Parents of elementary school students in the Shawano School District would no longer be allowed to request specific teachers for their children, under a new classroom assignment process being considered by administrators.
Officials are discussing a procedure in which parents at Hillcrest Primary School and Olga Brener Intermediate School could cite their children’s needs, but they could not request any teacher by name, as has been allowed in the past.
The new placement procedure, if approved, would begin with the assignment of students to new classrooms for the 2016-17 school year.
Hillcrest Principal Troy Edwards said the change is intended to avoid imbalanced classrooms that can result, he said, when parents try to group their children with friends or select a teacher who taught their older children previously.
“It’s just kind of a messy process,” he said. “This ought to clean things up.”
The new assignment procedure, Edwards said, is designed to place students with teachers who can best meet their individual needs while also maintaining classroom populations that are balanced based on student gender, behavior and academic performance.
Hillcrest has about 650 students in pre-kindergarten through second grade, while Olga Brener has about 550 students in third, fourth and fifth grade.
Some parents voiced early opposition to the change in assignment procedures.
Hillcrest PTA President Nicki Meyers said she always requests specific teachers for her children, seeking out teachers with whom she believes the kids will have good learning experiences and no personality conflicts. One daughter has done quite well with the same teachers who previously taught an older sibling, Meyers said.
She said she appreciates playing a role in her children’s educational experience.
“By choosing a teacher, you are being proactive in their learning,” Meyers said. “I would be very upset if I was unable to have this option.”
Another parent, Jamie Pingel, who has children at both Hillcrest and Olga Brener, said she objects to the idea of having less control over how her children are handled in a school system where she is paying taxes.
“I don’t see why parents can’t pick and choose who they want educating their children,” she said.
Members of the Shawano School Board Executive Committee considered the new classroom placement process Jan. 13 in a discussion with principals from Hillcrest and Olga Brener. According to records of the meeting, those in attendance voiced support for the change.
It was not immediately clear if the full School Board would vote on the matter.
District Superintendent Gary Cumberland could not be reached for comment.
Olga Brener Principal Terri Schultz declined to comment, saying that she preferred not to discuss the situation before information is sent home to parents, which she said would occur by early February.
According to a draft letter to parents distributed at the Jan. 13 meeting, parents would no longer have the option of requesting specific teachers, and changing assignments after placements have been implemented for the new school year would be “extremely rare.”
Instead of the current system in which parents can request teachers by name, parents would complete a form describing their children’s personal strengths or challenges at school. Parents also could consult with their children’s current teachers, although those teachers could not guarantee any future placement.
“The objective is to match student learning styles to teacher strengths and areas of talent,” the letter stated, “while creating classrooms that have a balanced number of students who are strong, self-directed learners, with those who need some support.”
Draft procedures indicate that a student’s classroom placement would take into account the student’s academic achievement, medical needs, behavior and counseling support, gender, and other issues that include information from parents.
Edwards said some parents have been approached informally about the new placement process under consideration. He voiced optimism that parents would support the change if they fully understand why it is happening.
“I would hope that they trust us,” he said, “and know that we have the best interests of their children in mind.”
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