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Show 'Growing District' Welcker Addresses PTA Dr. Max Welcker, Superintendent of Alpine School District, discussed alternative scheduling in Alpine School District and explained some of the pros and cons of different modes of scheduling at the Valley View PTA meeting. Welcker first explained that Ihe district is growing at a rate of three now elementary schools per year, and this is causing some crowding now, and a potential crowding lo 40 students per classroom in the primary grades in the nol loo distant future. He said that the district is asked all the time why the bond that passed couldn't take care of Ihe problems of growth Welcker explained that the bonds can be sold only a certain amount at a lime, and that the Manila school alone will cosl a minimum ol $3 million. , He further told Ihe capacity croud thai he recently attended a meeting al Mountain View High School that discussed alternative schedu hng. Theoretically, year around schooling. said Welcker, can increase the capacity of the school space available to the district. The first year-round school plan that he explained is the 45-15 plan. This gives Ihe children 45 days in school and 15 out. The main problem with this is lo schedule children from the same family for Ihe 15 days off so that they can lake their vacations together, he noted. Several of Ihe parents al tending expressed their lack of enthusiasm for the year-round schools. They echoed the feelings of many when they said that it would mess up the school's athletic programs and be expensive lo air condition Ihe schools in Ihe summer. Welcker said thai (here really isn't a bad problem in Ihe secondary schools al present, but that the overcrowding is most prevalent in Ihe primary grades. Double sessions was another alternative that Welcker presented. He said thai there are a lot of problems lo Ihis plan. He said thai the worst problem is sending elementary children home in Ihe dark. The last and seemingly most approved ap-proved plan by Ihe comments of the parents is a plan that Welcker saw in Evanston, Wyoming recently. This is called the neighborhood program. In this plan, the district purchases modular buildings that can house as much as 10 classrooms. Welcker said lhal Ihe district can purchase 12 of these units (providing 120 classrooms) for Ihe same cost as one new school. He said lhal besides Ihe 10 classrooms, the unil provides a large media center where varied activities can lake place. He said thai these are called neighborhood schools b ecause they usually are put in and around neighborhoods on small plots of land owned by Ihe districts or on existing school properly. Welcker also said lhal Ihe schools would be used primarily for elementary grades, but lhal Ihey could be easily moved lo Ihe secondary secon-dary schools if necessary. Welcker reported lhal a survey explaining the alternatives, and Ihe findings of a fact-finding committee will be forthcoming on about December 4. This survey, included in "Hap- pollings," the district newsletter, will be sent to all the homes in the district, and it is the hope of the district that everyone will return Ihe surveys so they can learn the general consensus of the people on these alternatives. He said thai Ihey plan on having a pilot program this fall in some schools Continued on Page A-2 |
