District 33 is not 'irked' at District 94

The Daily Herald recently reported that West Chicago Elementary District 33 was "irked by District 94's late-start days". District 33 has not taken a position on this issue, and I believe it would be inappropriate for us to do so.

The elementary school district and the high school have the same overarching goal - to continuously improve the quality of education for our students. This requires that we collaborate and communicate on issues, policies and curricula.

A fundamental part of our mission as a feeder district is to prepare our students as best we can for a successful and rewarding high school experience. To this end the superintendents, principals, teachers and administrators of both districts meet regularly in a variety of forums to work together to enhance the quality of the educational experience we are giving our children. We need to continue and grow this spirit of teamwork.

The merits of specific policies can and should be debated. There are always tradeoffs regarding the best use of available resources.

It is clear, however, that improvement must be accompanied by change. We need to encourage our school boards, administrators and teachers to set high expectations and to seek creative solutions.

Dave Barclay

President

District 33

Board of Education