GAPS Funding Dilemma

A recommendation by
Groves Parents
for a Solution
Feb.2011
We all recognize that the funding
issue is real and has been forced
upon our School Board and our
community requiring difficult
decisions to me made.
 GAPS Guiding Principles;
Protecting Student Learning
Criteria stated by district:
Least impact on student learning
Maintaining functional programs
Actual savings v. level of disruption and long
term consequences
Vision for school district when funding
improves
 Budgetary Reality
• $7 Million shortfall for 2011-12 School Year
• $8 Million shortfall for 2012-13 School Year
• Superintendent’s Recommendation is School
Consolidation to help close this Gap.
• Specifically “Temporarily Closing” Fairmount,
Fir Grove, & Takena elementary schools.

Estimated Total Savings of $400,000 per year

 Areas of Concern From Grove
Parent Meetings
School Consolidation Path Presents the following issues;
Overwhelming parent consensus against
moving 5th graders into middle school
Flaws with Timber Ridge Model
– School was built specifically for separation of
classes (two floors) – NAMS is not.
– Timber Ridge has not had any 8th graders for
a full year so no data is available.
6th Graders are considerably more mature
physically and emotionally than 5th graders.
 Areas of Concern From Grove
Parent Meetings
School Consolidation Path Presents the following issues;
Currently North Albany Elementary & The
Groves School are rated by the State as
EXCECPTIONAL & NAMS is rated
UNSATISFACTORY.
– Typically adding additional requirements to an
unsatisfactory model (however the quality)
does not raise it’s level.
 Areas of Concern From Grove
Parent Meetings
If School Consolidation is the Path ;
Keeping the successful model of primary &
intermediate campuses.
Primary Campus – N.Albany Elementary.
– Available room for reading pull-outs.
– Age appropriate facilities. (e.g. playground)
Intermediate Campus – Oak Grove
– Since pull-outs are not mandatory, adequate
space would be available.
– Age appropriate facilities.
 Benefits of Primary &
Intermediate Campuses
Synergy of teaching – More effective PLC.
Children develop & maintain relationships
starting from Kinder through high school.
Reduces blends & splits in classrooms
– Which aren’t optimal with current mandated curriculum
Having more classes of each grade allows more
options of spreading kids around for an optimal
learning environment.
Allows more teaching styles to be presented. A
better opportunity to match teachers with
students.
 Another Path
o The 4-Day School Week
o Research and anecdotal evidence indicate that this
approach will allow us to meet our budgeting
shortfall while protecting student learning.

o By implementing this for the 2011-12 school year we

realize immediate savings and delay consolidation by
one year to better study alternatives to closing schools.
o Continue to research the best way to consolidate students.
o Provides time for other impacted elementary schools to come
up with creative solutions.
o Modular units
o Restricting
The 4-Day School Week Benefits
Provides the saving we require and follows
The GAPS school board criteria of
protecting student learning by;
• Minimizing impact on student learning
• Maintaining Functional Programs
• Actual Savings vs Level of Disruption &
Long Term Consequences
• Vision for School District when Funding
Levels Improve
The 4-Day School Week Concept
Projected Savings
Savings range from 2% to 9% of a school
district's operating budget, according to
available research
2009-2010 Operating Budgets of GAPS
$68 Million Dollars
2% - $1.36 Million in Savings
9% - $6.12 Million in Savings
To cover the $400K Gap Savings would
have to be .58%
The 4-Day School Week Concept
Where Do We Get the Savings?
• Transportation
• Food and Food Service Staff
• Hourly Staff
• Certified & Noncertified Substitute Pay
• Reduced Workers Compensation
• Facilities Operational Cost
The 4-Day School Week Concept
Additional Benefits
• GAPS current unpredictable calendar is a major
point of contention with parents, teachers, and
administrators. The 4-Day Plan will provide a
stable calendar for the school year.
• PLC and Staff Development days could be
moved to Fridays, creating uninterrupted
instructional time between Monday and
Thursday, additionally saving the district money
by eliminating substitution cost.
The 4-Day School Week Concept
Additional Benefits
• Positive outcomes cited in research identify increased
attendance for both students and teachers, decline in
high school drop out rate, decline in student disciplinary
referrals, fewer class interruptions and distractions
leading to increased efficiency of instruction, better use
of class time with more in-depth focus on particular
subjects during a given class
• Allows for greater flexibility in the event of weather-
related school cancellations, as schools can make up
missed days without lengthening the school year
• Many Schools on a 4-day week actually have more
instructional minutes over the course of the year.
 District Comparison: GAPS & Central Linn
2010/2011 Calendar

% of Weeks on Annual Elementary

Standard Schedule* School Hours

120% 1,060 1,054 1,054

100%
100% 1,050
80%
1,040
60%
36% 1,030 1,026
40%
20% 1,020

0% 1,010
GAPS CL OG FG CL
*Standard schedule assumes four full days for Central Linn & five full
days for GAPS; Thanksgiving week and last week of school excluded
The 4-Day School Week Concept
Impact on Academic Performance;
• The majority of existing research, including
summaries of annual reports delivered to the
Oregon Department of Education by districts
using a 4-Day week, document maintenance or
slight improvement of student achievement
across grade levels.
• The broadest conclusion that can be drawn from
the research is that a 4-day week may have had
a positive impact on student achievement; at the
very least it had no negative.
The 4-Day School Week Concept
More critical than the length of the day or school year is
how time is actually used in the classroom

"If policy makers could open their ears and eyes to

student and teacher perception of time, they would learn
that the Holy Grail is decreasing interruption of
instruction, encouraging richer intellectual and personal
connections between teachers and students, and
increasing classroom time for ambitious teaching and
active engaged learning.”

Larry Cuban, (2008) Phi Delta Kappan, 90(4), 240-251

“Fixing School Time”
The 4-Day School Week Concept
Potential Challenges;
Childcare-Easier to find quality childcare for one day a week
vs. some every day. Lots of middle school and high school
students available to watch kids on those days. Community
partners could shift Early Release Wednesday activities to
Fridays. Longer school day means children would be coming
home from school closer to their parents coming home from
work, reducing latchkey issues.
Student Fatigue - Bulk of academic work is placed in the
earlier part of the day. "The only major concern was that
some teachers believed that the longer day would be tiring for
younger children. However, this did not prove to be a
problem, and we now even have full-day kindergarten." -
Rachel Yarbrough, Assistant Superintendent, Webster County
School District, Dixon, Kentucky
The 4-Day School Week Concept
Potential Challenges;
At-risk Students -Concerns arise that a three-
day break creates additional difficulties for at-risk
students and students with special needs,
though there is limited research to support their
claim.
Shift in Costs-Savings by the District are offset
by new costs incurred by parents for childcare
and food. In addition, savings may be found by
reducing hours of some of the District's lowest
paid, hourly workers.
The 4-Day School Week Concept
• Nearly a 40 year history of use in the U.S.
• Currently in use in over 1/3 of the States in
the U.S.
• By starting in 2011, we’d learn the true
savings in GAPS and be better prepared
next year to plan for the 2012/13 cycle.
The 4-Day School Week Concept
• "The four-day school week was probably one of
those few decisions made in education in the
name of money that actually ended up having
educational benefits in terms of the academic
performance of kids. Schools end up operating
more efficiently, and they can maintain their
programs even when their resources have been
reduced.“
Joyce Ley ,
Director – NW Educational Laboratory, Portand-OR
Referring 2001 Study
Thank You