PW Board OKs four-day week, 22-23 calendar
Schedule switches back and forth between Mondays and Fridays off
Palestine-Wheatley School Board members on Monday discussed surveys of parents regarding the district changing to a four-day school week this fall before adopting a calendar for the next school year.
The district recently sent a survey home with students to find out how parents in the district felt about changing to a four-day week for the 2022-23 school year.
According to PW Superintendent Jon Estes, the district sent about 750 surveys home with students for their parents to complete before the board made a final decision on the four-day school week.
"You all have a copy of the survey results,” said Estes. “They show that parents overwhelmingly support the idea of a four-day week. We figured the results two different ways. One way we figured them was one vote per kid, and the other way we figured the results was by using one vote per household. In the elementary, there were 243 total votes cast where 169 of those were yes votes and 74 were no. In the high school, there were 202 surveys submitted where 160 of them were yes and 42 votes were no. So, for the district, 445 surveys were submitted where 329 said yes and 116 said no."
"You sent out 445 surveys in the district and you were able to get all 445 surveys back?” asked board member Blaine McCoy.
"No, we sent out probably 750 surveys and we got 445 back," Estes clarified.
"So, you've got roughly 300 people who didn't even vote?” asked Blaine McCoy. "Is it because they didn't care?"
"I don't know why they didn't vote," said Estes.
"Did you pin the surveys to the little kids’ shirts with a safety pin and send them home?” asked board vice president Jamie McCoy.
"We put them in the little kids’ backpacks like we do all other documents that need to get home," said Estes. "They don't always get to the parents because the parents have to learn to look in the backpack if they want to find out what is going on at the school."
"My son never made it home with his and he's in ninth grade," said board member Shane Clifton.
"Were there any people who never got the survey who came to the office to cast their votes?” asked Blaine McCoy.
"A few, not many," said Estes. "Less than 10 people."
"I hear something different in the community than what I see here in these results," said Blaine McCoy. "Where are all of these surveys?"
"I have them here with me tonight," said Estes.
"Do you mind if I look them?” asked Blaine McCoy.
"I can let you look at them after the meeting. They have kids’ names on them, which would be a violation of FERPA Laws," said Estes.
When put to vote, Blaine McCoy voted against the motion to change to a four-day schedule for the 2022-23 school year.
Estes told the board he recently surveyed faculty and staff members about the next calendar year, given that they would transfer to a four-day week, and that he came up with a calendar that could serve both groups.
"Seventy percent of them wanted Fridays off. Those who didn't want Fridays off, wanted at
Mondays off,” said Estes. “I presented our faculty and staff with three different options. The first option was Fridays off, the second was Mondays off and the third was a hybrid calendar that has Mondays off during football season then switches to Fridays off until spring where it would switch back to Mondays off during the holiday weeks. Seventy-seven percent of them chose the third option for the 2022-23 school year. This option allows for us to do some of both."
"It looks to me like 75% of people here just want a day off," said Blaine McCoy. "I don't think they care which day it is."
Both Blaine and Jamie McCoy voted against a motion to accept the hybrid calendar proposed by
Estes, which was approved on a vote of 4-to-2. Board members Shane Clifton, Vernon Thweatt, Micah Jo Hilsdon and Jared Parker voted for the calendar as proposed. Board president Derrick Boileau did not attend the meeting.
In other business, board members heard from concerned parent James Franks regarding issues he said he wanted to present at a meeting in November but was denied the floor.
Franks outlined some issues he has with things that have taken place in the district recently.
"I wanted to speak to you all about some things that as a parent I am concerned about,” Franks began. “I came to a meeting back
in November to try and talk to the school board. I was upset, but I understood that there were things I had to do first. What I don't appreciate is that you all did not want to hear me that night, but the very next day, my child was called into the office and questioned about what I was upset about and what the problem is. That, I won't tolerate. If you can't listen to me as a parent when I come to speak to you, then you need to pick up the phone and call me, not pull my child into adult situations. Children do not need to get involved in adult situations. What I was upset about at the time, I went to Mr. Estes and he did solve my problem, but I think you all should have corrected him."
"We can't discuss personnel in open session," said Estes.
"I was told by the president of the school board that as long as you were here at the meeting, I could address what my problem was," said Franks.
"Okay, go ahead," said Estes. "I can take it."
"I am not saying it behind your back or anything like that," Franks continued. "He showed a difference in the kids. He decided on his own authority to make an executive decision to say that it was okay to mask the athletes but not the other kids. In my book, that is discrimination. Do you know the definition of discrimination? It’s the practice of unfairly treating a person or group of people differently from other people. Other kids could walk freely through the halls without masks but the athletes couldn't because he thought the athletes were bringing Covid into the schools. What about the other kids that went to the same ballgames that the athletes were at? What about the parents that went? Could they not also have contracted Covid all the same. I think it was unfair to the children, and I think he owes those children an apology for what he did to them."
Franks also claimed that students are not given ample time to use the restroom, especially the female students.
"Another thing I have a concern with is the time that is given to children to go to the bathroom during break," said Franks. "I understand that they have to be in class to learn something, but you have to understand that when you have 30 to 50 kids trying to go to the bathroom at the same time and there are only six stalls, especially for the girls, how do you expect them to go to the bathroom in that short period of time. On top of that, if they ask to go to the bathroom during class time, they are given a tardy, and after three tardies they are given detention. That is not fair. I am sorry, but to me it is asinine. It's not fair."
Franks told the board there are also issues with the district's dress code policy that need to be addressed by the board.
"I just have one more thing and you can all say what you want to after that," said Franks. "I have a problem with the dress code on some issues. With girls, we all know that boys look. Girls have to wear shirts that come down past their butts but our cheerleaders walk around in skirts with their butts hanging out. You know where that is going. I think that needs to be addressed."
"We will take your comments and concerns under consideration between now and the next board meeting," Jamie McCoy told Franks.
In other business, Jacob Estes, with Integrity, an electrical service company that has served multiple cities and school districts throughout the state, addressed the board regarding the district’s needs.
"We are an electrical service company that specializes in design, engineering and implementation of energy projects, which happens to include solar power,” said Estes. “Mr. Estes and I have been talking for a while, and part of what we do is look at schools and their bills then come back with a project solution. Act 464 and the Solar Access Act, which was passed in 2019, allows non-tax entities like school districts and churches to enter into solar service agreements, which means that companies like myself would build, maintain, own and operate the field in the school district's name. The school cistrict would be on that array and buy energy from us at a lower rate than what they are already paying."
According to Jacob Estes, the board could potentially choose two options. One would lock the pay rate in for 28 years while another would increase the rate by 2% each year going forward.
"If you all were to go with the 0% option that we provided you, you could lock in the price that the school district would pay for electricity for 28 years," said Jacob Estes. "If you think power is never going to go up and you want to lock in the rate for 28 years, go with the 0% rate. But, if you think power is going to go up, like everything else, and you want money now, go with the 2% rate. There are buyout options at year seven, 14 and 21 if you want to own the array."
Board members agreed to table the matter until the next board meeting.
Estes also updated the board on the current situation with the new athletic fields.
He said the projects are moving closer to completion.
"Fences at the athletic fields are going up and should be completed by the end of the week," said Estes. "Construction should start on the dugouts this week and it shouldn't take to long to finish what was started. They told me last week that they should be here by the end of last week or the beginning of this week."