Meeting notes from the March 28, 2016 MSGRTF meeting are posted

Meeting notes from the March 28th, 2016 Middle School Grade Reconfiguration Task Force meeting can be found here.

The task force discussed the Consideration Ranking and the value voting of options that took place at the Subcommittee meeting on March 23rd and the next steps that will be taken before sending a recommendation to the School Board on April 26th.

Task Force members (who are not on the Academic Subcommittee) stated that they are in need of more information if they are to make an informed recommendation to the school board.

Back at the end of last year, the District stated they would conduct a survey of stakeholders (parents, students, community members, etc.) to collect public opinion on Subcommittee issues to help with decision making. That survey was conducted, without mention of the Challenge issue in its questions, and those results are in the hands of the District. Discussion of these results was on the Agenda for the March 28 MSGRTF meeting, however, that discussion was postponed until the May meeting.

This means that the Task Force will have had NO PUBLIC INPUT discussions on the Challenge issue before they will make their recommendation to the School Board on April 26, at the 7pm School Board Regular Meeting.

If the Task Force and Academic Subcommittee will not have the benefit of hearing the opinions of parents, students and community members, then the School Board will have to hear our opinions from us during the public comments section of the Board meeting. Please plan to be at the 7 pm board meeting on April 26th to express your support for challenge. Bring your kids and encourage them to speak! If you or your kids are uncomfortable with public speaking email your comments to the board starting after Spring Break. We can Save Our Challenge Program!

Please attend and speak at the April 26, 7pm board meeting to Save Challenge!

The Middle School Task Force Academic Subcommittee voted to eliminate the self – select Challenge Program. See our meeting notes under other documentation. They will present their recommendation to the full task force, who will vote whether to change this recommendation or send it as voted by the subcommittee. The school board will receive the recommendation of the full task force for the April 26, 7 pm, school board meeting. If the school board accepts the recommendation as voted by the Academic Subcommittee, there will be no self – select challenge program beginning in 2017-18, so this decision would potentially affect students who are currently in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades.

But the School Board can choose to Save Challenge! If you support the Challenge program, please attend the April 26, 7pm school board meeting to express your support for challenge. We believe the school board listens to students and will act in the students' best interests. So, please encourage your student - students who have taken challenge, students who chose not to take challenge and we're happy to have the choice, and elementary students who want to have a choice when they are in middle school- to attend and speak to the school board.  Or anyone can send us their thoughts and we will speak them on their behalf. We need to fill the board room with challenge supporters if we want to keep this valuable program. Now is the time to speak! April 26, 7pm!

Please browse the Save Our Challenge website if you would like more information on this. 

March 23, 2016 Academic Subcommittee Notes Published

Save Our Challenge members attended the March 23, 2016 Academic Subcommittee meeting and took what notes they were able to get with the visitor-unfriendly room layout. You can read those notes here.

Videos from March 22, 2016 Special and Regular Board Meetings Posted

Find videos of all Board meetings held on March 22, 2016 here.

Briefing to School Board Regarding Meeting with Save Our Challenge, District Admins and NSEA

We have published the meeting summary requested by the School Board regarding the meeting on March 1, 2016 between Save Our Challenge, District Administrators and NSEA representatives.  This briefing was sent to the School Board and you can Click here to read that briefing.

It's Time for the Kids to Speak!

Hello challenge supporters,

It's time for the kids to speak out! Last Tuesday a group of elementary and Jr high kids spoke at the board meeting and it was amazing! The kids did such a great job and got the school board's attention. If your kids would be willing to speak at an upcoming school board meeting please encourage them to do that. Each speaker has 3 minutes to say their testimony. If they are nervous about public speaking they can email their letters to us here and we will compile them with others to give to the school board. The school board listens to students and we want to give them something substantial to read and listen to from students who have taken challenge, from those who chose not to take challenge (and are happy they had the choice), and from those who want to be able to self select challenge when they are old enough. Plopping a big stack of letters on the dais will have an impact and will show the school board exactly who we are fighting for.


Thanks!
Save Our Challenge
saveourchallenge@gmail.com

Videos of March 8 School Board Meeting and MSGRTF Study Session

It was a lively school board meeting on Tuesday with many students and community members testifying in favor of the Challenge program. Click here to go to the videos of the meeting and the Middle School Grade Reconfiguration Task Force Board Study Session that followed.

Testimony and Videos from Feb 9th and Feb 23rd School Board Meetings Posted

Find the testimony given at the School board meetings on February 9th and February 23rd along with videos of both School Board meetings here.