SCHOOL BOARD VOTES TO END SECOND PREP PERIODS

The Cape Girardeau school board voted 5-1 Monday night to discontinue a second class preparation period for new and probationary secondary teachers.

Secondary teachers currently are required to teach during five of seven class periods each day. The other two periods are scheduled free times when teachers can plan curriculum, make copies or do other work on site.

Elementary teachers in the district have only one preparation period as required by law.

Dr. Bob Fox was the sole dissenter on the measure, which requires nontenured seventh- through 12th-grade teachers to teach for six of seven class periods beginning in the 1999-2000 school year. The action will be phased in over a three-year period to allow natural teacher attrition to reduce the number of teachers remaining with two preparation periods.

All second preparation periods will be eliminated by the end of the 2002-03 school year.

"I didn't get on this board to make decisions that would adversely affect the educational process," he said. "The problem is all about money. Let's get back and revisit our master plan, start all over and do what's right."

Fox based his decision to support second preparation periods on the district's history of producing high numbers of students who qualify for the National Merit scholastic programs and post high scores on college assessments. The district's long-range goals of having smaller class sizes and higher scholastic achievement cannot be accomplished by eliminating teachers, which this decision will cause, he said.

Board members supporting the elimination of the preparation periods gave financial reasons for their decision. If Cape Girardeau schools went to a single preparation period, eight to 12 secondary teaching positions could be eliminated.