1 minute to get to their lockers and class. That is the crux of my original post. I did not set out to have you criticize my parenting. I often arrive late to work (I’m a substitute teacher), by my standards, because it falls on me to make sure they get to school on time, that is what is expected of me by society. When it is warm, they will walk to school, but I do worry about them.
bamcdaniel and Mahkno:
According to an article on Yahoo News, school buses are being cut from the budget of many cities like Houston, TX. Last month, the financially pressed Houston school district decided to end bus service for students living within two miles of schools.
here is the link:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090824/ap_on_re_us/us_back_to_school_bus_cuts;_ylt=AmTNQWR9sCp5yn9Jj0ArdUl2wPIE;_ylu=X3oDMTNmZWFjZmExBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkwODI0L3VzX2JhY2tfdG9fc2Nob29sX2J1c19jdXRzBGNjb2RlA21vc3Rwb3B1bGFyBGNwb3MDNwRwb3MDNwRzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3JpZXMEc2xrA2ludGhlcmVkdXNzYw–
Emerge–
Thanks for the link. I understand that D150 needs to cut costs somewhere, my concern is, when will it start to affect those on Wisconsin and NOT the students? So far they have closed primary schools, re-arranged the bell schedule, voted to close a high school (not named yet), pink-slipped teachers, and increased classroom size all to the detriment of student learning. What have they done to eliminate excess spending on the administrative side? They haven’t done anything. In fact, they just hired a retiree for $42,000/6 months. I don’t mind making concessions, as long as they are across the board, not just directed at one segment of the population.
In April, after hearing the plans to close Kingman, I sent several e:mails to board members regarding different ways to save money. During the presentation by PMA, there was never an increase in transportation costs for the different scenarios we were shown and I questioned this. I also suggested that cuts be made as far away from the students as possible. To me, this means administration. This is the response I got from then-president Gorenz:
As was shown last evening transportation is reimbursed well by the state. In addition we already bus many students so there is not as much increase as you would expect. We have been making budget reductions over the past 3 years and they have been in many areas that do not effect the classroom. The saving in regards to closing a building is in regards to the facility but also the savings is by having fewer staff. I know it is popular to say that administration should be eliminated but really that is not feasible. The administration however is being reduced as Supt Hinton mentioned last evening. The Board has looked at many different options and will continue to do so.
This was after the April 6 board meeting.
They don’t care about transportation costs. That much was made pretty clear with this e:mail.
I asked District 150 spokesperson Stacey Shangraw about this. She talked to the principal at Central and informed me: “There is a [bike] rack on Richmond St. by the pool.” Hope this helps.
CJ—
The bike rack is at the pool, not on PHS immediate campus. The district does not own the pool (that was one of the reasons cited for closing it, I believe) and I’m not sure if the district owns the property. It is my understanding that if a student uses the bike rack at the pool to lock up a bike and it is stolen, then the district is not liable for it, the park district would be.
Anyway, I knew about the rack at the pool, as my kids use it when they bike to the pool for work or swim practice (PAWW). Thanks for your help.
Bam,
I have had bike racks at every school that I have worked at. The district hasn’t assumed liability for stolen bikes at any location.
Would the district have to assume liability for our cars if they are stolen? I doubt that. Remember who pays for the district’s lawsuits–the taxpayers!
And pay they will…..oh, will they pay……
That is exactly my point–
Things get stolen from students and teachers by students and the district is NEVER held responsible. As a student, I wouldn’t want to take the chance that my mode of transportation to school and/or job could be stolen and I wouldn’t have any way to get there to earn money to purchase another one.
I’m sorry if I ruffled a few feathers with this. My children have opted to have Dad or I take them to school in order to avoid the bus issue.
Please read my edited version here:
Things get stolen from students and teachers and the district is NEVER held responsible. As a student, I wouldn’t want to take the chance that my mode of transportation to school and/or job could be stolen and I wouldn’t have any way to get there to earn money to purchase another one.
I’m sorry if I ruffled a few feathers with this. My children have opted to have Dad or I take them to school in order to avoid the bus issue.
CJ–my edit feature seems to have taken a vacation!
Bam–If I did, I certainly didn’t mean to mitigate the problem about the bikes. Manual teachers certainly complained because their cars were damaged, things stolen out of their cars, etc. Part of the problem at Manual is that the parking lot is away from all windows–faculty would liked to have parked by the loading dock–even when it was expanded, it was still for special people–well, maybe that has changed; the lot was expanded after I left. There were security cameras installed, but that didn’t solve the problem either. Policing the parking lot was always an issue (not enough security guards to be in and out of the building)–unfortunately, those who want to steal, etc., figure out a way. Of course, not all the damage in parking lots is done by current students–others find the possibilities attractive. For the most part, we just had to get our own insurance to cover damage done at school.
you are all crazy. i grew up in los angeles; a suburb, actually. we didn’t have busing with a unit school district of more than 30,000 kids. My primary, middle, and high school were all .5, 1.5, and 1.5 miles away, respectively. I transported myself to each from first grade on.
think of the transportation cost savings, as well as the future medical cost savings if we had a policy of not busing kids to schools a quarter mile away.
and, please, bikes being stolen? why not equally worry about getting eaten by a bear on the way to school. nonsense…it’s a bike, get over it.
…and sharon, don’t get me started about the problems at manual. no computers. friend of mine is a new hire and they can’t even get chairs or computers in the classrooms. can’t even unlock the display cases because all the teachers that were fired took their keys to said display cases with them. nice. its the day before school starts there and classrooms aren’t set up, computers aren’t available, and the lingering effects of ineffective teachers is still being felt, two years on…
Ed–Strangely enough, two years ago and in previous years there were chairs and computers in classrooms–and, with a few hitches, things were in place at the beginning of the year. The “new” teachers really took the keys–how could that happen? With the old organized system, we had to turn in keys the last day of school–we had a check list and the “keys” were the most important thing on the list. I used to try to get away with keeping my key since I knew I would be back in a week to teach summer school. But, no, I had to have my key turned in before I could officially check out. However, I did understand the danger of losing keys when teachers who may have planned to return the next year didn’t. When you make the comment about “the effects of ineffective teachers is still being felt, two years on”–from where did you get that idea? Surely, the current administration isn’t blaming the old teachers for their continued problems of disorganization. I wonder why all those teachers are so happy in their new schools. The English teachers from the pre-restructured days are scattered throughout the city: 2 at Peoria High, one at Washington Gifted, and one at Richwoods. Math, science teachers and one social studies teacher (I believe teaching in the IB program at Richwoods) scattered to the same places. The way I see the problems–and I know there are many because what happens at Manual doesn’t stay at Manual: Last year was probably worse because there was not one administrator or counselor (and few teachers) left from the previous staff. Most of the new administrators and counselors had never worked as administrators or counselors in a high school–there was no one to ask about even the most routine beginning of the year routines. I know of one student from last year who wandered the halls one hour all semester because she wasn’t scheduled for a class . Scheduling problems were horrendous last year because there was no one left of the staff that knew how to schedule new students, etc. OK, Ed, you really got me started. My most recent comment was that I was so happy that I will never again have to hear the principal say, “It’s no longer business as usual at Manual.”–I thought that slogan was only good for one year, but apparently not. I do assume that scheduling is even crazier this year since it will be the first year for the 1-year courses crammed into 1-semester courses and all the new Johns Hopkins courses added. However, one thing I want to make abundantly clear, I believe that last year’s “new” teachers were very qualified for first-year 150 teachers. They worked at a tremendous disadvantage without older faculty members to teach them the ropes. I am sorry, Ed–now that my rant is over, but many of those former colleagues of mine are probably among the best in 150. This is the problem with NCLB–teachers are getting the blame for test scores. Manual’s scores won’t be going up either at all or significantly–for all kinds of obvious reasons that aren’t even the fault of the current administrators or teachers, but they will get the same blame that the old teachers received. I just wish that they could demand that the central administration face reality and refuse to continue taking the blame that will come their way–it’s inevitable. I hope your friend has a good year–none of this is his fault and new teachers deserve all the help they can get.
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“and the lingering effects of ineffective teachers is still being felt, two years on…”
if you were fired because of inefficient money management at the administrative level, would you drive across town to return a set of keys? I wouldn’t. I’d toss them in the trash.
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I’m not trying to be mean or embarrass anyone here, but seriously folks, let’s show a little more discretion before posting about something as serious as a school shooting. While I don’t claim to have a really large readership, people do read this blog, and statements like this can be very alarming, especially for parents. We need to be careful about what we say.
One more reason why I’m not sure how smart it is for kids to have cell phones in schools. I understand how parents might feel more at ease knowing their children can call at any time. However, I think there are “opportunities” for students to cause some very serious problems that might cause the very problems that parents fear so much. If you recall, a couple of years ago some Manual students staged a walkout (for a positive cause, I believe, in support of teachers–can’t remember what it was though). While it was for a peaceful and brief demonstration, it should have caused many to be fearful of the kinds of events students could pull off very quickly with emotions running high, etc. While I was still at Manual, there was a time or two when a student was sent to the dean for something fairly insignificant. Within a few minutes, a very irate parent responded to the student’s cell phone call. Of course, drug deals and gang fights should come to mind, also, as being much easier to carry out with cell phones for planning. My list could just get longer and longer–cheating, etc., most likely already in operation.
CJ–If my edit function had been working I would have deleted my comment. That is why I asked about it. I didn’t mean to start anything, I was looking to confirm/deny what I had heard.
With classes starting today and bus information sent out last week, I found this info to be important in regards to cost savings.
My children have an early bird class at PHS. The bus info received said that the bus would pick them up at 7:15. At that point, I thought EB started at 7:20 (it actually starts at 7:25).
I call the bus garage to ask about the time frame for pick up/drop off. I am informed that the bus driver says that he/she can get my children to school in 4 minutes (we live 1.87 miles from school). If school starts at 7:20 (the assumption), the bus drivers job is to get them to school BEFORE the bell rings. I was told that by dropping them off at 7:19 they have fulfilled their duties. It is the student’s responsibility to get to their locker and class in that last minute.
If I drive the speed limit down Main St. or Columbia Terr. to get from my house to PHS and I hit every green light it takes me ~7 minutes, longer if I encounter a red light. We live 1.9 miles from the school. How can a bus get there faster?
I now know that EB starts at 7:25. With a pick up time of 7:15 and normal driving conditions, and speeds they would arrive at the school at 7:22, leaving them with 3 minutes to enter the school, go their lockers to get books, needed materials and put coats away (if wearing them,, and get to class.
Somehow, I don’t think this is going to work.
School hours for teachers: Have any of you read thoroughly the charter school proposal–C.J.’s August 11 post? That document certainly commits teachers to way beyond 6 and a half hours a day–it also commits them to a 6-day work week, asking them to be available on Saturdays for parent conferences (doesn’t specify how many Saturdays). I’m still having fun correcting this document–I’m on page 17 and have found 80 grammatical errors; the writer of the document definitely knows nothing about dangling or misplaced modifiers. I still love most the error that seems to fit with our long discussions about the Bible. This charter school not only will prepare the students for college but for the “world beyond”–really, as far-reaching as the hereafter? Talk about Utopia–this school definitely makes Utopian promises.
Has anyone seen the sign on the Beachler gas station?
“Happy Mother’s Day-
The first day of school”
Now if that doesn’t tell you that schools are more about baby sitting than anything else….
That’s great! I just read in the charter school document that the school will be holding mother’s and father’s day celebrations–maybe on the first day of school. 🙂
You have to know who the father is first? Duh ,which guy was it? Then he can be included .