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In response to concerns expressed by Incline school teachers regarding the perceived accelerated time frame for implementation of the International Baccalaureate program in Incline schools, district officials have hired Serena Robb as IB implementation project manager.
Robb, a veteran administrator in the Washoe County School District, was the principal of Wooster High School in Reno when the school launched its IB program.
“I know first-hand what it takes to move an IB program from concept to full implementation and I am more than pleased that the district has asked me to undertake this initiative,” Robb said in a prepared statement.
Robb said during an interview that the implementation at Wooster High School was a success.
“The program has been in existence for 14 years at Wooster and the teachers have worked diligently to be directly involved in the curriculum,” she said. “When we began the program we had four or five students enrolled, but that has grown to 25.”
Assistant Superintendent Pedro Martinez said the implementation of IB at Incline schools represents a positive step toward making the entire educational campus a first-rate operation.
“The school district is committed to this effort and to making Incline Village schools one the best K-12 campuses in the nation,” he said. “IB is one way to that, and I am confident we'll be successful because already have such great teachers at all three schools and a solid Advanced Placement program at the high school. All of this helps lay the groundwork.”
However, not everyone in the community is on board with Martinez's assessment of the positive effects of IB.
Recently, some teachers expressed concern over the rapid process of implementation.
According to an e-mail from Steve Brown, who teaches biology at Incline High School, to another community member and obtained by the North Lake Tahoe Bonanza, Washoe County School District officials — namely Chief School Performance Officer Rick Borba — put pressure on teachers to accept IB without providing enough information about how the impact will affect teachers' workload.
“Last year, at one faculty meeting, (teachers) were told that (officials) were going to investigate the feasibility of an IB program at IHS,” Brown said in the e-mail. “At the next meeting we were told that the community had made the decision to go ahead with the program. When (faculty) began questioning the process, (Rick) Borba told us we either had to ‘ride with the stampede' or we could easily be transferred to another school.”
During an interview that took place on Wednesday, Jan. 6, Borba said while he did characterize the movement to implement the IB as a stampede, he did not threaten teachers with transfers.
“I never mentioned a transfer or any threats over job security,” Borba said. “I was trying to give the teachers a feel for what was going on in the community.”
Brown further stated Borba falsely characterized community support of IB implementation as unanimous.
“It is ironic that we teachers were given the impression the community was 100 percent behind the idea,” Brown said in the e-mail. According to a early January phone interview, Brown confirmed the statements made in the e-mail.
Borba said parents were “vociferously in favor of bringing IB to Incline,” in regard to support given at last year's Incline Schools Reflective Task Force, when it voted to pursue IB.
Borba said he never intended to convey the impression there were no community members that expressed reservations over the program.
“Whenever you have an issue of major change in a school district you will always have disagreement, and the district doesn't mind healthy debate,” Borba said. “In any given community ,one-third of the people are for an issue, one-third are against it and one-third are ambivalent. I never wanted to make it seem as though everyone in Incline was on board with IB. However, there was and is a very enthusiastic group of parents and residents that think IB will be a component in making Incline a better more well-rounded school.”
District officials said as the process moves forward, teacher support and training will be critical to the successful enactment of IB.
“I admit that IB implementation is going quickly, which means it will be important to provide teachers with helpful answers to some of their questions so they have less concerns going forward,” he said.
Martinez said that hiring Robb will help ease concerns and “ensure the smooth implementation of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program in the Incline Village schools.”
Robb, a veteran administrator in the Washoe County School District, was the principal of Wooster High School in Reno when the school launched its IB program.
“I know first-hand what it takes to move an IB program from concept to full implementation and I am more than pleased that the district has asked me to undertake this initiative,” Robb said in a prepared statement.
Robb said during an interview that the implementation at Wooster High School was a success.
“The program has been in existence for 14 years at Wooster and the teachers have worked diligently to be directly involved in the curriculum,” she said. “When we began the program we had four or five students enrolled, but that has grown to 25.”
Assistant Superintendent Pedro Martinez said the implementation of IB at Incline schools represents a positive step toward making the entire educational campus a first-rate operation.
“The school district is committed to this effort and to making Incline Village schools one the best K-12 campuses in the nation,” he said. “IB is one way to that, and I am confident we'll be successful because already have such great teachers at all three schools and a solid Advanced Placement program at the high school. All of this helps lay the groundwork.”
However, not everyone in the community is on board with Martinez's assessment of the positive effects of IB.
Recently, some teachers expressed concern over the rapid process of implementation.
According to an e-mail from Steve Brown, who teaches biology at Incline High School, to another community member and obtained by the North Lake Tahoe Bonanza, Washoe County School District officials — namely Chief School Performance Officer Rick Borba — put pressure on teachers to accept IB without providing enough information about how the impact will affect teachers' workload.
“Last year, at one faculty meeting, (teachers) were told that (officials) were going to investigate the feasibility of an IB program at IHS,” Brown said in the e-mail. “At the next meeting we were told that the community had made the decision to go ahead with the program. When (faculty) began questioning the process, (Rick) Borba told us we either had to ‘ride with the stampede' or we could easily be transferred to another school.”
During an interview that took place on Wednesday, Jan. 6, Borba said while he did characterize the movement to implement the IB as a stampede, he did not threaten teachers with transfers.
“I never mentioned a transfer or any threats over job security,” Borba said. “I was trying to give the teachers a feel for what was going on in the community.”
Brown further stated Borba falsely characterized community support of IB implementation as unanimous.
“It is ironic that we teachers were given the impression the community was 100 percent behind the idea,” Brown said in the e-mail. According to a early January phone interview, Brown confirmed the statements made in the e-mail.
Borba said parents were “vociferously in favor of bringing IB to Incline,” in regard to support given at last year's Incline Schools Reflective Task Force, when it voted to pursue IB.
Borba said he never intended to convey the impression there were no community members that expressed reservations over the program.
“Whenever you have an issue of major change in a school district you will always have disagreement, and the district doesn't mind healthy debate,” Borba said. “In any given community ,one-third of the people are for an issue, one-third are against it and one-third are ambivalent. I never wanted to make it seem as though everyone in Incline was on board with IB. However, there was and is a very enthusiastic group of parents and residents that think IB will be a component in making Incline a better more well-rounded school.”
District officials said as the process moves forward, teacher support and training will be critical to the successful enactment of IB.
“I admit that IB implementation is going quickly, which means it will be important to provide teachers with helpful answers to some of their questions so they have less concerns going forward,” he said.
Martinez said that hiring Robb will help ease concerns and “ensure the smooth implementation of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program in the Incline Village schools.”
