In response to the “elimination” of Grade 4 for the 2015/16 school year, more than 80 people have signed an online petition calling for “equal education for every student in Jasper Elementary School.”
“I call it the elimination of Grade 4 because essentially what’s happening is the Grade 4 class that’s coming into Grade 4 English this year, some of them are going to be put with the Grade 3s, back with the same teacher they had last year, and some will be put with the Grade 5s,” explained Marta Rode, who’s daughter Hana is going into Grade 4.
Rode created the petition Aug. 20, addressing it to the minister of education, principal of Jasper Elementary School and Jasper’s school trustee, asking that the school find another solution to its funding shortfall. As of Aug. 26, 84 people had signed and nearly 20 had left responses, explaining why they support the petition.
Rode said her concern is her daughter, as well as the 17 other students in Grade 4, the 13 students in Grade 3 and the nine in Grade 5, will not receive the same level of individualized core instruction as students in a stand alone class. Core classes include everything from language arts to math; they’re the building blocks that prepare students for the next grade.
Rode said her concern isn’t that her daughter is going to be in a split class—as she’s been in one since Grade 1—but that this year, unlike in previous years, she’ll be in a split for the whole day, with the teacher trying to juggle core instruction for two different grades at the same time.
Megan Gifford, who’s daughter Addi is also going into Grade 4, signed Rode’s petition and shared it on Facebook, expressing concern about her daughter’s education.
“This isn’t in the best interest of my child,” she said. “It’s disappointing that other solutions were presented and they were turned down.”
According to Raymond Blanchette-Dubé, principal of JES, the reason for eliminating Grade 4 as its own standalone class is enrolment in the Grade 3 and 5 classes isn’t sustainable.
“The way the funding model works is we’re given so many dollars for each student that’s enrolled in the school, so, let’s say, if I’ve got 80 students enrolled in the school, that gives me enough for four teachers,” he explained. “If I don’t have enough students to fill those classes, that’s where that whole combining and getting creative comes into play.”
With only nine students enrolled in Grade 5 and 13 in Grade 3, he said there isn’t an option of having three separate grades, so instead the school is rolling the Grade 4s into those classes, bringing each up to 20 students.
In her petition, Rode raised her concern that because of the school’s budgetary shortfalls, 40 students are receiving a different level of core education than the other 170 students in the school.
“I believe this proposal doesn’t consider every student equally,” she wrote.
Adding to Rode’s concern is some of the students will have the same teacher for three years in a row.
“It’s not fair for Hana, or for the other kids or for the teacher. The teacher doesn’t get to meet new kids and learn new personalities and the kids don’t have an opportunity to have somebody new inspire them.”
Beyond that, Rode said it doesn’t give the students a fresh start in the event that they didn’t mesh well with their teacher the previous year.
“At the very least, it would be an adequate solution to just change the teachers, just give these kids a new start,” she said.
Blanchette-Dubé said some parents have already come forward and made requests as to which class they would like their child to attend, whether it be the Grade 5 or Grade 3 split, and the school is doing its best to accommodate those requests.
He also noted that a student’s placement will take into account their academic, social and emotional needs. To help determine what those are, Blanchette-Dubé is working with the students’ teachers from last year.
Blanchette-Dubé noted that, because Jasper Elementary School is a small school, split classes are nothing new and recalled there being a Grade 5/6 split when he first started teaching there more than 20 years ago.
“That was combined for the full day,” he said, adding that it was like that for his first five years at the school. “We’ve had different combinations of combined classes through the years as well, whether they’re combined for a full day or partial day. It’s a part of our history.”
To read Rode’s petition or to sign it, visit www.change.org and search “Jasper Elementary School.”
Nicole Veerman
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