The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

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November 17, 2008

Enid Public Schools may consider trading junior high system for middle schools

By Bridget Nash, Staff Writer

During the Enid Public Schools Board of Education regular meeting Monday evening, Superintendent Shawn Hime discussed the benefits of making a transition from the current junior high system to a middle school concept.

In a middle school grade configuration, elementary school would be pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, middle school would be sixth grade through eighth grade and high school would be ninth through 12th grades.

In his report, Hime said the change would help “alleviate some of this severe overcrowding” occurring in the elementary schools.

While the junior highs and high school currently are under capacity, the elementary schools are over capacity by about 650 students, he said, and removing sixth-graders from elementary facilities will provide some temporary help to the problem.

“It will not alleviate it completely,” Hime said.

Moving sixth-graders from elementary school to a middle school environment also could have educational benefits, he said.

“I have several sixth-grade teachers approach me about the idea of sixth-graders needing to be in a middle school concept,” Hime said.

Moving ninth-grade students to the high school would help solve another problem, he said — providing transportation for ninth-grade students who participate in high school music, athletics or advance classes.

No action was taken, although board members hope to have a decision on whether to switch to the middle school concept starting with the 2009-2010 school year by January. School officials will have grade configuration meetings at each school this month and in December.

The board decided to change the 2009 meeting schedule to one meeting per month rather than the current two meetings. Beginning next year, the board will meet the third Monday of every month at 6:30 p.m.

The board also approved declaring this week National Education Week, and each school in the district sent a student representative to the meeting to tell the board why they like their school.

As part of National Education Week, students will wear red, white and blue Friday, and the entire community is invited to also wear patriotic colors that day.

The board voted to approve the employments of Linda Harris, Hoover Elementary School; Lisa Henslee, Hayes Elementary School; Darla Robbins, Garfield Elementary School; Felicia Sehorn, Monroe Elementary School/multi-sites; Irene Serrano, Enid High School; Amanda Tucker, Eisenhower Elementary School; and Kathryn Young, Eisenhower.

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