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Parents and teachers urge Coquille SD 8 board not to reconfigure 5th grade
Summary
At a Coquille SD 8 board meeting, parents, a student and the teachers' union voiced strong opposition to a proposed shift of 5th grade toward a junior-high, single-subject model, citing social-emotional impacts, special-education transition challenges and lack of stakeholder engagement.
Parents, students and teachers pressed the Coquille SD 8 Board of Directors on a proposed change to how the district would instruct 5th graders, arguing the district should not move the grade from a self-contained elementary model to a junior-high-style schedule with multiple classroom transitions.
At public comment, parent Heather Balmer said she had learned about a possible schedule change only after asking, and urged the board to "leave 5th grade as it is," saying the change would "take away our childhood" and that 10- and 11-year-olds need stability. Fifth grader Sawyer Balmer told the board, "Please don't change 5th grade," saying students had not been asked and that the change would remove an important final year of elementary childhood.
Carrie Tuflalleg, a parent whose remarks emphasized special-education concerns, said that students on IEPs and those on the autism spectrum rely on consistent routines and teacher relationships. She warned that multiple classroom transitions and different teacher expectations could present "a lot" of barriers for those students and complicate access to supports.
Casey McGillivray, a parent of three district students, raised budget questions tied to the proposal, asking how much curriculum rewrites and lockers would cost and suggesting those funds might better support more classroom aides at Lincoln. McGillivray also requested stakeholder meetings after work hours and recommended surveys to collect parent and student input.
Tyler Lineman, an eighth-grade teacher at Coquille Junior High and president of the Coquille Education Association, said teachers do not support the district moving 5th grade toward a single-subject model without broader engagement. Lineman cited state test gains for recent cohorts and warned that junior-high-style demands can stress young students transitioning through several teachers each day.
Board members and Superintendent Gallagher responded that no firm plan has been finalized. The superintendent said staff and administrators are developing options and that a more detailed presentation is planned for the May board meeting; he added that parent involvement is not off the table and could occur as plans are finalized.
Next step: the superintendent said the district will continue work with teachers and principals and present a recommended plan to the board in May; until then, no changes are final.
