Lockwood vs SD2 - Part 4

Gazette article here.

Hudetz told the board that losing Lockwood students from SD2 high schools would impact the academic environment at the schools — Lockwood kids are good students, he said. It also would effect the bottom line of the district.

SD2 would lose roughly 500 students and $2.1 million in funding.

Trustee Teresa Stroebe, who represents the Lockwood area on the board, spoke at length about letting the facts guide the MTSBA’s discussion in Helena and not sending Bouck and Hudetz there with any direction.

I have to disagree with Mr. Hudetz. Since the state funding formula punishes larger school districts via the decrement, academics do suffer. SD2 students are put in classrooms with larger student numbers. It is easier for a student falling behind to fall through the cracks. Larger high schools have higher dropout rates. Larger high schools have more intra-student issues that fester longer.

SD2 does want Lockwood students because they make the school district look better academically. Test scores at Senior would fall if these students left.

The bottom line of SD2 is not affected. If 500 students left, then the school district wouldn't need about 18 teachers. This would save the school district about $1.4 million. There are other savings that offset the $2.1 million in lost funding. The students that are left will be better funded and get more attention from district staff.

Reading articles about this in Missoula and Helena, I get the impression that parents want more say in their local school. This is why those who have children in K-8 districts, want them to expand to K-12 districts. I am a parent in a SD2 elementary district. I try to bring up concerns, but school district leadership only lectures me back. This is a monopoly that doesn't listen to customers.

Virgil