POWERSCHOOL STARTS AT ROSE
PowerSchool causes power struggle for allBY KATHRYN HAMILL ON SEPTEMBER 20, 2013
Eight classes make up a standard schedule, one of which must be an English class. Junior Marissa Cue was missing a vital piece of her schedule, English III. She went through the required process and paperwork to change this mistake, and yet she arrived at school with a dilemma.
Faced with this issue, Cue tried to get it fixed immediately, knowing that if she did not act quickly it would add on to the stress that usually accompanies the first week of school in advanced classes. “I tried to get my schedule fixed, and it wasn’t ready on the first day of school,” Cue said. She took the matter into her own hands and attended the first week of the AP English class she had originally signed up for. This did not fix her schedule, nor the week of absences in the assigned class. However, when it was handled by her counselor a few days later, it all worked out. It is not just the students faced with the issues, administration like Senior Counselor Bernetta Bradley has a whole different view on issues like Cue’s. The administration and student services, in charge of scheduling was working “sunup to sundown,” was more than aware of issues such as Cue’s. Instead of starting schedules in May and having all summer to adjust them, the new computer system did not let the Rose staff in until August. Losing that much time really changed the way schedules were released. “I got into the system August 9th and there were fourteen days to fix 311 schedules,” Bradley said. PowerSchool does not have any of the transcripts from previous years in the system, so the counselors this year started the schedules on paper, and then had to change the majority of them. The majority of the schedules turned out incorrect and consequently had to be changed. “I’m here to say I don’t know how these ladies have done what they have done,” Registrar Pam Taft said. During the last days leading up to the 2013-14 school year, they had called in all of the counselors weeks early and parents coming in to help as well. Although most of the problems were taken care of, there are remnants of the disorganized scheduling. Teachers who double as coaches, such as social studies teacher Brian Wallen, have their own scheduling issues. Most coaches have been given fourth period planning in the past to prevent absences on game days, when they must leave early with their respective team. “I don't know exactly what happened this year, but usually coaches have fourth period planning, which inconveniences nobody,” Wallen said “but now that we all have classes during fourth period, it's an inconvenience for four or five people”. Teacher Wallen mentioned colleagues coming into his class cover, it becomes an inconvenience for his co-workers. Wallen has proposed some changes to try to fix this issue, and wants to make the whole process of finding a sub, and making sure classes are covered and orderly easier. Overall, PowerSchool has made its first impression. From here, teachers and staff, as well as students will learn to adapt to the changes of a new system. Although Powerschool is a new system and everyone is still learning, it can only go up from here. |
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