Our Most Limited Resource...Time

This blog post was submitted for publication in the Friday, July 8 edition of the Traer Star Clipper.

In my columns this school year, I’ve shared a lot of information about how the North Tama district is making the most of our limited financial resources and taking steps to keep North Tama financially stable in times of declining enrollment and inadequate state funding. Today, we’ll focus on another limited resource: TIME.  

I’ve always felt that TIME, not money, is our most limited resource. There are only 24 hours in a day, and there’s nothing that any of us can do to change that. While a school district may be able to make small adjustments to lengthen their school day or add to the number of days in a school year, there are limits to what can be added due to funding issues, employee contracts, and the fact that students and school employees have other obligations in their lives besides school.

A couple of years ago, the state of Iowa changed the way instructional time is counted in our schools. Schools are no longer required to offer 180 days of instruction; now, Iowa schools must offer a minimum of 1080 hours of instruction over the course of a school year. While most schools can (and do) schedule many more hours than this over the course of the year, there are still limits to the amount of instructional time that can be scheduled due to limited funding, employee contracts, and the fact that some employee time must be spent on state-required tasks such as professional development. Because of these limits, many districts have experimented with different approaches to using the limited time that they do have, rather than just adding time to their calendars.

The “Plus One” calendar which has been implemented at North Tama over the past two years is an example of how the school has worked to use the limited resource of time in a different way. When the school first decided to implement the Plus One calendar, it was decided that the impact of this change would be evaluated after two years to help determine whether Plus One would become a long-term addition to the North Tama calendar. An evaluation of Plus One data recently took place as part of the planning process for the coming school year. Data sources used in the evaluation included parent surveys, student surveys, faculty surveys, a listing of Plus One class offerings, and Plus One attendance/participation data.

Fourteen days this school year were dedicated to Plus One, with a variety of enrichment classes being offered to all students during the morning hours and teacher learning (professional development) taking place in the afternoon. While Plus One days have provided amazing opportunities for enrichment and hands-on learning, a relatively small number of students were taking advantage of these opportunities. Especially at the secondary level, the small number of students showing up for Plus One has led us to the conclusion that Plus One has not been the best investment our time. It was a GOOD investment, but not the BEST way to invest our time. As a result of this data analysis and the input from all parties involved, the North Tama board recently voted to end the Plus One calendar for the 2016-2017 school year.  

With the additional instructional days that will be added back to the calendar due to the elimination of Plus One, next year’s calendar will provide more periods of instruction and additional learning opportunities for ALL STUDENTS.  At the elementary level, a new program called “Above & Beyond” will take place at various times throughout the year as part of the regular instruction for all K-6 students. “Above & Beyond” will provide enrichment experiences similar to Plus One, but for ALL K-6 students as part of the regularly-scheduled school day.

As part of next year’s calendar, we will also see a small change in our starting and ending times each school day. Classes will begin at 8:15 a.m. for all students in grades K-12.  The school day will end at 3:20 p.m. for elementary students and 3:25 p.m. for secondary students.  

I applaud the board and staff for their willingness to explore various approaches to the use of time -- our most limited resource -- in order to best meet the needs of North Tama students.  

The 2016-2017 school calendar has been posted on my blog at http://redhawksupt.blogspot.com/. I encourage you to view this calendar and use it as you plan your family trips, appointments, and other dates for the coming year. While Plus One days won’t be taking place, we will still have occasional days off for holidays and professional development, and these would be great days to schedule your child’s doctor appointments and other obligations.  This will help you to make the best use of your limited resource of time.

View the 2016-2017 School Calendar by clicking the image above.

Thank You, School Board Members!!!

This blog post was submitted for publication in the Friday, May 6 edition of the Traer Star Clipper.

May is School Board Recognition Month in Iowa, honoring the men and women who serve on the of Boards of Education in school districts across the state. These dedicated public servants become school board members because they are committed to improving public education and their communities.

Our board members devote many hours to making sure North Tama is a safe and efficient place to work and learn. Their actions ensure that the dedicated educators are North Tama have the resources and instructional programs needed to educate children to their fullest potential.

School board members face complex and demanding challenges. Yet few people fully understand the scope and far-reaching implications of board members’ responsibilities. I hope that all North Tama citizens appreciate the vital contributions of our board members for the crucial role they play in the education of our children. Their job entails an endless string of meetings and school functions to attend; reams of reports, agendas, proposals and other information to read and study; and a host of difficult decisions to make.

These volunteer leaders also are responsible for formulating school policy, approving curricular changes, maintaining school facilities and adhering to ever-changing state and federal education laws. Legal concerns and the complexities of school finance, including budgeting and taxation, require them to spend many hours in board meetings and personal study to enhance their understanding of these issues.

As elected leaders, school board members are accountable to the voters who elected them. This isn’t always easy, but our board members show again and again that they are up to the task. They each work tirelessly to do what’s best for all of our students. Although they may individually disagree on certain issues, their role as a board is to keep the district moving forward in achieving our goals.

North Tama’s current school board members are Trisha Kennedy, Tiffany Feisel, Gretchen Pargeon, Robert Young, Cheryl Popelka, Rod Zobel, and Doug Dvorak. When you see these leaders, please thank them for their dedication and their service to our school. They deserve our recognition for a job well done! 

To our school board: we appreciate your dedication and hard work on behalf of our students, staff, and community. Thank you.