Trustees to hear new proposal in November
By Jean Jacques Bohl
The Blaine County School District 2016-17 budget, approved by the Board of Trustees on Tuesday, June 14, eliminates funding for the International Baccalaureate program. The IB program was a key element of the Strategic Plan adopted by the School District in 2008. The District’s website describes IB as an “innovative educational program for students in grades 6-10 that encompasses project-based learning, 21st-century skills, and Common Core State Standards, while encouraging inquiry, collaboration and critical thinking.”
Superintendent GwenCarol Holmes and Director of Curriculum Angie Martinez said that the District plans to replace IB with another program to be conceived by a committee of administrators, teachers and community members. Those plans will be presented to the Board of Trustees in November.
Holmes said that IB was “a framework,” but that curricula and exit standards for each class were written by the specific departments at Wood River Middle School and High School. Carey High School and Silver Creek High School didn’t participate in the IB program.
Some community members voiced their disapproval of the IB demise in Town Hall and at School Board meetings. Trustees Cami Bustos and Liz Corker voted against the cut. More than 300 people signed an online petition requesting, among other things, reinstatement of the IB funding. Middle School IB Coordinator Jane Walther said that the decision to drop IB was based “on anecdotal research,” and that parents had seemed supportive of the program.
Students at the Middle School and High School won’t notice any changes in their classes when they return to school in August. The changes made for IB, such as the introduction of World Languages in sixth grade, and the Personal Project, will stay in place. A $160,000 cut in funding eliminates the position of the IB coordinator and IB dues and membership.
Holmes and Martinez also indicated that the new plan would not alter the amount of credits required for graduation. They believe that it will be even more rigorous than the current IB framework. About 60 percent of graduates have taken at least one Advanced Placement class. The goal is to increase the amount of AP classes taken under the new proposal. The administrators say they will be responsible for ensuring that teachers implement the desired practices.