Bloomington teachers blast schools' plan to change schedules as 'hasty,' disruptive

Bloomington teachers say the local school administration’s plan to change and align high school schedules would undermine education, diminish equity and needlessly disrupt the lives of thousands of teachers, parents, staff and students.

In a letter sent to Monroe County Community School Corp. Superintendent Jeff Hauswald and emails sent to The Herald-Times, teachers and other stakeholders said the administration has not provided a good rationale for the schedule change and has failed to seek input from teachers, staff, parents and students before reaching that decision.

“Dr. Hauswald’s rationale … revolves around potential credit loss for students transferring between MCCSC high schools. However, data from the past year reveals minimal instances of such transfers, with no evidence of credit loss,” teachers from Bloomington High School North wrote in a statement.

“Disrupting the educational experiences of thousands of students and teachers should be grounded in solid research, not speculation,” the teachers wrote.

In their six-page letter to Hauswald, teachers from Bloomington High School South wrote, “A change in schedule is a change in what makes our school so successful. Our successes cannot be separated from the infrastructure that enables it.

“How can we celebrate the successes of our corporation, and then change the system that helped enable those successes?” the teachers asked.

A teacher, who asked not to be identified for fear of backlash from the administration, said he expected teachers to deliver the superintendent a letter this week with more than 100 signatures of North teachers. He said the letter from South teachers had already been delivered to Hauswald and was signed by more than 100 teachers and staff. The H-T was not able to independently verify the numbers. The two schools combined have about 230 teachers, according to the Indiana Department of Education.

Teachers are planning to hold a rally from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday on the Monroe County Courthouse Lawn to oppose the decision to change the schedules. The teachers invited community members to attend.

MCCSC recently sent parents a letter to inform them that the administration would create a new high school common schedule for the 2024-2025 school year. The new schedule, which has not been determined, would apply to all four high schools: Bloomington North, Bloomington South, Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship and the Graduation School. All of the schools currently have different schedules.

Opposition: MCCSC letter about changing North, South schedules raises concerns

At a recent school board meeting, students, parents, teachers and others voiced their concerns about the planned scheduling change, and based on information the H-T received from multiple sources, the level of concern has not abated.

“We haven’t seen any data demonstrating that our schedule lacks equity,” the teachers from South wrote, “and we have yet to see a proposed schedule demonstrating what a more equitable schedule would do differently.”

“A change in schedule isn’t a change when the bells ring, it’s a change in the DNA of what makes us who we are. The sign on the outside of  the building will still say Bloomington High School South. The colors will still be purple and white. We’ll still be the Panthers. But will we be able to maintain the excellence that this school offers to the entire community?” the teachers asked.

The teachers wrote they worried a new schedule would reduce course offerings and lab time and would create less equity for kids that need more support.

North teachers questioned the need for the administration’s “hasty decision. A significant change like this should be underpinned by thorough research and analysis. The rapid formation of focus groups and hiring of IU consultants has not provided clarity on the reasons behind this transition.”

The teachers said a sudden change in schedule would affect the entire student population and might compromise students’ plans to graduate early and disrupt students and families who have strategically planned their academic paths.

Teachers from both schools also raised concerns about the administration proposing to offer more courses by having students from some schools learn remotely by participating in classes offered in other schools.

“Virtual instruction cannot replicate in-person learning, and puts off-site students at a distinct disadvantage compared to their live classroom peers,” the teachers from North wrote. “Asking teachers to instruct both in-person and remotely is unreasonable and diminishes the quality of education.”

MCCSC teachers skittish about speaking publicly

Several teachers contacted by the H-T said they could not speak on the record, with some saying their union had advised them not to speak publicly.

Paul Farmer, president of the local teachers union, said he had not read the letters and had nothing to do with them. He said the union and administration are discussing the proposed schedule changes, and the union was relaying the teachers’ concerns.

One of the big questions the teachers have, Farmer said, is why the administration is pushing for the changes now. The union also has asked the administration to clarify the current schedules’ alleged equity shortcomings.

Farmer said he did not have his notes with him and did not want to make all of the conversations public. Clarifications should come from the administration, he said.

Alexis Harmon, the corporation’s director of educational technology and communication replied to an email seeking the administration’s comment on the letters, but the reply did not address the letters.

Harmon wrote only that Bloomington South Principal Mark Fletcher “shared with us that he fully supports the district’s commitment to equity efforts at the school and the district level and supports a common high school schedule.” The H-T had not inquired about Fletcher’s opinion.

Fletcher had called the H-T unsolicited earlier Wednesday and wanted to talk off the record, a request which the newspaper denied.

Fletcher, who denied the teachers’ letter was critical of the administration’s plan, asked that the H-T delay the story because publishing it now would, he said, undermine both sides’ good-faith efforts in achieving consensus and because it would prevent the school board and superintendent from responding to the teachers’ letter. The H-T denied Fletcher’s request.

Student leader: Scheduling change 'came out of left field'

Kelton O’Connell, a sophomore at Bloomington North, said he worries that if the administration changes the schedule at the school, he will have to forego taking some elective classes that are important to him. Some kids wonder whether they’ll be able to keep all their music, theater and art electives, he said.

O'Connell said he also worries that he would take fewer classes overall, which would diminish his education.

In addition, he said, the school’s longer classes allow him to take violin lessons at IU during the day, which he may not be able to do under a new schedule.

O’Connell also said he and students from several high schools who are helping organize opposition to the new schedules are not happy with the way the administration has communicated the change and how students have had little opportunity to provide input.

“It just kind of came out of left field for everybody,” he said.

Changing the schedules would affect thousands of students and hundreds of teachers and staff, O’Connell said, and none of the reasons the administration has given “make any sense to anyone."

“It doesn’t seem like there’s a real reason,” he said.

O’Connell and other students have created a website to provide more clarity to local stakeholders: mccscstudents.org. The students are urging interested community members to make their voices heard by attending the next school board meeting, Tuesday at 6 p.m., at the MCCSC CoLab, 553 E. Miller Drive. The students said people should arrive before 6 p.m. so that they can sign up to speak.

Boris Ladwig can be reached at bladwig@heraldt.com.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington teachers say planned schedule change would disrupt lives