Discussion on theme schools once again was a lengthy topic Tuesday afternoon during the nearly four-hour Warsaw School Board public work session. The board also heard about possible selection systems for the open seats at Washington STEM Academy next school year. Superintendent Dr. Craig Hintz said theme schools create diverse learning environments, provide school choice and competition, and are a marketing tool. Warsaw has one theme school already, Washington. It received a nearly half million dollar grant from the Indiana Department of Education in February 2011 and is in its first year as a theme school. The 2010 OrthoWorx-funded Cambridge Study on the school system, released in April 2011, recommended WCS consider theme schools at the elementary and middle school levels, Hintz said, to draw orthopedic and other business employees to the area. In spring 2012, all Warsaw Schools building administrators were presented with the concept of theme schools and asked to investigate their own. Then in November, the school board heard presentations on Jefferson becoming a leadership academy; Claypool a Leadership Environment Academics Performance Academy; and Eisenhower a fine arts academy. Hintz then went through examples of other schools and corporations in Indiana, Minnesota and Michigan that have theme schools. Curt Hermann, board member, said with theme schools, every school won’t have the same opportunities. Dan Metzger, board member, asked how many kids get into the school of their choice. What if 90 percent of the students want to attend the same school? he asked. Chief Academics Officer David Hoffert said at the school district he talked to, they said 90 percent of the students want to stay in their neighborhood schools. It takes some effort to get students to go to another school. Though he cringed at the idea, Hoffert said he was told it would be easier if all schools were magnet schools. Metzger said Washington is incredible, but people have complained to him that their child doesn’t get to participate in the kind of activities they have at Washington. If Warsaw turns all eight of its elementaries into theme schools, and funding dries up, what then? He also wanted to know if theme schools were causing division in the school corporation. Board member Randy Polston said what he was hearing from the public was that the STEM Academy has created a division in the school corporation. Parents don’t want to leave their neighborhood school, but they also want their children to get the same opportunities available at Washington. “Are we trying to bite off too much too quickly? Or maybe we should focus on the middle school level and work our way down to the elementary school level?” board member Jay Baumgartner asked. After Board President Jennifer Tandy asked if there was trending data available on theme schools, Hoffert said they have to be very careful with their comparisons. Most schools that have gone to theme schools were urban schools and have to do with desegregation. “We are looking at something that’s very unique because it’s something that’s not been done with a rural (school corporation),” Hoffert said. “This move for Washington has been a long transition for teachers. It’s a very unique and different education philosophy ... It’s a long learning process to do this effectively and it is ongoing.” Metzger and Board Secretary Delores Hearn wanted to know if what Washington teachers learned could be passed on to other teachers. Ben Barkey, Washington STEM coach, later said it will take Washington teachers three years to be able to share with other teachers what they’ve learned about project-based learning and STEM education. It’s a tough transition for teachers to go through and project-based learning is tough. Other questions the corporation needs to consider, Hintz asked, is if all Warsaw schools went to a theme, how would that be received? Is there a need to establish another STEM school in the district? Does every school have to have a theme? The board then discussed a system for open seats at Washington. There is a cap on the number of students a school can take, Hoffert said. In Washington’s first year as a STEM academy, it was kept a traditional neighborhood school with enrollment additions only from out of district or WCS-approved in-district transfers. For the second year, 2013-14, the idea is to provide parent and student limited choice through a selection process. WCS staff researched the legal, educational and operational feasibility of a selection system. Principal Tom Ray said the projected enrollment numbers will allow for an additional 63 students in first through sixth grade to attend Washington during the 2013-14 school year. Washington is a three section school (three classrooms per grade) and that’s its capacity. Washington will accept all students within the traditional boundaries, as that has been the commitment since the beginning, Hoffert said. The estimated 63 slots will be divided by grade, he said, as some grades will be able to take more in than others. The big problem will be transportation for students outside Washington school boundaries. The four transportation options considered would either cause students to miss part of class every day, put secondary and elementary students on the same bus, or require parents to find transportation on their own for their student. Hintz later suggested the best idea may be for families outside the traditional Washington boundaries to provide their own transportation. Metzger agreed, saying WCS can’t afford more buses and drivers. Other issues will include not splitting siblings up, a chance that not all who apply to Washington will be accepted, and kindergarten can not be included because kindergarten numbers fluctuate annually. Warsaw would also want to ensure diversity at each school and have a fair selection process. “What do we do to keep (diversity) the same?” Hoffert said. “You have to identify priority areas and give them priority points. The problem is, for the most part, all of our schools are equal, so giving some schools priority points would not help those schools.” Board members repeatedly expressed concerns about creating division in the school corporation. Barkey said theme schools aren’t about STEM or fine arts education, but about is equipping schools for the 21st century. Tandy asked what timeline the board needed to consider to approve the Washington STEM Academy selection process. “Yesterday,” Ray responded. Hintz said they will revisit the topic at the March work session and then finalize it by spring break.
