Published: May 08, 2008 10:38 am         

School disputes ranking by website

By MICHELLE MILLER
Staff Writer

Cooperstown Central School Superintendent Mary Jo McPhail says people have the right to freedom of speech and are entitled to their personal opinions, but doesn’t feel a recently launched website tells the whole story about the district.

In early April, Cooperstown residents Eric and Lynn Rheinhardt launched itbeskool. com, a site where parents, students, teachers and administrators can share the good, bad and ugly regarding Otsego County Schools. The site also shows data from Citydata. com, which ranks CCS 12th out of the 12 schools in the county. Oneonta Senior High School is ranked first.

McPhail says when looking at the website, it appears the rankings are based on students going for advanced Regents diplomas, and may include special education students who are taking advanced Regents classes. All students are required to graduate with a Regents diploma, and McPhail says the school district recognizes and accepts that. However, she says beyond that, the district feels it is the students’ choice whether or not to go on for an Advanced Regents Designation Diploma. Some students choose to take advanced Regents courses, but many chose to fill their schedules with elective courses during their later high school years, says McPhail. ``As a district, our emphasis is on preparing students for college and a life of work as opposed to pushing them and having them take advanced Regents courses,” says McPhail. ``This has been our position for the past several years.’’

McPhail says the information the district looks at to recognize student success is the data collected by the New York State Department of Education. There are so many websites that rate schools, but some are done more subjectively than others, according to McPhail.

The Rheinhardts not only launched the site, but operate and edit it. When looking for a home in the area 11 years ago, Eric said a realtor referred his family to City-data. com.

According to Eric, the site uses state and local statistics in an effort to provide an unbiased view of cities and towns, and when he reviewed the data in 1997, Cooperstown stood atop each of the other 11 districts in Otsego County. Cooperstown now sits at the bottom of the list, and rates below average on a statewide basis, according to data provided by City-data.com.

``This data reflects student performance on state exams — exams designed by professionals at the New York State Department of Education,’’ says Eric.

``More specifically, they are designed to teach the basic content and concepts the Department of Education believes to be critical for future student success. Anyone who has served in management or has observed institutional behavior realizes that when the most basic fundamentals are ignored, a climate evolves conducive to far greater things being ignored.’’

At the same time, Eric says CCS has positive traits. He says extracurricular activities remain a shining spot as well as parental in- volvement.

In order to share a point of view on a school located in Otsego County on the website, people can hit the comment button after each current post, fill out names and e-mail, type and submit. Comments remain anonymous unless the author specifies otherwise. Eric says he and his wife don’t always know who is submitting because names are omitted or appear fictitious.

``Our editorial procedure is rather simplistic,’’ says Eric. ``If postings are focused on academic and school issues that have more than individual impact, we post it. If there are unverifiable and/or slanderous or disparaging comments they will not be posted.’’

Eric says in one case, he and his wife posted a partial comment in order to include a valued input and eliminate a disparaging portion of the post.

Eric says neither he nor his wife believe they have all the answers. He says there are times they both question whether they have any answers, but feel it is obvious education throughout the county is faltering, and when the problems hit closer to home it becomes more troubling. ``The intent of the site is to stimulate dialogue,’’ says Eric. ``Ultimately, more perspectives can lead to better understanding and potentially solutions. I can’t stress enough that we want all sides of every argument.’’ ``The impetus for the site came from increased frustration and the growing awareness that many shared our views,’’ Eric added.

Eric says within the past year, he and his wife have been approached by more than a dozen local merchants, bankers, professional people and local officials regarding their personal difficulties with CCS. He says he found this startling because ``there was a consistent school administration effort to paint Cooperstown as an elite institution.’’

To date, there has been more input about CCS than any of the other school districts listed on the site.

One person posted a comment that said he or she believes CCS is a school on the brink of crisis.

The post reads, ``The oddity is that Cooperstown ranked high a decade ago. Obviously, certain factors have contributed to this downward spiral. Should we sit on our hands (and not appall anyone), CCS will sink further. If we investigate, we can determine the causes and change the direction of the school. As you well know, the school is in denial. The administration claims they are on the verge of greatness. Forty-five staff members publicly declared they are performing above average. Board members claim the school is good. The FACTS reflect that this is NOT TRUE!’’

Another person posted a comment that expressed the belief that education starts at home.

The post says, ``My wife and I expect to remain fully involved in our kids’ education through the end of high school, and most likely beyond. We are convinced that we have the prime responsibility to govern how well educated our children are, and in fact to determine what it means to be well educated. No parent should realistically expect to rely fully on the public schools for the education of their children. Supplementing that with a wide range of experiences, engaging in in-depth family discussions and further research on various topics, giving our kids opportunities for travel and exposure to life beyond Otsego County: all have proven helpful in keeping them engaged and eager to learn. It doesn’t have to cost a lot, but it does require full involvement on the part of the parents. But then, isn’t that our job as parents? ‘’ A Cooperstown mother posted a comment on the website that said she was not surprised by the low rankings of CCS.

Her post says, ``When relocating to the area six years ago, our real estate agents would say Cooperstown schools are the best. You don’t want Cherry Valley, Milford etc. When touring the Cooperstown schools I thought they were very outdated, but thought it must be what they have inside that really matters and counts.’’ The mother goes on to say she is upset about the rankings and enrollment at CCS.

She said her kids are on school sports and travel to other smaller schools, and most are newer and larger than CCS. The post also says the mother feels the school should have a parent’s open mic night and listen to the concerns and ideas for getting CCS ``back on track.’’

Eric says the eventual goal for the website is to have countywide participation. ``Realistically, even the better schools have room for improvement,’’ says Eric.

``Additionally, it is motivation to honor the teachers and administrators who are providing a recognizable and positive impact.’’

McPhail says the CCS district respects people’s personal opinions, and she is more than happy to talk to anyone about the school’s educational standing.