Parma School District #137

Stacy Lewman Jenette Noe Yordanos Refu Nicole VanHorn

Where on earth is Parma?

District Boundaries

Perspective on Parma
High Ratings Student Involvement
Interaction

Quick and Effective Repair System Focus on Student Needs Have/Have-Not Technology + Scholarships

Demographics

2008-2009

Fall Enrollment: 1,073 students Lunches:

Participants- 792 Free & reduced meals- 674 Elementary lunch price- $1.50 Secondary lunch price- $1.85

Bus transportation: 476

Mission Statement
The board of trustees believes that this school district should provide the finest administrative, instructional and operating staffs, and the finest physical facilities it can obtain with the limitations of the communitys ability and willingness to furnish financial support. The board believes that is it is the responsibility of the schools to provide learning opportunities for all children of school age in the community. The board believes that, so far as is administratively and economically feasible, each student should be treated as an individual with his or her own particular capabilities, aptitudes, and personality. The student should be an active participant in the learning process, and not simply a passive observer of knowledge. He or she should learn where to look for and how otherwise to acquire information. It is the function of the educational process to provide each student with opportunities for obtaining the knowledge, experience, and skills which careful study indicates will best prepare him or her to assume a position in the competitive adult society and will permit him or her to make his or her greatest individual positive contribution to society and to himself. For some students, this will mean thorough preparation for further formal education. For others, it will mean basic general information plus the attainment of certain vocational skills and experience. The board believes each student, regardless of whether he or she chooses a vocation or further formal education, should have satisfactorily completed a basic course of study as outlined in the current board policy before being awarded a high school diploma.

Community
Supportive community Lions Club
Hearing/Vision Testing

Canyon-Owyhee School Service Agency (COSSA)

Affiliate schools: Wilder, Parma, Notus, Homedale, Marsing This collaboration enables the member school districts to pool resources and provide enhanced services that would not be feasible individually Special education Alternative education Professional-technical Gifted/talented

Library Committee
Grants Summer Reading Program

PIT
Teacher appreciation Parent-teacher conferences

Funding

Bruce Mitchell Foundation

Highly influential organization within community Funds available to district for renovations, technology, and other needs Scholarship available to Parma graduates
Eligibility:
16-30 years of age Renewable up to four years Cumulative high school GPA 3.0 Full time (12 cr.) student pursuing bachelors degree College or university GPA 3.0 or risk probation period

Amount may vary by year (stock market)

Typically $2,750-$3,500 per student per year

Schools

2008-2009

Maxine Johnson Elementary School

Staff:34.98 Pupil-Staff:16-1 Average salary: $41,920

Secondary
Parma Middle School
East/West Wings

Parma High School Staff: 30.48 Pupil-Staff: 16:1 Average salary: $43,314 Graduation completion: 93%

Administration
Average Superintendent salary: $103,000 Jim Norton named Superintendent of the year for the state of Idaho Key player in push to build new Canyon-Owyhee School Services Agency (COSSA) Board of Trustees: Kent Mann, Jeff Johnson, Melinda Smyser, Doug Merges, Carol Green, Jim Norton

Administration: Mr. Norton

Can you describe your district in terms of social class, ethnicity, and gender? How do you see the interactions between administrators, teachers and students within your district? How is power distributed between and among administrators, teachers and students in your district? Where would the schools in your district rank on a scale with bureaucratic hierarchy at one extreme and participatory democracy at the other? Do some schools have higher proportions of minority students than others?

Administration: Mr. Norton

What kinds of services are available for minority students? How would you classify the different regions of the district? where are the high income and low-income regions of the district? What is the condition of the schools serving various parts of the district? What is most misunderstood about your District?

Attitude toward Administration

I feel like I have a personal friendship with the superintendent because he is the person who encouraged me to go to college I feel real comfortable approaching any administrator about projects and concerns. Ms. McMillin I always have felt its been democratic the staff respects the students as individuals and will seek their opinion on thingsEveryone has been very supportive. It varies on everyones individual experiences. I feel very supported and appreciated. I hear back from the principal.-Ms. McMillin

I assume [conditions are] pretty uniform across the different schools happy and feel supported. Maintain high expectations with flexibility. Important work with students. Feel trust with superintendant and school board. Mrs. Hardin

District Report Card

2009-2010

Parma School District: School Improvement Year 4 Maxine Johnson Elementary: Met goal Parma Middle School: Did not meet goal Parma High School: Met goal; School Improvement Year 5 Recently adjusted Math and Science textbooks to increase ISAT scores

State Results 2008-2009

Student Challenges
High numbers of migrant families High LEP percentage Homeless
students live in pooled/communal households

Incarcerated parents
students live with other family members

Economically challenged
high percentage of free and reduced lunches

Ms. McMillin
16 years with the district, first year teaching at Parma High School Art 164 students, 11-32 students per class Drawing, watercolor and acrylic painting, crafts, stained glass, ceramics Limited transmission instruction, primarily handson, individual assistance Flexible deadlines and student-tailored projects

Mrs. Brown
Located in High School 7-8th Grade (Life and Earth Science) Technology Accommodations Large amount of work outside class
Textbook

Mr. Sharkey
From small Town State of Idaho 2006 Teacher of the Year Family in School System Upper Division Biology
Seat Time

Regular Biology
Hands-on

Mrs. Brown
Teacher Persona Enthusiastic Microphone Constant shuffle Displays Tables Multiple Activities/Assignments Prompt E-Mail

VS.

Mr. Sharkey
Simple Persona Blunt, to-the-point funny Quiet Seat Time Lack of Color Individual Seats 4 Assignments in 9 Weeks No Set Schedule

PEA
Current President: Patti Moylan History:
Teaching for 16 years IEA member for 2 years PEA 2010-2011 President-1st and last year

PEA:
Unhappy teachers leaving IEA unsupportive Unsupportive members $60/ month dues Referendums and Petitions

Students
What are the interactions like among your peers ? For the most part I have had positive interactions with my peers. There are always a few people that clash, but I have never been in a serious conflict with a peer. Are there any hierarchies among the students at this school? Of course there are always some cliques and our school is no exception. We have the classic setup of the more athletic, popular kids in a type of hierarchy over the less popular, less athletic group of students. There are no actual school sponsored hierarchies among the students, but there are some social hierarchies. How is power distributed among students if at all? Which groups hold power? I feel that the power the students have is distributed through our schools student government.

Students
Do you feel there are different privileges to different groups? What privileges do these groups have?
I think that there are privileges to any group. Each group of friends has interests and ambitions that tend to be similar. The privileges that might be obtained from these groups depend on the person. For example, someone who aspires to be a scientist likely will not be found with a group of kids who have little interest in learning. Or a kid who wants to play in the NBA probably will not want to spend his free time with a group of kids that spend their time reading Shakespeare. Outside of the social benefits of having friends and likeminded companions, I do not think there is a particular privilege for any certain group.

Students
Where do you think this privilege(s) comes from? The privilege of having friends probably comes from being friendly and from being willing to accept others as they are. The privilege of having like-minded companions probably comes from being willing to share your interests and talents with others, and pursuing your ambitions. Where would you rate your school on a scale with "bureaucratic hierarchy" at one extreme and "participatory democracy" at the other? How do you interact with your teachers? Our school seems to me to be a blend of a bureaucratic hierarchy and a participatory democracy. The teachers of course have the ultimate power and they have control over their interactions with students; but due to our student government we students have a voice and are able to communicate our views on current issues with the people making the decisions.

Students
Do you interact with other members of the school besides your teacher (s) such as administrators, counselors, parent association? Occasionally I interact with other members of the school besides my teacher, but under normal circumstances I do not have a need to. I speak to the counselor sometimes for advice or information about different colleges/scholarships, but normally my teachers can answer any questions I have about the class or a school policy, et cetera. Do you find it difficult to talk to staff and faculty outside your teacher? I dont find it difficult to talk to staff and faculty besides my teachers because they try to make themselves available to students and they can always make time to talk to you.

Students
How would you describe your high school culture?

Our high school culture is a blend of a lot of different people working cohesively together. I think that we tend to have a fairly friendly atmosphere, and most people at my school are accepting of others and tolerant of our differences.
What is most misunderstood about your high school culture?

To a person that did not know much about Parma, it might seem like we are another small school that tends to alienate people who are different from the mainstream culture. This is not truealthough there is always some of this happening anywhere, I have heard many people that visited Parma comment on how accepting of each other the students are. We tend to be supportive of the other kids in our school.

School Culture
100% Participation encouraged in extracurricular activities: clubs and sports
Improves school pride and unity Correlation with academic achievement

Perceived Peer Groups

Viewpoint 1
Extracurricular:
Art, Drama, Band, and Choir at-odds Athletes and Cheerleaders

Activities:
Gamers Skaters Gangsters

Academic Religious:
LDS

Viewpoint 2 Hick group Poor kids group Mormon group Popular guys Popular girls Hispanic group Party group

Racial/Ethnic:
Hispanic