PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS ON DIVERSITY REPORT GENERAL QUESTIONS

1.                   Parents at several schools have reported that staff members say they have already received instructions to begin developing and implementing multicultural activities in the classroom. It was our understanding that the Board of Education must formally approve such a charge. Has the Board done so? If not, would the Board investigate these reports to determine if such instructions were given to the District staff and by whom?

2.                   What is the cost of implementing each of the recommendations

made in the Diversity report?      Provide cost breakdown by subcommittee?

INTRODUCTION & CHARGE TO COMMITTEE

3.                   The Diversity Report states that in 1990-91 that it was decided that Bedford Central had a problem of racial and ethnic numerical imbalances in the elementary schools. Who decided that this was a problem? What criteria did they use?

 

4.                   On page 1, paragraph 4, the statement is made that the ESL programs in Bedford Central were carefully reviewed as preparation

for this report. Describe in aetail the review process, providing information on what aspects of the program were studied and by whom?

 

NON-NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS REPORT

 

5.                   How are students with limited English skills now taught to speak English in our District?

6.                   What is the criteria for determining the success of our present ESL program?

 

7.                   What are the District's goals for our ESL students?

 

8.                   What is the District's timeframe for enabling a student who does not speak English to become literate in English so they can participate successfully in a mainstream classroom? Is it six months? A year?

 

9.                   Is this report recommending that the District begin teaching bi-lingual classes in the middle and high school in order to help students who do not speak English well enough to participate successfully in a mainstream classroom learn to speak English so that they can participate successfully in a mainstream classroom?

 

10.              If only a portion of the classes at the middle and high school are to be bi-lingual, will non-ESL students have the option of not being placed in a bi-lingual class?

 

11.              The report mentions several times that the ESL population of our District is expected to continue growing. Will the middle and high school eventually be transformed into bi-lingual schools?

12.              What data has the subcommittee gathered showing the impact on academic performance of bi-lingual classes for both ESL and non-ESL students?

MULTICULTURAL ACTIVITIES REPORT

13.              On page 39, paragraph 4, a mission statement developed by this subcommittee is mentioned as being accepted and approved. What is the mission statement? (See next question)

14.              On page 33, paragraph 3, the subcommittee provides a definition of a multicultural education. Is this the mission statement?

15.              We noticed that on page 33 of the interim report that people of different sexual orientations were included as a "diverse" group that should be part of a multicultural education. The wording of different sexual orientation, however, does not appear in the final report from this subcommittee. Does this mean that people of different sexual orientation will not be considered a "diverse" group in Bedford Central's diversity curriculum?

16.              On pages 40-42, the hiring of a District multicultural coordinator is recommended, along with the setting up of a District Multicultural Education Committee and Multicultural Education Committees in each school. Are there plans to hire District coordinators for science, math, reading, and other academically-oriented subjects? If not, why not? Are there plans to set up District committees for science, math, reading, etc? If not, why not? Are there plans to set up building teams for science, math, reading, etc.? If not, why not?

17.              In this subcommittee's report, it says that members of the District's Multicultural Education Committee should represent the "diverse" groups within the District. The manner in which "diverse" is used in this report leads us to believe that only members of minorities would be eligible for membership on this District Multicultural Education committee. Is that true? If so, why are non-minority parents and community members being excluded? Does this mean that the non-minority cultural experiences are not to be taught as part of a Bedford Central multicultural education?

18.              If the District decides to implement the recommendations of this subcommittee, how much time will our children spend each day studying multiculturalism? An hour? Fifteen minutes? Where will that time be taken from? Reading? Mathematics? Science, etc.?

19.              Can the Board provide data on how much time students attending public school in other countries (i.e., Japan, Germany, Brazil, France, etc.) spend studying multiculturalism? What research is available showing the emphasis other countries place on teaching their students to "understand, accept, and appreciate cultural differences"?

20.              Will the Board provide sample text showing exactly what a multicultural curriculum would cover?

21.              How will our children be graded in multiculturalism?

22.         How will our teachers be held accountable for showing greater sensitivity toward diverse cultures?

 

23.         This subcommittee's report implies that one of the problems in our school district is that teachers are insensitive to the needs of children from diverse cultures. Is this true? If so, what action is the Board taking to identify these teachers and remove them?

 

PROGRAM & ORGANIZATION SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT

 

25.                It was our understanding based on many conversation with Board members that the Program & Organization subcommittee would only be providing information on different ways to structure elementary schools and that it was not their task to make a recommendation for or against the present structure of community elementary schools. Yet, on page 103, this subcommittee states "This data demonstrates

an ever-increasing need to examine the issue of diversity." The subcommittee then recommends "If the issue of diversity is to be addressed, there needs to be some change in the school system's program and/or organization." Why did this subcommittee not follow the instruction given to it by the Board, and proceed with making a recommendation away from community schools?

 

26.                Will the Board formally receive the report written by the parent representatives on Community Schools that was rejected by the other members of the subcommittee? If not, why not?

 

27.                Is there a government mandate to balance the population of our elementary schools?

 

28.                What would be the goal of changing away from community schools? Is it to teach students "to understand, accept and appreciate cultural differences"? Or, is it to help children who do not speak English to learn English quicker so they can perform successfully in mainstream classrooms? Or, is it to merely balance the minority population at the elementary school level throughout the District?

 

29.                Is one of the conclusions of the Diversity Report that there are inequities in the quality of education between the five elementary schools?

 

30.                On pages 3 and 4, the goals for the Diversity Committee are listed. There is no goal concerning the reorganization of our elementary schools. Yet on page 4, it says that "In preparing the report, the Steering Committee should carefully align its recommendations with the goals of the process as outlined." What is the goal that the Program & Organization Subcommittee's report was attempting to fill?

 

31.                In the development of the Program & Organization Report, was there any data gathered or any consideration given to the emotional, psychological, academic and physical impact of busing on young children?