School Board Meeting

     I attended a school board meeting for my local district on October 13th.  The school district is small, one elementary school made up of only 52 students in 9 grades.  There are 3 elected board members, the superintendent and a secretary that make up the board.  The meeting focused on upcoming calendar days and the purchase of a new school bus.
     There has been an ongoing debate for the past couple of years about increasing the days taught.  The school currently teaches four days more than the state requirement.  This year, there is a new superintendent and 2 new board members that would like to increase those teaching days.  This is very important to the students and their ability to perform in comparison to other schools.  Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks have been shortened to allow for more days in school.  Swan Valley is a very rural school, the school board has made allowances for certain activities that are common there but not in other schools.  There is now a fall break on the calendar that coincides with hunting season.  The students no longer get a week long spring break to make up for the fall break.  This board recognizes that they have to tailor the schedule to fit the school's individual needs.
     The purchase of a new school bus was also on the agenda.  There was a discussion about depreciation of new buses vs old.  The decision was tabled until next meeting.
     My recommendations for the issues addressed were to increase the days taught.  I believe the students need as much time in the classroom as the school permits.  Just getting by is never the answer.  Parents and community need to get together to let the school board know how the feel about the issues.  Their input is very important.  I see the bias in some community members that what has been done in the past is good enough for the future.  They need to see the studies that show how much better children do when they exceed the minimum.  I think the school board has a tough job at times, trying to balance the best interests of the students with the views of the community.