School district considers no-'D' zone
Retiring superintendent lays out long-term ideas
By Will Oremus / Daily News Staff Writer
In the year 2010, teachers who own houses thanks to district-subsidized loans could be instructing full classrooms of students at Hillsdale High School in the middle of July. And they won't be giving anyone a "D."
That's if the district moves forward with a set of long-term goals laid out by Superintendent Sam Johnson in his last school board meeting June 20 before retiring this week.
The outgoing leader presented the board with a broad update that included ideas such as restarting the housing assistance program for teachers, putting Hillsdale on a year-round calendar and eliminating the "D" grade districtwide.
Deep-sixing the "D" is perhaps the most far-reaching of the proposals. In a recent interview, Johnson said it would dovetail with his philosophy of raising academic standards for all students and making sure none fall through the cracks.
"How does a student get to be a senior and can't pass the high school exit exam?" Johnson asked . "Part of the answer is that they've been gifted 'D's. They pass the classes, but they end up as seniors not being able to do anything."
With nothing between a "C" and a failing grade, students who don't learn the material would be forced to retake the class.
School Board Member Peter Hanley has enthusiastically endorsed the idea. At the board meeting, he said of the "D," "I think it's a worthless grade."
Craig Childress, a physics teacher at Hillsdale High School and president of the teachers union, said, "I understand the philosophical reasons for doing that." The important thing, he said, is that such a sweeping decision isn't made without a lot of input from teachers.
"You can't just get rid of a grade and say, 'Well, everything that would have been a 'D' is now an 'F,'" Childress said. "It's going to require some work on the teachers' part and on the curriculum side."
Childress said much the same of changing Hillsdale's calendar. Several elementary schools in the San Mateo-Foster City School District are year-round, and last year, Abbott Middle School hopped on the bandwagon.
"A lot of people are indifferent, and then there are camps on both sides of the fence," Childress said. "But everyone at Hillsdale agrees it warrants further discussion."
Hillsdale Principal Yvonne Shiu said the year-round calendar has been kicked around for years. When Abbott decided to change calendars, she said, discussion intensified because Abbott is one of Hillsdale's main feeder schools.
But the idea, like several others, got swept to the side last year as the district tried to clean up its financial mess.
Shiu said that besides the standard complaint of "losing the summer," there are additional complications to adapting the year-round calendar to a high school. A big one is athletics: Hillsdale competes in the Peninsula Athletic League with 17 other schools whose sports schedules are tied to a traditional academic calendar.
But there could be advantages as well, Shiu said. For parents of Abbott students who also have kids at Hillsdale, having the same calendar could be helpful in scheduling work and vacations. Additionally, the breaks between quarters in a year-round schedule would allow teachers to give academic aid to students who are in danger of failing classes before it's too late.
As for the teacher housing loan proposal, the district actually undertook such a program in recent years. But it was discontinued when it came to light that the funding source was not viable.
In a district where the cost of housing is one of the most important issues for teachers, a loan program could be a boon for recruitment and retention, Childress said.
But, like the other proposals, it will likely have to wait at least a year or two. As Johnson noted, the district has to finish digging its way out of the current financial hole before it turns its attention to new initiatives
Retiring superintendent lays out long-term ideas
By Will Oremus / Daily News Staff Writer
In the year 2010, teachers who own houses thanks to district-subsidized loans could be instructing full classrooms of students at Hillsdale High School in the middle of July. And they won't be giving anyone a "D."
That's if the district moves forward with a set of long-term goals laid out by Superintendent Sam Johnson in his last school board meeting June 20 before retiring this week.
The outgoing leader presented the board with a broad update that included ideas such as restarting the housing assistance program for teachers, putting Hillsdale on a year-round calendar and eliminating the "D" grade districtwide.
Deep-sixing the "D" is perhaps the most far-reaching of the proposals. In a recent interview, Johnson said it would dovetail with his philosophy of raising academic standards for all students and making sure none fall through the cracks.
"How does a student get to be a senior and can't pass the high school exit exam?" Johnson asked . "Part of the answer is that they've been gifted 'D's. They pass the classes, but they end up as seniors not being able to do anything."
With nothing between a "C" and a failing grade, students who don't learn the material would be forced to retake the class.
School Board Member Peter Hanley has enthusiastically endorsed the idea. At the board meeting, he said of the "D," "I think it's a worthless grade."
Craig Childress, a physics teacher at Hillsdale High School and president of the teachers union, said, "I understand the philosophical reasons for doing that." The important thing, he said, is that such a sweeping decision isn't made without a lot of input from teachers.
"You can't just get rid of a grade and say, 'Well, everything that would have been a 'D' is now an 'F,'" Childress said. "It's going to require some work on the teachers' part and on the curriculum side."
Childress said much the same of changing Hillsdale's calendar. Several elementary schools in the San Mateo-Foster City School District are year-round, and last year, Abbott Middle School hopped on the bandwagon.
"A lot of people are indifferent, and then there are camps on both sides of the fence," Childress said. "But everyone at Hillsdale agrees it warrants further discussion."
Hillsdale Principal Yvonne Shiu said the year-round calendar has been kicked around for years. When Abbott decided to change calendars, she said, discussion intensified because Abbott is one of Hillsdale's main feeder schools.
But the idea, like several others, got swept to the side last year as the district tried to clean up its financial mess.
Shiu said that besides the standard complaint of "losing the summer," there are additional complications to adapting the year-round calendar to a high school. A big one is athletics: Hillsdale competes in the Peninsula Athletic League with 17 other schools whose sports schedules are tied to a traditional academic calendar.
But there could be advantages as well, Shiu said. For parents of Abbott students who also have kids at Hillsdale, having the same calendar could be helpful in scheduling work and vacations. Additionally, the breaks between quarters in a year-round schedule would allow teachers to give academic aid to students who are in danger of failing classes before it's too late.
As for the teacher housing loan proposal, the district actually undertook such a program in recent years. But it was discontinued when it came to light that the funding source was not viable.
In a district where the cost of housing is one of the most important issues for teachers, a loan program could be a boon for recruitment and retention, Childress said.
But, like the other proposals, it will likely have to wait at least a year or two. As Johnson noted, the district has to finish digging its way out of the current financial hole before it turns its attention to new initiatives
- Written by JC
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