Wednesday, January 24, 2001
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Wednesday, January 24, 2001 |
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New panel to study middle school structure By DAVE
HAMRICK Fayette County's middle schools aren't broken, says Dr. Stuart Bennett, assistant school superintendent, but at least some "fixing" is going to have to be done to comply with new state laws. "It's not broken and we're not trying to fix it," Bennett told the Board of Education Monday. "We're just trying to comply with the law." The board approved formation of an advisory committee to study the A-Plus Education Reform Act, approved by the state Legislature last year, and recommend any changes needed to stay on the right side of the law. The Middle School Restructuring Committee also will have to react to any new changes the Legislature comes up with during this year's session, as the state's governing body works to further refine the reform bill. "This committee will be working for 18 months at least," Bennett told The Citizen. "It's going to be an ongoing process." Statewide, middle schools have not done well, Bennett told the board. Using a combination of factors to evaluate schools, the state has set a minimum score of 65 that middle schools are required to meet. In the latest scoring, only 16 schools across the state exceeded that score, Bennett said. "But five of those were in Fayette County," he pointed out. That prompted board member Marion Key to wonder whether the governor is aiming long-term at doing away with middle schools for grades six through eight and going back to the old junior high school system for grades seven through nine. "That is the fear," said Bennett. "We don't feel we need to." The state is requiring more instruction time, which may mean less planning time, and there are new rules about how much time administrators must spend teaching, what kinds of courses must be offered, structuring of gifted and special education classes and "a myriad of other criteria," said Bennett. New certification standards also are in effect. "As it stands right now, several people may have to go back to school," he said. Three subcommittees of the 28-member committee will divide up the work load, "going through section by section," said Bennett, and make recommendations to the full committee, which in turn will make recommendations to the board. "Every time we examine one issue, it opens up another," Bennett said of the complex legislation. The committee is composed of school administrators, curriculum coordinators, instructional lead teachers, teachers and parents. "We're putting our best middle school people on this," said Bennett, "and we've got some of the best middle school people in the state."
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