Archived Story

MCPS keeps early-out schedule
By ROB CHANEY of the Missoulian

Parents and teachers who were wondering if Missoula County Public Schools would change its early-out schedule can exhale: It's staying essentially the same next year.

But just wait until 2009-10.

MCPS trustees tabled a plan to switch the regular Thursday early-out day to Wednesday after hitting a thicket of conflicting priorities. The idea was proposed to give teachers more time for staff training and teamwork. But for some schools, it meant less time for teachers to work with students and more time out of class for student athletes.

“What started the discussion was the professional development needs for all of our staff,” MCPS Superintendent Jim Clark told trustees at Wednesday's Personnel, Negotiations and Policy Committee meeting. “We were trying to maximize the time staff had without people missing meetings. I know that means kids are going to miss more class.”

In the conclusions of a group of Sentinel High School teachers, a lot more class. Missoula's three city high schools, its alternative high school and Seeley-Swan High School all have different daily class schedules. Sentinel uses a “modified block” system that has double-length classes on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Under the current Thursday early-out format, most Sentinel students miss one block class on Thursdays. Those in extracurricular activities sometimes leave for tournaments after lunch on Thursdays, meaning they miss two block periods.

Moving the early-out time to Wednesday would mean all Sentinel students would miss one block that day. But 300 students also would miss a block or two on Thursday for competitions. And because many students participate in two or more seasonal activities, that number could be even higher.

However, Hellgate and Big Sky high schools have different class schedules. Hellgate officials said they preferred Thursday early-outs, while Big Sky said it didn't matter.

Teachers use the early-out times for small-group work sessions, all-building meetings, individual training sessions and occasional districtwide gatherings. An addition of five minutes a day to next year's school calendar gave MCPS the ability to hold several half-day early-outs, which would make it easier for those all-district programs.

Lesli Brassfield, who leads the school district's calendar committee, said the Wednesday switch idea grew out of concern that teacher-coaches were missing too many of the Thursday sessions when they conflicted with student team travel.

That confronted trustees with a Hobson's choice: To teach kids better, teachers need training time for new things like computer system changes and textbook adoptions. But as school board Chairwoman Toni Rehbein put it: “(Student-teacher) contact time is the bottom line - there's no way you make that up.”

Which prompted Trustee Jim Sadler to offer a third option: Do nothing now.

“If Hellgate likes the Thursday and Sentinel likes the Thursday and Big Sky doesn't care, maybe we're pushing something that shouldn't ought to be pushed,” Sadler said. “I don't think we should be changing this year, especially if we're going to go through the agony of changing the schedule next year.”

That's because the trustees are gearing up to study ways of putting all high schools on the same daily schedule. The change could save money by allowing individual schools to concentrate on certain subjects and let students switch from program to program. The change, if it's acceptable, wouldn't take place until the 2009-10 school year.

Reporter Rob Chaney can be reached at 523-5382 or at rchaney@missoulian.com.
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