A letter to teachers and administrators asking for feedback on releasing city school students early on Wednesdays was never sent, district Superintendent Dr. Martha Liddell confirmed late Thursday night.
“I sent out a letter about this, and I did not have any responses,” Liddell told the Columbus Municipal School District board of trustees Monday night. The lack of responses suggested that teachers and principals supported the proposal.
However, teachers and principals contacted by the Dispatch Thursday said they never received the letter.
In an email to the Dispatch Thursday night, Liddell denied saying she had sent a letter seeking input from stakeholders.
“I was misquoted regarding the letter Monday night,” Liddell wrote. “I stated that parents would receive a letter explaining the need for ERW (Early Release Wednesdays) in the district and the district’s plan to assist parents making the transition from full-day to 60-percent day Wednesdays. A copy of the parent letter I referred to Monday is posted on the district’s website.”
Today, in a follow-up email, Liddell said the letter will be mailed to parents next week.
The early release proposal initially failed for lack of a second Monday night but was revisited after the board returned from closed executive session.
Board member Aubra Turner then made the motion to pass the school calendar — along with the plan for early release Wednesdays — and it passed 3-1. Board member Jason Spears voted against the motion and Glenn Lautzenhiser abstained.
“I thought it was a serious proposal and deserved serious consideration,” Lautzenhiser said Thursday. “The reason I couldn’t support it is parents who had contacted us were not afforded the opportunity to weigh in on the subject, so I thought we needed to put this off for a short period of time so any parent or stakeholder could weigh in on it.”
Another problem, he said, was many parents and teachers had left the meeting after the motion failed, not realizing it would be brought up again.
“We had a room full of people to start with,” Lautzenhiser said. “I think there were about six people left when we picked this up after executive session. Everybody left thinking we had dealt with this issue.”
The plan calls for students at the district’s five elementary schools to be released at 12:45 p.m. on Wednesdays and for middle school and high school students to be released at 12:15 p.m.
Teachers will stay until 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays for professional development.
To make up for the lost instruction time, students’ school day will be extended until 3 p.m. the remaining four days of the week.
The plan has met with mixed reviews by parents, teachers and administrators.
The extra time for professional development is beneficial for teachers, and keeping training sessions in-house cuts down on travel and expenses, Sale Elementary Principal Nancy Bragg said Thursday.
The district tried it several administrations ago, and it worked well, Bragg said, adding that earlier Thursday she received the letter posted on the district’s website.
“She has been emailing us and communicating with us on her objectives and strategies,” Bragg said.
Because school is out for the summer, she said she has not had contact with teachers to find out how they feel about the new schedule.
“We haven’t had a lot of communication,” she said. “I’ve talked to a couple (of teachers). With teachers having to get accredited every few years, this gives them the opportunity to get those continuing education credits. I think it’s going to be a real positive thing.”
But some teachers are not so sure.
A teacher at Columbus Middle School, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the motion’s passage caught teachers off guard.
“It was a surprise to us,” the teacher said Thursday. “We knew nothing until it was in the paper.”
State proposal
The issue may be a moot point.
The Mississippi Department of Education is opposed to releasing students early so teachers can use the extra time for professional development, saying schools are allowing teachers to leave early as well, The Associated Press reported Thursday. MDE proposes limiting early dismissal to two times per year.
“What we’ve found across the state is many of the districts are not using those days appropriately,” MDE Accreditation Director Paula Venderford said.
State board members are likely today to vote in favor of soliciting feedback on the issue before making a final decision. The policy could be implemented or modified after the comment period.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.