To the Members of the MCCSC School Board,

We, the undersigned parents, guardians, students, and community members of MCCSC urgently request your support and intervention concerning the recent MCCSC schedule alignment across high schools under the leadership of Dr. Jeff Hauswald.

Our concerns are as follows:

1. Lack of Transparency of Methods and Inadequate Data Presentation: 
We have significant concerns about the selective presentation of data, which seems to be incomplete and inadequate; we also question the authenticity of the data's representation. We are pro-fact, pro-data, and pro-accountability.

The spring 2023 survey of students about their "satisfaction" – conducted without clear objectives – has not only violated essential principles of educational research but has also made us question the integrity and transparency of the administration. No information has been shared with parents and guardians regarding questions asked, methods used to administer the survey, who issued it, or how the students understood the survey’s purpose and its implications. 

For these reasons, we request access to the scientific data and peer-reviewed research used as guiding evidence in the administration’s decision. If no such data or analysis can be produced, we assert that such research needs to be conducted, and scientifically significant data must be collected and shared publicly for evaluation and comment before proceeding with a plan for moving to a unified schedule.

2. Misleading and Substandard Communication: 
Despite repeated assurances that no decisions had been made, it is evident that decisions were made without consulting a significant number of stakeholder populations. The inconsistency between the administration's words and actions casts a long shadow over its credibility.

An email communication was sent on September 25, 2023, which stated: "NO formal schedule has been designed. However, we will utilize student feedback, family engagement, and meaningful discussion with our teacher's union to inform our work." 

An email communication was then sent on October 2, 2023, which stated: "Today we hope to reiterate past communication related to this effort and provide an update as to the expected timeline by which student, teacher, and community input will be received prior to the design of a new schedule. As previously stated, NO new common schedule has been created at this point. During upcoming focus groups, data will be shared that highlights the equity concerns that have resulted in a goal of creating a common schedule."

However, family and community members had no opportunity to participate in any such focus groups prior to an October 20, 2023 announcement (which, itself, provides few if any clarifying details) of a common 60-minute/8-class hybrid block semester schedule across our four high schools. October 20 is the same date as the deadline given to sign up for family and community focus groups, which are supposedly set to take place in November (but which have yet to actually be scheduled with families). No parent, guardian, or community input went into this decision. It is hard to believe that any family input received in future possible gatherings will play any role at all in design or implementation.

During at least one of the teacher focus groups that took place prior to the October 20 announcement, no new data was shared that highlighted equity concerns. When educator participants asked for the promised data, the researcher leading the focus group was not even aware that this data was expected, despite this promise having been published through MCCSC communications.

Similarly, no data was shared outside of the focus groups prior to October 20. The October 20 announcement contained isolated bits of data, as well as undefined descriptive words (such as “hybrid”), that lack both proper context and associated source materials. Parents, guardians, and community members – as well as students and teachers – continue to be out of the loop regarding the information that the administration repeatedly references as the basis for unilaterally crafting this far-reaching plan.

The above is evidence that key information is being withheld from the community at large, thus creating a strong impression that we are being misled and lied to.

3. Disrespect for Stakeholders: 
There has been a lack of transparency regarding the decision process, and concerns raised by teachers and students have been distorted and dismissed. Not only that, but the October 20, 2023 communication by administration co-opted teachers' statements of concern to justify the administration’s preconceived conclusions. Our teachers and students deserve to be heard, valued, and considered, not misrepresented by their own administration. This raises alarm about the lack of respect this administration shows for the people it has been entrusted to support. 

In any comprehensive Needs Analysis, the initial step is to identify stakeholders and ascertain their interests, objectives, and concerns. In the context of a decision of this magnitude, stakeholders should encompass educational professionals, students and their families, as well as community members.

However, as previously stated, we maintain that the current administration did not incorporate and adequately consider critical feedback from a significant population of these important stakeholders. Instead, they rejected the concerns of relevant stakeholders in favor of focusing on feedback that aligned with their agenda. This manipulative and dismissive approach to concerns raised by stakeholders is cause for great concern. We insist that our teachers, the student body, their families, and engaged community members be provided with the opportunity to be heard, valued, and duly considered.

4. Misuse of 'Equity': 
We stand for genuine equity, not merely an empty use of the word. The administration’s use of "equity" is misleading and is not being clearly defined. The administration has not substantiated – with solid data – that there are equity problems that cannot be solved within the current schedule structure; nor have they shown how a schedule change will address these equity problems, and why changing the schedule is the only option. Using this important concept of equity as a buzzword without genuine clarity damages real progress.

Additionally, equity does not mean uniformity, nor does it suggest every school should utilize the same schedule. To the contrary, equity warrants the offering of a range of options and diverse schedules rather than a single set option. This decision takes away the uniqueness of various schools, and of parent/guardian choice for a best fit for their child, as well as the child’s voice in their own education. There are families in the community who have chosen different high schools for different children in their households precisely because the unique formats have worked best for their unique children.

Also missing from the vague description of the new unified schedule is acknowledgement of what is currently working well in our high schools: substantive student face-time with teachers; meaningful time devoted to arts learning; constructive teacher prep time to account for best practices and educator mental health; daily intervention with Tutorial at Bloomington High School North (BHSN) and Panther Plus at Bloomington High School South (BHSS); Hoosier Hills Career Center; and programs such as clubs, school-specific programs, dual credit classes at IU/Ivy Tech, and community/IU internships/work study  – which may be sacrificed in the name of “equity.” 

Bloomington Graduation School (BGS) and the Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship (ASE) were designed specifically to cater to students who flourish in a nontraditional school environment. It is crucial that these schools retain the option to differ from BHSN and BHSS. The current proposal's emphasis on homogeneity will undermine BGS and ASE’s ability to respond to the distinctive needs of their students. It will thus counter the very goal of equity that the proposal touts.

5. Rushed Process: 
Families, students, teachers and the community first heard about this proposed change in September 2023. A vague description of the new schedule was then announced only days later, in October 2023. This change is now set to be implemented for the 2024-2025 school year. Implementation of master schedules is a massive undertaking for principals and counseling staff. Asking educators to redo their course planning should be done in such a way that provides enough time for effective change, while keeping their well-being in mind. Rushing this process without adequate data and stakeholder input to support the need for this particular change is unnecessary and runs the very real risk of infusing chaos into the system while not even addressing the equity concerns being used as the explanation for such change. 

Additionally, our students, teachers, and families have been through so much disruption and trauma due to years of pandemic learning shifts and interruptions. Rushing through yet another massive change – when so many individuals are only now beginning to (re)adjust to pre-pandemic learning formats and expectations – creates the perfect conditions for retraumatizing young minds and hastening disengagement.

6. Erosion of Trust: 
Dr. Hauswald’s leadership and the administration's recent decisions have deeply eroded the hard-earned trust we, as a community, place in our school system. The environment in our schools and community is strained. The positive culture and strong sense of identity within our highly successful high schools deserves appreciation and nurturing – not admin-dictated abrupt changes based on highly questionable premises. This toxic culture cannot continue if we hope to provide a nurturing environment for our students.

We need leadership that truly respects and honors its constituents of students, teachers, and families; embodies transparency; engages in open and inclusive discussion; embraces true equity in a way that minimizes trauma; improves situations for priority populations in need while maintaining what benefits many of our students; and eradicates any hint of a toxic culture. 

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We stand united in our desire to address inequities within our schools. We aren't necessarily opposed to change – we are against the hurried, non-transparent, and seemingly unilateral decisions that have characterized this current administration. We support collaborative decisions that are informed by input from all stakeholders as well as scientific data that will help us focus on appropriate ways to address inequities within our school system while maintaining the benefits of what is already working in our highly ranked schools – and minimizing any negative impact of change, insuring that benefits outweigh any drawbacks.

We are against the current proposed change as rushed and ill-advised; however, this conversation is about something much broader and more fundamental: The future of our community, our children's education, the trust we hold (or do not) for our leaders, and the reputation of our school district.

Given the myriad concerns we have outlined, we urge the MCCSC School Board to consider a strategic pause in the current schedule alignment process. Instead of rushing toward a conclusion that may not be in the best interest of all stakeholders, it is crucial to slow down and prioritize collaboration.

We propose that the board takes active and meaningful measures to ensure that problems are clearly articulated – supported by data and evidence – and communicated to the public transparently and in a timely fashion; that the voices of MCCSC constituents are heard; that concerns and ideas are taken seriously; and that any proposed solutions are holistically assessed in relation to the stated problems and their consequences.

And, finally, we emphasize that continuing on the path of ignoring, discounting, and disengaging with teachers, students, parents, guardians, and other community stakeholders will only hasten the erosion of trust that has resulted thus far. This road will only end in a complete loss of confidence in the leadership, and will needlessly damage the hard-earned credibility of MCCSC for using tax dollars wisely. Indeed, some in our community already believe that a vote of no confidence for the superintendent is necessary at this moment in time to allow parents, guardians, teachers, and students to express their faith (or lack thereof) in the current leadership.

We understand that your role on the board is to ensure the best educational environment for our students, and we trust that you will consider our concerns earnestly. This is your moment to take a stand for the community and for the genuine values we wish to instill in our children.

In hope for your support and understanding,
The Undersigned Parents, Guardians, Students & Community Members of MCCSC

(This letter was drafted and edited by more than one dozen authors, intentionally representing diverse constituencies from within our school community.)