It is Time to Engage - An Update!

As summer comes to an end, and the start of the school year cause us all to experience a new level of busy, it is easy to let go of things that are not a priority in our sometimes chaotic lives. While the fabulous days of summer flew by, the School Board has been busy too, and with many new initiatives being approved over the summer, they will be discussing many critical issues this fall.

The School Board, more than ever, needs to hear from its constituents, whether it be good or bad. This Blog, while a convenient place to say what you think, is not the place for the Board to receive your opinion. We elected each Board member to represent us, but how do they know what we want if we do not let them know? While posting on this Blog can provide an anonymous place to vent, it is not a substitute for communicating with your representatives to tell them what it is you want in your district.

Sadly, Board members begin to believe that no one cares and no one is paying attention, leaving Howard as their primary source of ideas and suggestions. The problem from my perspective, is Howard does not always represent the majority view of citizens or teachers. In fact, some of the decisions made by Howard are not widely supported by staff, but unfortunately the Board often doesn’t have an opportunity to hear this. The Board continues to be “trained” not to question Howard, and told that split Boards are divisive and seen as a lack of unity and support as opposed to democracy in action.

This blog has received more than 60,000 hits since the challenge was presented that no one really reads it. The number of unique visitors exceeds the number of residents in our towns which I believe is proof that people are paying attention, and in fact are desperate for information. It is also proof that when communication vehicles make it easy to communicate, we all participate. It is just reality that most of us are too busy with our lives to watch every meeting, and just can’t sit down to write a letter and sign our name for fear of repercussions. Real or imaged this fear of repercussions is what prevents many from participating. Every time I have written to the community, I have been personally attacked, which honestly doesn’t feel very good, but I don’t believe this should stop us from pushing for what we passionately believe in. After surviving cancer 8 years ago I decided life is simply too short not to stand up for what I believe in.

So what has the Board been up to?

1. Among the new initiatives is a study of start times as mentioned in a previous posting. This study will go on all year, and our input along with the important input of our teachers will determine the decision on what time our children begin the school day. Your voices need to be heard, so please take the time to let our representatives know what you think by writing to the Board and providing your input. They have taken the time to post research at their web site, and now your input needs to be heard.

2. The Board has also been busy forming a Budget Advisory Committee. Having passed with a 5-2 vote, this committee will soon be looking for volunteers from each community. Regardless of your opinion of such a committee, it does now exist and we should all support this idea as it will provide an opportunity for a dedicated group to dive deep into the budget in a way the School Board simply doesn’t have the time or training to do on their own. In my opinion this fills a critical gap in the budget process, and last year there were cuts in personnel that I strongly believe could have been avoided if a deeper look at the budget had occurred. Given that for the past few years we have had a surplus in funds of $1 - 2 million, this year representing almost 7% of the total budget, clearly there is an opportunity to fine tune our budget in a way that helps the taxpayer, WITHOUT cutting services to our children.

3. The Strategic Plan is also underway and the community needs to let the committee know what they think. None of us have time for meetings, but a letter with your ideas can always be sent. They will be holding community forums on the Strategic Plan, and it is important for all of us to pay attention to this initiative, as it will drive our district for the next five years. There is pressure right now to alter the agreed upon approach and allow the Leadership Team to play a larger role in the analysis of the data. This seems a little like the fox guarding the chicken house to me and members of the leadership team are already on the oversight committee. Whatever your opinion, please let the Board know what your priorities are.

4. I am also hopeful that the high school has been working very hard at drug and alcohol initiatives. They shared these ideas recently with the town of Durham, and I applaud them for continuing to work toward parental awareness. The schools are doing an excellent job educating our children to the dangers of drugs, it is now up to parents to realize this is not your Dad’s marijuana, and by the way, the kids just love your medicine cabinet.

5. There is another important item that I am hoping the board will begin to consider. Two years ago Howard was given a three year contract. We are rapidly approaching the end of year two. Any superintendent search takes time, and I hope this Board is beginning to discuss where we are going at the end of this contract. I certainly hope the public will have the opportunity to weigh in on this issue directly to the Board, not just through this blog. I am sure not surprisingly, my personal opinion is that we need new leadership, and I strongly urge all of us to rally around the idea of not allowing Howard’s contract to be extended.

This Board is made up of citizens that we voted to represent us. It is their job to represent we the voters, the tax payers and by the way the ultimate boss of our schools. Seven Board members are elected to be our voice, but if we don’t continually let them know our ideas and our positions on the issues, they may not have the opportunity to represent the majority of views within our communities.

For many of us our children’s education is our number one priority. To continually improve our children’s opportunities we need to stay engaged with the process.

Please take the time to re-engage. Write to the Board and let them know what your opinions and priorities are as they enter budget season.

If you write to board secretary Wendy DiFruscio at wdifruscio@orcsd.org all letters addressed to “the school board” will be forwarded to the full board.

Thank you, Kim Clark

Oyster River studies later start times for older students

DURHAM — Oyster River School District schools could be seeing later start times as a study examining the schedule is about to get under way.

At the direction of the School Board, Superintendent Howard Colter will be working a proposed adjustment to the start times for the middle and high schools for the 2011-2012 school year.

The School Board had been discussing possible adjustments to school start times since last spring when the board received a letter from the school physician and a parent in the community who is a registered nurse. Both wanted the board to look into the issue of later start times, Colter said.

"This just didn't fall out of the sky," Colter said. "We've been hearing about it by professionals in the field of medicine and health for some time," he said.

There have been several national studies conducted about teen sleep patterns. Research indicates that a teenager's brain releases melatonin, the chemical that causes drowsiness, up to two hours later than younger children.

"It's appropriate that we take a good look at this and see if there's a better way to schedule school since research is suggesting that teens have a different sleeping pattern then they did when they were younger," Colter said.

There's also safety concerns about sleep-deprived teens driving to school in the morning.

Currently, school starts at 7:35 a.m. for the middle and high schools and at 8:50 a.m. for the elementary schools.

Colter said he hasn't heard any formal complaints from students about the current start times, but faculty think the discussion is worth having. Faculty members have indicated that students have mixed opinions about the possibility of later start times, Colter added.

The district plans on holding a series of several forums to hear from parents, faculty, staff, students and bus drivers. Colter hopes to go back to the School Board in the early winter with some type of proposal the board could work with.

Colter noted that just because he drafts a proposal for later start times, doesn't mean it would become a reality. Ultimately, the School Board will have the final decision and there could be no changes at all.

Public feedback will be important to this process and Colter is hoping people will come out to the forums when they're scheduled.

For more information about studies involving teen sleep patterns go to www.orcsd.org.