Grade reconfiguration can be part of a larger plan for change.
Some may remember that, at the time, passing a building referendum to pay for big changes in School District of Beloit facilities and accommodating changes in grade configurations seemed like a good idea.
A lesson was learned the hard way. Sometimes different is just different. Not better. Turned out the community didn’t like the grade changes. Nor did any of it raise academic performance measurements.
Now the district’s current administration is proposing to move back to a more traditional grade system. The little kindergarteners through 5th graders would be put together at elementary schools. Sixth through eighth graders would be in middle schools. The high school would return to the familiar 9-12 configuration.
That appears to make a lot more sense and likely would have solid support in the community. Recognizing that Superintendent Willie Garrison set up various sources for input, it would be smart for the school board to take its time and invite even wider public comment opportunities as it moves toward a final decision.
Remember, at the time of the last change matters moved quickly — too quickly — and it didn’t take long for many parents and community members to become dissatisfied. Do everything possible to expand discussions that could pay dividends for years to come with constituents.
By the way, nothing is simple or happens in a vacuum. And so it is with district issues.
There are at least two major situations that bear on any decisions related to the district’s future. One is strictly financial, because the district is in trouble and has been making ends meet by dipping into cash reserves and spending one-time government relief funds. The other is related, and involves years of declining enrollment amidst projections the trend likely will continue into the future.
So far, through several iterations of board members and administrators, the School District of Beloit has resisted making hard decisions about right-sizing staffing and facilities. The district is asking voters to approve millions more in taxes this spring to plug financial holes, yet still has not addressed the obvious reasons for the growing gap between income and expenses.
Reconfiguring the district’s grade set-up could fit into a process of seriously evaluating staffing needs and facilities usage, with an eye toward planning for a future that includes fewer students and less need for brick-and-mortar space.
There’s no intent here to claim any particular expertise in maximizing classroom efficiencies, or to measure the proper ratio of administrators and teachers and support staff to the student population. But decision-makers can’t be unaware that many taxpayers believe the district’s financial problems demand more than business as-usual in the face of declining enrollment trends. Just asking taxpayers to fork over millions more will be a very hard sell.
The ultimate goal is not about grade configuration, or smart facilities use, or staffing.
It’s about getting better. It’s no secret the School District of Beloit ranks near the bottom of educational systems in Wisconsin. And there’s no doubt that’s a major cause of student enrollment declines, as parents seek alternatives.
Look, everyone gets it. This is tough. There are no quick and easy solutions.
Plans, though, need to be comprehensive. With full recognition of all the factors relating to finances, enrollment declines, reasons for the out-migration, facilities costs and usage expenses and, yes, right-sized staffing at levels from administration all the way to support.
In the end, though, this is a foundational truth: Beloit wants — needs — the district to turn around and succeed. People want to get behind the district and believe in its future. Give them good reasons, first by listening, then by having the courage to make tough decisions.
