Meeting Preview

Preview for tonight's Board Meeting at 7:00 PM in the library of the Fox River Grove Middle School:

• There is some budgetary biz on the agenda for tonight's meeting. The Board is set to approve $200 Million in interfund loans, in an effort to stave off Tax Anticipation Warrants. At last month's meeting, Supt. Jackie Krause said that it was still a possiblity the district would seek a TAW, but there is no discussion of a TAW on the agenda for tonight.
• A hearing date will be set for Public Comment on a revised Budget.
• The District is set to hire a Facilities Director for the 2006 - 2007 School Year. The hire, and the job description, are scheduled to be approved tonight.
• There is no mention of hiring for the 4th Grade teaching position. The District is hiring a 4th Grade teacher to replace Betty Foley, a 5th Grade teacher, who is retiring at the end of the current school year. If there is no major change in enrollment or funding next school year, this means that the current 4th Grade class will retain the largest class size for a third year as they enter the 5th Grade next year. If there remains no major change in enrollment or funding after next year, the stage will be set for the current 1st Grade to be divided into two classes of approximately 30 students when they enter the 3rd Grade in the 2007 - 2008 School Year.

If you are able to attend the meeting, please arrive a few minutes before 7:00 PM in the library of the Middle School. Remember, if you wish to address the Board during the Public Comment portion at the beginning of the meeting, you must sign in at the table in the front of the room. If you are not able to attend, you may submit a question or comment to the Board via e-mail.

Re-making the Grades

The Board unanimously approved modifying the grading scale for the 2006-2007 School Year, putting each letter grade in a 9-point range.

The change came at the suggestion of teachers who felt that the current scale funneled students to the C and D grades, since those bands have an 11-point range, and away from the A and B grades with a 9-point range each. Dr. Mahaffy noted that this proposal was not the same as previous proposals to adjust the grading scale to a 90 (A) – 80 (B) – 70 (C) – 60 (D) scale.

Board Member Gerry Blohm asked if the district has had a problem getting students into high school. Dr. Mahaffy said that when students are identified as having a problem getting out of middle school, the school will work with the students after school to get them what is needed for graduation to high school. He stressed that the district helps these students, and that there is no social promotion for them. He also said there is an opportunity for some struggling students to take outside remedial courses, which are paid by the student’s parents. He said if the students did not complete the courses or pass the tests to graduate to high school, they are not offered a chance to retake the program. Dr. Mahaffy said that if the middle school did not do any intervention, about five students a year would be retained in the 8th Grade.

Blohm said that he would like to see the middle school use the same 90 – 80 – 70 – 60 grading scale that the Cary feeder schools use. He said that it is traumatic for students who do not graduate to high school along with their classmates.

Board Vice-President Doris Sadik disagreed with Blohm, saying that, while she could agree with the reasons for adopting the proposed 9-point grading scale, she wouldn’t want to lower District 3’s standards because other feeder schools have less challenging grading scales. Blohm countered by saying that he’s not proposing lowering standards any further than a typical school, to which Sadik replied, “Is that what you want to be?”

ARS Principal Karen Machroli said the school district from which she came had a 90 – 80 – 70 – 60 grading scale, and she felt that some of the students promoted from the lower end of the scale weren’t as well-prepared.

The Board voted unanimously to approve the new 9-point grading scale.