Transition is never easy, particularly when it involves shuffling several hundred students among one new and two old school buildings.
But that is what Cape Girardeau school district faces next fall
L.J. Schultz School, the current seventh-grade center housed in an aging building on Pacific Street, will close. There will be a new fifth- and sixth-grade center in the existing junior high school building on Caruthers Street. Seventh and eighth grades will move to the old Central High School building next door. And a much needed, state-of-the-art high school building will open next to the Career and Technology Center on Silver Springs Road.
District leaders agonized for months over these grade configurations, trying to decide which students would thrive where and how to make good use of old buildings when possible. They discussed curriculum changes to take advantage of the new student groupings.
The changes will allow every student to be in an air-conditioned classroom next school year. This is welcome news considering the district broke a record by letting out early for heat after Labor Day for the first time in its history.
There are things educators already know they will deal with when the grade configurations change. Retrofitting schools for certain age groups may be a challenge, but the buildings aren't the biggest concern.
Most important to district leaders is ensuring a positive experience for students involved in the change and uninterrupted education. They also want to make sure parents feel comfortable with the switch.
To that end, Parent-Teacher Association presidents from each school will meet with faculty and district administrators in November to begin hashing things out.
It's admirable that the district is involving parents at an early stage. However, it will be just as important to expand the process to all parents as plans are made. Already, some parents are questioning whether the grade configurations makes the best sense. They wonder how their children will perform in a new atmosphere.
But it isn't just about the district reaching out to parents. Mothers and fathers must involve themselves and make their feelings known as appropriate.
Voters' passage of tax increases to fund new schools, air conditioning and raises for teachers shows they are confident in district leadership. Now leaders are asking district patrons for something else: to weather the challenges that naturally come along with major changes and come out stronger for them.
All should work together to ensure the confidence continues.
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