Community Listen & Learn - Nichols Middle School

Thank you to all of the individuals who invested the time to engage in our Listen & Learn sessions regarding the Structural Deficit Reduction Plan.

Meeting summaries were created to provide increased transparency across the community and to provide insight as to the perspectives and thoughts across various stakeholders.

Robust conversation took place across sessions and content from the meetings were summarized based on high level themes that emerged. In community and parent/caregiver advisory sessions, the responses to questions 1 and 2 were transcribed directly from the chart paper provided from the various groups. Identifying information has been removed and responses to question 3 are provided in summary form (not verbatim quotes).

An asterisk indicates that the idea was supported or named by other individuals within the session. The total number of participants does not include district facilitators.

Meeting details:

• Date and time: December 12, 2024 at 6:30 p.m.
• Location: Nichols Middle School
• Number of active participants: 20

Question 1: As difficult decisions lie ahead to balance the budget, what are the top three priorities that you believe must be protected?

Walkability. Schools as community hubs. ******

Protecting children who need protecting. Make sure every child’s needs are served.

All children are challenged so they can learn and grow *

Teachers. Give them increased agency. Give them more flexibility, less mandates. Let them make decisions in real time. *

Teacher retention. *

High quality, flexible curriculum.

Specials priorities: Fine arts, library, PE, SEL, Computer Science *

Keep kids challenged through participation and engagement opportunities (not just worksheets and ipads) *******

Auxiliary activities such as band, orchestra, athletics, art club, choir, etc (schools as community hubs)

____

Desegregation*

Academic achievement *

• Quality instruction
• Teacher retention
• Student centered instruction

Student safety (prioritizing most vulnerable) *****

• Physical
• Social emotional
• health/well-being
• Food

_____

Invest in students and teachers and instruction

Long term fiscal focus ******

TWI expansion *

___

Retaining most qualified and experienced teachers *********

• Teachers feeling valued + positive about teaching our kids!

Student-teacher ratio/class size

Quality curriculum

Thinking beyond MAP topics (science!)

New School Yes/No/Pause **

• Differing views on this

Arts education

Special education *

Physical facilities (maintenance)

____

Move beyond zero sum of this or that

Support staff/paraprofessionals

General frustration at the immediate “emergency” of this

Consider the non-financial impact of closing schools (negative impact)

• Sense of community
• Teachers

What is walkable?

Question 2: What programs or services do you consider most essential to maintain the quality of our students' education?

TWI/dual language program *

Before/after school care on site

• Review providers. Do we need both?

Onsite nurses/social workers

Summer school

Fine arts/athletics  *

School provided lunch

Head Start program  - early education *****

• Possibly add to schools/early childhood expansion within existing neighborhood schools

Commitment to students who excel *

Effective, targeted tutoring during the school day

Strengthening community partners

____

Special education services - not fabulous.

Not known for good support for neurodivergent or kids with severe anxiety.

Kids have to be bused.

What will these changes mean for kids getting special education services? How do we prevent interruption?

No clear path to TWI K-8 (there is a plan in place)

• TWI in middle school*
• More flexibility to move among schools + therefore consolidate classes?
• Permissive transfer

____

Provide services for the most vulnerable populations

Protect gifted curriculum **

Social emotional supports (counselors) *****

Arts/enrichments/creative expression *

• (music, clubs, drama, debate, art, computers, sports) 

Spelling (core curriculum)

____

More adults than just teachers. Interventionist. Reading specialist. Addressing range of skills *

Right sizing classrooms

Fine arts - high quality specials - drama ****

Bring back sewing?

Adding Spanish as a regular special for all *

Physical education

____

FAPEL

STEM

PreK full day expansion

K-8 alignment to ETHS *

Question 3: Please share any additional information that should be considered as we prioritize budget reductions.

• Really liked the presentation at the board meeting as it relates to the level of impact to students and teachers
• Need to ensure sustainability and long term fiscal stewardship - how are we projecting trends and making changes to ensure that we don’t end up in the same place in 5,10 years?
• Students within our schools are using bad language regularly.
• Several different curriculums - consideration of cost and training. Need good curriculum that is kept.
• Leveraging partnership with District 202 to gain efficiencies, especially at the administrative level
• Consider intergovernmental agreements with similar or neighboring districts. Shared services can create efficiencies and cost savings (eg in transportation) - avoid competing priorities
• Need understanding on how Foster School fits into long term capital plan
• What feels salient is the possibility of closing schools and what a huge impact that it will have on both the budget and long term on the community, students, district, teachers? This decision must be considered with the utmost seriousness. Is there a possibility to learn from CPS closures and impact both at the time and currently. 
• Defining walkability would be helpful
• Long-term sustainability of financial decision making
• Transparency and communication is very important, having more opportunities for feedback are very important
• The District needs to communicate about budget challenges but also the great things that are happening in our schools. Need to balance the good and bad. 
• Worry about how we are going to continue to attract amazing teachers when there is so much negativity about our school district right now. Need to shift the story to attract teachers and families. Rebuild trust.
• How to raise additional revenue? Could this be through increasing technology fees, charging for transportation services? Everything needs to be on the table at this point.