Changes for Middle School OK'd

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

Oct. 19, 1999

By Devlyn Brooks

The Bemidji School Board voted unanimously Monday at its regular October meeting to direct Bemidji Middle School administration and the school's restructuring committee to plan for implementing a seven-period day at the middle school.

The plan, introduced to the board by a memo from Superintendent Rollie Morud, was the culmination of a restructuring study completed by University of North Dakota education professor John Backes.

"The school district is committed to the middle school concept," Morud wrote to the board in his memo, "but at a reduced cost."

The plan, according to the memo, would reduce the cost of operating the middle school by basing the school on a seven-period day.

"Based on cost per student and teaching load comparisons of other middle schools in Minnesota," the memo reads, "and upon advice from our consultant, it appears that the best direction for the middle school (would be to implement a seven-period day)."

The seven-period day would be based on the core academic teachers -- meaning math, English, social studies and science - would teach five periods a day, while the allied arts teachers would teach six periods a day.

Board members said Monday during the meeting the decision was based on two factors, that the new restructuring would increase the efficiency of the school , and it would alleviate budget problems the school will see in the near future.

Morud said after the meeting that his memo to the board included all his comments on the issues for now.

Middle School Principal James Wheeler said after the meeting he would not comment on the subject because Morud was appointed the restructuring committee's spokesman.

At Monday's meeting, one middle school staff member raised his hand and asked if the board was going to take questions on the issue.

Board Chairwoman Nancy Eubanks said no the board was not going to take questions because there had been opportunities for people to ask questions in the past. Therefore, she said, during the meeting, it was going to remain a board discussion.

"We've hashed this and rehashed this for two years," Eubanks said. "We're going to limit this to a board discussion."

None of the other board members answered him.

According to the memo, with a seven-period day, the school's current advisory program will likely become part of each day's first period.

It also states that students will have the same amount of class time in the core subjects with an increase in choices for elective classes such as foreign language and computer applications.

With the board's action Monday, the school's restructuring committee is to meet with the middle school teaching staff and parents of middle school children to decide on an actual curriculum that will be made available at the middle school at the start of the 2000-01 academic year.

"After appropriate staff and community involvement, the specific details of such a schedule, and the impact on students should be presented at the January School Board meeting," the memo states.

The memo does state, however, that if a better plan preserve the middle school concept at a reduced cost arises, the board will be interested.

Board member Diane Corcoran was not present at the meeting.