By Kayla Crance

Assistant Editor, Buscovoice.com

CHURUBUSCO, Ind. – If you are interested in whether or not the Smith-Green Community Schools’ board of directors will vote to move forward with the proposal to reconfigure Smith-Green, you will not have to wait much longer.

The administration held two parent meetings to discuss the reconfiguration proposal.

The board plans to vote on the proposal at a special meeting scheduled this Wednesday, Dec. 16, at 7 p.m. in the CHS/CMS library.

At the Dec. 7 school board meeting, Smith-Green Schools’ administration presented the proposal to the board in hopes the board would approve it and they could move forward with the plan; instead, the board tabled the decision pending receiving more information.

Those who feel strongly about the plan, one way or the other, should contact the board members before Wednesday in order for the thoughts to be taken into consideration. To quote SGCS Superintendent Steve Darnell, “We want what you want.” Tell the school board members what you want to happen.

Let us here at Buscovoice know, as well. And remember, you heard it first at Buscovoice.com.

School board members include:

• Tanya Young – Young.Tanya@sgcs.k12.in.us or 260-693-2969;
• Nick Uecker – Uecker.Nick@sgcs.k12.in.us or 260-693-2357;
• Cathy Petrie – Petrie.Cathy@sgcs.k12.in.us or 260-636-3522;
• Rick Trump – Trump.Rick@sgcs.k12.in.us or 260-693-9877;
• Mike Sturgis – Sturgis.Michael@sgcs.k12.in.us or 260-693-0015.

SPECIAL MEETING, Wednesday, Dec. 16, CHS/CMS Library at 7 p.m.

• 1. Call to Order & Welcome of Visitors- Mrs. Young
• 2. Pledge of Allegiance – Mr. Couch
• 3. Moment of Meditation – Mrs. Young
• 4. Action on Consent Agenda – Mrs. Young
  • A. Minutes, Executive Session & Regular Meeting – December 7, 2009
  • B. Claims
• 5. Comments from Visitors
  • A. Community
  • B. Administrators
  • C. Board Comments
  • D. Correspondence to Board (Churubusco Park)
• 6. Personnel
  • A. Resignations/Retirements
  • B. Terminations
  • C. Reclassifications
  • D. Leave Requests
  • E. New Hires (Approval of Lay Position, CHS Spring Musical Director)
• 7. Business
  • A. Action: Approval of Professional Leaves
  • B. Action: Approval of K-6/7-12 Restructuring
  • C. Other
• 8. Adjournment – Mrs. Young

Next Regular Board Meeting – Monday, January 4, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. in the CHS/CMS Media Center, 1 Eagle Drive, Churubusco IN 46723

CHURUBUSCO, Ind. – The Smith-Green Schools’ administration presented their proposal to reconfigure the school at the last school board meeting in hopes of moving forward with the plan, but the school board had other plans.

After a Power Point presentation that summed up the proposal, the board voted unanimously to table the decision for a future meeting (date to be determined). Multiple board members thanked the administration for their hard work and praised them on their ability to work together to formulate this plan, but stated that they still had some questions that need to be answered before they make a decision.

“I am supportive of the concept, but still have some questions that I would like to have answered,” board member Rick Trump said. His sentiments were echoed by the other board members; board president Tanya Young said she would like to see three years worth of data from other schools who have implemented this structure to get a general idea of if the system worked for them.

Middle school principal John Davis debated the necessity of these figures stating, “Why do we need to see if someone else was successful at it? Can’t we be progressive and just do it ourselves?” Young replied that it is part of their job as board members to look at that information and take it into consideration.

Board vice president Cathy Petrie was concerned that the current economy would prove difficult to make this plan a reality and felt that it is not a time the school could expect to raise taxes to help cover the costs. The board will meet with the administration in a retreat setting to discuss the proposal and will then vote on it at a meeting in the very near future.

In other board news, Churubusco High School senior Zane Sade was recognized in the Spotlight on Success segment; Sade was chosen because of his high academic performance as well as his numerous involvements in extracurricular activities. He is a senior member of New Era and has held many lead roles  in the plays and musicals at CHS including a lead in last year’s production of Les Misérables and this year’s play Fools. He was also recognized as a National Merit Commended Student, placing him in the top 5 percent of students nationally on the PSAT and scored a “5″ on the AP Chemistry Exam – definitely not an easy feat. Sade plans to major in music after high school.

Zane Sade

CHS teacher Jim Folland was also recognized as Teacher of the Month due to his endless commitment to his students and his consummate level of professionalism. Folland is often noted as “the hardest teacher in the school” by most students, yet those same students praise him for that same challenge and are thankful for his willingness to assist them. CHS graduate (2008) Jeremy Berry referred to Folland after receiving the Realizing the Dream award, an award given to first generation college students; Berry cited Folland as one of the driving forces that influenced him to pursue a post secondary education.

Zane Sade

The board also approved the resignation of science teacher Margaret Borg to be effective December 18, 2009, and approved a sick leave for Borg from Dec.8-18.

The list of winter lay coaches was approved by the school board in a 5-0 vote and the board accepted the Celebrating Diversity Grant and the H.A.N.D.S Grant at the request of Janet Bontrager, the elementary art teacher. A list of new courses, including Medical Intervention and Early Childhood Education was approved for the 2010-2011 school year. The former Construction/Building Trades class will also be returning.

The next regularly scheduled board meeting will take place Monday, Jan. 4, 2010 at 7 p.m. in the CHS/CMS Library.

A plan is currently in the works at Smith-Green Community Schools to uproot the entire sixth grade and transplant it into the elementary, thus creating a kindergarten through sixth grade elementary school and a junior-senior high school. But is the plan really going to solve the issues it is aimed at?

After corresponding with the superintendent via email and attending the second parent meeting regarding the reconfiguration plan at Smith-Green I have to say that I do not think the plan adds up. While I believe the intentions are right, I think other options need to be considered.

Kayla Crance

What was gathered to be the administration’s main point during the meeting was that approximately 20 percent of students leave the sixth grade failing. However, it was then stated that this 20 percent typically enters the sixth grade failing. This makes it appear that the structure of the middle school has nothing to do with the problem. So my question is – how is this plan really going to resolve the issue?

Additionally, why is this 20 percent not being addressed until it reaches the sixth grade? Moreover, the current system is working for 80 percent of the students; going forward with the proposal means the minority is dictating the direction of the school. I am not suggesting that those struggling students do not matter. If there is anyone that understands and supports the importance of education and equality, it is me. I feel the school does need to reach out to that struggling 20 percent, but I do not think this plan is the way to do it. The simple fact that they enter the grade failing demonstrates the real issue takes place before the sixth grade.

Is the transition from fifth to sixth grade difficult? Yes, of course. However, moving the sixth grade to the elementary only delays the transition one year. Another concern of the administration was the fact that the current setup requires middle school students (including sixth graders) to interact with high school students at times. This proposal would allegedly solve this problem as well. But will it really fix that problem? According to elementary principal, Nicole Singer, what is now being used as the study hall room would be converted into computer labs for elementary students. In order for those elementary students to get to the computer labs they will have to go directly through the high school commons; this will put them in direct contact with high school students at certain times of the day.

The superintendent stated the estimated cost of the project (remodeling the rooms etc.) is $20,000. In reality, this sum would be closer to $100,000 due to the hiring of an assistant principal for the elementary school ( … should the proposal be approved there will be too many students for the principal to handle alone). The cost of an assistant principal is one that will be continuous as it will require an annual salary. Didn’t the school recently terminate the assistant principal positions in order to save money? Furthermore, Smith-Green was, at one time, organized in the junior-senior high school format and it was changed to the current system. I am guessing it was changed for a reason.

There are numerous gaps in the plan as the administration does not want to expend the effort to produce a complete plan unless the school board votes to approve the reconfiguration. While wanting to save time and effort is understandable, wanting the board to vote on a plan without knowing the specifics is not; I firmly believe the school board should not be making decisions without knowing exactly what they are voting for. I believe that is the reason the school has had many issues in the past; the school board made decisions that they did not investigate fully. Each and every board member was elected to their position and it is their duty to know exactly what they are voting for. As a person who interviewed to fill a position on the school board, I can say that I would never vote for a plan if all of the details were not ironed out, especially a plan of such magnitude.

I do applaud the administration’s interest in parent input, and sincerely hope the school board takes the parents’ concerns into consideration. The superintendent stated that the school wants what the parents want. In order for that to be true, the school needs to hear the parents’ opinions.

But time is short – the school board will be voting whether to go forward with the reconfiguration at Monday’s (Dec. 7) school board meeting. I encourage parents to voice their concerns and opinions to the school board members before that meeting – speaking at the meeting will be too late.

Let the school board members hear your voice and while you are at it, let us here at BuscoVoice.com know what you think.

As for me, I remain skeptical and hope the school board rejects the proposal.

By Kayla Crance, Associate Editor, Buscovoice.com

Post your comments below

The administration held two parent meetings to discuss the reconfiguration proposal.

CHURUBUSCO, Ind. (Sun. Dec. 6) — Recently, a proposal to reconfigure Smith-Green Community Schools into a kindergarten through sixth grade elementary and a junior-senior high school has been blazing its way towards becoming reality. How soon may we expect to see the plan come to fruition? Perhaps, sooner than we think.

The plan suggests moving the sixth graders to the elementary school in hopes of assisting a struggling 20 percent of students. According to comments made at a recent parent meeting by Churubusco High School Principal Austin Couch, “that 20 percent does poorly upon entering the sixth grade as well as leaving it.”

The administration has held two community meetings in order to gather parent input and answer questions regarding the proposal. The majority of parents voicing their opinion have spoken out against the plan.

Despite parents being told at the recent public meeting that school officials were unsure when the plan would come before the school board for a vote, it will happen at Monday’s meeting, Dec. 7, according to the agenda released Thursday by the school (see below.)

Those planning to speak on the issue during the community portion of the school board meeting should contact school board members prior to the meeting if they want to ensure that the board takes what they have to say into consideration.

School board members include:

• Tanya Young – Young.Tanya@sgcs.k12.in.us or 260-693-2969;
• Nick Eucker – Uecker.Nick@sgcs.k12.in.us or 260-693-2357;
• Kathy Petrie – Petrie.Cathy@sgcs.k12.in.us or 260-636-3522;
• Rick Trump – Trump.Rick@sgcs.k12.in.us or 260-693-9877;
• Mike Sturgis – Sturgis.Michael@sgcs.k12.in.us or 260-693-0015.

Executive Session, 6:00 p.m., Churubusco Middle School office/conference room

The Board of School Trustees will meet for the following purpose(s) in accordance with IC5-14-1.5-6(b):

• To discuss a job performance evaluation of individual employees. This subdivision does not apply to a discussion of the salary, compensation, or benefits of employees during a budget process.

Regular school board meeting, CHS/CMS Media Center at 7 p.m.
1. Call to Order and Welcome of Visitors – Mrs. Young
2. Pledge of Allegiance & Spotlight on Success – Mr. Couch & Zane Sade
3. Moment of Meditation – Mrs. Young
4. Teacher of the Month – Mr. Couch & Mr. Folland
5. Action on Consent Agenda – Mrs. Young
A. Minutes, Executive Session & Regular Meeting – November 16, 2009
B. Claims
6. Comments from Visitors
A. Community
B. Administrators
C. Board
D. Correspondence to the Board
7. Personnel
A. Resignations/Retirements (Ms. Borg)
B. Terminations
C. Reclassification
D. Leave Requests
E. New Hires (Approval of Winter Lay Coaches)
8. Business
A. Action: Approval of Professional Leaves
B. Action: Acceptance of Celebrating Diversity Grant
C. Action: Approval of Temporary Loans
D. Action: Approval of New CHS Courses
E. Action: Approval of K-6, 7-12 Restructuring
F. Report: Alternative Programs
G. Report: Maintenance, Grounds & Buildings
H. Report: Exit Interviews
I. Report: Memorial Garden Planning
J. Other
9. Future Agenda Items or Meetings
A. Approval of Extracurricular Fund Listing by Board – January 4
B. Appointment of Members to School-Based Committees – January 4
C. Board Organizational Meeting and Appointments – January 4
D. 2010 Budget Report – January 4
E. Board/Administrator Retreat – January 21
F. Future Agenda Requests – Board Members
10. NEOLA Work Session: Update of Selected Policies (8640, 6320, 7434, Exit Interview)
11. Adjournment – Mrs. Young
Next Regular Board Meeting – Monday, January 4, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. in the HS/MS Media Center, 1 Eagle Drive, Churubusco IN 46723

A meeting of the proposal to reconfigure the schools at Smith-Green was held 10 days ago.

Letter to the Community:

Last week I attended the parent meeting at Smith-Green Community Schools’ cafeteria. it was there the SGCS administration presented its reconfiguration plan for the 6th grade to be moved back to elementary.

The administration states this plan is necessary because our sixth graders have such a hard time transitioning into junior high. They state that roughly 20% of our sixth graders are failing when coming into 6th grade, continue to fail, and eventually drop out. The “plan” is to move the sixth grade from the middle school to the west hallway of the elementary which now houses the third grade. The third grade would be moved to the hallway with the Kindergarten, fourth and fifth grades. John Davis would no longer be administration, stepping down as the Middle School principle and become a counselor focused on the lower 20% of students helping them to improve grades and stay in school. The Middle School would cease to exsist and SGCS would then consist of k-6 and 7-12 buildings. A second administrator in the elementary would be hired to assist Nicole Singer with the extra load of students. Two elementary computer labs and the elementary teachers’ lounge will be moved to the high school, as well as moving a sixth grade science lab and sound-proofing the new computer labs next to the HS music rooms. Mr. Darnell thinks the physical move will cost “approximately $20,000.”

Smith-Green Superintendent Steve Darnell listens to parents' concerns at the recent reconfiguration meeting.

So, essentually we will have half of the student body crammed into one third of the building. The sixth graders will no longer be roaming the halls with seniors, but our first graders will. We weren’t told exactly what would happen to the classrooms vacated by the sixth graders because we were only given half a map. The administration doesn’t even know what gym the sixth graders will use. So if they need to use the MS gym , they’ll have to make quite a trek. And I have yet to speak to an elementary or middle school teacher that is 100% behind this.

Do I think the sixth graders need some more TLC for their transition? Yes. My sixth grade son had a rude awakening this year. Do I think SGCS needs to do something about the graduation rate? Definately. Should John Davis be allowed to do what he is best at–counseling? Absolutely. Should we have to reconfigure the entire school to make that happen? Absolutely not. I am asking the school board to vote NO when this is presented to them at the December 7 meeting. There has to be other options, and I feel none other has even been considered. Please contact the school board members and let them know your opinion on this important matter. Please note that at the December 7 meeting you will be able to give opinions, but this is not a question/answer session. If you want to make your opinion known, you need to do so before Monday.

Richelle Bock
Churubusco, Ind.

By Kayla Crance for buscovoice.com

CHURUBUSCO, Ind. (Nov. 25, 2009) – School officials stressed that  a proposal for reconfiguring the school structure was not a done deal at a community meeting held Tuesday night, although a vote on the issue could come before the school board as early as Dec. 7.

It was the second such meeting regarding the reconfiguration and about about thirty people were in attendance, not including the administrators.

Steve Darnell, Smith-Green Schools Superintendent, began the meeting by introducing the proposal. Basically, the idea is to move the sixth graders to the elementary school.

Darnell stated that the program in place now is working for about 80 percent of the middle school students, but the other 20 percent seem to be falling through the cracks. After saying that 20 percent of the students who enter and leave the middle school are failing, a parent asked why we are focusing on the sixth grade and middle school when it should be addressed before the students even reach middle school.

Superintendent Steve Darnell listens to a parent's question on the proposed school reconfiguration.

Austin Couch, high school principal, then spoke on his reasons for being behind the plan. Couch believes that “artificial boundaries” have been placed on the students, that there are a lot of excuses, but not a lot of solutions as far as the school is concerned. He stated that there are two upstairs rooms in the high school that will no longer be ADA compatible so the high school will lose those classroom spaces.

Nicole Singer, elementary principal, explained a map given to those in attendance; the map showed what the elementary would look like after the reconfiguration. A room that is currently a computer lab would be transformed into another classroom for first graders. The sixth graders would be put in what used to be third grade classrooms; “this way they are off by themselves and somewhat isolated from the rest of the elementary school”, she said.

The high school study hall room would then be converted into computer labs for the elementary. In order for this to work, however, the choir room, band room, and possibly the auditorium would have to be soundproofed which the administrators stated could be done at “nominal cost.”

A parent suggested that altogether, this plan could cost about $100,000; that cost coming from converting the rooms and the hiring of an assistant principal for the elementary school.

John Davis, middle school principal, voiced his support for the plan and stated that he just does not have the time with the current setup to assist the 20 percent who are failing or that need help. The question was then raised as to why the school could not hire an assistant principal for the middle school to assist Davis.

“Why do we need to take such big steps, when we could take some baby steps first?” one parent asked.

Another asked if the administrators had considered any other options and how the teachers feel about reconfiguration. She stated that she has yet to speak to a teacher who is for the plan though the administrators stated otherwise.

Another question was whether or not the proposal would be ready by the first of the year for the school board to vote on; the concern being that there is not sufficient time to get the plan up and running should it be passed. The superintendent stated that the school board would be voting on whether or not to go forward with the restructuring as they do not want to waste the effort of coming up with the plan if it is not going to go through.

“This is not a done deal,” says Darnell, “We want what you want.”

At this point in time, there are no more meetings scheduled to discuss the proposal, but a vote on the configuration could be on the agenda for the school board meeting Dec. 7.

Story by Kayla Crance; Video, photos by Viv Sade

What do you think of the school’s reconfiguration plan? Email Kayla or Viv at editor@buscovoice.com or post your comments to this story below.