Polson board votes to reconfigure schools

By Ethan Smith

Leader Staff

Polson elementary teachers and administrators will move forward with plans to reconfigure the two elementary schools, while parents who took legal action against the district have decided to withdraw their suit.

Polson board members voted again last week to move ahead with the reconfiguration of Cherry Valley and Linderman Elementary schools, following a public meeting last week in which much of the public spoke in favor of the move, in contrast to a May 29 meeting.

Last week's meeting was held after more than a dozen parents took legal action last month, claiming there wasn't proper notification for the May 29 meeting, in which dozens of parents spoke out against the reconfiguration idea. In light of the legal action, the Polson board decided to hold another public meeting, and superintendent Sue McCormick spent time explaining the rationale behind the reconfiguration, which seemed to appease many parents who were disappointed that a formal plan hadn't been presented at the original meeting.

While some of them still aren't in favor of reconfiguration, and claim the district was implementing the idea too quickly to begin with, they decided earlier this week to halt their legal efforts.

"The meeting was properly noticed and the public, including Petitioners, were given the opportunity to speak. It is Petitioners' belief that this second meeting was a sham and the input afforded the Petitioners to participate in the decision was meaningless because the Board was simply reconfirming the earlier decision made without public participation," court documents filed Tuesday state. "However, Petitioners are mindful of the difficulty of proving that their participation in the July 12 meeting went unheeded."

At last Thursday's meeting, board members voted to rescind their original vote held May 29, and they then opened the floor back up for public comment. McCormick's presentation focused on the advantages to students and the district that reconfiguration would bring.

Under the plan, Cherry Valley would become a primary-level elementary school, housing kindergarten and first grades, while the rest would be at Linderman. The result would be same-grade teachers working in a collaborative environment, with students who would be able to go to school together from kindergarten through 4th grade. Cherry Valley was originally built to house younger students, so it just makes sense, McCormick said — one of several reasons she presented for the change.

"There will be a greater diversity of teaching styles available … because all teachers who teach that grade will be in that school," she said. "All students will be served by all instructional staff."

Board members and McCormick alluded to the perception among parents that both schools have strengths in certain areas, and weaknesses in others, which has created a culture of competition in the community. Reconfiguration will eliminate that, they said.

"There are perceptions in the community that the board has favored one school over the other," McCormick said.

Written comments submitted to the district and read aloud at the meeting were seven in favor of the move and none opposed, but several parents took the time to voice their objections again last week.

Greg Hobbs, one of the parents who filed an injunction, said change needs to be better planned, but said he felt better after hearing McCormick's presentation.

"Tonight, you've met my expectations much better," he said. But, "I would suggest you still have work to do."

And the district does. Teachers and administrators in both schools can now move forward with implementation plans, but will have their work cut out for them to finish up by the end of August. They were prevented by the injunction from taking action until the issue was resolved, but will now prepare their lesson plans and classrooms to better accommodate their respective students.

And with only a month and a half left before school starts, some parents still have their doubts as to whether an effective implementation plan can be put into place.

"I really have no idea whether they can get it done in time. I wish them well. I think if they can't, it won't be because of the injunction, but a reflection on the fact that we continue to believe it was a hasty decision to begin with," said Cesar Hernandez, one of the parents who took legal action. "But, we think a lot of good has come of this if nothing else. There's more public awareness of issues facing the school district, and knowledge of the district. This isn't a 'here today, gone tomorrow' thing — it's a commitment on the part of parents to get involved and help improve Polson schools."