Libby board OKs grade moves

Fourth-grade classes will be moved to Libby Middle School, kindergarten classes will be at Asa Wood Elementary and high school students will have more stringent graduation requirements next year following action Tuesday by the Libby School Board.

The board approved the proposals following parent/community meetings earlier this month at the middle school and high school. Board members agreed that by the end of the current school year school administrators should provide the board with information aimed at addressing questions and concerns raised during the meetings.

According to district superintendent Kirby Maki, the proposal to move the kindergarten and fourth-grade classes makes sense educationally and administratively because kindergarten is tied to the lower elementary curriculum along with grades one, two and three while the fourth-grade curriculum is more closely associated with grades five and six.

Kindergarten students will have better opportunities in the areas of health and physical education at Asa Wood, and the appropriate specialists and administrators will be available in the same building, Maki said. Kindergarten is currently housed at Plummer Elementary along with the pre-school and Head Start programs. Pre-school will remain at Plummer with Head Start.

At the middle school, fourth-graders will be in the same pod as the fifth-graders. Moving from the elementary school to the middle school will provide more opportunities in the areas of health, physical education and technology and offer better access to specialists, Maki said.

Plans have been made to address parents' concerns and ensure that fourth-graders are not in the locker room with eighth-graders, Maki said.

The changes are in part a response to declining student numbers, particularly in the lower grades. The student count across the district is down about 75 from last year, and another 50 to 60 students are expected to be lost each year for the next several years.

At the high school, graduation requirements will increase from 23 to 24 credits, with requirements for college prep students increasing from 25 to 26 credits. Students will also be required to take three years each of math and science instead of the current two. Graduation requirements for college prep students will increase from 25 to 26 credits.

Enough elective classes are offered for students to meet the requirements, Maki said.

The increase in credits follows a decrease from 24 to 23 several years ago when the high school schedule changed from and eight-period day to a seven-period day.

In addition to the new graduation requirements, seniors will be required to be in school for six out of seven class periods with only one period of home release. Seniors are currently allowed two periods of home release.