Highland School Board quizzes committee, superintendent on sixth-grade move

HIGHLAND | The Board of School Trustees grilled members of a feasibility committee and Superintendent Michael Boskovich on Tuesday about the recommendation to move sixth-graders from four elementary schools to Highland Middle School in August.

The board's public work study session drew parents, teachers, administrators and members of the Leave Sixth Grade Alone committee to hear a presentation on the recommendation.

The committee said the move would benefit students because teams of teachers would have the same students and could meet daily to discuss strategies and plan interventions. Also, there would be a 22-minute Discover class every morning to builds relationships with teachers, and there would be a variety of classes and instructional assists for all ability levels.

Board member Dale Turoci, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the committee's composition of primarily School Town of Highland employees.

"I have not been in favor of this committee from the start," Turoci said.

"Our children are guinea pigs," said Turoci, the father of a fifth-grader. "Our children are the first ones. We put our trust that we're going to get it right, right now."

School Board member Robert Kuva also took issue with the recommendation.

In January, Kuva emailed Jacob Vigdor, author of a Duke University study that found negative behaviors and lower academic performance when sixth-graders are placed in middle school. Vigdor did a free analysis of the committee's recommendation based on meeting minutes.

Vigdor's wrote moving sixth-graders to Highland Middle School "will harm them," Kuva said. Vigdor wrote statistics show negative behaviors and increased high school dropout rates would occur.

Board member Carol Green-Fraley said she could find experts to say the opposite.

"Are we going to boil this down to a battle of the experts?" Fraley said. "I haven't made up my mind, but if we are going to prepare our students for the future, we have to continue to make changes and offer challenges to our students."

Board member Luanne Jurczak said she at first did not favor the proposal and asked to be on the committee. Her opinion didn't change after the first few meetings, but she said Tuesday, "I could see more positives to do this than negatives. I've done a complete turnaround. Are we holding our kids back if we don't do this?"

Board President Lawrence Vassar asked Boskovich if the move is driven by money.

"I've cut $2.5 million from our budget," Vassar said. "We've already bled there. This is not a financial issue."

The School Board will meet at 6 p.m. March 6 to vote on the matter.