The Daily Inter Lake

Last fall, Kalispell Public Schools instituted freshman academies at Flathead and Glacier high schools to give ninth-graders an easier transition from middle school or rural elementary school.

Freshmen were divided into small learning communities for their "core" classes - English, math, science, health and 21st-century literacies. At Glacier High, freshman core classes took place first through fourth periods. At Flathead, freshman academy was the last four periods of the day.

Some parents thought the schedule would flip at the end of the year, so next fall Flathead's freshman academy would cover periods one through four.

Instead, the district moved the core block of classes up one period. Flathead freshman academy is now third through sixth period, with a lunch break in the middle.

Glacier's freshman academy will remain unchanged.

It's an unfair schedule for Flathead's freshmen, some parents say. They insist that the schedule is particularly difficult on students who participate in extracurricular activities. Students are forced to miss core classes whenever they leave early for an out-of-town competition.

"It's discrimination is what it is," said Cindy Johnson, who runs the Econo Lodge on U.S. 93 South.

Johnson, whose daughter will be a freshman at Flathead next fall, has used her hotel readerboard to protest what she considers a disadvantage for Flathead's ninth-graders. "Flathead High School freshman academy is unfair," according to the sign.

Johnson's daughter was supposed to manage the basketball team next fall, but because of the way the freshman academy schedule is set up, Johnson won't allow her to participate.

"I'm pulling her from that," Johnson said. "She runs track, and she's going to get pulled from that, too."

Johnson said she worries her daughter wouldn't be able to finish all her schoolwork if she was constantly missing classes for games.

Missing school for games is a problem for all high school students, not just freshmen, Superintendent Darlene Schottle said.

"That's probably a concern in every Montana classroom," she said. "It's something we need to look at not only in our community but statewide."

Administrators try to minimize the time students spend out of class - including electives, Flathead athletic director Frank Jobe said.

"As athletic director, I worry about kids missing any of the classes, not just core classes," he said. "Obviously we need them to do well in all their classes to participate."

Some parents have questioned why both schools can't offer freshman academy in the morning.

That might work if the schools were truly independent of one another, Assistant Superintendent Dan Zorn said, but Flathead and Glacier share some programs. Students from both high schools take classes at the H.E. Robinson Vo-Ag Center and at Flathead Valley Community College. A handful of students take classes not available at their school at the rival high school.

"We're moving kids all over town," Zorn said.

With students traveling across Kalispell to get to classes, and with some staff members splitting their time between Flathead, Glacier and Kalispell Middle School, the district simply can't schedule freshman academy in the morning and electives in the afternoon at both high schools, he said.

The district did consider several possible solutions, including making one school a "specialty" school based on what classes kids wanted to take. Ultimately, administrators decided that was not a good solution, Zorn said.

"We don't want to say, if you want to take ag, you have to go to Flathead High School, or if you want to be part of the metals program (offered at FVCC), you have to be at Glacier High School," he said.

There already are programs and classes unique to each high school, he added.

Another option administrators rejected was not allowing freshmen to take ag classes. While that might allow the district to schedule freshman academy in the morning at both schools, it ultimately would hurt the freshmen who want to be part of FFA.

"We felt it was not a good option," Zorn said.

The district already made a change by shifting Flathead's freshman academy down one period, he added.

This year, Flathead freshmen took three elective classes in the morning, had a lunch break, and then had four straight periods of freshman academy. Teachers told administrators it was difficult to do four straight classes without a break, so administrators created the new schedule for next fall.

Even that one small change had huge ramifications on every student's schedule, simply because of the schools' interconnectedness, Zorn said.

That doesn't mean the school might not flip the schedules in the future or consider another option altogether, Schottle said.

"As we further investigate this, there probably isn't a reason they can't be flipped," she said. "It was not a deliberate decision for one school to have freshman academy in the morning and the other later in the day."

Many parents hope the district will find a way to schedule freshman academy in the morning at both schools or perhaps consider unblocking the core classes. The district should focus on what's best for students, Johnson said, and give them schedules that will help them be successful.

She worries that leaving Flathead's freshman academy schedule as is will hurt students' grades and confidence.

"It's supposed to be fun," she said of high school. "It's suppose to be exciting and prepare you for your next adventure, not break your self-esteem down. That's just not right.

"These kids have got to be able to have fun and be able to enjoy school."

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com