D.J. Montague Parents Frustrated With Options

By Amber Lester Friday, September 10, 2010

Parents of D.J. Montague Elementary School students demanded answers from school administrators at an informational meeting Thursday night.

After failing to meet federal Adequate Yearly Progress benchmarks for the fourth time in seven years, D.J. Montague Elementary has to offer an option for students to transfer. WJCC announced a plan for the public school option on Aug. 31, one week before school started on Sept. 7. D.J. Montague students have the option to transfer to Norge Elementary or James River Elementary; transfer forms must be submitted by Sept. 15.

Although the audience that gathered Thursday in D.J. Montague’s cafeteria was small, the parents’ anger was loud and clear. They questioned the division’s plans to improve the school, reason for announcing the transfer option shortly before school started and explanation of its decision to offer Norge and James River as transfer options.

Acting Superintendent Scott Burckbuchler, joined by Executive Director for Academic Services Regina Yitbarek and Title I Coordinator DeVeria Gore, defended the division’s choices, while acknowledging that D.J. Montague has to improve. The school missed AYP in the 2007-2008 school year, but improved enough to pass in 2008-2009. The school missed the AYP benchmarks this year for reading in one subgroup – black students. Among the subgroup, 76 percent showed proficiency in English, four percentage points shy of the requirement.

The state of Virginia asked the U.S. Department of Education to allow it to use the same standards in 2009-2010 as used the previous year; the amount of students reaching proficiency in math and reading is supposed to increase each year with the goal of 100 percent proficiency in 2014. If the state had not been granted the temporary leniency, D.J. Montague would have missed the AYP benchmark for reading in at least one other subgroup, Yitbarek said.

To improve the school, the administrators said they are working on a plan to measure success throughout the year that will be shared in coming weeks. Until then, they pointed to some changes already made this year: new leadership in Principal Lynn Turner and Assistant Principal Kim Pickles; more Reading Recovery teachers, with guidance from a lead teacher; more professional development; and more tutoring. In addition, Burckbuchler said the school knows which students need more help and will check in with them throughout the year.

For parents who questioned the timing of the announcement, Burckbuchler provided a timeline to show when the division learned it would have to offer a public school option. On July 14, the Virginia Department of Education sent correspondence indicating the division would qualify for the Pilot Reversal program, which allows school divisions to offer more tutoring instead of school choice. On Aug. 10, the division received an e-mail from VDOE indicating the U.S. Department of Education approved the continuance of the Pilot Reversal program. Two days later, the state released the AYP results.

On Aug. 26, VDOE informed WJCC that public school options would have to be offered for D.J. Montague students. For the following week, the administration prepared a plan to offer public school choice, when was then announced on Aug. 31.

The administrators told parents Norge and James River were selected because they had the capacity to accept more students; Norge can accommodate approximately 125 more students and James River can receive approximately 100 students. In addition, the division cited the International Baccalaureate program as a reason to offer James River as an option because the program has demonstrated success with challenged students.

Parent Phil Plante, whose two children were sent to D.J. Montague following the recent redistricting, said the division seemed to be making it too difficult for families to transfer their children, both by waiting until there was little time to decide and by choosing schools far away from their neighborhoods. “James River has always been an option and it is disingenuous to present it as a new one,” he said. James River is a magnet school to which any student in the division can apply to attend. “I guarantee you said, ‘We can’t give Blayton [as an option] because there will be an exodus.”

J. Blaine Blayton Elementary, the newest elementary school, also has some space left after the redistricting of schools. Burckbuchler said the division didn’t want to offer Blayton as a choice because it doesn’t have any documented test performance data. He did acknowledge, however, that the administration wanted to fashion “a narrow solution” to the public school option and said he doesn’t want to see a mass exodus from D.J. Montague.

At the end of the meeting, most of the parents present said they would likely keep their children at the school, but made it clear they want to be updated on its progress throughout the year. Lynn Turner, who led James River before taking the helm at D.J. Montague, promised parents that she would bring organization and best practices to her new school. Burckbuchler pledged to build the consistency and camaraderie that has been missing in the school over the past few years.

“It’s all about relationships,” he said. “We are committed to making sure those relationships happen.”

Parents can tour Norge and James River elementary schools from 4 to 5 p.m. on Sept. 13. For more information about the public school option, contact DeVeria Gore at (757) 253-6780. To learn more about the school option, read a previous article here.