North Hills to Present Feedback on Proposal to Move Ninth Grade to High School

The findings of a group of committees formed in October to review a proposal by  principals to move the ninth grade from the  to the  will be presented and discussed in a meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15th, in the senior high school auditorium.  

Based on information presented by each committee, a proposal will be developed and submitted to the school board for consideration, according to school district spokesman Tina Vojtko. 

All meetings are open to the public.

“I am confident that through open dialog and collaboration among stakeholders we will make an informed decision,” said John Kreider, North Hills Senior High Schoolprincipal, in a statement released with the meeting notice.  

“Should we determine that the reconfiguration is in the best interest of students, a detailed implementation plan will be developed for the school board’s consideration.”  

by a committee led by Kreider. The principals said the ninth grade students would benefit more from being placed with grades 10, 11 and 12 than in remaining in the junior high school with grades seven and eight.

“One of the biggest benefits we’ve found so far is a natural articulation of curriculum,” said Bill McGahee, an assistant principal at the high school, at the time of the presentation.

“The majority of the ninth grade academic teachers are housed here in the junior high school building. We feel if we bring these teachers over to the high school, just through everyday natural collaboration, our curriculum will naturally articulate.”

A recent decline in enrollment at the high school also means there is room to make the move, school officials said. 

The high school has the capacity for 1,687 students, but the student enrollment for the 2011-2012 school year is 1,075. The district has a ninth-grade enrollment of about 350.

The proposal has sparked a heated community debate.  shortly after the news was posted to it, and

Further committee meetings were held Nov. 8 and Nov. 9 to involve the public in the decision-making. Those committees included attention to details such as the curriculum, the facility, and student services. It is the results of those discussions that will be presented Nov. 15. 

For those who were unable to attend the Oct. 24 session, Kreider made his presentation available online: Click here for Part I of the presentation. Click here for Part II. 

What potential problems or concerns do you see with the big move? What benefits do you see? Tell us in the comments.