[0:04] Hey everybody, this is Cararissa Kester [0:06] from Stillwater Area Public Schools, [0:08] home of the ponies, and you are [0:09] listening to Pony Voices. On this show, [0:12] we celebrate the amazing people of [0:14] Stillwater Schools and give you an [0:16] insider view of what is happening across [0:18] our district. Not only is our mascot [0:20] unique, so are our stories. So, grab a [0:23] cup of coffee, get comfy, and settle in [0:25] for our latest episode. [0:32] A new school year is just around the [0:34] corner and back to school will look a [0:35] little different for students, staff, [0:37] and families in the Stillwater Area [0:38] Public School District. Our middle and [0:40] high school students get to sleep later. [0:42] Our elementary students will be waking [0:44] up a little bit earlier. Phones and [0:46] devices are being locked up and out of [0:47] sight, and everyone is starting the [0:49] school year a few days earlier. We know [0:51] these shifts come with questions and [0:53] sometimes some strong opinions. So, [0:55] we're sitting down with Superintendent [0:57] Mike Funk to talk about what's changing, [0:59] why it's happening, and what it all [1:01] means for the Pony community. Thanks for [1:03] joining us today, Dr. Funk. [1:05] Thanks. It's great to be here. [1:06] Let's start with one of the bigger [1:08] changes, which I know is one we've been [1:09] talking about in the district for more [1:11] than a decade, start times. This fall, [1:13] our elementary schools will be starting [1:15] an hour earlier so that our middle and [1:17] high schools can start later. What [1:19] prompted the decision to flip-flop [1:21] school start times? I think if you're to [1:23] to scan the Twin Cities metropolitan [1:26] area, Still Water area schools for the [1:29] past number of years has had uh for [1:31] their especially for their secondary [1:33] students has had some of the earliest [1:34] start times really in the metro and in [1:36] Minnesota. And if you look at what [1:38] research says about um what's the best [1:41] time for an adolescent to go to school, [1:43] it's pretty clear that it should be [1:45] after 8:30 um in the morning. And I [1:48] think this past year and the past number [1:49] of years, we've started about 7:40 in [1:51] the in the um high school. Research is [1:55] also pretty clear that um earlier start [1:58] times for our younger students is not as [2:00] impactful on their behaviors and how [2:03] they perform in school. So what we are [2:06] doing is we are realigning ourselves [2:08] with what the research says and one of [2:11] many of our peer districts are doing and [2:13] we're flip-flopping the start time. So I [2:15] believe the elementary will start now [2:17] around 7:45 and our secondary schools uh [2:21] middle and high school 8:35 8:45. So um [2:26] that is a a significant change for some [2:28] people in the community and but we're [2:31] doing it um and we're doing all these [2:33] things this upcoming school year because [2:35] we are student centered and we're trying [2:36] to do what's best for kids. [2:38] So you talk about being student centered [2:40] and this is best for kids. So talk a [2:41] little bit about the middle school and [2:42] high school kids. You said research, but [2:44] what what does that really look like for [2:45] kids when they come to school early? [2:48] Yeah. So, a lot of our students um they [2:51] not only go to school, but they're in a [2:53] lot of activities into the evenings. A [2:56] lot of them have jobs and they stay up [2:58] pretty late and we ask them to get up [3:02] very early in the morning and come to [3:04] school. And if you were to go and visit [3:06] the high school as as we have done over [3:08] the past couple years and talk to kids [3:10] and talk to staff, uh they will tell you [3:13] that first hour is a struggle for a [3:16] number of students because they're not [3:18] fully engaged and awake yet. And you [3:20] know the other piece is attendance can [3:23] be an issue when okay I I can't get to [3:26] school on time because I'm just I had [3:27] too much going on in my life. And so [3:30] what we are doing is we are shifting [3:32] this to the really the bio bio-ythms of [3:36] the of the adolescent. And so um again [3:39] it's starting at after 8:30 and [3:42] providing them a more opportunity to be [3:43] awake and be more alert for school. And [3:46] we are hopeful that uh we'll see a [3:48] couple things out of this. One less [3:50] student issues during the school day and [3:52] two we're looking for uh increased [3:54] academic outcomes for our students. [3:56] What about the flip side? The elementary [3:58] students. I hear a lot of feedback that [3:59] okay, I get it for a secondary, but now [4:01] my elementary kid is going to have to [4:03] get up an hour earlier. [4:04] Yeah. And again, I I I think the [4:06] research has been pretty clear on that [4:07] that has not been negative um impactful [4:10] on the students. The challenge we are [4:11] going to have, and I'm going to be fully [4:13] transparent about this, is currently the [4:16] way we're structured, um our our high [4:19] school and and middle school students [4:21] get out first before our elementary [4:23] students. and so they they can be home [4:25] for if they're if they have to watch or [4:27] oversee or babysit their their younger [4:29] siblings. Um by flip-fpping this, we are [4:32] not going to have that opportunity. The [4:34] older kids will still be in school while [4:35] the younger ones are being released. So, [4:37] we are adding um positions in our [4:40] adventure club daycare. We're working [4:42] with our high school to see if we can [4:45] have some school to work opportunities [4:46] for high school students that can help [4:48] support the daycare options as well. And [4:50] then we're also looking at maybe some [4:52] different club opportunities within our [4:54] schools to provide um options for [4:57] families at the end of the school day. [4:59] I know community ed is working really [5:00] hard to try to come up with extra [5:02] enrichment things. They're going to have [5:03] programming Monday through Thursday at [5:05] all of our schools where kids could stay [5:06] an extra hour. So I think there are [5:08] opportunities that um we are creating [5:10] for families knowing that the logistical [5:12] side of this is probably the biggest [5:13] challenge. [5:14] I think the other thing that's important [5:15] for the community to know is okay, we're [5:17] not just going to make this change and [5:18] not study it. All right. So, we are [5:20] going to survey. We are going to ask [5:23] feedback from our staff on how students [5:25] are doing. We'll look at academic [5:26] outcomes and and see how they're doing. [5:29] And then we'll survey families and see [5:30] how the how the change is met and is it [5:32] meeting their need as well. Um but our [5:34] focus is trying to do it for the kids [5:36] here. [5:37] Okay. Well, I'm going to switch gears [5:38] and talk about another um maybe [5:40] controversial topic, which is the [5:42] calendar change. Um there's been a lot [5:44] of chatter in the community because this [5:45] does look different. It's different than [5:46] what our neighbors do to start a little [5:48] bit earlier prior to Labor Day. And um [5:51] there are some who are eager, they have [5:53] their kids that are ready even today to [5:54] go back to school and others who feel [5:56] like summer's getting cut short for [5:57] them. So just talk to me a little bit [5:59] about the goals of moving the school [6:00] year earlier. [6:01] So first of all, yes, I will acknowledge [6:03] for this school year summer has been cut [6:05] a week short. All right. Compared to [6:08] where we have been historically, [6:10] but we're shifting a week. Okay. [6:12] interesting thing when I came to Still [6:13] Water. We start school in late in late [6:17] August before Labor Day. So, we start [6:20] school already earlier than most of the [6:23] state, but there was really no rhyme or [6:25] reason on why we did that. So, uh I [6:29] suggested to the board that we take a [6:31] look at two doing one of two things. We [6:34] either start school after Labor Day like [6:36] everybody else or we move it up a week [6:39] and we try to get in extra days of [6:41] instruction before the winter break. And [6:44] by doing that, we can do a couple [6:46] different things that are really [6:47] advantageous for our students. One, it's [6:50] going to be hot in August, but if you [6:52] were to talk to teachers, they would [6:54] rather have kids in school in August [6:57] when they're ready to be back at school [6:59] than they would in June when everybody's [7:01] ready to go home. So that that's an [7:04] advantage. Um two, we have high stakes [7:08] test in the spring for our advanced [7:10] placement students. We have high stakes [7:12] test in the spring for our elementary [7:14] students for MCAs where everyone's [7:17] looking at how well the district is [7:18] doing. We are providing more days of [7:20] instruction prior to those tests. So [7:23] that's a a a good um fit. Three, when [7:27] we're to looking at students mental [7:29] health, all right, our current system is [7:32] we just inherited because this is what [7:33] we do. So, we currently go to school [7:36] until the winter break and then kids [7:38] take a break and they have all their [7:41] courses they're still thinking about [7:42] because they're still having them and [7:44] then they come back for a few weeks in [7:46] January and then they take a a final [7:50] exam on on information they learned um [7:54] the previous fall and and early winter. [7:57] Um I don't think there's a college in [7:59] America that does that. So, why are we [8:02] doing that with our students? um where [8:04] we putting this added burden, added [8:06] stress. If I got homework over the [8:07] break, now they can have a break, they [8:10] can be downtime for them and they can [8:14] spend time with family and friends and [8:16] not have to worry about that burden. And [8:18] the last thing is, as I previously [8:20] mentioned, um it's hard to teach in the [8:23] late spring in Minnesota. Um, so we will [8:27] to we will be done before Memorial Day [8:30] and so PE some people don't like this [8:32] and it's a it's a shift. Um, but the [8:35] board is committed to doing it I think [8:36] for three years to see how the what the [8:38] community thinks about it. You know, the [8:40] staff is not sure what they think about [8:42] it. You know, I think our staff is we we [8:44] hear both just like you're hearing in [8:45] the community. So, we're going to give [8:48] it a shot. Um, and then I would [8:49] encourage the board whatever they [8:51] decide. All right. um if we're going to [8:53] be different than somebody, let's have [8:55] let's have be a purposeful reason for [8:57] being different. I think we've been [8:58] different just because and so this is [9:01] where uh um something we'll have to take [9:03] a look at as we move forward. [9:05] Okay. Well, I had that question. I'm [9:06] glad you address that that this is not [9:08] necessarily something forever. It's a [9:10] let's try it and see what happens and [9:12] get feedback from our community and from [9:13] our staff on this. [9:14] Um [9:15] and our students [9:16] and our students too. [9:17] Um as you're encountering people on the [9:19] street, I'm sure you're hearing about [9:20] this. like what are you telling people [9:21] who are maybe not happy about this or [9:23] skeptical about this change? [9:25] Well, you know, one of the big things [9:26] that I hear is, okay, what about the [9:28] state fair? And so what I tell people, [9:31] if you're going to go to the state fair, [9:33] you're going to go to the state fair. [9:34] Okay? And if you want to take your kid [9:35] out a day or two or to go to the state [9:37] fair, go ahead and do it. Uh but last I [9:40] checked, the state fair should not be [9:42] the deciding factor on what's best for [9:44] kids within our school system. And so, [9:47] but parents know what's best for their [9:49] family and parents are going to do what [9:50] they're going to do and I support that. [9:51] And if that's what they want to do, we [9:53] will we will as a school system support [9:55] the families in that. [9:56] The only other thing that I've heard [9:57] from our community that kind of comes up [9:59] over is just that alignment with summer [10:01] activities and programs and camps and [10:03] things that we are off schedule of other [10:06] districts and other um communities that [10:08] offer those programmings. [10:09] One of the biggest things I heard about [10:11] in the discussion leading up to this was [10:13] what about sports? What about fall [10:16] sports? And we really we're starting [10:18] school about the same time fall sports [10:19] are kicking off. So, one of the things [10:21] that we're having to balance is the [10:24] okay, what if we have double sessions [10:27] of, you know, practice? What what does [10:29] that look like? Okay. Well, our coaches [10:31] are far and away educators and they're [10:34] smart people and they'll figure it out. [10:36] Um so um again I think most families as [10:41] we get into the days in in mid August [10:44] are ready for their kids to be back in [10:45] school and um and I can tell you that at [10:49] the end of May most teachers and kids [10:52] are ready to be out of school and this [10:54] kind of aligns with that rhythm. So [10:56] we'll see how it goes. [10:57] Okay. So stay tuned. We'll we'll see how [10:58] this one plays out. Last but not le [11:01] least, let's talk about cell phones. The [11:03] school board recently approved a policy [11:05] that will make all Stillwater area [11:06] public schools phone and personal device [11:08] free from bell-to-bell. This includes [11:10] things like uh smartwatches and AirPods [11:13] and tablets. Um what concerns led the [11:16] district to revise this approach to cell [11:18] phones this year? [11:19] Again uh we are a student- centered [11:21] organization and as such we look at okay [11:25] what are distractions? what causes [11:27] stress in our students lives and a [11:30] leading cause of stress is access to the [11:33] internet, access to social media, um [11:36] constant communication that is not [11:38] school focused and this is our attempt [11:43] as a district working with our families [11:45] who are partners in this um to really [11:48] try and do what's best for the mental [11:50] health of our students. And so really [11:53] this is a I mean we are being very [11:56] strict about this that we do not want [11:58] cell phones used during the day. So I [12:00] would tell families if you're kids are [12:03] going to bring them to school we are [12:04] going to have an opportunity for the [12:05] kids to secure them in in uh a location [12:08] within our schools and they'll get them [12:09] at the end of the day. Um but if they [12:12] don't need them at school I would not [12:14] send them to school. Um, but again, it's [12:16] to really provide an environment where [12:19] kids are talking to one another rather [12:21] than looking at a device on their phone [12:23] and worrying about whatever their phone [12:26] is has in front of them. So there again [12:28] there's been a lot of research on this [12:30] that you know and I think there's [12:31] legislators throughout the country that [12:34] are putting various um phone bands in [12:37] place and our school board has taken a [12:40] very um [12:42] I would say bold approach to this and so [12:45] this is something that uh um it's we're [12:49] going to have to be it's going to be [12:51] challenging the first few weeks that we [12:53] do this but we're if we do it right um [12:55] it should be a non-issue for students. [12:57] moving forward. [12:59] You've talked to students and to staff [13:00] and families about this. What's what's [13:02] the response you're hearing? [13:03] I mean, the initial response is you [13:04] know, I don't want anyone to take my [13:06] away my phone and you know, we've talked [13:08] we've got a student advisory group at [13:09] the high school we've talked about and [13:11] then at the end of the discussion [13:12] they're like, "Yeah, you know what? [13:13] might be a pretty good idea because the [13:15] students talk about um they have some [13:17] some teachers in their class in their [13:19] schools um who are very strict on phones [13:22] and they can go to a teacher and [13:24] everyone's phone's got to be away and [13:26] it's a it's a much more um focused class [13:29] and much more engaged. Others not so [13:31] much. And so I think one of the concerns [13:34] our teachers have is are we going to be [13:36] consistent about this? And by saying [13:38] there's no phones, okay, that's about as [13:40] consistent as it gets. And so I think [13:42] the teachers will appreciate that. I [13:44] know the students will appreciate it, [13:46] but again it's it's a different, you [13:49] know, it's a different piece. The other [13:51] feedback I've heard quite a bit on is [13:52] from from parents. And that is, well, [13:55] what if I need to get a hold of my [13:57] student? Okay. Well, we have to make [13:59] sure as a school system that we've got [14:01] system set up so that somebody's [14:02] answering the phone or um so that we can [14:06] get messages to the students. And those [14:08] are some internal things that we have to [14:09] look at. But, um, you know, I'm I'm [14:12] getting up there in age, but I I had [14:15] when I was in school, um, there were no [14:18] cell phones and parents were able to get [14:20] a hold of our schools. So, um, I think [14:23] it's kind of back to the future in that [14:24] regard. [14:25] It's interesting. We did a lot of [14:27] feedback and got um, had conversations [14:29] and did survey work around to this [14:31] before the board made their decision. [14:32] And overwhelmingly, I think people [14:34] support the idea of keeping phones out [14:35] of the classroom. They realize that [14:36] that's not the best thing for kids to be [14:38] engaged in learning. But the idea of [14:40] safety and just being able to get a hold [14:41] of my kid during the day kind of came up [14:43] over and over with people. Um so it's [14:46] helpful to know that you can still get a [14:47] hold of your your child during the day. [14:48] But what about that safety concern? [14:50] People are still worried about um [14:52] something happening in their school and [14:54] not [14:54] Yeah. something happening in the school [14:55] is we want the kids focused on their on [14:57] the staff members at the school helping [14:59] them guide them through whatever the the [15:01] traumatic event may be. And what we find [15:04] is if something is happening, kids will [15:07] then text their parents. their parents [15:08] will then call the school or they'll [15:10] come to the school and now suddenly [15:12] rather than addressing the issue at [15:14] school. We are now having to deal with [15:18] okay and a number of parents who are [15:19] upset about what's going on. So we think [15:22] our kids will actually be safer um [15:24] because we it will provide us time and [15:26] focus to do the right thing and then [15:30] we'll be able to to inform families [15:32] what's going on after the fact. Um so [15:35] that we that's where we think we really [15:37] believe that uh um by not having the [15:40] phones we will actually create safer [15:42] environments for our students. [15:45] So we talked about three pretty [15:46] significant changes that are happening. [15:48] Um is there any reason why these are all [15:50] happening at the same time as we're [15:51] starting the new school year? [15:53] Well, you know, anytime you implement [15:56] change, you need to be methodical and [16:00] purposeful about how you do it. And so I [16:02] think the start times and the calendar [16:06] change we've been talking about for [16:08] almost two years. And so we've been able [16:11] to get systems in place, add spots for [16:14] for adventure club, um prepare our [16:17] community so if people are going to take [16:19] vacations, they know what the calendar [16:20] looks like. Um [16:23] and if they have to shift their [16:25] schedules um based upon the student [16:28] schedule, they've they've had the time [16:29] to do that. So, I I think that has been [16:33] a long time coming. I think the cell [16:36] phones um that just happens to be, you [16:40] know, something we looked at this past [16:42] year and again, okay, we want to do [16:44] what's best for kids in a methodical [16:47] manner and we're we believe we're ready. [16:49] We've had committees meeting on how [16:51] we're going to implement this and we're [16:53] ready to do it this fall. So, um, yep, [16:56] it's three things at once, but, uh, you [16:59] know, this is my fourth year here, so [17:00] it's not like we're creating all sorts [17:03] of new things all the time. So, we've [17:05] been pretty purposeful about, uh, [17:07] rolling things out. [17:09] So, if you had one message to leave with [17:10] families as they're thinking about the [17:12] the year ahead and the changes in store [17:14] for them, um, what's your message to [17:16] families and to students and staff, too? [17:19] We are student centered [17:22] and we appreciate the community's [17:23] flexibility in giving these new um [17:26] opportunities [17:28] a chance to best meet the needs of our [17:30] students um academically and really in [17:33] support of their mental health. [17:35] In closing, what's the one thing you're [17:37] most excited about as we start the new [17:39] school year? [17:39] I'm ready to get going. I really am. I I [17:42] just think, okay, people are all, you [17:44] know, again, for the start time, for the [17:46] the calendar change. Well, we've been [17:48] waiting. We've been waiting and yep, [17:50] let's go. Let's get it. Let's get [17:51] started. And I'm excited to see what [17:55] people think about it throughout the [17:56] year, and I'm excited to see feedback we [17:58] get at the end of the at the end of the [18:00] school year for all these things. [18:02] Great. Well, thank you so much for [18:03] talking through some of these um items [18:05] with us and we are looking forward to [18:07] starting a new year and welcoming staff [18:09] and students and families back to school [18:11] again. Um there is more information on [18:13] all of the things we've talked about [18:14] today on our website if people want to [18:16] learn more about the reasons or even see [18:17] some of the the research that you [18:19] mentioned. They can find that on our [18:20] website at stillwaterchools.org. [18:23] Thank you. [18:23] Great. Thanks. [18:25] If you enjoyed this episode of Pony [18:26] Voices, please share it with your [18:28] friends and neighbors. And be sure to [18:29] subscribe to our podcast to make sure [18:31] you never miss an episode. Until next [18:33] time, go ponies.