The Chautauqua Lake, Ripley and Westfield central school districts have formed a three-way partnership to expand educational opportunities for students in all three districts.
As outlined in a Memorandum of Understanding among the three school boards, the districts have opened their doors to each other's students in ninth through 12th grades to take courses and participate in programs outside of their home schools. The partnership is an effort by all three districts to develop and enhance a regional approach to public education.
"As the financial picture for public education becomes more and more challenging, we feel it is critical to take creative action to protect and preserve the unique learning opportunities for students in our rural settings," said Ben Spitzer, Chautauqua Lake superintendent. "By forging this partnership, we can share resources that directly benefit students."
While students remain enrolled in their local school districts for core academic programming, extracurricular programs and athletic programs, they may consider electives and Advanced Placement courses not offered in their home schools. There is still time to enroll in the classes for the 2010-11 school year.
Pre-engineering classes at Chautauqua Lake are expected to be among the most popular draw for Ripley and Westfield students, according to Chautauqua Lake officials. Classes such as digital electronics, principles of engineering and civil engineering and architecture may be taken for college credit through Rochester Institute of Technology. The classes are components of the Project Lead The Way curriculum and Josh Liddell, Chautauqua Lake secondary school principal, said he expects environmental field science and advanced media design, a continuation of the TV Productions classes, to be popular for cross-registration, too.
Westfield and Chautauqua Lake are sharing some specialized classes through distance learning, each allowing the other's students, as well as those from Ripley, to attend class without leaving their home school. Chautauqua Lake's Holocaust studies, sports marketing and guitar classes will be broadcast to Westfield in 2010-11. In addition, Chautauqua Lake's JAVA computer programming class may be taken for Jamestown Community College credit, and Introduction to Engineering for RIT credit. Westfield will share classes in watercolor painting, criminal justice and American History: Vietnam to the Present. Ripley students may attend these classes at either of the two institutions.
Westfield expects some of its on-site classes, including advanced English classes such as composition II and writing about literature, calculus 1 and 2 and sports management will also attract students from the neighboring districts. Both Westfield and Chautauqua Lake also offer high-level classes in Spanish and/or French.
"I see this as more opportunities for our students," said Mark Sissel, Westfield superintendent. "As declining enrollment impacts our districts, I hope that our collaboration will help our districts keep key core and elective programs and the ability to share those programs."
Ripley is in the process of establishing a partnership with Mercyhurst North East to offer college-level courses, a move that could offer even more choices to students in all three districts.
"This will open up opportunities for all of our students, academically and socially,'' said Karen Krause, Ripley superintendent. ''Offering classes in this inter-school model is a step in the right direction."
The schools are embracing technology to address some of the challenges faced by these and other rural schools. In addition to using distance learning technology in the current school year, the districts are investigating other technology for the future.
"More and more coursework, particularly in higher education, is being offered online," Ms. Krause said.
All the superintendents said they see such collaborations as another way to offer students more options in the years ahead.
"As our regional needs change, with declining enrollment, our partnership could set the groundwork for a regional high school," Ms. Krause said. "Being able to offer a wide variety of classes is crucial for the education of our students. A regional high school would allow that to happen and better equip our students to compete and function in the technological world of today."
Although the districts have for several years been advocating for the concept of a regional high school, that would require state legislation that does not exist. Such legislation is certain to be a long, involved process. In the meantime, creative problem-solving among the districts has led to expanded choices being available immediately.
Each parent's and student's decision to register for classes offered by the other districts is voluntary and requires administrative approval of the participating districts. For more information on enrolling in any of the specialized courses offered by neighboring districts in 2010-11, students and parents are invited to contact guidance counselors at their home districts or speak with Liddell by calling 753-5882.