TRUSSVILLE – While the most recent Trussville City Schools Board of Education work session centered on higher test scores, the meeting that followed had a different focus.
The meeting began with a prayer, the Pledge, calling of the roll and approval of the consent agenda, but during the public comment two parents voiced their concerns about multiple happenings in the elementary schools.
Stacy Freeman said she has two daughters at Cahaba Elementary School, and she’s concerned about class sizes at the school. Freeman said during public comment that she’d gone through all the appropriate channels to meet with Principal Joy Tyner and Superintendent Dr. Pattie Neill, and the process took one month to arrange and hold meetings. Freeman cites 29 students in her daughter’s 5th grade class.
Freeman said “smaller classes are key” was a phrase used when the vote for the tax referendum came up in years past.
“The ability of our teachers has never been a concern,” Freeman said. “The administration at times seems more reactive than proactive. From meeting with the superintendent, we did not leave with a clear vision or plan for the path of Trussville City Schools.”
Freeman said she’d like to see a “solid, measurable plan” in place to reduce class sizes across the school system.
Parent Kristi Jones echoed the same concerns, bringing an additional concern to the table.
Jones, a board certified teacher herself, said that Trussville City Schools teachers were notified on Sunday that students would no longer be dismissed for recess on Mondays.
However, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Beth Bruno said that for the last four or five years intermediate students have not gotten Monday recess in favor of dismissing the students an hour early. This gives teachers and administrators time for professional development.
Additionally the state mandates that students receive no fewer than six hours of instructional time daily, so in order to meet this state standard and allow for early dismissal on Mondays, eliminating recess was a necessary move.
“Students need unstructured play time every day to be more successful in school,” Jones said. Jones cited data compiled from other schools in Jefferson County, such as Mountain Brook, Homewood and Vestavia.
Reverting back to the subject of class sizes, Jones pointed out that kindergartners at the elementary schools have class sizes of 14-16, and as they progress through the school system, they won’t get the same experience they did when they began in Trussville City Schools due to rising class sizes.
“Our numbers don’t compare to the schools we aspire to be like,” Jones said. “We’re on the verge of being incredible. Let’s get there.”
Dr. Pattie Neill said that adding a co-teacher where needed has been important in classrooms that are larger. Neill presented three co-teaching models during the BOE work session, including diagrams, which show how co-teaching can work in TCS classrooms where teachers desire to use those models.
Neill said although she presented three models, you can use any search engine to find many others. The co-teaching models she presented are in place to help star students continue to excel, and also help with special education inclusion, remediation and English Learning Students.
“We want to help the best become better,” Neill said.
Neill said it is up to teachers to decide when and how they’d like to incorporate co-teaching in order to play on their individual skills and the needs of their students.
School board president Sid McNeal said that all comments made by parents will be taken under advisement and discussed amongst board members.
The story was edited at 9:44 p.m. to clarify that Bruno referred to intermediate students not having recess in favor of early dismissal for the last four to five years.
26 Comments
Kristi Lyle Jones
Mrs. Bruno acknowledges that students have, in fact, been getting recess on Mondays in both her email to teachers and her Facebook response. She says we must adjust our schedules to meet state law requirements and she refers to this happening at Paine Primary. Screen shots in comments.
Kristi Lyle Jones
Staci McGahey Rush
I’ll speak for this year…recess is on the schedule for Monday’s sent out by the teachers at the beginning of school.
Kristi Lyle Jones
Kristi Lyle Jones
Natalie Adkinson
The kids have had recess on Mondays until today. This is the first Monday ever that they haven’t had recess. Please update the article to show accurate information
Brittany Colee Kennemur
My kids have always had recess on Mondays. I hope we can reinstate recess and increase the time back to 20min.
Christi Huckabaa Watts
This is the 3rd year I’ve had a child at Paine and we’ve had recess everyday, every year until today.
Michelle Lowery
My 2nd and 5th grader had recess on Monday’s until today.
Laura Giles Filasek
Will someone please tell Mrs. Bruno that K-2 has had recess Monday-Friday for at least the 7 years I’ve had children in the system UNTIL TODAY and that was in response to her email to our teachers telling them to eliminate recess!
One thing I would love to know is WHY the BOE finds it necessary for our teachers to have 5 times the required hours for Professional Development. Our teachers are telling us that early dismissal is not benefitting our children, so why on earth are we sacrificing recess, which is proven to benefit teachers and students. It’s my understanding that the state requires 50 hours of Professional Development every 5 years. The 12 hours of PD teachers complete each summer more than satisfies that requirement.
Jana Lile
I also think lunch time needs to be extended. 20 minutes is not enough!
Jessie Odell
So was it a mis-print or are we being lied to again? The word play in these emails and theatrics today completely left me feeling very deceived by those at the top.
Phillip Acton
Get used to it
Jessie Odell
Phillip Acton oh I’m already quite familiar with the practices that take place. I’m glad the ones I have to be in contact with don’t behave in this manner.
Kristi Lyle Jones
I would like my quotes corrected What I said was, “ONE of our schools, Magnolia, has 14-16 kindergartners. Cahaba has 18. Paine has 20. The class of 14 at Magnolia will have a vastly different learning experience that the class of 20 at Paine. We were promised equitable class sizes between the schools and we don’t have them.” 14-16 is a great size. 18 is a hard maximum for me in kindergarten. Out of all the schools we contacted only one, Clay has a kindergarten size of 20. Birmingham City schools Tuggle and Norwood have 16, 17, and 18. The schools we spoke with in Mountain Brook, Vestavia and Homewood have 15, 16, 17, 18 and a few at 19 in kindergarten. The accidental misquote you used grossly misrepresents what I said and the message we are trying to share. I realize it is likely hard to hear and I appreciate you correcting the article. Thank you so much for including us in your article. I just want to ensure what we say is represented correctly.
Kristi Lyle Jones
I also said,
Katie Karhan Amberson
Your name was also misspelled
Kristi Lyle Jones
Katie Karhan Amberson I know, but I was trying to not be too picky. My name is not important. The message is.
Michael Blankenship
No one should act surprised the Government is good at Using your kids against you .
Footprints Birmingham
Plato said many many many years ago that children learn best by play.
Casey Wright Johnson
Recess is not from 2:00-3:00 on Mondays. The kids are on the bus going home. When they get home, they have homework and then family activities. Recess is a brain break during the school day to PLAY and interact with your peers. Not ride the school bus home and not be able to go outside at home. What is 15 minutes, really? A read aloud??? They read all day, let them go outside to play with their friends! It’s just 15 minutes.
Pam Noland Wilkinson
Info not have children in this school system but had grandchildren there until this year. If I read correctly they get out of school early on Mondays for teachers professional development? My daughter is an Alabama teacher and has teachers meetings and such AFTER school on Mondays. That is the norm for most schools. Why is it not this way for Trussville?
Allison Allman Zorn
My son is in 4th grade & has always had recess on Monday’s! These kids need a break EVERY day.
Betsy Hardy Schmitt
Paine Primary had recess daily during my tenure as principal.
Laura Giles Filasek
Betsy Hardy Schmitt missing you already!
Chrystal Simmons Cox
Jennifer Harper Bowen