A turnout of more than 20 parents and some of their children at a hastily scheduled personnel committee meeting Monday, August 29, was not enough to convince St. Ignace Area Schools administrators and school board members to reverse a decision made in July to move the 8th grade class to LaSalle High School.

The meeting at the middle school library also gave Superintendent Michael Springsteen a chance to express his continued optimism that school will begin for the district Tuesday, September 6, with the LaSalle renovation project being completed in time.

Mr. Springsteen, district principals Don Gustafson and Bonnie Ledy, three school board members, and the concerned families engaged in 90 minutes of discussion, with some impassioned statements and questions. Deb Evashevski, the city’s Downtown Development Authority director who has a son going into eighth grade, organized the parents, but those in attendance had a wide variety of concerns and issues to bring to the table.

With the district and board deciding to make half an administrator position one of its budget cuts for the 2005-2006 school year, the district is left with two principals. Rather than put a load of almost 500 students in nine grades on Mrs. Ledy, and, less than 300 on Mr. Gustafson, it was decided at the July board meeting to house the 60 8th grade students in a wing with two empty classrooms at LaSalle, with the idea that it would balance the workload for the principals and provide better administrative supervision for the students.

“We looked at a lot of different things, and going through the decision-making process was painful,” said Mr. Springsteen. “In my opinion, the way we did it is the best and most efficient use of our supervisors. I know it can be done. We’ve heard a lot of talk, but we’re trying to do what’s best for the kids.”

He also said it was common for most of the smaller schools in northern Michigan to have grades seven through 12 in the same building.

The parents in attendance, however, felt that putting their 8th-graders in the high school was not the best thing for them.

“That’s where we differ,” said Mrs. Evashevski. “We feel the best thing is to keep them here in this [middle] school. I think it was a selling issue when we passed the bond for this building. My gut feeling is that you’re trying to deal with numbers. I’m dealing with my child.”

While about one-fifth of the class’s parents were represented, Mrs. Evashevski said she called many others, who were not able to make it to the meeting, and that only several said they were neutral on the issue and none who wanted the switch.

“These kids will not have their year to be top dog,” she added.

The parents’ concerns were also raised in light of the district’s increased concern about drug use in the high school. Many of the parents said they don’t want their children exposed to that environment that soon.

Bullying by older students is another concern.

“My kids are afraid to go there,” one parent said Monday.

Another parent, however, said there’s some level of drug use among 7th and 8th grade students already. Cases of eighth grade students bullying each other was also raised, and the new plan could possibly alleviate that, a parent suggested.

School Board President Diggy Clement emphasized that with the lower numbers at LaSalle, the 8th-graders would have more administrative support and be more closely supervised.

“We’ll have a much better handle on the eighth grade in the high school,” added Mr. Gustafson, who was formerly the middle school principal. “There are a lot of discipline issues in the eighth grade.”

“That’s not what the teachers I’ve talked to have said,” countered Mrs. Evashevski.

Later in the meeting, eighth-grade teacher Pat Chargo, who along with Marty Spencer and Pat Shiemke will be teaching the class, emphasized that the teachers will be well aware of protecting the students.

“Yes, your kids are going to miss some opportunities,” he said, “but I also have three elementary school kids, too, and I would not like to see them undersupervised. We have a lot of years of experience and we’re going to look out for your kids.”

Questions were raised about how students would participate in student council, band, assemblies, and other activities that would either require them to go back to the middle school building or participate with the high school students. The administration is still working on most of those issues, but administrators said the school probably will opt for a separate 8th grade band and allow eighth graders to participate on the high school student council. Assemblies will be dealth with on a case-by-case basis, they said, and the athletic programs will not change.

Some parents said they felt it was a numbers issue, but Mr. Springsteen said that while cutting half an administrator was obviously a cost-cutting move, it wouldn’t cost the district any more money to keep eighth grade in the middle school.

One father suggested that the district try half a year with the students still at the middle school, then switch them if it didn’t work out.

“I really think (our decision) will work out better this way,” Mr. Springsteen.

“What if it doesn’t?” asked the parent.

“We’ll have to deal with it then,” said Mr. Springsteen.

In the end, some parents just felt like the 8th grade students would be missing a special year when they are the oldest in their school, and that one year’s maturity is a big difference for ninth-graders going in. They also complained that they or their children weren’t consulted on the matter, but administrators said the matter was discussed at board meetings, which are open to the public.

“I talked to many parents who weren’t aware of this until August,” said Mrs. Evashevski.

One parent however, who had opinions on both sides of the issue, said she had been a middle-school student at LaSalle and “loved it,” though the fact that she had big brothers helped protect her. “There are a lot of things in this district we can be thankful for,” she said.

A few parents said they might withdraw their children either for home schooling or to transfer to Gros Cap, an elementary school in Moran Township that educates students through the eighth grade.