Rhonda Present's blog

Have you ever wondered why District 65 holds school for only an hour on the last day? Well, here’s the answer you’ve been waiting for:  Because they can!

I've been saying it for years:  District 65 hasn't caught up with the needs of today's working families.  From a calendar with still too many holidays and early releases to the latest registration debacle that left parents in line for hours trying to nab a coveted kindergarten spot for their little ones, it's clear that something has got to change.

Well, another winter break is over and just as District 65 students were settling back into class, they were dismissed early today so teachers could participate in professional development training.

If you’re parent of a District 65 student, there’s no need to panic. School will not be ending early every Wednesday, but yesterday was the first of seven Wednesdays this school year when students will be released by noon so that their teachers can participate in professional development training.

The good news is that there will no longer be the confusing hodgepodge of hour-early dismissals and half days for us to keep track of. But, the jury is still out on whether these now called “school improvement days” will mean a better education for our children.

Let’s start with the question of what District 65 students are doing when school gets out early. Those already enrolled in an after-school program will likely attend as usual assuming mom and dad can afford the extra fee.

There’s nothing like the first day of school to get this mom’s mind racing with ways we could create a more “family-friendly” District 65.

Despite my best intentions of posting here on each of District 65’s early dismissal days, #3 & #4 got lost somewhere in between winter break, spring break and the never-ending work/family juggling act

On the heels of middle school conferences and an elementary staff in-service last Friday, thousands of Evanston-Skokie District 65 students were off from school yesterday in observance of Presidents' Day.  And, they would’ve been home last Thursday too were it not for a waiver that allows us to take this holiday in lieu of Lincoln’s Birthday.

A quick glance at the D65 calendar for the month of October would leave any working parent of a school-age child out of breath.  Last Thursday was a non-attendance day (Yom Kippur), this Monday the kids were off for Columbus Day, and today is another early dismissal.

Just 12 days into the start of a new school year, District 65 students will be released early today as part of a plan to give teachers more time for professional development training.

As I walked in the door around 11:30 p.m. tonight, after returning home from the four-hour-long D65 School Board meeting, the first thing I saw was the sign my daughter stood holding earlier in the evening which read, “I matter.”  It made me sad to think that after hearing the powerful testimony of parents on how school hours impact them and their families, that D65 leaders would stand by their decision to move Lincoln, Lincolnwood, and Oakton to a later 9:00 a.m. start time beginning next year.

If they haven’t done so already, the next time parents of Lincoln, Lincolnwood, and Oakton schools open their children’s backpacks they will find a letter from D65 Superintendent Hardy Murphy informing them that school hours will change next year. 

Last Monday night, after getting my daughter to bed and doing the dinner dishes, I tuned in to the D65 School Board meeting.  It was around 9:30 p.m. and the public comment was just getting underway.  As I listened to the members of Citizens for Appropriate Special Education describing their struggles in getting services for their children with special needs, and heard some of the disparaging remarks being made toward them, the scene seemed strangely familiar. 

As promised, the D65 administration has offered a revised calendar plan for next school year.  This proposal was shared yesterday with the members of the Calendar Committee and will be presented to the School Board on Monday, March 17th for their consideration and approval.  While the plan draws on some of the creative ideas that have emerged from recent community dialogue, it fails to address widespread concern about the growing trend toward taking school time away from students to give teachers professional development training.  The latest calendar proposal includes even more early release time (19.5 hours vs. the 16.5 hours in the original calendar presented to the Board in early February) and provides for only 17 full, uninterrupted weeks of school compared to 20 in this year’s calendar.   And, it also continues the practice of mid-week early dismissals which many parents find difficult in coordinating work and child care schedules.  The fact is, we can do better.  The new calendar proposal includes several positive features - including moving and consolidating some teacher training to Friday afternoons as well as planning one of these sessions to coincide with a day when D202 will not be in session – which demonstrates that change is possible.

With D65 schools closed today, that old public service announcement “it’s 10:00, do you know where your children are?” keeps ringing in my head.  Knowing that Pulaski Day is not a holiday in most workplaces and that many parents will not be able to take the day off, I wonder where all of the children are going to be?  A few, like my daughter will have the good fortune of going on a special outing with mom (while dad teaches college which, by the way, will be in session). Others will get a jumpstart on “Take Your Child To Work Day,” which could be nice as long as you have a family-friendly employer. But, what about the rest for whom these options aren’t a possibility?

To demonstrate the strong and growing public support for a school calendar that is responsive to the needs of students, families and teachers, a parents' group has launched an online petition drive urging D65 Board Members and administrators to adopt a plan with more full weeks of school and fewer scheduling disruptions. Parents and other community members concerned about the school calendar, including the proposal to increase the number of early dismissal days, are encouraged to sign the petition at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Evanston-school-calendar which will be presented at an upcoming meeting of the School Board.