Sheridan will become K-5 school

Parents of Sheridan Elementary School students faced grim reality Thursday night at a special meeting called to talk about how best to serve the middle school-age children."Eventually, this will be a K-5 school," Western Placer Unified School District Superintendent Roger Yohe told more than 30 people in attendance."So no matter what, it's going to happen and we don't have a choice?" a parent asked."Eventually it will," WPUSD Assistant Superintendent Scott Leaman responded.Currently, Sheridan has approximately 175 children in kindergarten through eighth grade.There are some choices parents were offered for the coming school year, however. They were asked to fill out a survey, listing their choice among four different options. The survey also asked for their opinion.The first option is to keep Sheridan the way it currently is, a K-8 school, for the 2005-06 school year.The second option is to move just the eighth-graders at Sheridan to Glen Edwards Middle School for the 2005-06 school year. "Because we're displacing your children, we want to compensate you," Leaman said of a free bus pass that would be offered. "We want to remove as many barriers as possible."The third option is to move the seventh- and eighth-graders from Sheridan to GEMS for the 2005-06 school year, and also provide those students with a free bus pass.The fourth option is to move sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders from Sheridan to GEMS for the 2005-06 school year, and provide a free bus pass.There is a little twist to the last two options, Leaman noted. Because so many students would be shifted from Sheridan to GEMS, it would free up a classroom on the Sheridan campus."We can bring back the independent study program," Leaman said of the program that was moved to Carlin C. Coppin Elementary School. In addition to the four options, parents were asked their preference as to when the changes might begin. They could ask for the changes to occur in the upcoming 2005-06 school year, or they could choose to see the change occur the following school year, when a second middle school, Twelve Bridges, will be open.One parent voiced a concern about mixing sixth-graders with seventh- and eighth-graders at Glen Edwards, which has an enrollment of about 900 students.Mary Boyle, GEMS principal, said her school tries to keep the grade levels separated. She pointed out that sixth-graders are separated from the seventh- and eighth-graders on campus, with classrooms located in different areas. Sixth-graders even eat lunch at a different time, and their school dances are held separate from the seventh- and eighth-grade dances."We have a very rich environment," Boyle said. "We have a full elective program."Trustee Earl Mentze told the gathering he was the one who first broached the subject at a board meeting."Why did I bring it up?" Mentze asked. "Because I'm very concerned for the future of the kids."He said he fears Sheridan middle school students do not have the same opportunities as those at GEMS and they have a harder time adjusting socially when they reach high school.One parent related she has two sons who are now both grown. The oldest attended middle school at Sheridan and he flourished at Lincoln High. He even was named on the principal's honor roll.The younger son attended middle school at Glen Edwards."It was the biggest mistake of my life," the mother said. She said her son had a hard time adjusting to the larger-campus atmosphere, and she missed the one-on-one connection with his teachers that she had with her older son when he was at Sheridan.Another Sheridan mother said she enrolled her middle school student at GEMS, and he is doing quite well at the larger campus.Leaman related the comments and survey results would be presented to the school board when it convenes June 7. Parents are invited to attend that meeting and voice their opinions, as well."The final say rests with the school board," Yohe said. "We're strongly going to support your input." Richard Myers can be reached at richardm@goldcountrymedia.com.