The Monroe school district administrations and teachers deserve credit today, for listening to the public and shifting schedules on spring parent-teacher conferences.
The Monroe school board on Monday approved changing conference times to include evening hours for the meetings, which will occur next month. The change comes after controversy in the fall, when parent-teacher conferences were held in the morning only, from 8 a.m. to noon.
The explanation at that time was that a waiver to allow the district to count evening conferences as instructional days was denied by the state Department of Public Instruction. Once the waiver was denied, it was too late to work night-time conferences into the school calendar agreed to by the teachers union.
As we said then, that logic was reasonable but unacceptable. Jennifer Thayer, the district director of curriculum and instruction, agreed. "We're looking at a solution," Thayer said then.
On Monday, that solution was reached. The next round of parent-teacher conferences will be from 3:30 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 23.
Limiting conferences to morning hours made it difficult or impossible for a number of working parents to attend. At a time when the district should be encouraging parental involvement in its students' education, the morning-only conferences were counterproductive.
But credit the teachers union for coming up with the change "to be more accommodating to parents," as district Superintendent Larry Brown said Monday.
"It shows teachers care about the community," he said.
It also shows that a little public controversy and discussion can bring about positive changes. Thankfully, the district and its stewards responded.
The Monroe school board on Monday approved changing conference times to include evening hours for the meetings, which will occur next month. The change comes after controversy in the fall, when parent-teacher conferences were held in the morning only, from 8 a.m. to noon.
The explanation at that time was that a waiver to allow the district to count evening conferences as instructional days was denied by the state Department of Public Instruction. Once the waiver was denied, it was too late to work night-time conferences into the school calendar agreed to by the teachers union.
As we said then, that logic was reasonable but unacceptable. Jennifer Thayer, the district director of curriculum and instruction, agreed. "We're looking at a solution," Thayer said then.
On Monday, that solution was reached. The next round of parent-teacher conferences will be from 3:30 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 23.
Limiting conferences to morning hours made it difficult or impossible for a number of working parents to attend. At a time when the district should be encouraging parental involvement in its students' education, the morning-only conferences were counterproductive.
But credit the teachers union for coming up with the change "to be more accommodating to parents," as district Superintendent Larry Brown said Monday.
"It shows teachers care about the community," he said.
It also shows that a little public controversy and discussion can bring about positive changes. Thankfully, the district and its stewards responded.
