OXFORD – Since September, Jonathan Rogers has been spending half of the school day teaching eighth grade social studies at the Oxford Middle School and the other half instructing high school global studies students.
According to Rogers, who was informed on the last day of the 2008-09 school year that he would be shared between the two buildings, the situation is far from ideal, particularly for students who are struggling with their coursework.
“This absolutely, unequivocally is not good for children,” Rogers told the Oxford School Board on Monday, as he shared his concerns about the arrangement.
The educator said his primary concern is that he is unavailable for students who need additional help in both buildings.
“I’m not there during study hall,” he reported, explaining that his eighth graders have had to seek extra help from other staff members in his absence. The situation is similar in the high school, he said, where his struggling global studies students have gone to sections of AIS in other subjects to get help.
“This is not what’s best for kids,” Rogers said.
At the middle school, the educator is also still assigned as a homeroom teacher, which involves duties he said he is now unable to fulfill. While a student teacher working with him has been able to keep his room open in the afternoons to allow students to access their lockers and seek help, that won’t be the case when she leaves this Friday, he explained. After that date, the room will need to be locked when he leaves for the high school. Other arrangements will also need to be made to distribute report cards and other documents, which are normally handed out in homeroom at the end of the day.
Other logistical issues exist as well, Rogers said, discussing the difficulties in making building and department meetings, as well as PLP, the time designated for professional learning. As a result, he said he feels disassociated from both buildings.
“I don’t feel like I teach anywhere,” he reported.
The arrangement has also caused him to limit participation in the community service project he has done with his eighth graders over the last few years, Rogers said.
Community member Anna Stark said this has already affected the soup kitchen, where his students have volunteered in the past. While last year eight or nine students helped out every Monday night, “this year, we have none,” she said.
“It’s not working,” said Rogers, who has been vocal about his discontent with the arrangement for several months. He has previously broached the topic with administrators and the school board, both in person and in writing. According to the educator, who also serves as president of the Oxford Teacher’s Association, he is still waiting for a written response from the board regarding an earlier letter.
Before approaching the board on this occasion, Rogers said, he “followed the chain of command,” by first speaking with his building principals and Superintendent Randy Squier.
Rogers found support for his position from several community members as well as board members Dawn Golden and Peter Heggie.
Golden, who joined the school board on July 1, reported that she had personally talked to middle and high school students affected by Roger’s current schedule.
“They all have concerns,” she said.
“Obviously it’s not working. The kids are suffering,” added Heggie, who maintains that he had never been in favor of cutting the full-time high school position which has necessitated the current arrangement.
While the high school Global Studies position was not eliminated in the district’s budget, the board acted on Superintendent Randall Squier’s recommendation to forgo filling the vacant position in favor of hiring a half-time health teacher.
Rogers himself offered several suggestions for rectifying the situation, which involved hiring a half-time global studies teacher for the high school. He would then be able to return to the middle school full time, to either resume teaching all eighth grade social studies – some sections are currently being taught by a seventh grade teacher – or to supplement the classes he’s now teaching with an AIS section or elective program.
“I realize that’s probably not in the realm of possibility,” he said, referring to the idea of adding electives.
Teachers Maggie Dorsey, Matthew Voce and Kathy Hodge all spoke about the effect the split has had on students and other faculty members.
“I think we’ve raised the issue a number of times,” said Dorsey, in response to a board member’s question regarding whether faculty members had communicated their concerns to their building principals.
Parents in the room were unhappy with the board’s apparent lack of concern about acting in the best interest of the district’s students.
“You preach a lot of stuff, and we don’t see it happen,” said Oxford resident Chris Karn.
“We’re trying to look out for both ends,” offered School Board President Robin DeBrita in response, explaining the responsibility she feels to balance the district’s budgetary and programming needs. “We’re trying to maximize all the talents we have here.”
DeBrita closed the discussion by asking Squier to revisit the issue and report back to the board.