PSD's small schools study committee continues work

By Brenda Rader Mross
Correspondent

In assessing where they are in the process, a committee member studying the viability of small schools in Poudre School District compared it to halftime during a sporting event.

"The first half of the hard work is done," Wellington Junior High School counselor Bill Peisner said. "Now we're in the locker room reworking the game plan."

The 30-member committee is in part charged with identifying schools that may be candidates for closure, an unenviable, arduous task that members were hoping to have completed by now.

"I think when the committee asked for more time," Peisner said, "no one was comfortable making recommendations for closure based on the work we had done."

The good news for many North Forty News readers is that Peisner thinks the northern area's rural community schools are geographically important, and the committee just can't overlook the logistics of that.

Peisner termed the panel's process of analyzing small schools in the district and in general "thoughtful and evidence-based."

"Poudre School District is invested in being a better steward of funds," he said. "How we handle things has changed. We've opened a lot of new schools."

With the shift this year toward student-based budgeting and away from the per-pupil funding plan in the past, school allocations are now based on student population and demographics. In other words, each student receives a base funding amount, with additional money designated for small schools as well as those students who are gifted and talented, English Language Learners, at-risk or both ELL and at-risk.

It's the school size piece Peisner and his colleagues were asked to research and come up with a definitive answer as to when a small school becomes too expensive.

With student-based budgeting, it at first appears the bottom line for schools is fewer students equal less money. But evaluating small schools isn't a simple math problem. According to Peisner, the real quandary is this: "How does PSD maintain, within the constraints of student-based budgeting, educational adequacy at all schools?"

The matter hadn't really been studied; thus Peisner said it was up to the small schools study committee to substantiate the common-sense assumptions that it is indeed more costly to educate students at smaller schools. He said they adapted data from Wyoming and Nevada school studies to reflect the relationships between costs and student populations.

The results, the WJHS staffer said, "are our best thinking and most accurate description of what is actually happening to costs in relation to the size of school."

With the hard data done - the quantity - the committee's focus now turns to peoples' values - the quality.

"We're pausing now to give people time to rethink and start talking," Peisner said. "It's time to align the hard evidence with educational values."

Peisner said the group's work over the next four to six meetings is geared toward how to blend the data with what is important to people and the district's core values.

The goal is to share those findings with the student-based budgeting committee, and by late March to make a recommendation to PSD Superintendent Jerry Wilson and his seven-member cabinet.

Peisner said he was asked to join the small schools study committee, which is made up of PSD staff, parents of both elementary and secondary school students, and community members. It is co-chaired by Assistant Superintendents Kevin Hahn and Manny Ortega and has been meeting since August.

Peisner intends to stay involved with the process after the small schools study committee completes its report by continuing his volunteer service as a member of the student-based budgeting committee. He said he appreciates the importance of the work.

Peisner advised those who wish to inform or be informed to talk to local school administrators or consult the PSD web site www.psdschools.org.