While officials do not foresee needing to increase most class sizes above what they were last year, the waiver gives the district flexibility if they need to take such action. At the board's June 9 meeting, Dr. Judi Jones, the district's chief accountability and research officer, said the waiver is needed for some classes that might need to be increased.
On May 24, the state Board of Education voted to lift its regulation on class sizes for the 2010-11 school year. As part of its resolution, school districts are required to submit a letter of notification if they intend to increase class sizes beyond the old state-mandated maximum. Those levels were one teacher for every 22 students in kindergarten, 23-to-1 for grades one through three, 30-to-1 in grades four through eight, and 32-to-1 in grades nine through 12. The waiver has been put on the consent agenda - meaning it will likely be approved in one vote, without discussion, along with a number of other items.
Thursday's 7 p.m. meeting will likely be short since most of the board's agenda items are on the consent agenda.
Only two items are slated for discussion and possible vote. One of which is the extension of Ombudsman Educational Services' contract to oversee the new Oakwood Digital Academy. Approval would add $891,000 onto Ombudsman's $1.6 million contract with the district, and put it in charge of the district's alternative education school.
Despite repeated pleas from Oakwood teachers, students and alumni, the board officially turned the high school into a digital academy that replaces teachers with computers when it approved the fiscal year 2011 budget in a 6-1 vote, with Alison Bartlett dissenting, on June 9.
Ombudsman is a Libertyville, Ill., company that educates middle and high school students in the district who are on long-term suspension or expelled. By expanding the contract for Oakwood Digital Academy to Ombudsman, the company will also educate the district's alternative learners, such as young mothers, largely using computer programs. Under the new Oakwood Digital Academy, the school will serve 180 students, offering three, three-hour class sessions per day, five days a week, and one night school session four days a week.
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Not a single politician going to stand up and fix this?
How about an activist group?
Surely there's a free lawyer or 2 just waiting to make a name for herself?
Sanderson said he would leave his job at the end of his current contract, which expires June 30, 2011.
No they did not.
Watch the June 9th meeting and you will literally hear Constantino, the research guru that he is, stumble through a questioning by Bartlett.
He admits that they performed NO research.
And the statistics that he quotes are absolutely wrong!
ABSOLUTELY! I am an educational researcher...Number one factor in student's academic success and motivation to stay in school-THE TEACHER! Research also states, as it would reasonably follow, student academic success, as well as, many other positive influences a teacher may have on key and essential developmental, both cognitive and behavioral, aspects in our young children lives-DIMINISH AS CLASS SIZE INCREASES!
I'm a West Cobb teacher as well, and I would almost be willing to switch places with you. I KNOW that my middle school has set all classes at 37, 7 over the "indicated" max. Having 5 periods per day, God help me and my 185 students. I can assure you that lab classes will be far and few between. It is unsafe and irresponsible to have this many kids experiment with electric circuits, chemicals, and other lab materials. Maybe someone should alert the public that the number per classroom is an average of students and not an actual number per classroom. Better yet, I wish someone from this paper would actually find out what this mystery formula is and print it so that we all understand what "class size" really is.
To do as you suggest would mean that the board would have to admit they made a mistake. I don't see THAT happening with this school board.