Board member changes vote, denies approval to weeklong Discovery field trip

By Lynn Hotaling

The Discovery II field trip to American historical sites in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Baltimore and Greensboro, scheduled for April 21-30, was initially approved by a 3-2 margin, then denied after school board member Ali Laird-Large changed her vote to a "no" and joined members Ray Trine and James Roper to defeat the trip.

Trine questioned the cost of the trip, which he placed at about $3,800 for the 10-day trip.

A field trip application, recommended for approval by Superintendent Mack McCary, indicated the cost would be $275 per person and would be covered by at-risk funds received from the state.

"Any other group would have to raise the money," Trine said.

"I understand it's a hands-on program based on experiential learning, but I still think there are questions about where the money comes from - I do have problems with it," Laird-Large said, though she indicated she would back Chairman Martha Queen and board member Mary Jane Dillard in supporting the trip.

"Vote your conscience, Ali," said Trine, who also said he'd like to know how many days Discovery students actually spend in their classrooms at the former Scotts Creek School.

"If (this type of curriculum) is working, how are we sending a message to the schools who score 80s (on required state tests) that they haven't done good when a school that scores in the 20s gets all the rewards," Trine said.

If board members are going to veto the group's trips, they need to change the way the program is structured, Queen said.

"If we can't change a field trip, we can't change a program," Trine said.

Other counties' alternative programs, though housed separately, follow the same rules as the rest of the students, Roper said.

"Ray's right; James is right," Laird-Large said. "This is right before testing, and we said after we approved the last three trips that we wanted them to stay home and get ready for testing. I rescind my vote - I vote against it."

Queen then suggested the board form a committee to change the direction of the Discovery program, but Laird-Large disagreed.

"We've talked about this before. There are tons of places around here they can do experiential learning," Laird-Large said.

"They won't see (those national museums and sites) here," Dillard said.

"Neither will all the kids who go to school and do right," Trine said. "(Discovery) doesn't help as many kids as it should, and it sends the wrong message."

Average students, whose field trips are limited to ensure adequate time to prepare for mandated state testing, perceive that students in the alternative programs are being rewarded for misbehaving, Trine said.

Trine voted against eight planned field trips by Discovery and New Millennium, the county's middle school alternative program, at the Feb. 28 board meeting. Both programs are based on the idea of experiential education, which bases its curriculum on real-life experiences.

Field trips for Fairview seventh-graders, Talent Search students from three schools and Smoky Mountain High's electric vehicle team were unanimously approved Monday night without discussion.

In other business Monday night, school board members conditionally approved Smoky Mountain High School's Freshman Framework program, which was presented to board members in January.

SMHS Principal Kenny Nicholson asked board members for a decision now because registration for next year will begin in April.

After McCary told board members that he thought money would be available to fund the four additional teaching positions required, board members gave Nicholson the go-ahead.

The county is slated to receive several new teaching positions from the state, McCary said.

"Whatever else we have to sacrifice, we think this is something we need to fund," McCary said.

Local funding may be needed for two of the positions, said David Steinbicker, school system finance officer.

Freshman Framework will serve all freshmen at SMHS and is designed to reduce both freshman failure and school dropout rates, according to SMHS officials. Its key component would be a new required class, Success Prep, all freshmen will take their entire ninth-grade year. The new class will alternate with the health and physical education course already required for all freshmen.

An English teacher and a social studies teacher will combine to teach the class for half the year, while science and math teachers will join forces to teach the study skills class during the other semester.

Also Monday:

- Board members met in closed session for 90 minutes prior to beginning the open meeting. During at least part of that time they met with Asheville attorney Chris Campbell of Roberts and Stevens law firm, who will represent the board in a civil suit filed by the mother of one of the students involved in last spring's sex scandal at Blue Ridge School.

Campbell assisted McCary in an internal school system investigation into events at Blue Ridge.

- Board members set a budget workshop for Tuesday, April 16, at 8 a.m. with a period for public comment to follow at 11 a.m. The group plans a policy workshop on Thursday, April 18, beginning at 8 a.m.

The next regular school board meeting will also be April 18 at 3 p.m. at the Central Office.

Back to Archive: 03/28/02.