District 15 Board Approves Early Release Friday

During what was - at times - a tense meeting Friday night at Sundling Jr. High School, the District 15 school board ultimately voted in favor of instating an 'early release' for students on Friday afternoons starting in the next school year, to allow for teacher development time. 

The vote was by no means, clear-cut.

Board members Tim Millar, Scott Herr, Manjula Sriram and Gerard Iannuzzelli voted for early release, while Richard Bokor voted against it. Peggy Babcock abstained from voting. David Seiffert did not attend the meeeting; Millar said Seiffert was out of the country and unable to participate in the meeting.  

"I still have many questions; more than answers," said Babcock. "I worry about junior high students being let go early on a Friday, we haven't been able to sit down with the CTC [Classroom Teachers' Council] and ask what their rationale is." 

That statement drew audible discord from a large group of the more than 75 people in the audience.

Board members verbally disagreed.

"We did reach out to the CTC, staff was directed to reach out to the CTC, they did not provide additional information on their position or rationale [for wanting a late start]," Millar said. 

Herr and Iannuzzelli agreed in similar statements. 

"We’ve posted several occasions for people to share their viewpoints, the CTC has known about this issue since last summer and has not been involved," Sriram said.

Sriram added that parents have known of the coming schedule changes since December 2012, and referenced their high level of engagement through communication forums, public meetings, petitions and hundreds of emails sent to all board members leading up to the vote Friday.

Bokor said there are a number of competing factors to consider on the issue.

"Administrative preference, parents, the CTC, the legal definition of 'overwhelming majority' [against late start], daycare, and effective construction of professional development-we have not tried to reach a compromise," Bokor said. "The CTC said last week they would meet us. I cannot make a decision, I need more information." 

"Our attorneys reached out to the CTC, they have been given ample opportunities," Herr said. 

Members of the audience were then given an opportunity to speak to the board. 

“These are the facts as I understand them today. The times that teachers are in the school won’t change, and beginning and ending times don’t change. Time teaching in the classroom will not change,” said Angela Santoro, a District 15 parent.

“We understand the CTC has been asked, but they have chosen not to participate. At the end of the day, the CTC could take legal action, especially if [the vote] is early release. It would mean that our tax dollars would not go to schools, teachers, or classrooms or children. That money would be used to define two words-overwhelming opposition,” she said. 

In the most recent contract between the school district and the CTC, it states that changes to when teacher development time would occur could be considered by the CTC if there is 'overwhelming opposition' by parents. The parameters on what that actually means have yet to be defined. 

"Working parents are really going to struggle [with a late start]. We all know when parents struggle, children don't do well," said Lisa Szczupaj. "Children who miss the bus don't go to school that day." 

Szczupaj said she has no doubt - if the CTC chose to take legal action against the school district for an early release decision - 'overwhelming opposition' from parents has already been proven through surveys and participation in a Change.org petition she started. 

". Sixty-eight percent more respondents chose an early release Friday as their first choice than chose a late start Monday," Szczupaj said. 

Also mentioned was that early morning and after school programming, in addition to tutoring by teachers, would all not be affected if an early release option was chosen by the board. 

Before the vote was taken, Babcock asked Scott Thompson, District 15 superintendent, to explain his position on the issue.

"The teachers feel they had an agreement for a late start. I believe they feel we are violating our agreement. I believe we can make a late start work and that would be my recommendation," Thompson said.

He added that having teacher development on Friday afternoons if early release was approved, would not be an effective time for teachers to utilize additional instruction. 

Loud 'boos' then came from a large majority of the audience members.  

After the motion for an early release was made by Herr, and before the vote was taken, Iannuzzelli spoke. 

"Multiple parties are affected. Students and student safety-a late start would increase the risk of leaving children to lock the doors in the morning, some parents don't have [work] flexibility," Iannuzzelli said. 

"Teachers would have consistency on Fridays [for development time] and could reflect on their training over the weekend and prepare for the following week," Iannuzzelli said. "Mondays or Wednesdays [late start] doesn't seem effective-we need to consider the people who pay for this district to operate."

"I reviewed the district survey results and emails. The words that came to my mind was there is an 'overwhelming opposition' to late start," he said.