The fight to make a TV news program part of the daily routine at North Davis Junior High has stepped into the realm of educational philosophy.
Parents, students and teachers at the school are citing a popular concept of some educational-reform theories to support their argument for Channel One, a news program funded by commercials."This is a classic test of site-based decisionmaking," says teacher Sonja Kelsey, who has helped organize a bid to make the program permanent.
But district leaders and the school board president think the issue isn't that simple.
"Site-based decisionmaking isn't anarchy, it's collaboration," said Superintendent Rich Kendell.
He and several board members have, in the past, cited the concept as justification for some of their decisions. It is meant to give local schools more power to choose what is best for faculty and students.
Still, Kendell says, "the district wouldn't arbitrarily mandate some-thing without collaboration. Likewise, local schools just can't go out and do whatever they choose."
Channel One made its debut at North Davis in 1991 after the school board approved it as a pilot program. The broadcast, produced by Whittle Communications, is 12 minutes long - 10 minutes of news and two minutes of commercials.
Whittle provided the school with a satellite dish, television sets for each class and two VCRs in exchange for the school's promise that all students watch the broadcasts every day.
District officials have not let teachers show the program since school started July 26, saying it was only a pilot and they had not received any requests to continue the broadcasts.
But last week, parents and teachers asked the district to let the school resume showing the broadcast. They think it helps students talk about important concepts.
"This exchange of ideas about a world shared by both teacher and student creates a healthy learning climate, Channel One takes both to places beyond the reach of any textbook," parents wrote to the district.
Students and teachers are behind them. Ninty-two percent of students surveyed in a non-scientific poll want the program. And Kelsey says every teacher in the school agrees Channel One benefits students.
Board president Louenda Downs says she will recommend that the school board take up the issue at its meeting in December.
"The board has a responsibility to make sure this is the right thing, not just for North Davis but for every school class in the district. If its OK for them, it has to be OK for everybody."
For example, how can a news broadcast benefit the curriculum of a shop or music class, she asked.
She also believes the issue shouldn't become a debate about site-based management. "To me, this is more of a debate about the district's agreement with a private company. The question is, `how far are we willing to go, how much do we commit to get the benefits (of the video equipment)."
She doesn't like being bound by contract to make every student watch the broadcasts. "I wish Whittle would give us a little site-based decisionmaking power themselves."
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Earlier this month, state Superintendent Scott W. Bean told Utah schools they cannot count Channel One in the official 990 hours students must spend in active education.
Davis school leaders want the county's one school with Channel One to address the memo. They say North Davis Junior High should add about 17 minutes to its school day to make up for the broadcasts.
But teachers at the school say they and students spend enough time in the building to make up for any time lost watching Channel One.
"We added five minutes to our school day this year. If we've figured the time right, we're here beyound 990 hours," said teacher Sonja Kelsey.