Madison Pius

Hannah Jones
3 April 2019
ED 299-02
School Analysis Part 2

Hannah and I were able to look at schools in the Perry Township district area. I chose

Glenns Valley Elementary school and Hannah chose Abraham Lincoln Elementary school. When

looking through all that our schools have in common, the one thing that seemed to stick out the

most was how many of the students live in lower income families. This can affect how a student

learns and how they focus in the classroom.

Demographics is something that makes up a large part when looking at a school. When

looking at both of our schools in Perry Township, Hannah and I realized that more than 50% of

the schools’ populations have either free or reduced lunch. This is a large percentile of the

student population and is a clear example of the lower income families that come into Perry

Township district. If more than half the students can't afford to pay for food, how are they

expected to pay for all the other expenses when it comes to the classroom? More than that, how

will they be able to pay for important experiences outside of the classroom, such as playing

sports? 17% of the community around these two schools live under the poverty line and many

who work are paid at or under minimum wage. This can make learning very difficult as many of

these students are more focused on where there next meal is coming from instead of what the

teacher is instructing them about.

How do these schools accommodate for this? Well other than providing lunch, they also

provide a breakfast option that can be totally paid for, along with teachers that provide snacks on

certain days to ensure that these kids have something to take home to eat after classes get out.
Teachers will also ask for students to bring in certain supplies at the beginning of the year as a

way to get extra supplies for those who may not be able to afford everything that is on the school

list.

In Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, Abraham Maslow explains how students need to

achieve basic needs before they can achieve anything else. This is a perfect example of why

these students need to know where their next meal is coming from, so that they can be focused

enough to pay attention in class. Both of our schools are working to help make sure that these

students have the access to necessary needs such as food and good company in order to expand

their learning and feeling of safety.

There is also a factor when looking at the different races in the schools. The largest group

of students are white but there is also a large majority of black students. This could also be a

factor when it comes to lower income families, as ​39 percent of African-American children and

adolescents in the United States are living under the poverty line. ​This could also contribute to

how these families continue to live in low income situations and why the surrounding schools

need to make accommodations in order to help those students.

One part of the school district that really bothered us was the board meetings. Madison

and I attended the Perry Township board meeting on February 11 at 6:30. It was scheduled for

two hours, but it only lasted half an hour. There were nine main motions, and each was

unanimously passed. This seemed strange to us, so we looked up the minutes from the previous

meetings. Going back as far as we could, to 2015, we noticed that every meeting we clicked on

was short in length and that there was never an opposition to a main motion. This was very
concerning to us, as it seemed that the school board was more concerned with ending their

meetings early, rather than caring for their students. We noticed that a lot of information was

missing from this meeting, information that could be very crucial to know.

One of the first motions that was addressed was a bleacher replacement for Perry

Meridian High School. It was mentioned that they’ve been asking for these bleachers for a long

time. This struck me, because the previous minutes didn’t show that bleachers had been brought

up, and they certainly had not had any opposition in the meetings. So I wondered why the

bleaches were just now brought up in a meeting. Perhaps there was a communication issue. But

this begs the question of what else the district might be in need of that the school board hasn’t

approved yet.

There was a motion to adjust the work time of custodians from 190 days to 260 days. It

was argued that this would be more efficient because the job had a turnover rate of sixty percent.

However, it wasn’t mentioned what was causing this turnout rate. Was it the low hours or pay?

Does it have to do with transportation or better opportunities available? The reason these

questions are important is because there was no proof as to why this change would be efficient.

Also, they didn’t talk about how efficient the change would be. Does the efficiency change

outweigh the added cost to the school district? They need to know these answers before they

implement any new motions, because any wasted money is money that is taken away from the

students.

Similarly, there was a motion to extend the workday for treasurers at the elementary

schools, sixth grade academies, and middle schools. It was argued that this would be more fair
and more efficient. Once again, how much more efficient? Is the efficiency worth the added cost

to the district?

The last motion that I’d like to talk about is the motion to approve a partnership with

University of Indianapolis students in occupational therapy. Their hope is that once these

students graduate, they will want to come work for the school district. That seems great in

theory, but there are so many questions that arise. For example, how effective will these students

be, given their lack of experience? Also, what kind of paperwork will need to be filled out to

make this partnership happen and does the school have time to fill it out? Moreover, will there be

any cost to the school district, and if so, is it worth it? Once again, I think we need more proof

that this change will be beneficial. This school doesn’t have enough money to simply try out

ideas and hope they work. Because they don’t have much money, they need to be efficient and

effective with any amount of money that they spend.

Despite the issues that were mentioned, many pressing issues that Madison and I noticed

about the school were not addressed. There was nothing mentioned about race or the

socioeconomic status of the families of the students. There was also nothing mentioned about the

school district trying to help the community. Is the district employing community members or

training their students to benefit the community? Is an after school program provided for the

students whose parents need to work longer than the allotted time for the school day? Afterall, if

the district isn’t helping the community, they are losing out on money for their students.

Moreover, these children are affected by the poverty levels just as much as their parents are. As

Madison mentioned, a child can’t focus on their learning when they are unsure when they will
eat next. It would be nice to know that the school district is trying in some way to help the

community, so that all of their students can benefit from the results.

Given all the data that we’ve assessed and the meeting that we observed, we have decided

that we would not want our own children living and going to school in this district. On the

websites, it seems like there are a lot of good ideas, but they just aren’t being acted upon. After

attending the board meeting, we’re concerned as to how much this district is really thinking

about their students. I don’t want my child to attend a school district that cares more about

ending a meeting early than my child and his/her peers and their futures. I think it’s worth the

extra hour and a half allotted to brainstorm solutions of how to help the community, so that the

kids can just be kids, instead of worrying about where their next meal will come from. Afterall,

the more these kids are able to learn, the more opportunities they will have to make a better life

for themselves and end the cycle of poverty.

 Works Cited

Mcleod, Saul. “Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.” ​Simply Psychology​, Simply Psychology, 21 May

2018, ​www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html​.

American Psychological Association​, American Psychological Association,

www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/publications/minorities.