At Second Oakton PTA Meeting, Superintendent Responds to PTA Questions

By Mary Helt Gavin

District 65 Superintendent Dr. Hardy Murphy attended a second PTA meeting at Oakton School on May 24, this time to present responses to seven questions put to him in writing earlier this month by some Oakton parents. The mood at this meeting appeared less confrontational than at the one held on May 15, but the key issues remained the same: teacher retention, negative perceptions about the school, student performance on standardized tests, building use and school climate.

Teacher retention and test scores
Dr. Murphy and Oakton principal Q.T. Carter each addressed the group of some 40 persons, many of whom have children at Oakton. Dr. Murphy said Oakton's rate of teacher retention, about 7 percent, is about the same as that of the other schools in the District, once the program changes at Oakton are considered. He also said that there has been considerable improvement in scores at Oakton during his tenure. "I want you to understand [that if you] go back to 1999-2000, 80 percent of the African-American students were not performing well, and now it's 30 percent. Math performance is stronger, but we're not there yet."

The kindergarten wing, enrollment
Use of the kindergarten wing, a sore subject for many at the school, will not change next year, Dr. Murphy said at the May 24 meeting. At present, the ACC takes up the entire kindergarten wing - a move made by Dr. Murphy last summer, despite the fact that parents said they were told that when the ACC was established, all kindergarteners would be together. The issue came up at a previous meeting, when several parents suggested that having all kindergartners in the kindergarten wing would help unify the school, which now houses three distinct academic programs, general education, TWI and the ACC.

At both meetings, requests that the kindergarten wing be used for all kindergarteners were met with accusations of racism and claims that the parents making the request opposed the ACC. However, at each meeting parents said they welcomed the ACC. "No one has ever spoken against the ACC," one parent said.

The District plans to keep the ACC in the kindergarten wing, Dr. Murphy said, and hopes to add a third-grade level, making it a K-3 program. Ten kindergartners have enrolled in the ACC for next year, he said, and eight Spanish-speaking students have enrolled in TWI. "There is a wait list for English-speaking students in TWI," he added.

Physically, Oakton appears to be in good shape heading into the summer recess. Dr. Murphy said Oakton's facilities will be upgraded in the near future but not for the coming academic year.

Perception and school climate
Both administrators and parents appeared to want to put the unpleasantness of the past few weeks behind them, in particular accusations about the administration and the negative perceptions of the school.

Dr. Murphy said, "I hope we can get to a point where we can get beyond controversy. I hope we can embrace the TWI program and the ACC; both are going to be around for a little while longer - and there will be no change in the kindergarten wing."

Mr. Carter, referring to the fact that some people have a negative perception of Oakton, said, "I've heard these same things since 1974." He added that he supports the faculty: "I go out on a limb for them and they know it. They work for the kids."

One former teacher criticized parents for having criticized Mr. Carter, who, she said is a very good principal. "Negative things said affect children," the teacher said.

Yet one parent responded that sometimes "negative" things were said "to get clear answers." She added, "Everyone here has to work to improve Oakton School."

New D65 Board Meets, Reorganizes Committees

By Larry Gavin

The newly constituted District 65 School Board met for the first time on May 15, with newly elected Board members Katie Bailey, Bonnie Lockhart and Keith Terry joining veterans Mary Erickson, Mary Rita Luecke, Sharon Sheehan and Jerome Summers.

The Board unanimously elected Ms. Erickson to serve as president of the Board and Mr. Summers to serve as vice-president. Both ran unopposed.

In a letter to the Board, Ms. Erickson listed three things she would like to work on as president for the coming year:

· Strengthen the working relationship between the Board and the Administration. Much of this depends on maintaining full and honest communication, she said.

· Strengthen the Board's use of process for decision-making by mapping out the decision points needed for the "philosophy to funding" implementation of such District-wide efforts such as the use of technology or approach to enrichment.

· Work harder as a Board to find common ground on issues, so as to find a unified voice.                                          

Committee/meeting structure changed
At the Board's May 21 meeting, Ms. Erickson proposed that the Board change its scheduled committee and meeting structure by eliminating the Program/Policy Committee and shifting from having one scheduled Board and one Program/Policy Committee meeting each month to having two scheduled Board meetings per month.

She proposed that one of the Board meetings be conducted in the traditional manner and that the second be a "working" meeting at which the Board would begin discussing the Board's business at the start of the meeting without first hearing public comment. She envisioned that the public could comment at the working Board meetings on issues as they were being discussed by the Board.

Ms. Erickson said having two Board meetings a month would increase the Board's flexibility and allow the Board to take action at either of the meetings without the need to call a special Board meeting. Ms. Sheehan said the Board had 12 scheduled Board meetings last year, but had a total of 26 meetings in order to conduct necessary business.

The Program/Policy Committee was set up two years ago as a vehicle for Board members to discuss programmatic and other issues before they were submitted to the full Board. While all Board members generally attended and participated in the meetings, only three Board members were members of the Committee and only three could vote on whether to recommend     action to the full Board.

Several Board members said they liked the manner in which the public was able to participate in the Program/Policy Committee meetings because the public comment was conducted more as a "dialogue," rather than "talking at" the Board from the podium.

Ms. Erickson said, "We're not trying to cut back public participation. We'd have the prerogative of having public discussion during the meeting for every agenda item."

The Board agreed to the proposed change by consensus.

Board committees
Ms. Erickson appointed Board members to the Board's two committees. Keith Terry will chair the Board's Finance Committee and Ms. Luecke and Ms. Sheehan will be members. Ms. Bailey will chair the Board's Policy Committee and Ms. Lockhart and Mr. Summers will be members.
Board members also serve on numerous other District committees. Ms. Erickson said she will make those appointments in the next few weeks.

Star-Gazing Students of the Month Honored at Oakton

By Mary Helt Gavin

Grammy-winner Michelle Williams tells Oakton students to study hard and pursue their dreams.

Oakton School's students of the month received an extra bit of celebrity at the all-school assembly on May 18. Assistant Principal Churchill Daniels invited Michelle Williams, a friend from his college days, to the ceremony.

The students, cheering loudly for Ms. Williams, appeared to be familiar with Ms. Williams's singing. She was a member of the trio "Destiny's Child," has won three Grammy awards and currently stars in the role of Shug Avery in "The Color Purple" at the Cadillac Theatre in Chicago.

Ms. Williams congratulated the honorees and their parents. "I know this means that you have done something wonderful in school and have been respectful." She added, "Listen to people who are trying to steer you in the right direction.... Pay attention in school; turn in your homework. I'm not saying we're not going to have problems, but continue to love one another and support one another."

She asked some of the students sitting on the stage what they wished to be as grownups and cautioned them, "Don't assume you have to be what you see on TV.... We still need teachers, and we still need doctors.... Don't let anybody deter you from your goals.

 

Nominations for the Annual Early  Childhood Awards

Childcare Network of Evanston (CNE) is looking for ordinary people who do extraordinary things for Evanston early childhood education.

CNE will honor outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to Early Childhood Education in Evanston,  as a teacher, a family-child-care provider, an administrator, a volunteer, a business person, a community leader or an advocate.  Parents and early childhood colleagues are urged to nominate someone who has made a special contribution to children, to their school, or to the community.  Award winners will be honored at a special 10th anniversary awards benefit this fall.  Nomination materials are available at most early childhood programs, or online at www.childcarenetworkofevanston.org. Anyone with questions may contact CNE by telephone, 847-475-2661, or e-mail cne@childcarenetworkofevanston.org. Nominations are due by June 30.

Outstanding PTA  Volunteer Announced

The Evanston/Skokie Council of  PTAs honored Ann Covode with the 2007 Phyllis Ganser Outstanding PTA Volunteer of the Year Award. 
 
 Ms. Covode, a parent of children at Oakton and Chute Schools, was named for her extraordinary contributions to her children's schools and to the community.   
  
The award was established to honor the memory of Phyllis Ganser, an outstanding PTA volunteer who set a high standard through her dedication to our community of children. Each year, the award committee solicits nominees from District 65 PTAs and the 202 PTSA who exhibit a commitment to the PTA goal of promoting the welfare of all schoolchildren, demonstrate a willingness to work in any capacity (even behind the scenes), show a spirit and enthusiasm for volunteer work and have a demonstrated ability to engage and involve others. To date, the award winners have been Ms. Ganser, 2000; Leslie Warner, 2001; Laura Nelson and Mary Wyler, 2002; Shirlene Ward, 2003; Curt Erixson, 2004; Donna Lee Floeter, 2005; and Kaquana King and Pat Maunsell; 2006. Pictured above left to right are District 65 Superintendent Dr. Hardy Murpy, Ann Covode, District 65 Board President Mary Erickson, Lohra Vogel and  Sue Ganser Levinson.