H-BC school board says no to three more years of early start

By Glenda McGaffee
and Lori Sorenson
The Hills-Beaver Creek School Board voted not to participate in another three-year Flexible Learning Year Initiative.
The action, which will go into effect with the 2016-17 school year, was taken at the H-BC board meeting Tuesday, May 26.
Discussion at the meeting focused on the driving force behind the FLY plan in the first place and how the two-week early start was affecting student achievement.
After reviewing district survey responses about FLY, board members said parents seemed split about whether they supported the early start schedule.
After more discussion, Karin Moser made a motion not to participate in FLY, and Amy Moser seconded it.
This fall will be the start of the final year of FLY for H-BC, and classes will begin Aug. 24. Next year for the 2016-17 school years, classes will begin just after Labor Day, likely on Sept. 5, 2016.
Superintendent Todd Holthaus said the decision wasn’t taken lightly.
“We had six years of participating in it and deciding whether we would stay with it,” he said. “And we’ve had some great things that have come out of it.”
He referenced the Professional Learning Communities and the Teacher Induction Process, both of which help teachers across multiple districts create a shared vision of advancing student achievement.
“The benefits of these experiences will be long-lasting,” Holthaus said.
But he said teachers and administration in the H-BC district can accomplish these things outside of participating in FLY.
“It will allow us a little more freedom and more flexibility with how the district designs its professional development, depending on what the needs are here,” he said.
Student responses to the surveys about the early start schedule indicate they appreciate the semester break aligning with winter break.
Holthaus said teachers will try to accommodate students with these concerns. For example, they’ll try to conclude units prior to the winter break so that new material can be introduced when they return in January.
Other local districts, such as Luverne, have not yet decided if they’ll continue with FLY.
 
In other business on May 26, the board:
•approved the hiring of a summer copying staff not to exceed $1,500 for the summer months.
•approved summer umpire payment rate at $15 on the bases and $20 on the plate for 2014-15 effective May 1, 2015.
•approved a temporary summer custodial help position not to exceed four hours per workday with the position being open until the custodial position is filled.
•accepted a donation of $1,045 in memory of Arnold “Mike” Spath from the Spath Family Memorial to the Hills-Beaver Creek Foundation.