Equal Opportunity in the Fort Wayne Community Schools: A ...

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The plan which we now present for consideration requiresus to look into the future, making projections and plans basedupon what has happened in the past, where we are at the presenttime, and where we project that we should and can be.Specifically, we will want to talk about the years 1977 through1983, but the proposal establishes a direction for the FortWayne Community Schools which has implications for thenext twenty years.The Fort Wayne community can be proud of its past accomplishmentsin its educational programs. These educationalgains have not happened by chance, but have come aboutas a result of good planning and implementation supportedby the Board of School Trustees, parents, and the total community.The major criterion for testing the components of a plan isits educational value. A plan should contribute to presenthigh standards, and it should also reflect improvement. Aschool system exists basically to provide educational opportunitiesfor boys and girls as well as the adults it is privilegedto serve.The Administration and the Board of School Trusteesrecognize that long-range planning is a requirement for publicbodies to which are delegated by law responsibility for operationof the public schools. Major consideration must be givento the economic aspects of a plan so that the plan can be implementedafter adoption.The Fort Wayne Community Schools corporation hasreached a time when it needs to plan facility adjustments forpresent and emerging needs. The school system must alsoadjust to enrollment changes. Projections indicate that totalenrollment will continue to decrease slightly until it beginsto stabilize and possibly increase in the 1980's. Within the150 square miles of the school district, some areas will reflectthe general decline, but other areas will continue to grow.This proposed plan for the period 1977 through 1983 representsthe best professional judgment of the Fort WayneCommunity Schools Administration and is presented to theBoard of School Trustees for its consideration.This proposal is a total plan, made up of closely relatedparts which are dependent on each other. The plan includesgrade reorganization and the closing of some schools, both ofwhich actions make major contributions to improvementof racial balance in the elementary grades. We also shalldemonstrate the need for new facilities which will necessitatethe continuation of the present Cumulative Building Fundtax levy. This proposal must be considered as a total packagesince each part is dependent for effectiveness upon each otherpart.The proposed plan has four recommendations predicatedupon the following objectives:1. To provide better educational programs.38INTRODUCTIONA PLAN FOR FWCS —19771983Facility adjustments will need to result in greater utilizationand most economical use of facilities.Historically, the Fort Wayne Community Schools has financedmost of its major capital expenditures on a pay-as-yougobasis through the Cumulative Building Fund. That fundexpires in 1977 with the 1978 collection. This method of fundingcapital improvements has been effective the last twodecades. The Cumulative Building Fund has played a majorrole in maintaining the highest credit rating possible for theschool district, a triple "A" (Aaa) rating by Moody's InvestorsService, Inc. School planning in this district shouldcontinue to use the Cumulative Building Fund as the mosteconomical method of financing needed capital improvements.In its planning, the Board of School Trustees has recognizedits commitment to consider ways in which racial balance canbe improved throughout the Fort Wayne Community Schools.This proposed plan includes recommendations for such improvements.Several major components of this plan relate to the PeabodyStudy. The Administration appreciates the evaluation of theFort Wayne Community Schools, including recommendationsfor improvement of educational opportunities, providedby the study. The Administration and the Board of SchoolTrustees have attended and participated in eleven publicmeetings beginning with the presentation of the PeabodyReport. We have studied the input of the citizens who attendedthese meetings, and we have welcomed the commentsof administrators, teachers, and other employees.Many persons within and without the community havehelped us to evaluate the available options. The Administrationhas drawn upon the broad and varied experiences ofits personnel in the professional judgments reflected in thisplan. At this time as we make proposals, we recognize our responsibilityto be sure that all actions will be in the best interestof the boys and girls in this community.2. To maximize utilization of facilities and staff.3. To upgrade educational facilities in order to accommodatepresent and future needs.4. To improve racial balance.5. To develop a financial program wh : ch is economicallyfeasible.I. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THE BASIC ELE-MENTARY UNIT CONSIST OF GRADES KINDER-GARTEN THROUGH 5.This recommendation requires the assignment of the sixthgrade to the junior high schools. This action provides neededflexibility at the elementary level, improves utilization of elementarybuildings, and makes it possible to effect economiesby phasing out some obsolete and smaller schools.
Because we cannot identify at this time continuing needfor schools at the present sites of four buildings, we recommendthe closing and disposing of these facilities. The fourschools are: Hillcrest, Hanna, Harmar, and Hoagland.Major considerations in this recommendation to close theabove four schools are their locations in relationship to pupilpopulations and/or the physical condition of the facilities.Pupils from Hillcrest School will be assigned to South Calhoun,Southern Heights, and Maplewood schools.Pupils from Harmar School will be assigned to Washington,Memorial Park, Forest Park, Riverside, Slocum, andBrentwood schools.Pupils from Hanna School will be assigned to BuncheWeisser Park, and Harrison Hill schools.And boys and girls from Hoagland. will be assigned toSouth Wayne, Study, and Lindley schools.We recommend that the present elementary programs atMcCulloch and Ward schools be discontinued and the facilitiesutilized for the Fort Wayne Community Schools' newFourth Grade and Fifth Grade Enrichment Centers, respectively.Pupils from McCulloch and Ward will be assigned toMemorial Park and Weisser Park schools, respectively.In order to provide a more intensive experience in humanrelations and to improve the preparation of fourth andfifth grade pupils for junior high school and later years,special programs will be developed at Enrichment Centersfor each of these grades. The fourth grade program andits special staff will be housed in a center to be located at theMcCulloch building, and the fifth grade program and staffwill be located at the Ward building.During one week of each semester, classes of fourth andfifth grade pupils, generally from each junior high attendancearea, will be transported from their home schools tothese centers. There are twelve junior high schools, so eachcenter will have twelve groups of approximately 225 pupilseach attending for one week the first and second semesterseach year. Additional preparation before each visit and follow-upactivities after each visit will be a part of these specialprograms. Teachers will accompany their classes to the EnrichmentCenters and will participate in the programs there.Parents will be asked to take part at the centers as well as inthe pre- and post-activities. The new Department of CommunityServices will play an important role in involving parentsin this program.The success of the Elementary Enrichment Centers will beclosely evaluated to determine if the programs should be expandedinto more time for grades four and five and perhapsextended to other grade levels.In the K-5 organization, we recognize the benefits of greaterutilization of the current optional transfer policy which permitsboys and girls to transfer from schools which are 50 °/o ormore of their race to a school which is less than 25% of theirrace and where space is available. We recommend that the optionaltransfer policy be revised to include transportation provisionsfor those boys and girls in grades 1 through 5 whowish to transfer under this policy.The Administration proposes during the school year of1977-1978 to make a survey to determine the amount of interestand possible participation in racially balanced specialschools or special centers. Any conclusions and/or recommendationsin this area will be considered by December 31,1978.Also, if there is sufficient interest and participation in voluntaryracial balance transfers, it would be possible to considerestablishing an extended school day at the ElementaryEnrichment Centers (McCulloch and Ward). The centerscould be open for students before and after school and wouldserve as collection and drop off points for transportation.II. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THE JUNIORHIGH SCHOOL ORGANIZATION INCLUDEGRADES 6 THROUGH 8.There is educational justification for moving the sixthgrade into the junior high program. Sixth grade pupils willprofit from the additional educational opportunities whichwill be open to them in the junior high school facility. Programmodifications open for sixth graders in this new environmentwill be a great educational advantage.We do have some facility needs at the junior high schoollevel, but moving the sixth grade into the junior high schoolwill not require the major changes in most junior high physicalfacilities which will be necessary if the ninth grade b leftin the junior high schools.Moving sixth grade pupils into junior high schools willmove some 2,800 additional boys and girls into the radialplan of attendance which is used for the secondary schoolsof Fort Wayne. This will involve nearly 15% of our presentelementary enrollment in a racially balanced school environment.III. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THE SENIORHIGH SCHOOL ORGANIZATION INCLUDEGRADES 9 THROUGH 12.Recent evidence favors inclusion of the ninth grade programin the senior high school for many reasons beneficialto the students. These reasons include increased maturity ofninth graders, additional opportunities for e'ective and specializedcourses, involvement of the ninth grade with high schoolgraduation requirements, use of ninth grade courses in applicationsfor college admission, and the importance of theninth grade to continuity of the extra curricular programs, includingathletics, music, drama, speech and journalism insenior high schools. Educational opportunities for ninth gradepupils will be enhanced by assigning them to the senior highschool.All ninth grade pupils cannot be moved now without majorimpact on educational programs, because we do not haveneeded capacity at the senior high level or all of the needed39
Page 1 and 2: CR 1.2:Sch6/24Equal Opportunity int
Page 3 and 4: LETTER OF TRANSMITTALINDIANA ADVISO
Page 5 and 6: PREFACESchool desegregation has bee
Page 7 and 8: THE UNITED STATES COMMISSION ON CIV
Page 9 and 10: Chapter OneThe ineffectiveness of t
Page 11: facilities, lack of comparability i
Page 14 and 15: tion for the Peabody evaluation (se
Page 16 and 17: minority enrollment of 35 percent a
Page 18 and 19: leadership. 4 Below are some of the
Page 20 and 21: the schools, and the school board m
Page 22 and 23: icular materials are being addresse
Page 24 and 25: Appendix ACommunications Between HE
Page 26 and 27: Page 3 - Mr. Lester L. Grilewas set
Page 28 and 29: Mr. Frank KruegerPage TwoMarch 22,
Page 30 and 31: Mr. Frank KruegerPage FourMarch 22,
Page 32 and 33: FORT WAYNE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS1230 SO
Page 34 and 35: June 22, 1976Mr. Krueger - 3even th
Page 36 and 37: Page 2 - Superintendent Grile(3) th
Page 38 and 39: SchoolAbbettAdamsAnthony WayneArlin
Page 40 and 41: TRANSFER - BLACK TEACHERS - FOR 197
Page 42 and 43: Appendix CCommunications Regarding
Page 44 and 45: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. EDUCATION. AN
Page 48 and 49: special instructional facilities. N
Page 50 and 51: Appendix FUrban League Alternative
Page 52 and 53: Appendix GStaff Analysis of Data Pe
Page 54 and 55: Table G-1COMPARISON OF MINORITY STU
Page 56: U. S. COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTSWAS

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