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December 3, 2004
A Message from Dr. Don Helmstetter, Superintendent
The following is a reprint of a column to be published in the December 10, 2004 Blaine-Spring Lake Park Life, the official local newspaper of District 16.

During the months of October and November, the Spring Lake Park School District held nearly a dozen meetings to share information and gather feedback on a possible reconfiguration of our elementary schools. Budget reductions and staff reductions are difficult, but the consideration and ultimate decision by the School Board on November 23 to make changes in the elementary school configuration has been, indeed, equally as difficult and gut-wrenching.

I use that description because such a decision is not a struggle between right and wrong, good and bad. Each of these decisions actually weighs one “right” against another “right," one value against another value. That’s why the process was over 15 months long. That’s why this decision came 14 years after an initial study was completed, and over seven years following yet another study - all initiated for the same reasons.

This decision to reconfigure the elementary schools for 2005-06 truly will have an immediate and positive impact. It will help to improve overall student achievement. It will ensure greater overall equity and fairness for all students by providing lower class-size ceilings, equal experiences at grade levels for music, art, and physical education, and greater access to programs for children in need. The new configuration will also help us to accommodate enrollment increases-and decreases-in the years to come. We expect that it will be a long-term solution, one that will also greatly minimize the need to make constant boundary changes.

Further, it gives “more bang for the buck.” While there have been some reports that the “savings” of the reconfiguration is $26,000, the actual figure, including changes that would have been necessary in the K-5 configuration, is between $243,000 and $410,000 annually. Greater fiscal integrity will be reflected through a more equitable and effective reallocation of our staff resources, primarily, our teachers. We will be able to do this, in large part, because we will now have a larger and more predictable “critical mass” of students at each of the four schools.

We also believe that, with a much more focused reallocation of our resources, and by providing more equitable programming throughout the district, we will be able to demonstrate enhanced student achievement for all students, as well as a reduction in the achievement gap. All of this -- more opportunities, greater equity, and greater fiscal integrity - demonstrates a higher level of accountability to students, staff, parents, and the community-at-large. Since change is often more difficult than the status quo, the School Board members made an extremely difficult, but courageous choice, and for that I believe they should be applauded.

Since the Board’s November 23 decision, we have been moving quickly in order to ensure a thoughtful, well-planned and successful transition; one that utilizes parents and staff in the decision-making process. The transition process has already begun.

Elementary principals have been assigned to their respective schools for 2005-06, district students have been assigned to their appropriate schools, open enrollment students and parents will be given the opportunity to request their school of choice, and task forces will be named before the winter break.

In addition, teachers, students, and parents will begin a number of activities in January that will ease the transition and provide opportunities for new relationships. Among these activities will be informal school tours as well as opportunities to meet with staff and parent representatives.

There are still five professional development days during which teachers and principals will not only be working to enhance the opportunities and activities for students during this school year, but they will also be taking time to focus on the development of new school environments and programs for the coming year.

As with all major changes, in addition to the many new opportunities, there is, indeed, a sense of loss for some. Consequently, there is a need for taking time to grieve the loss, even as we prepare with anticipation for new experiences. Our principals are enthusiastic about providing the leadership at the building level to see that the new reconfiguration will not only provide our elementary students with a wonderful experience, but that it will also demonstrate an enhanced level of achievement at every site, in every classroom.

Since the Board’s decision to reconfigure, I have heard from a number of parents. Virtually every one of them, regardless of their feelings about the decision, expressed their determination to do all they can to make this choice a positive one for all children. It's that sense of spirit, loyalty, and support that will help to make the reconfiguration transition a successful one.