So, what is the difference between Whole Grade Sharing and Re-Organization?

During our recent November school board meeting, the Alta and Aurelia boards participated in a presentation and discussion facilitated by Dr. Tim Grieves, Chief Administrator with Northwest AEA.  He presented on the topic of reorganization.

Primarily he lead the boards through Iowa Code 275 and how this relates to school reorganizations, the timelines involved, and the process as a whole.  Discussion was held on not only Iowa Code, but also how to structure a newly reorganized school board, petitions, and dates a vote can legally be held.  Many questions were asked concerning pro's and con's of reorganiziing school districts, examples of reorganization processes that have been most successful, and pit falls in the process to avoid.

So, what is the difference between whole grade sharing and reorganization?

In Whole Grade Sharing, two school districts agree to share students, classes, and staff but remain separate school districts. The two districts maintain separate school boards, separated budgets, and separate taxing authorities.  Currently, Alta and Aurelia whole grade share student in middle school through high school.  The boards are now learning more about a move to reorganization to determine if and when we should move to a true k-12 school merger through reorganization.

In re-oganization (commonly referred to as ‘consolidation’).  Two separate school districts join to become one new district with one new school board, one budget and one taxing authority. 

Whole Grade Sharing requires a vote of the school boards to approve.  Re-Organization (consolidation) requires a vote of the public passed by simple majority.

There are pro’s and con’s to each.  In the current Whole Grade Sharing Agreement between Alta and Aurelia there are a number of shared positions for which both districts receive additional funding (superintendent, business manager, transportation director, curriculum coordinator to name a few). This additional funding would not be available if the two districts consolidated.  For districts that vote to consolidate, there are some efficiencies gained and a small property tax incentive for three years.

The above mentioned loss in funds will not only be off-set by both districts applying for "jointly employed" funding, but funding would increase considerably for the final year of the whole grade sharing and the first three years of the reorganization . The districts are eligible for "jointly employeed" funding now that they have the same professional development plans, similar salary schedules, and utilize the same evaluation process and instruments.

As the boards move forward in learning more about reorganization, information will be made public. Once it is determined to pursue if reorganization is the proper fit or not for our situations, public surveys will be used, along with pubilc meetings and newsletters to get accurate information out to the public prior to any formal decisions being made.

Personally, as long as Alta and Aurelia remain together in whatever fashion the school boards and communities see fit, I view it as a huge positive. As I am out visiting classrooms, I witness more students in the elective classes than in years prior to the sharing agreement.  Elective courses that would have literally had 2 or three students in the past now have double digits.  Small class sizes are great, but there comes a point where a class is so small that it impedes education. In some of our elective classes, that is where we were when we were separate.

Because of our now larger student numbers, we are able to offer more elective classes at the high school and more exploratory classes in the middle school than we have been able to offer in many years, and possibly ever.  Advanced Science classes have been developed, expanded offerings in Business, Family/Consumer Science, Business and Industrial Technology are now offered. Multiple sections of elective classes as well as multiple sections of required classes are now offered, where, prior to the sharing agreement, only one section may have been available in the schedule.  This gives students greater choice and flexibility to take classes in their areas of interest and need.

The extra-curricular and co-curricular offerings are richer together than when we were separate.  Increased numbers have allowed for for multiple levels of competition in many of our activities.

There are strong numbers in our music programs at both middle school and high school.  Interest is high and we anticipate those numbers continuing to increase.   Greater numbers in many of our co-curricular and extra-curricular programs gives us the opportunity to now have truly developmental programs.  Students aren't forced into situations where they have to compete at levels above or below their skill levels, as was the case at times when both schools were separate.

The board of education for both Aurelia and Alta meet at joint monthly board meetings.  Each gets to hear the discussions of the other district and both boards are taking a keen, positive, interest in the business of the other. If you were to walk in the board room as an observer, I think it would be difficult to determine who was an Alta board member and who was an Aurelia board member. The discussion is positive and forthcoming. There is a sense of "team" that has been developed in the board room.  This is not only exciting and positive, but it will continue to have a positive impact in the classrooms and our students' educational experience.

There are two questions that I have continually asked myself over the past six years, "Are we better together than on our own?" and "Is being together better than the alternatives both school districts faced for their futures?" Based on what I am currently witnessing, the answer to both questions is a definite "Yes!"  I for one am looking positively to the future as Alta and Aurelia continue to grow together for the benefit of our children’s education.

Enrollment Has An Effect On Resources

Every year public schools in Iowa spend billions of dollars to educate children, sparking taxpayers to often ask school board members, administrators and lawmakers: “Where does that money go?” That’s why part of the Alta Community School District and Aurelia Community School District’s mission is to help taxpayers understand how districts are spending that money, in an attempt to dispel the mysteries surrounding school funding. Knowing how the state school funding formula works is important in helping understand the pressures facing local school districts. Because the formula is based on the number of children enrolled in the district, as we gain children, we gain revenues to serve those children and, if enrollment declines, we also lose revenue.

While the area of school finance is complex, some basic principles make it understandable to the average citizen, including:

1. The number of children enrolled in each district determines a district’s budget/revenues.
2. The General Assembly through the finance formula “equalizes” funding statewide so the “cost per student” is roughly the same in every district and every student has access to a quality education.
3. The Governor recommends the annual change in per pupil allowable growth.  The General Assembly is responsible for passing legislation to establish the annual increase in the “cost per student/allowable growth”.
4. Property taxes matter. They determine how much money each district receives in state aid.
5. Funds are restricted. We can only use funds on what the legislature tells us we can.
6. Schools are budget limited. Most other public entities are property tax rate limited. This difference is monumental.

Iowa’s school funding formula is a child-based formula, meaning that the allowable spending for a school district is based upon the number of children enrolled in that district on October 1 of each year. The number of students counted on that day is used to establish the district’s budget for the following year. This means our revenues are always a year behind the actual number of children we are serving in our classrooms. For the Alta Community School District, our October 1 certified enrollment is 517 for the current year, which is down 17 students as compared  to last year's certified enrollment. For the Aurelia Community School District, our October 1 certified enrollment is down 7 students for the current year as compared to last year.  Combined, this is a loss of revenue for Alta-Aurelia of approximately $156,000 for the 2017-18 school year as this October's count generates next school year's funding.

Because the enrollment for our districts have been relatively stable over the past six years, we’ve been fortunate that our budgets have been stable as well. However, if enrollment continues to decline in the future, along with increasing costs, we will be faced with the prospect of reduced resources to serve the needs of our district. This could result in personnel reductions and have an impact on programs.

Enrollment Has An Effect On Resources

Every year public schools in Iowa spend billions of dollars to educate children, sparking taxpayers to often ask school board members, administrators and lawmakers: “Where does that money go?” That’s why part of the Alta Community School District and Aurelia Community School District’s mission is to help taxpayers understand how districts are spending that money, in an attempt to dispel the mysteries surrounding school funding. Knowing how the state school funding formula works is important in helping understand the pressures facing local school districts. Because the formula is based on the number of children enrolled in the district, as we gain children, we gain revenues to serve those children and, if enrollment declines, we also lose revenue.

While the area of school finance is complex, some basic principles make it understandable to the average citizen, including:

1. The number of children enrolled in each district determines a district’s budget/revenues.
2. The General Assembly through the finance formula “equalizes” funding statewide so the “cost per student” is roughly the same in every district and every student has access to a quality education.
3. The Governor recommends the annual change in per pupil allowable growth.  The General Assembly is responsible for passing legislation to establish the annual increase in the “cost per student/allowable growth”.
4. Property taxes matter. They determine how much money each district receives in state aid.
5. Funds are restricted. We can only use funds on what the legislature tells us we can.
6. Schools are budget limited. Most other public entities are property tax rate limited. This difference is monumental.

Iowa’s school funding formula is a child-based formula, meaning that the allowable spending for a school district is based upon the number of children enrolled in that district on October 1 of each year. The number of students counted on that day is used to establish the district’s budget for the following year. This means our revenues are always a year behind the actual number of children we are serving in our classrooms. For the Alta Community School District, our October 1 certified enrollment is 517 for the current year, which is down 17 students as compared  to last year's certified enrollment. For the Aurelia Community School District, our October 1 certified enrollment is down 7 students for the current year as compared to last year.  Combined, this is a loss of revenue for Alta-Aurelia of approximately $156,000 for the 2017-18 school year as this October's count generates next school year's funding.

Because the enrollment for our districts have been relatively stable over the past six years, we’ve been fortunate that our budgets have been stable as well. However, if enrollment continues to decline in the future, along with increasing costs, we will be faced with the prospect of reduced resources to serve the needs of our district. This could result in personnel reductions and have an impact on programs.

Filling Their Backpacks

John Dewey said, "Education is not preparation for life. Education is life."

     There are few professions where you can see the impact of your work so vividly. There aren't many jobs where hero, friend and mentor are part of the job description. There are few careers that have such a lasting impact on an entire generation.

     I like teaching. I like learning about teaching. And I especially like reading others' teaching philosophies. I love it when teachers select analogies-teaching is like lighting a bonfire, or teaching is like giving students wings-that explain, instruct and inspire.

     For me, teaching is a little like stuffing a backpack. You know the ones I mean-the heavy-duty, oversize backpacks that students shoulder down the halls of our schools. In these metaphorical backpacks, students carry with them the knowledge and skills they will need for their journey through life. When students enter our classrooms, their backpacks have already been partially filled by families, life experiences and other instructors. The backpacks are deep and sometimes it's hard to see what they are carrying in there.

     Through our teaching, we attempt to place items in our student' backpacks. All children do not arrive to school with a backpack full of the same experiences, nor are they all equally full. When students first enter our classrooms, we must determine what is in the backpack and begin filling from there. We add the foundations of language, reading, mathematics, the mechanics of writing and skill development. We pack in sharing and caring, character development, listening skills. Art, music and physical wellness are placed in the pack as well.

     By this time, the students' backpacks are pretty full, but we're not done yet. Our next job is to expand their backpacks so that more will fit in them. We do this by asking them to analyze, question and think.

     As children grow and mature, we ask them to look at what is in their backpacks and apply the items to real world situations. Sometimes, we can actually see their backpacks grow in class as they experience new ways of thinking about an issue. And sometimes students have to discard something from the bottom of their backpacks that has lain there, unexamined, for many years to make room for a new idea.

     The good thing about stuffing a backpack is that it is a lot of fun. We also know that as soon as students are out of our sight, they dump things out of the backpack to lighten the load. With these characteristics in mind, we can't just force items into the backpack. We have to get students to want to carry our backpack stuffers around. So we try new things in teaching. What do students discard? How can we get items to stick around longer in the backpack? Will this exercise expand that backpack or not? Mistakes are okay, because we can always try again. In addition, we find that the students might not notice how heavy the backpack has become if the stuffing process is interesting and even entertaining.

     As students prepare to graduate, they leave us, their backpacks full. Our sincere desire is that they journey farther than we have, see more, and achieve more. And somewhere along the way, they'll pull something out of their backpacks and think of a teacher who placed it there.

Factors Affecting Student Performance

Facilities Are One of the Factors That Affect Student Performance

There are a number of factors that affect student achievement in schools, and these factors are supported by research.  There are basically six variables that rise to the top when the factors affecting student achievement are studied in detail.

Leadership - leadership, whether group leadership or individuals, that integrates or influences efforts toward commonly accepted goals.  At Alta-Aurelia these past five years, we have focused on improving math and reading throughout the system. That focus will continue into the 2016-17 school year.

Personnel - teacher and other teaching personnel that are trained in current best practice.  We spend time throughout the school year on professional development activities (teacher training) targeted at improving instructional strategies at all grade levels. Professional development delivered is consistent from one year to the next and targeted on improving literacy and/or math skills as the intended outcome.

Finances - high performing districts also tend to have their finances in order and allocate funds in an effort to improve student achievement.  We are investing funds toward updating our enacted curriculum and purchasing materials, equipment, and technology aligned with that curriculum. This is to ensure that our teachers have the tools at their disposal to use current best practices in instructing our children.

Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment - all need to be aligned, organized for instruction, and delivered with curricular objectives in mind. Having a guaranteed and viable curriculum, I rank as being the most important factor, and has the greatest impact on student achievement.

Community - parents and other community groups, and how they engage with the school, has an impact on a school's effectiveness. 

Facilities - here lies the focus of this article.  Everyone enjoys having nice school facilities. We often don't take into consideration the actual impact those facilities have on student learning. A range of studies have been conducted on this topic alone and the findings support the idea that the facilities most definitely do have an impact on teaching and learning.  

Factors such as, indoor air quality, ventilation, heating/cooling comforts, lighting, acoustics, building quality, school size, and class size, all have an affect on learning. Spacial configurations, noise, heat, cold, light and air quality obviously bear on students' and teachers' ability to perform.  Needed are clean air, good lighting, and a quiet, comfortable, and safe learning environment.

Those associated most closely with Alta-Aurelia Schools know that continuous improvement in our facilities has been an on going effort starting six years ago in preparation for the whole grade sharing.  These efforts need to continue and will. Additional facility renovations are being planned to add classroom and flexible spaces, improved HVAC systems, improved lighting, and to ensure student/staff safety.  

Many of these project go somewhat unnoticed, but beginning this summer more substantial changes will begin with the transformation of the Aurelia building's third floor. This will include renovating and updating classroom space, adding A/C, new lockers on third and first floors, and a facelift of the third floor library.  Modern furnishing are being purchased as well.  

Further renovations are being planned in Alta with the addition of classroom space, a possible cafeteria, improved HVAC systems. A facility study is being conducted this Spring using the Iowa Construction Advocacy Team (ICAT) and from that study, recommendations will be made to the Alta board on the best course of action. Ideally, projects in Alta would begin sometime during the 2016-17 school year. 

There are also plans under discussion for improvements to our athletic facilities as well.  Refinishing of the High School gym floor, as well as Track renovations.

Spring Time Updates!

How will the highway 7 improvement project effect the school?

    After having the opportunity to visit with representatives from the Department of Transportation on March 22nd, it appears that the project will have an effect on our bus routes and shuttle routes.  

    The project can begin as early as late April, and must start on or before early June.  The DOT is projecting that construction will reasonably begin late May, and should be completed the end of August. We are anticipating and planning for altering bus routes and shuttle routes the last couple of weeks this school year and the first few weeks to begin next school year. I am excited that the DOT is taking on this project. It will be a great benefit for our communities. 

     During the times when we are not able to drive on highway 7, I encourage parents of high school students driving from Aurelia to Alta daily, to take hard surface roads. It is possible to drive from Aurelia to Alta mostly on gravel roads, and it will be tempting for some.  Keep in mind that spring time gravel roads are not always in the best condition and could be unsafe for novice drivers.

Continuing to upgrade all of the school buildings' wireless access.

    This summer, the third phase in upgrading the wireless access in all of our school buildings will be completed.  The first phase increased bandwidth, which was very much needed to speed up network traffic so that the systems were truly usable for educational applications.     

    The second phase increased the capacity for the number of users accessing the system, updating wireless access points, hubs, switches, and routers. This done to help eliminate frequent dropage that was occurring due mainly to outdated technology.  

    This third phase will further increase the number of users that can access the system at the same time in all areas of our buildings. This is being done to accommodate the increase of wireless devices that we now have available for student and teacher use. It is also to prepare for the new Iowa assessments that will be conduct completely on computers rather than paper/pencil as in the past.  If there is a push from staff and community for a 1 to 1 environment, the infrastructure will mostly be in place to support such an initiative.

Transition planning for 5th and 6th grade students.

    On March 21st and March 22nd, Mr. Hanna and Mrs. Henningsen hosted question and answer sessions for parents of 5th and 6th grade students to help prepare them for the transition to middle school.  March 21st was held in Aurelia, March 22nd was in Alta. Parents could attend either or both sessions.  

    I was able to sit in on both evenings sessions and I was very impressed with how prepared our principals were, and the questions that the parents asked.  Thank you to those who were able to attend. If you were not able to make either session, but have questions, please feel free to contact Mr. Hanna, Mrs. Henningsen or myself anytime.

    There are plans being made for two student transition days this spring.  One designed mainly for socialization. Allowing students to meet, and spend extended time together in a fun and structured environment. The second day being a more traditional, formal transition day, with students following a mini-schedule, meeting more in depth with teachers, and touring the building.

Exciting Times!

These are exciting times at Alta-Aurelia!  Over the past few years, we have seen some positive growth in student enrollment.  Most of this growth is occurring in the Alta Elementary School.  Previously, the elementary in Alta could be best described as a small two section elementary. This meaning that each grade level was divided into two sections, with each section typically running from 15-18 students.  The building would now be described as a two to three section elementary.  We have some grade levels that are two sections and some that are three sections, due to enrollment growth and student needs.  This is great news!  

It's a fact that many people school shop when they are looking to relocate to an area. One of our goals early on when we were planning our Alta-Aurelia school system was to become a school of choice.  We have an outstanding number of academic and extra-curricular offerings.  Alta-Aurelia has received state wide recognition for some of those programs.  We have developed a rigorous summer school program, after school tutoring, homework assistance, positive behavior interventions and supports, and expanded technology integration.  All of these make Alta-Aurelia a very attractive school system to young families. Thanks to the work of our outstanding staff.

Growth can create some problems, namely space limitations.  Right now, the Alta elementary staff is using every available classroom, this includes converting the computer lab to classroom space.  We aren't abandoning the lab concept entirely, but have moved in the direction of mobile laptops and tablets. This allows the computers to be moved to the students rather than the students moving to the computer lab.  If we need to expand another grade level to three sections right now, we don't have the available space to do so in the Alta elementary building.

Over this past school year, administrators, school board members and staff have been in discussions on how to best address the issue of space to address both the immediate needs, and plan for potential future needs.  One idea that has come up a few time the past couple of years is to combine Alta and Aurelia's 5th grade. As with any change, there are pro's and con's to this possible decision.  

Aurelia can make space available for two additional sections of 5th grade.  In Aurelia's facility planning, classroom remodeling, updating, and adding air conditioning were all a part of the long-range plan. If 5th grade sections were moved from Alta to Aurelia, those plans would be altered and remodeling, updating and A/C would become a priority to complete this summer.  Combining 5th grade allows for the development of a 5th/6th grade team of teachers. In our current elementary schools, we have been moving in the direction of more departmentalization rather than teaching in isolation. This allows teachers to utilize their areas of strength rather than having to teacher every subject. Research supports this ideology, and we expect it to have a positive impact on student achievement.   Developing a 5th/6th grade team makes good sense in that respect.  Also, 5th grade students would now have access to "exploratory classes" that they aren't exposed to now.

The only negative that has been discussed is the need to transport students.  

The Alta and Aurelia school boards have been meeting in committee with the elementary principals in discussing this possible transition in detail. Input has been given by affected staff. If a move were to take place, the 5th grade "sharing" would probably not become a part of the whole grade sharing agreement in the first year.  It is likely that an agreement for year one would be drafted so that no money is exchanged between the districts.  We have worked towards purchasing similar classroom materials in both districts over the past few years, so those are largely in place. Current teachers would remain on contract with their current district of employment (two Alta teachers and one Aurelia teacher). Aurelia would provide the space, classroom furniture, and classroom equipment. Alta would be responsible for transportation of the students.   Input on this topic has been taken from some of the affected students' parents. If you would like to have input and have not been contacted, please feel free to contact Mr. Hanna, Alta Elementary Principal, or, Mrs. Henningsen, Aurelia Elementary/A-A Middle School Principal and talk with them.

Nothing has been finalized as of this writing, but those are the tentative discussions to date. This addresses the immediate needs.  The future needs include moving preschool in Alta to the Alta elementary building from the old high school, and providing additional space for growth.  A facility study is currently being conducted to look at the feasibility of adding space on to the elementary building. The board should have the results of that study back in early April, and long-range facility planning will be conducted based on the results of that study.  Public meetings will be held throughout the planning process to gain input from parents and patrons.  

Another area that needs to be addressed is the condition of the high school track in Alta.  It has been reconditioned and patched a few times over the years, and now the base asphalt is beginning to deteriorate.  Geotechnical studies are being conducted in both school districts.  Reports on the Aurelia facility were presented by Beck Engineering at the February board meeting.  The findings in Alta will be discussed at the March board meeting to determine options, cost, and time lines for repair or replacement.

Exciting times indeed!