Waddell Language Academy
SLT Meeting, January 23, 2017
4:35 Meeting start
Introduction by Dr. Eybl of Ms. Brightwell, CMS East Learning Community Superintendent
SLT Meeting Agenda to discuss the upcoming student assignment boundary reviews. However, as this does not directly impact Waddell to a large degree, we will turn to the discussion on the move to a new facility and north mirror school.
Facility Move Discussion
Dr. Eybl -- Understand how passionate all parents are about our school. To preserve the fidelity of what we have and to keep conversation moving forward, in order to not sidetrack the process, please funnel all questions through Dr. Eybl and SMs. Brightwell.
Info shared from Ms. Brightwell today (yellow sheet, CMS typical K8 structure details)
CMS is planning to build a mirror school. At least 25% of our - Waddell - population will go. This is not so much our concern. We want to know what will happen with our replacement facility. We need to have an opportunity to get involved with CMS in these discussions.
Questions:
1). In December, CMS stated that we will not lose any of our languages classes (2, 2, 2, 1) and middle school will not be altered in its language offerings.
MS. BRIGHTWELL: this will not change.
2). Waddell overall population is 1380. Planned new school is 1260. Difference of 120. We are currently using 71 CLASSrooms, along with other rooms such as copy rooms, work rooms, etc.
Big concern - where will we lose these 120 students? Will all classrooms be smaller? Even though 25% goes up north, we still have the classrooms and we still need to fill these. When our student enrollment drops, our ability to staff classes drop. So what will happen to our staffing?
MS. BRIGHTWELL -- CMS has committed to not diminish classes and not dismiss sections in the new school. CMS committed to continuing the number of sections and the number of languages that we have here at Waddell.
Ms. BrightwellDr. Eyblwill work on staff allocation and what classrooms go where. Staff meeting planned with representative from facilities to hear from the staff, what is unique about this immersion program, want to hear about from the program from a design element early on before the building is even erected from the ground. Parents will have the opportunity to give input and suggestions.
Rephrase question: If you have 7 classes per grade along with a new mirror school opening. Only 1 grade will be affected, in terms of size.
MS. BRIGHTWELL -- We don't have any idea of what the northern school will be and we do not have any input. All we are concerned about here is the south school.
3). It is a given that the northern school will certainly impact current Waddell families. Therefore, Without understanding this, it is hard to fathom how the southern school will be established. By leaving the northern school off the table, there are a huge number of gaps of how the south school will be impacted.
MS. BRIGHTWELL -- Your responsibility as a SLT is to help us to think through things that from your experiences are things that we may not have thought of. And then help us take that info and then plan, to the best of our ability, to preserve the quality of this program. You have our commitment to this - to preserve this program. However, you cannot dictate what happens in the north. That is for the constituents to take care of up there. We don't know so much that is yet to be determined by that community.
There will be an opportunity to work together. However, this is jumping ahead and there are still a lot of facts that are unclear.
4). Question - how are we going to get enough classrooms? It doesn't matter how many kids are in each class. It matters how many rooms there are.
MS. BRIGHTWELL -- We do have enough classrooms to preserve this school exactly as it is. We are going to meet again to discuss this with the staff. We will have opportunities to redesign that space in order that we will be flexible and to the best of our ability, meet our needs.
February -- Staff voices will be heard.
5). Questions - there is a misconception by the district in the number of students. If 25% move to the north, due to wait list, there will be enough kids to fill the school. This attrition will only be a temporary thing. We will very soon fill up to maximum capacity within say 5 years.
MS. BRIGHTWELL -- You are making this assumption that this is the only show in town. Therefore, once there is a new school, parents will go there. You cant base assumptions on a current reality that is shifting.
Herr Nuss -- CMS should look to have two 1400 schools rather than a 1260 school. The south will quickly fill up and not allow for any growth. Mathematically speaking, what we have now with current population AND waitlist, we can fill two whole 1400 student schools.
6). Question - CMS is making the assumption that the new south school will shrink. Concern is not so much ES classes but how it will impact the MS and HS.
-- Should we expect trailers? Will the MS be reduced?
MS. BRIGHTWELL -- there will be smaller class enrollment but the MS will not be reduced.
Dr. Eybl -- Japanese will not be expanded in the south. If it is - it will be in the north.
MS. BRIGHTWELL -- there will be chances for parents to give feedback on what might be the best langauge mix in each school.
Parent -- However, all of the capital needs have already been decided. How much flexibility really is there in deciding what we could do?
Going forward, we need to look at not only keeping what we have but to be able to grow and improve the immersion, esp. through middle school. Parents are deeply committed to language immersion, not just K5. We want to have the opportunities for 6-8 as well... Currently, it is difficult to do this with our 1400 student enrollment. How will this be addressed with a smaller school?
7). ISSUE -- CMS will not give a commitment to fund visas. How will the north school even remotely be successful without this?
MS. BRIGHTWELL -- Will continue to lift up and advocate for this.
8). In our experience, we have gotten quality teachers through the visa program. You are saying that you are "committed" however, there are not facts and actual direction as to how this would happen. This is where the trust issue fails between CMS and parents.
The trust issue - CMS has been very slow to respond to us. In our experience, the way to get quality teachers was with visas. Very concrete actions being taken place. HOW will CMS get this done.
9).Hamrick sensei -- In regards to the Japanese program - we have a really strong Japanese program. It would be so much better to expand in the south so that the program can work and grow together. This would not be possible with a language strand in the north.
MS. BRIGHTWELL -- if this were a different fiscal situation, and we could control the purse strings, maybe this could be done. But who knows, maybe when the building comes out of the ground, there will be room to add on a few classrooms here and there.
Ms. Strubbe -- We would rather have two classes in one location rather than one here and one in the north.
10). Look at the Oaklawn vs. Collinswood difference -- parents do not want to go to Oaklawn, even if they live in the north, because it is lower quality.
We need to look at what this north school will be as it is likely that the quality will not be as good as the current south building is.
MS. BRIGHTWELL -- We will certainly look at this.
11). What is the timeline for the building of the north facility?
MS. BRIGHTWELL -- Maybe over the next few months.
12). There are people that live in the north who will come to the south building. The south program is solid and grounded. Therefore, they will choose to come to the south.
13). What is the lift up process?
To the magnet office.
14). Will staff remain intact as we look to the new school? Is there a commitment to keeping the staff that is currently at Waddell in the south school. Or will experienced teachers be taken to start up the north school?
MS. BRIGHTWELL -- there has not been any discussion.
This should be discussed. Make it known that we would like to preserve the current staff at the new facility.
15). Will there be an architect available to make sure that staff feedback on classrooms will be able to happen structure-wise?
MS. BRIGHTWELL -- We will lift that up. We will pass the feedback to the architect.
16). Is there any wiggle room in the numbers? In enrollment or space for more students in the classroom?
MS. BRIGHTWELL -- I cannot commit to anything. The numbers that CMS has committed to is on the yellow sheet.
17). Today we are at 112% percent capacity using ALL classrooms and all other spaces available in this building. You are asking us to move to a 63 classroom + including flexible space areas. Logically it does not make sense. We moved from Smith which was about 70 spaces, even with our Chinese program not yet fully matured. Yet you say that you will preserve the program as it exists today. This doesn't seem to add up.
MS. BRIGHTWELL -- The new school will not look like Waddell today. There will be some floating classrooms. There will not be any empty classrooms as there may be today. We will be looking to better utilize our space.
18). IF you build a MS that will not house 450 students, you will have a MS that is no longer a quality education institution. Parents will go back to their home school. We are worried that you may be able to achieve a strong ES program, however, the fear is that the programs will crash come middle and high school. Middle School - what is the commitment to build this into a strong program?
MS. BRIGHTWELL -- I am not involved in any of these discussions right now though they are likely taking place. I am not privy to this information. This information will be lifted up to Mara Cobe.
19). Please restate how the enrollment numbers will drop from 1380 to 1260. Can you clarify how our demand will drop to 1260.
MS. BRIGHTWELL -- The planning department's projection has stated 1260. The building will be built for a capacity of 1260.
In reality, the number 1260 has nothing to do with demand. It is all about capacity -- the size of the building is dictating what demand will be.
Please take up the conversation with Scott McCulley as to how many seats per section will be available in kindergarten for each language. If he has 7 classes in K and they are fully subscribed, what will this means when it matriculates up -- what will happen? Are you looking at this number? Scott believes that he will fill up all 7 sections in the south facility. If this does happen, it will be the same model as when we were at Smith.
20). We are 7 sections per grade. The typical K8 has only 4 sections. Yet we are getting the exact same building. For us to get an additional classrooms, it would be about $3 million dollars. From the perspective of the whole bond process, this is a drop in the bucket.
21). To take 24 kids per class time 7 classes per grade K5 plus MS classes, this comes to over 1500. How does this relate to 1260?
MS. BRIGHTWELL -- We are going to maximize the finite building that CMS will give you.
22). Why are you not giving us what we have now - the capacity for the ideal size, which is where Waddell is now - when you are looking to increase SES and have more magnet options for people in the county.
23). If you have only a capacity of 1260, you cannot do two classes per language (3) plus Japanese -- the math does not add up. Especially if you promise that the north families can be grandfathered in. You cannot fit this program into the new location. There is no way to play around with these numbers.
24). Is there a plan for trailers?
MS. BRIGHTWELL -- this is the assumption that no one from this current building leaves.
25). Parents are very passionate about the grandfather clause.
MS. BRIGHTWELL -- this is not our forte. Our specialty is the instructional part. Therefore it is hard to say how this will work. However we will have opportunities to prioritize flexible space to make it work the way we want. We have to look at the positives of this. We have to make the best of the situation. There is a lot of opportunity to capitalize here.
26). You FEEL confident that this school will fit in the new building. However, parents FEEL confident that it will not work.
MS. BRIGHTWELL -- when the time is right, the result of the Wed. Meeting will be passed on to parents. FELICIA -- if we look at the master schedule and we find that there are certain things that will not work, we will pass those on to the master architect.
27). By growing the program in this way, you are creating two weak programs. You are taking one strong, dividing it and will end up with 2 programs that are marginal at best.
28). It is very hard on students when teachers have to change year over year because of the visa issues and the disability to have teachers stay longer term.
MS. BRIGHTWELL -- if we feel strongly that this is a huge component of the success of the school, then as a SLT we can look at alternative funding options.
We have been working on this for 5 years now. There is no room for an outside entity to pay for the visa when CMS is the employer.
MS. BRIGHTWELL -- I cannot commit that we can put money toward this.
29). Why does Collinswood at 850 enrollment get the same building as Waddell at 1380 (currently.). This is not equitable. Will Nations Ford ES property be big enough for our school? How will parking and traffic work? This land needs to facilitate our K8, parking, playground, soccer field and traffic flow, along with any potential trailers to allow for growth
MS. BRIGHTWELL -- this will be lifted up during our meetings.