February 1, 2007: Board member Peggy Stefan asked the Board’s indulgence to read the following prepared statement:

    “At our December 7th, 2006 Board meeting, Minnetonka Teachers Association President, Mark Chalupsky, addressed the Board during Community Comments requesting that we review the effectiveness of the change from a six to a seven period day at the secondary schools. Mr. Chalupsky also wrote in the December 2006 issue of the MTA’s newsletter (The Professional) about his request to the Board. At the January 4, 2007 School Board meeting, we did not take the opportunity to respond to Mr. Chalupsky’s request during Community Comments. I would like to respond tonight. I would also like to note that in the hopes of reaching the largest possible audience to communicate our review to-date of the six period day, I sent a letter to the editor of the MTA Newsletter. I was notified by the editor that they had declined to print my letter.
    As I stated a minute ago, Mr. Chalupsky requested that the Board “think about reviewing the six-period day, and think about moving back to a seven-period day.” The purpose of my comments tonight is not to open a debate about the merits or detriments of the six period day, but to point out the facts regarding not only our “thinking” about the six period day, but our commitment to its review, and the actions we have taken to date:

1. In the immediate weeks following the passage of the 2005-06 budget which included the change to the six-period day at the secondary schools, the School Board set the following goal for the district:

Track and support the implementation of all the budget reduction decisions that were made on 2/24/05. Note the impact of changing the offerings at the middle and high schools; increasing the fees for co-curriculars, parking and busing; and eliminating key administrative and support positions.

This goal was officially adopted by the Board on August 18, 2005, and has been printed in the official minutes of the Board, posted on our website since August 2005, and reprinted in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 Annual Reports.

2. How have we tracked and reported on this goal? We have discussed the six-period day several times over the past year and a half, but I would direct your attention in particular to the 48 page document, “Report to the School Board on Implementation of the Adjustments made to Balance the FY 2006 Budget. Presented to the Minnetonka School Board on March 16, 2006”. The entire document can be found at www.minnetonka.k12.mn.us/district/schoolboard/goals/adjustments2005.pdf

Following the presentation of this report, and specifically with regard to the impact of the implementation of the six-period day, the Board made some changes and voted to restore group music lessons at the middle school, and increase guidance services at the high school.

    We also printed an articulation of our tracking of this goal in the 2005-2006 Annual Report on page 11.

    Again, my purpose tonight is not to give my, or the Board’s, opinions or positions on the six-period day. It is merely to state that the School Board has, in fact, in both written and electronic publications, and in open meetings on more than one occasion, reviewed, discussed, considered, and taken action on issues surrounding the implementation of the six-period day at our secondary schools.”

To see the official minutes of the February 1, 2007 Minnetonka School Board meeting, please go here.