Students, parents, and community members packed the house at the most recent school board meeting after MCCSC released statements on Monday, September 25, concerning upcoming changes to high school bell schedules. Several spoke at the mic to give public comment on their concern about the recent announcement to “align secondary schedules” for the 2024-2025 school year.
Junior Rohnan Steele said, “This decision came out of nowhere and it is based on loose claims and not backed by statistics, at least not available to students, parents, and teachers,” representing many of the community members’ concerns.
Along with the lack of shared evidence, many speakers addressed concerns about the rushed timing of the decision. Susan Kinzer, a concerned MCCSC parent said, “The proposed timetable has led to a lot of suspicion from the parents that the administration has already made a decision and in fact, this whole process is just kind of a smokescreen.”
Others approached the board and questioned their claim of equity to justify the change. Bloomington North sophomore class co-president, Kelton O’Connell, said, “The issue of missing credits for course transfers is an issue that needs to be resolved with adequate transportation.”
Parent Anany Maini also commented on the use of the word “equitable,” which Superintendent Jeff Hauswald has said is a main driver of the schedule change. Maini said, “Proposing an idea and then using the word ‘equitable’ does not necessarily mean that you are talking about a great idea. I would urge you to stop using the term ‘equitable’ so loosely. You’re hurting the already marginalized populations, like me, by creating insensitivity around using the word ‘equitable’.”
During this time, many members of the audience interpreted Hauswald’s response to the speakers as largely “expressionless.” Despite Hauswald’s more reserved reactions, the crowd managed to create a supportive environment for the speakers to share their opinions, whooping and cheering each other on.
After public comments concluded and discussion of other agenda items, Adam Terwilliger, director of finance and logistics, gave a district update on “Equity Goal #1- Access & Opportunity.” Terwilliger seemed to stick with his prepared presentation and made no reference to the previous speakers or the opinions they shared during public comment. He noted district challenges including “lost credits due to non-aligned secondary schedules.” Terwilliger also claimed one of his favorite phrases is “student-focused, data-driven,” although many of the public speakers demonstrated that they thought the administration was doing the exact opposite.
Through social media communication, board members have made it clear that they will not be voting on this issue, as it is solely the superintendent’s decision. Board Trustee April Hennessey made a point to speak on the district’s communication of the schedule change. Hennessey said, “I do want to apologize that the communication did not come out from the district at a time that it should have, and … I do understand that there has been a great deal of frustration, anxiety, and concern that has risen from this.” She concluded by encouraging students and community members to stay engaged and share their input throughout the process. Following Hennessey’s comment, other board members used their social media to thank students in attendance.
Editor’s Note: A question and answer story, with more information about the proposed schedule change, will be posted Sept. 28. If you have any questions you would like Optimist to answer, please comment here or connect with our social media. @southoptimist
