4 day week

Note: much of what you read below is my opinion, not the opinion of any B-B-E staff member.

The state of Minnesota is forcing B-B-E to return to a five-day week for 2015-2016. They've "granted" B-B-E with the option of having a transitional year in 2014-2015 to move back to the five-day schedule. It's what I call the act of a very heavy-handed state government.

Details to follow! Much is up in the air right now, including whether B-B-E will return to a five-day week in the fall of 2014, the fall of 2015 or fight for a two or three-year extension to the current four-day model.

I am anxious to tell Governor Dayton what I think about Big Brother knowing best!!!

What's fascinating is how the Department of Education is allowed to lie about their decision-making process. Flat out lie. It boggles my mind. Seriously! They are the "department of education" which somehow implies they should be modeling what we want our kids to know or learn...yet what they do is model deception and not telling the truth?

For MDE to say they didn't see "any increase" in test scores at 4-day week schools is complete nonsense. I just looked at math test scores this morning, and ours and A-C-GC's went up while a long list of area 5-day schools' scores went down. That's the cold, hard fact, folks!!!

I'm trying to get more comment out of MDE. They need to straighten out their message.

Superintendent Bullard is crafting a letter to send to all parents of the B-B-E district. Once I have that I will share information from that.

I am somewhat troubled by what could happen in the cases of current B-B-E students who open-enrolled into the district in large part from the four-day schedule. For some families the four-day schedule is a hassle, but for others it's an outright benefit. From my experience, it's been working out well, and I'm terribly upset that MDE had to stick their nose into our business.

For our family the big picture isn't in favor one way or another. This past winter I saw the B-B-E community respond that we wanted another 3 years with it. The big thing for me is this: we would always have the option to revert to 5 days at ANY time any year at our choosing. We weren't married permanently to the 4 day schedule. We could've returned in one year, two years, three years...if we want to. That's the beauty of local control. But in an election year with a vulnerable governor up for reelection, all bets are off. And local control is one of the big victims.

At the end of the day, we have to remain vigilant and active on a daily basis in our advocacy for B-B-E schools and the life we enjoy ("we" meaning my family, for starters) in Jaguar Country. Whether we are a 4-day or a 5-day school, one thing won't change: we have a terrific school system that's great for kids from any type of background or family; we have absolutely awesome, stand out, truly dedicated staff. Top to bottom!!! We have generous English Language Learner staff time for elementary students. In the high school we have a full-time business teacher and a full-time agriculture teacher, two things you don't find in many rural schools of our size. Beyond that, class high school elective offerings have expanded from 57 three years ago to 64 in the current year. Hey, MDE, tell me how that's somehow not good for our students?

The successes at B-B-E will remain a constant even if school officials have to reorganize how we deliver education to students. If you believe that having your kids in a school that emphasizes a family-atmosphere that never allows a single student to fall through the cracks...by all means, come on over to B-B-E. It's a story worth sharing...in good times and in tougher times.