D65 Board Adopts Plan to House the TWI Program

By Larry Gavin

After rejecting the administration's recommended plan for the long-term placement of the Two-Way Immersion (TWI) program by a split vote, the District 65 School Board pieced together a modified plan on Dec. 18 by casting a series of votes on various elements of the plan.

The plan adopted by the Board will keep one strand of TWI (one class per grade level) at Dawes, Dewey, Oakton, and Willard Schools and two strands at Washington School. The selection criteria will remain the same as now, with the exception that one-half of the slots for English-speaking students at Washington school will be open to students District-wide. If a seventh TWI classroom is needed at the kindergarten level next year, it will be placed at Oakton School.

Essentially the long-term plan is to keep things the way they are with two modifications: TWI will be dropped at Walker School; and the selection criteria will be modified for English-speaking students at Washington School.

Rejection of Administration's Recommendation
The administration had recommended a single strand of TWI at six schools: Dawes, Dewey, Oakton, Washington, Walker and Willard. This would have kept the placement of TWI the way it is now, with the exception of reducing TWI from two strands to one strand at Washington School. The administration also recommended that if a seventh strand were needed to accommodate an influx of Spanish-speaking students, that it be placed at Washington School.

All members of the Board agreed that six strands of TWI were sufficient to accommodate the TWI program, but four members balked at eliminating a second strand at Washington School. On a roll-call vote, Board President Mary Erickson, Marianne Kountoures and Jerome Summers voted to adopt the administration's recommendation. Jonathan Baum, Julie Chernoff, Mary Rita Luecke, and Sharon Sheehan voted no, each saying he or she could not support a plan that did not keep two strands of TWI at Washington School.

Mr. Baum had stated at previous meetings that two strands of TWI should be kept at Washington so that Spanish-speaking students who were in Oakton's attendance area and who could not attend Oakton because of lack of space could attend Washington, the next closest school. He said, though, "I believe that we must make maintaining a healthy two strands of general education at Washington as high a priority as maintaining a healthy two strands of TWI."

Ms. Luecke said she supported consolidating the TWI program, because consolidation would bring teachers together and allow them to support each other better than a single-strand model. She said, "I believe that as a minimum we must support two stands at Washington, because having two strands at Washington provides a center for the program, and it helps to ground the program. And sometimes it provides a training ground for teachers who then go out into the satellite schools and help to develop the strands that have been developed."

Ms. Sheehan explained her vote saying, "Educationally, the teachers who know the strengths and weaknesses of this program better than others have consistently and strongly supported some sort of consolidation. Consolidation makes sense from an educational and a systemic perspective and the proposal destroys the only consolidation we do have.

"I support two strands of TWI and two strands of general education at Washington," Ms. Sheehan continued. "It does not make sense to take away a well-functioning strand in order to rebuild a strand someplace else. The building of a strand is divisive in and of itself."

Ms. Chernoff said this is the first year in a number of years Washington had made adequate yearly progress (AYP) under the No Child Left Behind Act, and it appeared that things are working well at Washington. "I just think it would be a gift to Washington to keep a second strand there at least for the near future...Give them a chance to gel the way they are."

Ms. Erickson supported the administration's single-strand model, saying there would be a benefit to having a uniform model, because the District could plan uniformly for that model She also expressed concern that if two TWI strands remained at Washington, more English-speaking students would enroll in TWI and she questioned whether "we can count on having two reasonably strong general education strands there." .She added, "I feel there's a compelling reason to have a north side TWI just in terms of trends in housing patterns, and I think those trends are going to continue."

Mr. Summers said, "A north side strand is not only doable but appropriate. We want every student to have a school they can go to that is in their attendance area. So why is it that Latino children shouldn't have a school in their attendance area they can go?" In supporting a reduction of TWI strands at Washington, he said, "There's only one strand of general education at the kindergarten level at Washington. From my point of view this is a general education district."

Ms. Kountoures supported the administration's recommendation "because it is fiscally responsible and because it balances the needs of many students rather than the demands of special interests."

The administration recommended reducing Washington to one strand of TWI because the number of Spanish-speaking students in Washington's attendance area has declined over the years. This year there were only seven Spanish-speaking students in Washington's attendance area that enrolled in TWI at the kindergarten level. Two strands of TWI will accommodate about 20 Spanish-speaking students per grade level.

Two Strands at Washington, TWI Dropped at Walker
After all Board members concurred that six strands of TWI were adequate to accommodate the TWI program and after four members of the Board said they supported keeping TWI at Washington, the issue became whether to drop TWI at Willard or Walker. The program was established at each of these schools at the kindergarten level this year.

A number of Board members said they wanted to keep TWI at a school in the north end of Evanston to serve the growing number of Spanish-speaking students who resided in the Fifth Ward.

Speaking for the administration, Superintendent Hardy Murphy said, "We want to leave the program at Willard. That's our recommendation to you tonight." Paul Brinson, director of information services, said, "At Walker those students would be redistributed back across Dawes, Washington, Dewey, if necessary, so they're staying relatively close to where they reside." He added that keeping the TWI program at Willard, "would allow for those students who are in the Fifth Ward to continue on at their normal attendance area middle school.

The Board approved dropping the TWI program at Walker School by a six-to-one vote, with Ms. Kountoures casting the sole "no" vote. The possibility of eliminating TWI at Walker had not been previously broached, and Ms. Kountoures said Walker families should be given a chance to give their input. Other Board members countered that the program had only been established at the kindergarten level at Walker, and families were told it was on a temporary basis.

In its Nov. 6 proposal, the administration said that Walker was one of two schools in the District "with a concentration" of Spanish-speaking students. This year, 12 Spanish-speaking students residing in Walker's attendance area enrolled in TWI at the kindergarten level.

Selection Criteria
At an earlier meeting a majority of the Board supported using the current selection criteria for admittance into the program. Under the current criteria, Spanish-speaking students are assigned to a TWI program based on their attendance area school. English-speaking students who have an older sibling in the TWI program are given a top priority. English-speaking students in the attendance area of a TWI school are given the next priority.

Ms. Sheehan proposed modifying the selection criteria at Washington School, where there will be two strands of TWI so that one-half of the TWI slots for English speaking students at Washington would be open to students District-wide. She said drawing one-half of the English-speaking students from outside Washington's attendance area would preserve a base of students for Washington's general education program.

The Board approved the modified selection criteria by a five-to-two vote, with Mr. Summers and Ms. Kountoures voting "no". Ms. Kountoures said she could not vote for any proposal made by a member of the Board.

A Possible Seventh Strand
In the event a seventh TWI classroom is needed for kindergarten next year, the Board voted 5-2 to place the program at Oakton, with Mr. Summers and Ms. Kountoures casting the two "no" votes.

Hispanic Youth Achievement Awards Recognizes Talented District 65 Students

The following Hispanic/Latino students who attend District 65 were honored at the sixth annual Hispanic Youth Achievement Awards, held on Dec. 5. They were recognized for excellence in character, civility, community service, leadership, academics and sportsmanship:

Fourth Grade: Diana Avila - Walker School; Lilian Cabrera, Angel Esteban, Daniel Franco, Salvador Garcia, Candy Rosales, Elisa Sanchez, Victoria Sosa and Eduardo Vega - Washington School; Eric Ferreyra - Lincoln; Cristal Hernando - Kingsley School; Rosselyn Lopez - Dewey School; Jennifer Marin - Willard School; Karina Melendez and Benjamin Vergil - Dawes School.

Fifth Grade: Josue "Josh" Franco - Dewey School; Rolando Gonzalez and Angelica Solano - Washington School; Monserrat Herrera and Aurelio Soto - Oakton School; Brandon Martinez and Maria Perez - Dawes School; Manny Quiroz, Willard School.

Sixth Grade: Diana Cisneros and Everardo Mendez - Haven Middle School, Bernardo Gomez, Eduardo Gomez and Eliana Moreno - Nichols Middle School; Melissa Mendoza - Chute Middle School;

Seventh Grade: Roseli Artega and Jorge Vega - Haven Middle School; Linnea Garcia, Juan Eusebio Reyes, Zenay Trevino and Louisa Vasquez - Nichols Middle School; Raven Mercado - Chute Middle School.

Eighth Grade: Nicole Dillon - Dr. Bessie Rhodes Magnet School; Alejandra Pizano, Jorge Rodriguez and Ruth Suarez - Nichols Middle School; Andrés Rivera Thompson and Kevin Torres - Chute Middle School; Nico Rizzo-Bueno - Haven Middle School.

District 65 administrators offered their appreciuation for the support of the many community partners who continue to support this annual program. In particular they acknowledged Aracely Canchola of the Evanston Coalition for Latino Resources for her leadership on the Evanston Hispanic Youth Achievement Awards Committee.

Stipends 101: What the Proposed Activity Fee Will Restore and Support

By Jennie Berkson

The recently proposed extracurricular fee at Evanston Township High School will fund stipends for teachers and coaches to advise previously eliminated activities, provide a better student-to-coach ratio in athletics and debate, and staff a newly formatted intramurals program.

Stipends
The proposal defines six levels of stipends for extracurricular activities and sports, Category 1 being the highest and Category 6 the lowest. The stipend for a given activity or sport is determined by evaluating the activity or sport against eight different criteria, documented in the teachers' contract. William Stafford, chief financial officer, said criteria include student contact hours; average number of students per advisor or coach; job pressure; preparation or planning required; equipment or materials used; weekend or holiday commitment needed; travel supervision; and supervision of other adults. Experience helps determe stipend amounts within each category.

For example, a Category 1 stipend can range from $7,549 to $9,325, depending on whether the recipient has had one to three years or more than eight years of experience. Category 6 stipends range from $777 to $888, again depending on experience. In addition, stipends increase each year, mirroring the increases in teachers' salaries guaranteed by their contract. Next year, stipends will increase by 2 percent, said Mr. Stafford.

Activities
Among the activities that to be restored if the fee proposal is approved are the Upstart Crows, the spring play, the pep band and the marching band color guard. Also slated to be restored are an assistant director for the musical, a choreographer for the student-written and -directed revue YAMO, and an assistant debate coach. Many sports will regain their assistant coaches and be able to add B teams.

Intramurals
The proposed intramural structure would cost about $40,000 less than the one which was cancelled as a result of budget cuts two years ago. "The previous program cost about $60,000," said Chris Livatino, athletic director. "Previously we paid a stipend for an individual to run a given number of open gym sessions with very little structure. Our new program will be more like league play, more like college intramurals. We think this will make the program more competitive and attractive to more students."

Mr. Livatino said two options for intramurals are being considered. One calls for hiring three league directors for fall and winter and two for spring. Each league director would supervise one intramural facility: the fieldhouse, the upstairs gym (except in spring) and the weight room.

Another option calls for hiring 17 intramural supervisors for a variety of sports. The cost of the program, including T-shirts, under either option is projected at about $20,000, Mr. Livatino said.

The Stipend Committee will determine which activities merit stipends as well as the amount. Since the Committee , composed of School Board and Teachers Council members and administrators, has not met in some time, said David Futransky, history teacher and president of Teachers Council, said, "I would hope that before the proposal for restored stipends is approved that the committee meets and reviews the whole issue of stipends."

Mr. Futransky said that additional stipends go to teachers who take on extra activities - such as being standards or floor leader or Homebase teacher - but that this form of compensation is not evaluated against the criteria established by the teachers' contract. Mr. Stafford confirmed that the 200 homebase teachers are paid a flat fee of $1,150 for their responsibilities.

In response, District 202 School Board President Ross Friedman, who does not serve on the stipend committee, said, "I think that the term 'stipend' might need to be clarified." Stipend Committee members Jane Colleton and Martha Burns could not be reached before press time.

D6aWhat Moves the Bears?

Chute Middle School recently got a visit from Chicago Bears linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo and safety Daniel Manning, who kicked off "What Moves U," a program designed to tackle childhood obesity. The players led students through stretching exercises and a rapid-fire true/false trivia game on healthy lifestyles. "What Moves U" is a partnership between the American Heart Association and the NFL.

Kwanzaa Celebration at Oakton.

Members of the Oakton School and Evanston communities packed the school's auditorium for District 65's first Kwanzaa celebration, featuring students in the African-Centered Curriculum, S.O.U.L. Creations and other African-oriented artists. Another Kwanzaa celebration will begin at 6 p.m. Dec. 28 at Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center, 1655 Foster St.

Designed for all ages, this year's family event features music, creative dance and spoken word. New this year will be a "mock" town hall meeting led by local African American youth who will share their long-term vision of how they can incorporate the Kwanzaa principle of Ujima (collective work) to enhance and stabilize their community. The evening culminates with an offering of soul food. Call 847-448-8254.

North End Mothers' Club Continues Dancing Tradition for Middle Schoolers

More than 350 6th- and 7th-graders danced the night away on a recent Fridayevening at the Fortnighly dance sponsored by the North End Mothers' Club.

Fortnightly has beenan Evanston tradition since 1918. Thisseason culminated in a Parents' Night for 6th-graders and a DJ Party for the 7th graders. Lucky 6th-grade parents had the chance, as well as the honor, to dance with their middle-schoolers, whopracticed their recently learned steps. The 7th-graders enjoyed excellent music, refreshments and an evening of pure fun.