New High School Courses Hinge on Funds

The future of five new courses at the high school now hinges on whether or not the town can fund them.

In early November, the Board of Education discussed the proposals at length; and last week, the board gave the courses—Multivariable Calculus, AP Studio Art, Ceramics III, Comparative World Religions and Web Site Design—the green light. But their approval came with a warning: all may come to a grinding halt come budget season.

"We're making a decision about curriculum, and it may be difficult for us to uphold it when we get to budget season. That's the reality," said Board of Ed. Chairman Kimberly Westcott.

For the majority of the courses, the cost is minimal. The only projected costs associated with AP Studio Art and Ceramics III are for materials; Web Site design has a price tag of $1,000, and the Curriculum Committee expects Comparative World Religions to cost just over $2,000, unless it proves tremendously popular. It was the $15,000 calculus course that generated most conversation on Tuesday night, and may be a sticking point come January.

The proposal for Multivariable Calculus comes at the request of gifted students at the high school, who have completed both AB and BC Calculus. While most other schools in neighboring towns offer some variation of Multivariable Calculus, there is currently no "terminal" course for the Advanced Placement Calculus program at DHS.

"The time away from calculus for a year does put our students a bit behind when they go to college, particularly if they're interested in mathematics, engineering, or a similar field," said Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education Stephen Falcone.

As DHS Mathematics Teacher Michael Sullivan explained, those students who wish to take a terminal course, must do so online and on their own dime.

"We've brought them this far, and we think that this is a very important opportunity to provide students a terminal class," said Sullivan.

The board is in agreement that offering such a class is a huge benefit to students, if not a responsibility. The sticking point is that adding the course to the curriculum would mean funding the increase in FTE (metric that represents an employee's work load), and very few students actually qualify. Falcone expects seven to ten students to enroll for next year's course but anticipates future year's to see numbers in the twenties.

"I would support running that class even though it's a relatively small number," said Falcone.

Unlike the other electives, where a small number of students could be "absorbed" into another course like AP Art, Falcone said there is no advanced-math equivalent.

Board of Ed. Member Heather Shea suggested that the Curriculum Committee restructure the curriculum so that AB Calculus students also qualify. Falcone said that many other schools have taken that route, and it was worthy of consideration.

The board also took issue with Ceramics III, the only proposal that did not receive unanimous approval. Those who opposed (Westcott, Shea and Clara Sartori) felt that the art program at DHS was already rich and that offering a high level elective set an unrealistic precedent for future "non academic" courses. Moreover, students may "fall into another art class," at the expense of exploring other courses.

But those in favor felt that wherever possible, the high school had a responsibility to nurture students' passions, whatever they may be.

"I don't think it's detrimental for students to find that passion, and perhaps not explore other courses. They're still required to have a rounded curriculum," said Falcone.

Westcott motioned the board to vote on each course individually; all were unanimous, with the exception of Ceramics III (four in favor, three opposed). The Board will take another look at the courses during budgetary discussions in January.