Middle Level Schedule:

The Board approved the new 7-period modified block schedule (alpha option) developed by the middle level transition committees. This schedule will provide students with an additional class period and additional instructional time.

South Side Elementary Boundaries:

The Board determined that a South Side Elementary Boundary Committee will be appointed as follows:

•  Parent club president or designee from the parent leadership at the six current south-side schools (Lakeridge, Waluga, Bryant, Hallinan, River Grove, Westridge)

•  One additional parent member from each of those schools approved by the principal and the parent club president.

This committee will work with district administration to review enrollment projections and classroom utilization at south side elementary schools and develop a recommendation to the Board.

Elementary Language Immersion:

The School Board approved the following “Alpha bridge” option relative to expansion of the district’s elementary language immersion program in 2012-13, assuming the conditions below can be met:

The district would continue its current Pre-K and Kindergarten Spanish program within the framework of Scenario B, and add one section of first grade Spanish immersion at one of our six elementary schools. This would provide continuity of the program for students currently enrolled in language immersion on a “bridge” basis, pending an administration review of the district’s pre-k through grade 12 language program, which will be presented to the Board by January of the 2012-13 academic year to determine future language program direction for the district.

Conditions:

1. Program will be housed at one of the elementary schools if a classroom is available– but not at Bryant.
2. Program will be as close to cost neutral as reasonable. Parent donations will be accepted to provide special materials similar to strategy used for the high school engineering class
3. Staff development expenditures will be kept to a minimum.
4. Program will be offered first to LOSD students, then to tuition paying students. No open enrollment transfers will be accepted.
5. A qualified bilingual teacher can be hired.
6. Class minimum of 28 students must be registered and must be committed to participate.
7. While the current thinking is in support of a long-term immersion strategy, no long-term commitment will be made until district work is completed.
8. District staff will report back by mid-May of 2012 if student interest and financial conditions as well as classroom availability can be met. Administration may require more time to make final recommendations to the Board to reach a final decision point based on overall district financial conditions.

Tuition and Transfer Students

The School Board made the following determinations regarding the acceptance of out-of-district students for the 2012-13 school year:

•  The district will continue to accept tuition students according to current practice and guidelines.

•  Given all the change occurring at the elementary and middle level with the implementation of Scenario B, the district will not accept open enrollment students at those levels next year.

•  The Board will continue to plan for some measure of open enrollment at the high school level, and has asked the administration to bring forward a recommendation regarding school(s), number of slots, grade levels, and geographic areas. A final determination will be made at the next school board meeting on February 27.

School Starting and Ending Times

The Board decided that there will be no change to school starting and ending times for the 2012-13 school year.