PLAY NOW, PAY LATER

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Dec 16, 2006 | by SHARI CHANEY GRIFFIN THE GAZETTE

East Middle School students who enjoyed lunch and raced gocarts Friday afternoon were oblivious to the debate over who should pay for their reward for getting A's and B's and behaving in class.

The 67 students just knew they had worked hard in classes to earn the trip to Mr. Biggs Family Fun Center, and were grateful that someone noticed.

It was the second time in a year that incentives for students at the middle school were fodder for Colorado Springs School District 11 board debate.

Both reward programs were the brainchild of board member Willie Breazell, who said he's seeking ways to improve academic perfor- mance at one of the district's lowest performing schools.

But in both cases, Breazell has been criticized by other board members for offering the rewards to students before asking the district to pay for them. He said he would pay for them himself if the district declined.

Others, who think the incentives are a great idea, chipped in quickly and covered the cost of Friday's trip and yearbooks last spring for students who met testing goals.

"It's one of our schools that are in trouble," Breazell said at Wednesday night's board meeting during a discussion of who would pay for the Mr. Biggs trip.

The percentage of students at East scoring proficient or advanced on Colorado Student Assessment Program tests range from 12 percent in seventhgrade math to 33 percent in sixthgrade reading. The school is on probation in its accreditation by the district.

Breazell planned to pay for the trip to Mr. Biggs himself and be reimbursed with district funds, he said Wednesday. Other board members said they weren't sure district funds should be used for a program at one school.

Board member Tami Hasling said schools could look for help from parent and community groups.

"I think it's great we want to incentivize schools, but what's next?" said board member Sandra Mann.

Mann said it wasn't the first time Breazell had "put the cart before the horse" with incentive programs.

Last spring, Breazell first offered cash to students who came to school every day during CSAP testing and answered every test question. When the offer became public, the district decided giving the students a free yearbook was more appropriate than cash. But more students than anticipated were eligible, and the bill was higher than expected.

Donations covered the cost.

Rewards and incentives are not a new idea. Schools often provide rewards such as T-shirts and ice cream for coming to school in October, when attendance helps decide state funding. At some schools, there might be pencils, pizza and the chance for a limo ride if students attend every day during Colorado Student Assessment Program testing.

The trip to Mr. Biggs was earned by having all A's and B's in the second quarter and earning perfect behavior marks, said East Principal Clay Gomez.

Gomez told the board Wednesday he could use school funds to pay for the incentive trip, but board members continued to debate whether district funds should be used.

On Thursday, Gomez said several people attending the board meeting chipped in $1,100 before he left the meeting. Donors wanted to remain anonymous, he said.

"It speaks volumes for the people in the community," Gomez said.

At Mr. Biggs on Friday, several students said they worked hard to earn the trip and they were enjoying their reward.

Anton Pancheshnyy was in line for his second go-cart race.

"I was racing this car. It was very fun," Pancheshnyy said, adding that there is nothing like the trip to Mr. Biggs where he came from in Russia.

"And we got a good lunch too," said Yosst Al Bshara, also in line for the gokarts.

Many of the students at Mr. Biggs were English Language Learners, Gomez said. About one-third of East's students are learning English, as well as middle school writing, math, science and social studies.

The languages students speak include Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Farsi and several African dialects.

Raifa Faikova, an eighth-grader, said she was excited to play games at Mr. Biggs and have a fun break from school.

Earning all A's and B's, along with perfect behavior marks, meant working hard, but "it was easy if you study every day," she said.

After finishing their pizza, Daniel and Matthew Wilson were eagerly waiting to try their hand at driving the gocarts.

"You don't get to do that every day," Matthew said.

Though the Wilson twins were happy to be at Mr. Biggs, Matthew said it was important to do well in school "so you can get an education."

"And succeed in life," Daniel said.

Gomez said some of the students probably made A's and B's the first quarter, when there wasn't an incentive. For them, the trip reinforces and rewards their good behavior and study habits.

But, he said, "I think it did work for some." "You wanted to get here, so you had to try harder," said student AJ Swich. "We have been working hard," said student Christian Zuno, as he finished his pizza.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0394 or shari.griffin@gazette.com