8/15/14 - The Howell School Board met for a round-table meeting with department heads at Cleary University yesterday to begin work on several possible new developments for the district. The board discussed the possibility of eliminating the traditional three-month summer vacation for some students in favor of more frequent, shorter vacations, called a balanced calendar. Board President Mike Witt tells WHMI this pattern helps students retain the material they learn in class. Board members said district staff supports the proposal, and a survey said 40% of parents would be interested in it. Witt emphasized that the model would only be provided on an opt-in basis, so nobody would be forced into it. A committee will be looking into the viability of offering that model at the elementary level beginning as early as fall of 2015. Also discussed was the evaluation of Superintendent Ron Wilson which, according to new state regulations, must use student achievement as the basis for at least 25% of his final score. The board has no basis for how to create this portion of the evaluation, so a committee of board members was formed to examine the issue and recommend criteria on which to evaluate the superintendent. Witt says the hope is to have those criteria in place by the end of September so Wilson can work throughout the school year knowing how he will be evaluated. The school board is also examining the possibility of closing down a building as a cost-saving measure, and the possibility of redistricting existing schools has also been proposed since that has not been done in several years. Committees will now examine the possible school closure, with a redistricting committee to be formed once it is known whether a building will be closed. (TD/JK)
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