Kalamazoo Public Schools recently issued the following announcement.
Superintendent Dr. Rita Raichoudhur has issued a statement regarding a change to the Dec. 3 board agenda:
The agenda for the Dec. 3 Board of Education meeting initially included a review of additions, deletions, and other changes to the course and program offerings for incorporation into the 2021-2022 Bulletin of Courses. Actual course offerings are contingent upon budget and scheduling.
One of the recommendations was to modify the government credit requirement from one credit to a half (.5) credit. The Michigan Merit Curriculum requires a half (.5) credit of civics or government. The one-credit requirement is a KPS requirement. The recommendation to modify to a .5 credit would have merged Government A and B into one course.
Kalamazoo Public Schools students are still required to earn a total of four Social Studies credits, which is still one credit greater than the three Social Studies credits required by the Michigan Merit Curriculum. The rationale was to open up options for courses that students may wish to take based on interest and college/career aspirations. AP Government will remain a one-year course.
Due to an honest oversight during this unprecedented year with so many moving pieces, the process of seeking teacher input was shortchanged. KPS greatly values teacher input and this very important part of the process cannot be shortchanged. As a result, we’ve paused the review of the course changes for the next school until we can have discussions with teachers. We’ve received the question of whether it is a contract requirement that input is gathered from teachers on course changes. While it is not a requirement, it is best practice, and we value it greatly and will continue to make sure it is part of the process.
I also want to review the process of how courses are approved. Any additions, deletions, or other changes to courses require the recommendation to be shared at two public board meetings. The first time recommendations are presented is called a first reading. The board does not vote at this meeting. The first reading provides an opportunity for the board and KPS stakeholders to ask questions, discuss the pros and cons, and gather additional information. This process can continue even after the board meeting ends throughout multiple days and weeks until the proposal is brought back to the board floor for a second reading and vote.
We are postponing the first reading from tonight until KPS administration and interested teachers can have adequate time to discuss the recommendations. Then, we will bring it to a public board meeting for a first reading and discussion. Subsequently, it will be brought back again at a later date for a second reading and vote on the board floor.
Again, I apologize for our oversight in gathering teacher input on this matter and we will rectify it promptly.
Original source can be found here.
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