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Rumor Watch

Last Updated March 18, 2009

Scottsbluff Public Schools is committed to open and honest communication with patrons, parents, students and staff.  Truthful, reliable information is the foundation of this commitment.

We take rumors seriously.  They can be damaging.  They can make people nervous.  They can create feelings of fear and dread.  At best they waste time and make us less productive.  At worst, they damage morale and chip away at the level of confidence that community members have in their public schools.

Have you heard something that sounds too good to be true?  Or does the word on the street make your blood boil?  Send us what you've heard at rumorwatch@sbps.net ... we'll track down the truth -- good or bad -- and post it on this page.  Please keep in mind that submissions will be screened and/or edited prior to posting.

RUMORS AND FACTS...

Rumor:  I heard that the students were going to get out of school one day later than scheduled because of all the snow days. Is that true? (4/8/2009)

FACT:  There are no schools, including the schools located in rural areas, that will have to schedule extra days due to snow days at this time.  Snow days are built into the schedule every year.

Rumor: There has been talk at BMS that the 8th grade students can either have P.E. or have band, but cannot take both.(3/16/2009)

FACT:  We are still working on our schedule for next year. Principal Mike Mason, Assistant Principal Andrew Dick and the Middle School Counselors are currently working on a schedule that would allow students in Band and Orchestra to have one 9 week class of PE for 50 minutes. Students not in Band or Orchestra will be scheduled into a 2 period PE block.

Rumor: We were promised and told a lot when we voted for the bond issue. We were told the kids would stay in the BMS building. The district said that they visited schools in the eastern part of the state that had kept students in the building during renovation. Why the change? (316/2009)
Fact: The option of moving the students to the ALS building did not become available until after the bond issue passed. As soon as we were aware of the possibility we explored the option. Many schools had in fact completed renovations with students in the building. It is very rare for a city to have a location large enough to serve as a temporary location for students.
Having an alternative site for the middle school during the renovation process provides a shortened construction time, savings in the cost of renovation, and will provide students a quieter environment in which to learn.

Rumor:  Is it true that the high school paid for the band to attend the state basketball tournament (even though they didn't perform), but they cannot afford to send the speech team to the state speech meet? (3/16/2009)

Fact:  The band attended the state basketball tournament, played throughout all three games and was asked to play the national anthem at the beginning of 2 of our 3 games.  The speech team will attend the speech  meet.  They leave on Wednesday.

Rumor:  I have heard that there isn't going to be enough room at ALS for all of the students and so they are sending the 8th graders up to the high school next year. Is this true? (3/4/2009)

Fact:  All Bluffs Middle Schools students will be located at the ALS Complex.  There are no plans to send 8th graders to the high school.  

Rumor: It looks like the Scottsbluff schools are really working hard to eliminate fine arts from the middle school program.” (1/15/2009)

Fact:  The only change in the fine arts program is the change of location to the ALS building while the Bluffs Middle School is renovated. A space for both practice and storage has already been identified in the temporary space at ALS.

Historically our fine arts program has had much success and offered students unique and varied opportunities to experience and learn from fine arts. Both our music and theater programs at both the senior high and middle school level have been very successful. Over the last few years the district has totally renovated the high school auditorium to a state of the art performance hall. In addition, Scottsbluff Public Schools is the only school district in the panhandle to offer a strings program.

The fine arts program has been fortunate to have both outstanding instructors, as well as hard-working talented students. As a result, the district is committed to the continuation of the fine arts program.

Rumor:  The district claims that using the ALS complex will save $250,000, and that the cost to prepare the building for class will be minimal. Where did that get that idea? After all, construction costs a lot. (1/15/2009)

Fact:  The architect estimated a savings of $250,000.  Once the city and state fire marshals approve the temporary wall placements, the district will have three options or combinations of three options. 

#1 hire outside contractors

#2 have district maintenance workers construct the temporary walls

#3 have the high school carpentry classes construct the wall

#4 some combination of the above

Rumor:  How many students will actually be bused to the ALS complex? (1/15/2009)

Fact:  The number of student needing to be transported to the Aurora Loan buildings will be determined during spring enrollment for the 2009-10 school year.

Rumor:  The district doesn't know if there will be enough bus space to take students to the ALS complex. (1/15/2009)

Fact:  Yes, the district does have enough bus space.

Rumor:  How many students will have to be bused to school for band and other activities? (1/15/2009)

Fact:  Currently students are not bused to school for early morning band or school activities. This will not change with the temporary move to the Aurora Loan buildings

Rumor:  How much will it cost for the “temporary walls” that will need to be constructed within the ALS complex to “create” classrooms? (1/15/2009)

Fact:  First the city and state fire marshals will need to approve the location of the temporary walls. Once that has been done there are four options for constructing the walls with four different costs. The first option is to contract someone to build the walls.  The second option is to have the district maintenance employees build the walls.   The third option is to have the high school carpentry classes construct the walls.  The fourth and final option is some combination of the above.

Rumor:  There are no cooking facilities at the ALS complex and “hot” lunch, that will cost more next year, will have to be prepared at BMS and transported to the “new” facilities. (1/15/2009)

Fact: We presently prepare hot lunches for all of the elementary students at the high school and they are then transported to the elementary schools.  The middle school cafeteria will stay in place and prepare lunch to be transported to the Aurora Loan buildings and to St. Agnes. Temporary food service facilities will be installed at the new location.

Rumor:  Is it true that the students at SHS will no longer be taking finals?  If so, who was responsible for making this decision and what were the reasons for making this change?  And if so,is written communication being sent to parents about this change? (1/9/2009)

Fact:  The Scottsbluff School District continually researches new methodology in testing that more accurately assesses individual student levels of understanding and knowledge in course content.
Principal Nighswonger spoke with the academic chancellors and vice presidents in four different universities including the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Nebraska-Kearney, Colorado State University and the University of Wyoming. All of the universities indicated that many of the professors had stopped giving cumulative or summative exams, because coursework portfolios in and of themselves were cumulative, and many of the upper level courses required prerequisites to enroll in the class. University policy at each of the schools gave each individual professor the authority to give a cumulative or summative final if they chose based upon the content of the class.
Principal Nighswonger then spoke with several teachers, students and counselors individually and in small groups and presented the information and options. In January it was decided to pilot a new approach to final exams that mirrored the university approach to final exams. The next day the change was announced at the assembly. Since that time many students and teachers have voiced strong support in the change in testing policy. One teacher indicated, “this was a good incentive for students to get an “A””.
“We are feeling good about this new approach to finals exams. We will be sending out letters and information to parents very soon. This new approach recognizes that students must attend class for optimal learning to take place. It rewards students for their hard work and recognizes that not all students do well in summative tests. We will continue to assess the impact of this approach and make no final decision if this is a permanent change in how final exams are conducted until the full year is complete.”

Rumor:  I heard that school was scheduled at the high school on Monday, January 5th and that they cancelled school because of big cracks in the floor and sent everyone home. (1/5/2009)

Fact:  January 5th was scheduled as a teacher work day at the high school.  School was not cancelled due to cracks in the flooring.  Scheduled maintenance and repairs were done throughout the building on that day.