New District 197 Committee to Advise on Redesign Ideas

Combining an elementary school and middle school, six-period scheduling at the high school, mixed grade classrooms—all are ideas walked out to parents this winter as ways to teach children in District 197 more efficiently without reducing quality.

The reception was lukewarm at best.

The redesign options, presented as part of a budget option to reduce expenditures by $2 million, were developed too quickly, created logistical challenges that would need to be figured out in just a few months, and would be implemented too fast, argued opponents.

Now, the school board is trying a new approach, and on June 6 approved formation of a Strategic Redesign Committee (SRC) that will advise the board on future redesign undertakings.

The resolution passed charges the SRC to consider prioritization of goals, identification of skills kids will need for the future, use of technology, early learning and building efficiency.

The process will operate independently of the budget undertaking, and recommendations are scheduled to be presented to the board in November. A pot of $50,000 in next year’s budget will fund the initiative.

The committee will be made of six teachers, five principals, three administrators, seven board members and 25 members of the community that could include students themselves.

Their task will be to develop strategies for more cost-effective education delivery with a longer-term outlook than the more immediate budget process.

The school board and administrators would make any decisions on implementation.

School board member David Dill, who initially presented the concept of a redesign process operating independent of budget negotiations earlier this spring, said that the undertaking will lean heavily on the district’s administration for research, information and support.

Educating 25 community members about the inner workings of the school district in a short period of time will be a considerable undertaking, commented Superintendent Jay Haugen, though he said the Blue Ribbon Panel a few years ago was similar in nature, while being smaller in scope.

Board member Laurie Tostrud was the lone vote against the resolution. She commented during the meeting that $50,000 had been cut from the district’s budget for research, which now will instead be spent by the school board.

The committee is schedule to be organized by the end of this month, with time set aside in July to bring members up to speed on the districts programs and budget.