LONE TREE

On Monday, Feb. 5, Lone Tree families gathered in the school cafeteria to discuss converting to a four-day school week. This was the third and final public forum on the topic.

The two-hour meeting featured the same format as the previous two: Superintendent Tyler Hotz with a projector discussed the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ before opening the floor to parents to ask questions.

Daycare was the number one topic of discussion at the last two meetings, but it took a backseat at this meeting as parents exhausted their daycare questions and received some answers.

The conversation was productive; here, some themes discussed:

Retention/timeliness

Teacher retention is the driving force of the proposed change; regardless of if the board approves the four-day calendar, retention needs to be addressed. For this reason, some parents felt Hotz was rushing the move, but he stressed that it is not a rushed decision. The previous school calendar was approved in April last year, and Hotz thought December was a good time to introduce the idea and give it time to breathe.

Parents wanted to know if the district should wait to see how surrounding districts handle the change. This idea sparked because Winfield-Mt. Union approved a four-day school week. Nearby Highland is expected to vote on the same on Monday, Feb. 12.

Hotz stated waiting is a possibility for board members, but countered by asking, “When do we know the impact?” A twofold question.

He believes waiting would hurt teacher retention as Iowa City has higher wages and the smaller districts surrounding Lone Tree could adopt a four-day week, which seems preferred by teachers.

Parents then wondered if staying at five days would attract students and teachers as everyone else moves to four days. It is hard to answer that question without seeing results. 

Another question was if the school could move back to a five-day week once a four-day is instituted. Hotz said it is possible but difficult, as balance between student hours and teacher contracts is needed.

One drastic change followed by another could alienate many families. One parent made a strong point: if the school moves to four days, the community could adapt with daycare businesses. A sudden change back to five days would hurt local business, thus hurting the community even more.

This makes the first decision crucial.

Kirkwood Community College

Hotz is working with Kirkwood Community College to provide a scholarship for students to obtain a daycare certificate.  He is also working with the college in regard to students who have classes after school dismissal.

Hotz stated communication between Lone Tree and Kirkwood is improving tremendously, and that the better it is, the more likely Kirkwood will work with Lone Tree students who will inevitably run late each day as the school day lengthens in a four-day schedule.

The WACO model

Throughout the three public forums, Hotz used WACO to showcase the positive outcomes of a four-day week.

WACO has better teacher and student retention, more open enrollment and better test scores than Lone Tree. However, Hotz mentioned that it took a few years for WACO to increase open enrollment numbers, but it pulled teachers from neighboring districts at a steady rate.

Since Lone Tree is close to Iowa City, some think Lone Tree could experience advantages more quickly than WACO did and at a better rate than districts farther away. Again, it is impossible to know without seeing the plan in action.

Sports

At the last forum, a question was left unanswered: how does a longer day affect student athletes who leave school early for games? Hotz provided a possible solution: the school could write a schedule that rotates the final two classes of the day, ensuring a balanced schedule.

Game times are set by the conference and are not set by anyone working at Lone Tree, making it a tricky subject to broach.

For athletes who do not have a ride on no-school days, Lone Tree is working with Athletic Director Joe Donovan and the coaches to provide transportation.

A vote? Not likely

Board President Rob Sladek attended the forum and posed a tricky question: could this matter be put to a formal vote in November?

The answer is no, but it intrigued some. Some thought the school could host an election, keeping track of who votes so it is as fair as possible.

It is an interesting idea but likely will not come to fruition.

Teacher surveys

During a meeting, teachers answered survey questions since parents wanted more data. Thirty-nine teachers were present, and some were absent.

When asked if they support Lone Tree moving to four days, 37 agreed and two disagreed. When asked if a four-day calendar would persuade them to stay in the district, 25 agreed and 14 disagreed. Three stated they’d be more likely to leave Lone Tree if the calendar were changed.

Twenty-five preferred Monday as the day off.

Parent surveys

Hotz sent a survey to parents and received a mixed bag of results. When directly asked if they support a four-day week, 54 agreed and 52 disagreed.  Hotz left the survey open until Wednesday, Feb. 7, to gather as many responses as possible, meaning the results could differ when Hotz presents final results.

Daycare questions split as well. Fifty-four said they don’t need daycare while 43 said they do. Two wrote disapproving notes, one stated daycare should not be the main focus and six others had unique circumstances.

Parents do not agree on which day to have off either. Fifty-six prefer Monday and 50 prefer Friday.

For open-enrolled parents, 31 would continue to send their child to Lone Tree, six would not and one would consider.

School board meeting

Lone Tree will meet on Wednesday, Feb. 7, for a board workshop meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the school library. They’ll host a public comment and have a formal discussion on the four-day week but cannot vote until their regular meeting on Feb. 21. Hotz’s recommendation is that the board vote then instead of waiting.

Stay tuned.