School Board rejects grade reconfiguration proposal

In a final meeting on March 7, the Hopkins School Board unanimously rejected a proposal to reconfigure the grades in the Hopkins School District.

After a series of community discussions on Feb. 6 and Feb. 16, the Hopkins School Board has received vehement opposition from parents, teachers, and others. In addition to these discussions, numerous community members have contacted the Board to express their viewpoints.

Ms. Betsy Anderson, School Board member, views community appreciation of the current model as uplifting.

“When we have the community meetings, when we got dozens of emails, one of the continuities in those messages was that these grade configurations were a reason for choosing Hopkins…If our current configuration is something that keeps people here, that’s something we need to be sharing,” Anderson said.

Parent concerns surrounding the realignment focused around students’ emotional and developmental readiness for advancement into a new building. Teachers, especially in the junior highs, expressed concern about professional adjustments and staff cohesion.

In a parent survey during the week of Feb. 13, the district found that 52 percent of those surveyed opposed or strongly opposed the proposed grade reconfiguration.

Despite overall support for the current grade configuration, however, many parents are divided by age group. While parents wanted sixth graders to remain in elementary schools in a 2-to-1 margin, 54 percent of parents preferred ninth graders to be at HHS.

Instead of changing the grade levels, the Board approved a proposal for an in-depth study of time, curriculum, space, and instruction. Following this study, they hope to gain an understanding of alternative ways to increase student opportunities.