Issues

Parent Involvement

Parental involvement is key to successful schools. Parents are children’s first teachers and decision makers in education. In Chippewa Valley's bylaws it states the Board believes that student learning is more likely to occur when there is an effective partnership between the school and the student's parents and family. In order for students to be successful there needs to be a partnership between home and school. Parent’s voices shouldn't be shut out. Section 380.10: It is the natural, fundamental right of parents and legal guardians to determine and direct the care, teaching, and education of their children.

Transparency

Parents should never feel left in the dark when it comes to their child/children’s education. Over the past few years, I feel that parents have lost trust in our schools because of guidelines and choices that were put in place. The district website should be updated with current information regarding the school. The decisions being made should have student, parent and teacher input. School leaders can create transparency by being honest in all aspects. The curriculum and materials that are being taught in our schools should be available for parents to view without having to submit a FOIA.

Class Size

There are many benefits of having smaller classes. As a former teacher, I have had classes with as little as fourteen kids and as many as twenty-nine. With fewer students in each class, the teacher has more opportunities for individual attention and instruction. It also allows for more hands-on learning. Smaller class sizes can increase student learning. There has been research done on class size. “The research is crystal clear that smaller classes lead to better student outcomes in every single way that can be measured,” says Leonie Haimson, executive director of Class Size Matters, a nonprofit that advocates for smaller class sizes.

School Safety

School safety should always be a top priority. The Chippewa Valley 2018 Safe Schools Strong Schools Bond has added security features to our schools. Unfortunately, the 2024-25 state school budget cut funds to mental health and school safety. This cut will directly impact the ways that schools fund mental health specialist and school resource officers. What does this mean? School resource officers and mental health professionals will most likely face layoffs.

Declining Enrollment

Public school enrollment in the United States has been declining. The COVID-19 pandemic made the decline worse. Parents in many parts of Michigan experienced frustration with the quality of the improvised distance learning programs for their children and the mask mandate. (mackinac.org) When districts have a declining enrollment that also means there is a decline in the funding they receive. What does this mean for Chippewa Valley?

Chippewa Valley enrollment numbers for the past five years (Student Enrollment Counts Report (mischooldata.org)