Cyprus Network 9-12 Reconfiguration Proposal Frequently Asked Questions Overview Currently, the Cyprus Network and Magna Community are studying the possibility of reorganizing the secondary schools to accommodate the proposed reconfiguration which would make Cyprus High School 9-12 campus. Since Cyprus does not have the room to house the ninth grade students, such a move will necessitate changes to the current structure of the Cyprus school network. The Process 1. Who decides? Granite District School Board decides. Their decision is based upon the community s response to the proposal. Gayleen Gandy represents the Cyprus network and is always receptive to input from the community. 2. Who prepares the proposal for reconfiguration? The final proposal is the collective work of three community councils (Cyprus, Brockbank, and Matheson). However, any school/council may develop a proposal which would then be reviewed by the three secondary school councils for modification, acceptance, or denial. 3. Does the Cyprus Community Council have a proposal? Yes. Based on a college mini campus model, the proposal calls for converting Brockbank from a junior high to a satellite, or auxiliary of Cyprus High School. Matheson Junior would then house 7-8 graders from both the Matheson and Brockbank areas. (See Addendum B). 4. I have heard that it has already been decided. No, the issue has not been decided. The school community councils currently are studying the proposal which will be placed before the community. 5. What is the timeline? The next step will be survey administered to parents, employees, and students in our area to determine whether or not our community supports 9-12 reconfiguration. If, according to the survey results, the 9-12 reconfiguration is approved by the community, configuration could occur as early as the 2016-17 school year. The decision is in the hands of the community.
Facilities 6. How big would Cyprus be as a 9-12 school? Given current population trends and data, the projected number would be 2200-2400 students. Currently, the Cyprus population hovers between 1500-1600 students. 7. Could Cyprus handle that many students? With the current facilities, the answer is no. If Brockbank is converted from a junior high to a satellite of Cyprus High School, then yes. (See Appendix B) 8. Would class sizes increase? No. Class sizes are determined by the FTE formula as set by the Utah legislature, not local schools or districts. 9. What about Matheson? With current boundaries, Matheson is expected to increase to up to 1400 students as a 7-8 school. 10. Will Matheson have to use relocatables to handle this increase of students? That is one possibility. Another alternative is a boundary change with more students going to other junior high schools in the area. This would require a boundary study conducted by the district. 11. Why don t they just build a new high school? Money. When the $256 Granite District bond was supported by voters in 2009, interest rates were at an all-time low, and construction costs had declined. Therefore, the bond cost taxpayers nothing. However, the next round of Granite building projects will likely require voters to approve another bond. According to unofficial discussions with district representatives, the earliest a bond would reach the ballot in fall of 2016. If it is approved by voters and Cyprus is one of the first priority on the construction list, the earliest a new Cyprus could be completed is fall of 2020. While the next bond should still have a reasonable rate, this time there will perforce be a slight tax increase. This makes voter support of the next bond more unpredictable, especially considering that the majority of taxpayers living in district boundaries do not have school aged children attending Granite Schools. If the bond fails at the ballot, then the district would have to save to rebuild Cyprus which could take much longer than five or six years.
12. Will teachers lose their jobs? No. Teachers are employed by the Granite School District, and would be reassigned to Cyprus, Matheson, or other schools in the district, depending upon need. The status and placement of administration and counselors would be determined by the reconfiguration model. Academics and Athletics 13. What are the advantages of 9-12? Basically, a 9-12 configuration allows for greater accessibility to high school programs. Ninth grade students can take advantage of AP and concurrent enrollment classes, GTI and CTE programs housed at the district, as well as athletics, performing arts, and extracurricular activities normally housed in a high school. While ninth grade students are eligible, the logistics, especially for Matheson students, make it difficult for them to take advantage of high school programs (See addendum B). 14. What are the disadvantages of moving the ninth grade to the high school? School capacity is the major disadvantage. Students moving between campuses could increase temptation to miss class for those students inclined to make such choices. 15. What are the academic advantages for 7-8? A 7-8 school allows Matheson to function as a middle school focusing on the needs and programs geared to this age group. And the disadvantages? Matheson would be overcrowded, housing an additional 200 students beyond capacity, unless boundary changes occur. 16. Will Cyprus be able to offer the interventions and support uniquely suited to ninth grade students? Cyprus has many interventions, as do Brockbank and Matheson. Cyprus interventions will focus on graduation as well as college and career readiness. Current interventions at Cyprus include graduation mentors, double blocking core classes, credit recovery classes, Pirate Express (online classes at Cyprus), and a school social worker.
17. How would ninth grade students be transitioned into Cyprus? Cyprus plans to implement a ninth grade academy to facilitate their integration and success in a high school setting. While they would not be isolated from other high school students, they would have additional supports, programs, and opportunities specifically designed for ninth grade. 18. What is the dropout rate at Cyprus? For 2014, the graduation rate was 74%, which means 26% didn t make it to graduation. The data shows students coming from the junior high schools are often behind credits to graduate. 19. If Cyprus does not go 9-12, can my child access 9-12 academics? Yes. More than 100 Brockbank students take classes at Cyprus High School, especially languages, and that many also attend seminary classes. However, Brockbank is within one block of Cyprus, which allows for this access. For Matheson students, it is not as easy. 20. What will this do to junior high athletics? It will change junior high athletics to the middle school model of intramural athletics. All nearby junior highs will be 7-8 schools, thereby changing the structure and organization of junior high athletic programs in the district. 21. Will staying 10-12 hurt athletics? While we do not have data to specifically state one way or another, athletics is already geared for 9-12. Currently in Utah, ninth grade students are eligible for high school athletics, and certainly it is easier to have all eligible students at the same location with the same schedules Also, the ninth grade population is not included in the state rankings (1A to 5A), so the move will not affect rankings one way or another. Safety 22. Will ninth grade students be safe in the high school setting? Cyprus expects all students to be safe. Cyprus currently has over 100 ninth graders from Brockbank who attend Cyprus for classes So far, there have been no safety issues. 23. I don t want my ninth grade daughter to date older boys. Research indicates that the foremost factor in adolescent relationships comes from parental authority. Realistically, the majority of junior high students already associate with high school students to some degree in our community. All dances and activities are optional at Cyprus, and we respect the decisions families make that guide their children s social and dating interactions.
24. Is a multi-campus model designed for college appropriate for high school? Multi-building campuses will create some issues, such as increased passing time and traffic between the two campuses, as well as a possible nuisance to the neighborhoods affected by this many students going between the two schools. In the 1980 s during a rebuild, the two schools ran on double sessions. However, Cyprus would look at strategies to minimize travel and neighborhood intrusion with a variety of scheduling and monitoring strategies (e.g. blocking courses, combining programs in the same building, utilizing para and/or volunteers during class changes). Cyprus would also look at para and/or volunteers to help at break times as crossing guards if necessary. 25. Would Brockbank students have to walk to Matheson? That depends upon the actual distance from their homes to Matheson. All students must meet certain eligibility to be provided transportation. For junior high students, it is 1.5 miles between their homes and the school. When it is all said and done 26. Why are we consider the 9-12 configuration now? Nationally, the majority of schools are grades 9-12.. A majority of high school districts in Utah are 9-12, including Canyons, Salt Lake, and the majority of rural school districts. Granite District allows each community to decide. 27. Is it worth changing the junior high school configurations to make Cyprus a 9-12 high school? This is one of the issues to be considered. If we had a new high school constructed and built to house ninth graders, then reconfiguration would be much easier. We do not. It is up to you to decide whether or not reconfiguration at this time is in the best interest of students and the community. 28. Why not wait until a new high school is built? Rebuilding Cyprus first, may or may not happen in a time frame we desire. Meanwhile, ninth grade students in schools around us would have access to a full high school offering in academics, the arts, and athletics while ours wouldn t. Our community will have to decide if we should wait until Cyprus is rebuilt or reconfigure now.
Addendum A Online to Graduate Data 2014-2015 Sophomores: Of 675 sophomores, the following data is available. Six percent (42) are considered extremely high risk not to graduate Eight percent (57) are moderately high risk to graduate, lacking one or more credits and incomplete credits in core classes. Eighteen percent (123) have the appropriate number of credits but failed required core courses in ninth grade. As such, 33% of the Class of 2017 is at risk of not completing high school. The proposal for reconfiguration is being presented as a means to improve graduation rates and better prepare these students for college and careers.
Addendum B Cyprus Community Council Proposal The Cyprus Community Council proposes that Cyprus High become a 9-12 school beginning 2016-2017. Matheson would become the only 7-8 feeder into Cyprus High School as part of this reconfiguration. Facilities: Cyprus proposes that the District build a new facility as soon as it is able, at which time the community would look at whether or not Brockbank should return as a 7-8 feeder school to Cyprus. Until that time, Cyprus High School would run as a mini-campus site. Programs would be located as follows: Cyprus Main Building Main Cyprus Industrial Arts Building IA Cyprus Science Building Sci Cyprus Brockbank Campus Bro Cyprus Annex Building (formerly Catholic building) Ann Cyprus proposes that necessary re-modeling be done to make the mini campus model sufficient to fulfill its purpose until the time comes to have one campus. Programs by Facilities Cyprus has a clear vision for providing programs that support both college and career paths. Some of these programs will include: Advanced Placement Located at Main, Sci, and Brockbank buildings AVID Located at Main and possibly Brockbank buildings AMP Located at Main and IA buildings Concurrent Enrollment Located at Main, IA, Sci, and Brockbank buildings CTE Located at the IA and Brockbank buildings LIA Located at Main building Ninth Grade Academy Located at all sites, with possible teaming in core subjects Performing Arts Academy Located at Brockbank building POP (People of the Pacific) Athletic Field locations Cyprus campus: Football, Varsity Basketball, Wrestling, Tennis, Volleyball Brockbank Campus: Track*, Soccer*, Softball, JV Basketball *Need to work on facilities to do this. Note: Granger and Kearns currently are 9-12. Hunter is projected to be so in 2015-2016 Administration The administration, counselors, and officer(s) will be shared between buildings to make sure all facilities have necessary supervision. Administrators will work in a cohort model. While
working with all students as needed, each administrator will focus on one grade and work with these students during their four years of high school.
Academics Advantages While there are some facilities challenges, the following academic advantages will be available to all 9-12 students. All students currently do not have this access. A continuous 9-12 high school service pattern that cannot be found in 7-9 and 10-12 models Access to bussing for GTI and CTE courses which are college and career applicable Access to several college preparation programs, including AP and Concurrent enrollment courses, ACT prep, etc. Access to advanced courses in foreign languages, math, etc. Access to arts programs not offered at junior high schools, such as ceramics. Access to specialized programs such as AVID, AMP, LIA, POP, Performing Arts Academy, etc. Access to specialized competitive courses such as Dance Company, Drill Team, Cheer Access to high school athletics during the day and after school The following intervention programs will be available to all 9-12 students Cyprus Graduation Mentoring Program College and career readiness (AVID, LIA, Comprehensive Guidance and Career Center, etc.) After school and Saturday tutoring On-site credit recovery Pirate Express (online school at Cyprus) While there are some facilities challenges for Matheson Junior High, the following academic advantages will be available to all 7-8 students Increase in elective options for all students Increase in scheduling flexibility for schools to meet specific needs and build interventions into the school day Increased ability to team students in core classes Intramural sports: All neighboring junior high schools will be 7-8, so the perceived ninth grade competition will not be available by 2016-17. Ability to direct academics and supports to adolescent issues commonly found with twelve and thirteen year old students.
Addendum C Ninth Grade Center A proposed modification to the original Cyprus proposal (Addendum B) is having the Brockbank campus as a ninth grade center. Seventh and eighth grade students would still go to Matheson (or Matheson and Hunter Junior if boundaries are realigned). Ninth graders would be part of the Cyprus split campus. The main difference would be that Brockbank would specifically house the ninth grade students who would have their lockers, many core classes, and lunch in this building. Counselors, administrators, and support staff for ninth grade be housed at Brockbank. Ninth grade students would have access to Cyprus classes for their elective and advanced classes, as well as athletics and extracurricular activities. The benefits of a ninth grade center include the following: With core classes at one site, teaming at this level becomes viable Reduce number of students off campus during pass times Allow students a transition between junior high and high school As with a middle school, having one grade at a central location, with support, greatly increases the ability to intercede, remediation, and provide a productive learning environment Improve recordkeeping and tracking of ninth grade students Allow a safe place for ninth grade students, free from the concern of peer pressure or retributions. Ninth grade students would have easy and complete access to all Cyprus programs while still maintaining a safety net for academics and social interaction.