By Susan Turk
October 24—St. Louis—Noticing that Bunche International Studies Middle School was not listed in the 2011-12 St. Louis Magnet Schools guide and that Soldan International Studies HS, the school with which Bunche was consolidated for this school year, was not listed as a grade 7-12 school in the same guide, the Watch asked a few questions. We learned that parents at the Dewey International Studies magnet elementary school have been told that there will not be a 6th grade at Dewey next year. But they have not yet been told that an international studies middle school will not be an option at all.
The Watch has learned that those Bunche students currently in grades 7 and 8 at Soldan will be the last. The current 8th graders will advance to 9th grade at Soldan. A decision has not yet been made as to whether the 7th graders will be able to continue as 8th graders at Soldan next year. Decisions about what to do will be made before lottery deadlines.
The reason given for the elimination of Bunche was that it was not doing well academically. But its MAP scores have been steadily rising with 25.3% proficient or advanced in communication arts and 26.7% in math this year. That puts them only slightly below the district wide average for grades 6 through 8 of 26% in communication arts and 26.9% in math.
Bunche’s problems seem to have more to do with a drop in enrollment, which has been exacerbated by several relocations in recent years. Decisions to relocate schools, as we know, are made by the administration. So, as has happened in the past with other magnet schools, such as when Cleveland ROTC HS was moved to the Pruitt building, enrollment has dropped. Bunche’s enrollment dropped by 20% when it was moved from the old Deandreis School at 4275 Clarence in north city to the campus of Southwest HS in 2007. The Deandreis school building had special features added to accommodate the international studies magnet program such as the auditorium which, was redesigned to look like the General Assembly at the United Nations building in New York City.
Enrollment continued to drop after it was moved to the building where magnet programs go to die, Madison School at 1118 South 7th Street in 2008. By 2009 enrollment was 30% lower than it had been in 2005. Waring ABI and Woerner IGE previously met their deaths in that building. Both programs had had good enrollment when they were located near SLU and Harris Stowe (Waring) and Carondelet (Woerner). Parents just don’t seem to like Madison.
It appears Bunche is a casualty of Dr. Adams concern for lowering the number of students requiring bus transportation to attend school, ahem, magnet students. Then too, there has been a recent cut back in foreign language availability throughout the district. A German teacher was RIFed last week and McKinley lost a French teacher this year. Plus, McKinley students have been limited to Spanish in grades 6 and 7 and for only half a year.
Only 5 of the 14 middle schools offer a foreign language. None of the comprehensive middle schools do, only some of the magnets. When the SLPS offered junior high schools rather than middle schools, foreign language was part of the curriculum. That changed under the leadership of Supt. Jerome Jones in the 1980s.
Of the magnets schools which offer the opportunity to study a foreign language, Lyon at Blow and Carr Lane offer a full year of Spanish and Compton Drew offers a full year of French for all three years. Mckinley offers Spanish only for half a year for grades 6 and 7 and both Spanish and French for a full year for grade 8. Bunche, because of its theme, offers full years of German, Spanish, French, Chinese, Arabic, and Russian.
Dewey, the elementary school which feeds into Bunche offers German, Spanish, French and Russian. Soldan, the high school into which Bunche feeds, offers the same six languages; German, Spanish, French, Chinese, Arabic, and Russian. If the international studies middle school program is eliminated, and Dewey students enroll in a middle school where foreign language is either not taught or not taught for a full year, much of what they have learned may well be forgotten by the time they enter high school. Then too, fewer students will master their foreign languages enough to accelerate when they enter high school. As a consequence, few, if any, will be prepared for the foreign language AP or IB courses offered at our high schools which allow them to earn college credit.
One has to wonder whether the district plans to phase out Soldan’s International Studies program altogether. Several ESOL parents spoke at last Saturday’s Town Hall meeting asking for an international welcome high school. Some ESOL parents, uncomfortable with the prospect of their children adapting too quickly to American culture, prefer their children to attend a separate school. Soldan has been the high school attended by many of the ESOL students who have been enrolled in the SLPS in recent years. If another high school begins to siphon them away and the middle school program disappears as planned, the subsequent drop in enrollment may doom the high school International Studies magnet program at Soldan. As it is, as enrollment has dropped at Bunche, enrollment has also dropped at Soldan by about 20% since 2005. So, is Soldan next on the chopping block?
That would truly be sad, because Chinese and Arabic are critical languages. Job opportunities abound for people fluent in them. Being fluent in Spanish also enhances employment opportunities. The earlier students begin studying foreign languages, the greater the likelihood that they will succeed in learning them adequately to attain the fluency level needed to fill those jobs. Phasing out Bunche is terrible mistake. And if the ultimate effect is the closure of Soldan, the pennywise but pound foolish administrators who originated this idea have lost sight of the career opportunities foreign language study presents for SLPS students.
Note, there is no foreign language requirement for graduation from high school in Missouri. In a district concentrating on regaining accreditation, unnecessary things like foreign language instruction may be being cast aside to concentrate leaner resources on what is required. But, most 4 year colleges require at least 2 and some 3 years of foreign language study for admission.
The cutback it is also indicative of the district’s lack of competitive spirit as regards charter schools. Basically the district is telling parents that if foreign language instruction is important to you, take your children somewhere else. That is no way to compete with the charter schools. In general, magnet school students’ parents do not want their children to attend their neighborhood school. If their chosen magnet option is eliminated, they are more likely to leave the district than return to neighborhood schools. Some of them may transfer to other magnets, but as options are limited, the charters become more attractive. Parents of some children attending the Language Immersion charter school already refer to it as a magnet school. If the SAB were serious about competing with the charters, they would create new magnets with the same themes as the charters. Increasingly, as programs are cut, it appears the district is conceding defeat and not even trying to compete.
This district needs to expand magnet programs, not retreat from them, It also needs to effectively promote these programs. It’s a shame none of the SAB members have a background in marketing. And it’s a shame they have yet to exploit the best resource they have, the many magnet parents who would gladly participate in a marketing program. Nothing is more effective than parents talking to parents about the schools they love.
And the administration needs to stop moving programs around town without regard for the effect relocations have on enrollment. Historically, decisions made without consideration of parents result in drops in enrollment.
Class Size
The SLPS is doing something new this year. Superintendent Kelvin Adams has chosen to staff schools according to last year’s attendance rate at the school rather than current enrollment at the school. Many parents complained about their children’s overcrowded classrooms at the SLPS Town Hall October 16. Although class sizes have risen, some of the numbers parents reported would not be considered overcrowded, while others certainly were.
There have been lots of questions lately about whether DESE mandates restrictions on class size. It does not. But it does provide standards. Here is what DESE’s website says..
“1. Student enrollment in individual classes are consistent with the following guidelines:
GRADES MINIMUM STANDARD DESIRABLE STANDARD
K-2 25 20
3-4 27 22
5-6 30 25
7-12 33 28
In the recent past, the SLPS tried to conform to DESE’s desirable standard, but with a tightened budget that policy has been abandoned. Dr. Adams reported during the Town Hall that he has visited many schools and has not seen any overcrowded classrooms. This policy assumes that there will never be days when all students are present. At the same time the district is trying to increase attendance to increase state funding and meet the attendance accreditation standard.
If you are aware that your child’s classroom exceeds the minimum standard set by DESE, you might consider inviting Dr. Adams to visit your child’s classroom.
Meanwhile the following schools have classrooms which have been reported to the Watch as exceeding DESE’s minimum size standards.
Ashland 2 Kindergartens and 2 1st grades classes fluctuating between 25 and 28
Dewey 2 Kindergartens with 26
Laclede classes of 30 and 38
Lexington 5th grade class of 31
Mann 29 in a split 4th/5th grade class
Mullanphy 2 first grade classes of 30
This is the tip of the ice berg. If yo are aware of other overcrowded classes, classes larger than the DESE minimum standards, please report them to sls_watch@yahoo.com.
Effective October 5th
According to a memo sent to school staff from Althea Albert-Santiago, it was reported that students who do not have a meal application form on file, will not receive a full lunch meal at the elementary level. The elementary students will receive a substitute meal (cereal). Students at the high and middle level will not receive meals.
This should do wonders for academic achievement.
Calendar
October 28, Thursday, regular bi-monthly SAB meeting, 6 p.m., 801 North 11th Street, room 108
November2, Tuesday, Election Day, 2 school board seats open. Don’t forget to vote!
Please note, The Schools Watch has a new mailing address, P.O. Box 1983, St. Louis, MO 63118. Our email address continues to be SLS_Watch@yahoo.com
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