Parents Protest, CB School Board Holds Its Ground

Parents opposed to dramatic changes to middle school schedules in the Central Bucks School District are showing no signs of going away.

First, a full-page ad appeared in a local newspaper on Tuesday, urging the school board to table the plan, which is supposed to go into effect in September. 

Then, streets in Doylestown Tuesday afternoon at a Rally 4 Education to protest the changes.

Finally, a dozen or so people took to the podium Tuesday night to challenge the way the board has handled the matter, using words like "arrogant," "indifferent," and "disrespectful" to describe reaction to their pleas.

One woman even accused the board of moving the public comment portion of the meeting to stifle dissent.

"It will have the opposite effect," said Doylestown Borough resident Mary Bingler, promising to keep up the fight.

At issue is a radical change to the schedule of middle school students approved by the board in February. Parents have complained that by lengthing core class such as math, English and Social studies by 10 minutes at the expense of Computer Applications, Physical Education and other electives, the district is failing in its obligation to provide a well-rounded education.

"If all you're doing is giving teachers 10 more minutes to teach the existing curriculum, it's a waste of student time and my money," said John O'Connor.

Several speakers Tuesday night provided studies they said show a correlation between academic performance and physical activity. By cutting back on phys ed classes, students will suffer in the classroom, they said.

Others accused the board of "well-planned obsolence" of some elective courses so it can get rid of teachers to solve the district's fincial woes.

Bingler said the district violated the Pennsylvania School Code by not including "active participation by stakeholders" in what amounted to an amendment to its own Strategic Plan. 

In his most extensive comments since the controversey erupted, school board President Paul Faulkner acknowledged the district could have done a better job communicating earlier with parents. But he said the decision to modify the new schedule to include the current A/B options was made only after parents voiced their concerns.

"We were listening," he said.

Faulkner said he has talked to educators from inside and outside the district to get their opinions of the new schedule. They were unanimous in their belief that more time spent on task will lead to better learning, he said.

"They're not just going to be sitting around in class for an extra 10 minutes," he said. "Our teachers are going to take advantage of the extra time."

Board member John Gamble took issue with one parent who accused the board of rushing the changes through. He said he asked tough questions of Dr. Nancy Silvious during two Curriculum Committee meetings when the changes were discussed.

"Don't tell me that this was not vetted or that we don't care," he said.

Board member Kelly Under said she continues to support the changes, even though they will affect her daughter, who will be a seventh grader at Tohickson Middle School in the fall.

"I'm happy with the schedule," Unger said. "She won't have to struggle with so many clases at once. She'll be able to focus more."