Board Allows Two Schools To Break District Policies Landmark Decision Meant To Encourage Good Teaching Ideas

The Spokane School Board agreed Wednesday to let two schools break the rules for the good of kids. The landmark decision drew praise from a national education expert, who said it should lead to more innovative, successful schools.

Balboa Elementary and Garry Middle School became the first Spokane public schools to receive variances from district rules or union contracts under a policy meant to encourage good ideas and decentralize decision-making.

Balboa got the OK to let teachers share the extra help assigned to them when they have large classes, a practice the staff has been following for two years.

Garry will be able to start school this spring at 7:45 a.m., one hour earlier to avoid the 80-degree afternoons on the upper floors of the cinder-block building. School will end at 2 p.m. and time between classes will be shortened from five to four minutes.

The school day will be 10 minutes shorter, but still meet state requirements. Teachers will have more time to plan together in the afternoon.

A national expert on school improvement called the variances “a healthy first step.”

Research shows that the best schools, whether public or private, have “a collaborative, collegial process for making decisions at the local school level and the school has greater autonomy to act on decisions,” said University of Georgia education professor Carl Glickman.

Spokane may want to widen the areas subject to variance with time, Glickman said. He has worked with schools that have some authority over hiring and testing, two areas now off-limits in the Spokane variance policy.

School board members closely questioned representatives from Garry before voting on the variance.

Christie Querna wanted to know if the Garry cafeteria staff had agreed to the schedule change. Yes, said teacher Frank Oberst.

Terrie Beaudreau asked parent Debbie Chaffee how the change would help students academically, a requirement of the variance policy.

Chaffee leaves for work before her children go to school. With an earlier school day, they won’t be watching TV in the morning after she goes to work, she said.

Nancy Fike wanted reassurance that the change in bus schedules required by the new hours would not cost additional money.

“Our best guess is it won’t cost any more money,” said Superintendent Gary Livingston. Since Rogers High School starts its school day one-half hour later than other high schools, the Garry-Rogers bus routes can be flip-flopped.

Transportation costs probably would prevent other middle schools from shifting their schedules, Livingston said.

“This is a fragile relationship that happened to work out in this case,” he said. “It may not be able to happen again.”

Fike jokingly told the Garry representatives to “send cookies to Rogers. Don’t let them change.”

, DataTimes