ADAMS TWP — The 15 parents who attended the first Superintendent Roundtable by new Mars School District Superintendent Jim Budzilek were not shy about sharing their views.

The roundtable Friday morning in the administration office board room is Budzilek's way of keeping the lines of communication open with the community. He will have more later, and a different administrator will be featured at each forum.

Budzilek described his experiences in education and introduced assistant superintendent Matt Friedman.

“I always love these forums where I can talk to parents in an informal setting and see what's on your mind,” said Friedman, who also is the director of curriculum.

Budzilek said in his first six months at Mars, he spent time meeting teachers, staff, government officials and law enforcement, and others. He said he looks forward to meeting and knowing parents.

“As I used to say at my former school district, we want to engage the parents, not enrage the parents,” Budzilek said.

Subjects raised by parents included the possibility of scheduling snow days into the school year instead of adding them at the end of the year. Budzilek said the previous year's weather counts largely in deciding on the next year's school calendar, and that the preliminary draft calendar he received for next year includes snow days during the year.

Another discussion concerned two-hour delays and the instruction time missed when they are implemented. Budzilek explained the state Department of Education requires a minimum number of instruction hours, and Mars is meeting that mandate.

The subject of the district's decision to have elementary buses arrive 15 minutes earlier also came up. One mother complained that no warm-up to the school day is included in the morning, and young students are still hanging up their coats and getting seated at their desks when the school day officially starts.

Friedman and Budzilek said the morning schedule was changed for various reasons, and that administrators and the school board still are considering the matter.

“With every change comes growing pains,” Budzilek said.

Friedman said the idea was well-intentioned, and looked good on paper.

“But it may not be working as well as we would like it to be,” he said.

There was a long discussion concerning teacher performance. Budzilek and Friedman explained that a “teacher effectiveness” program to begin in the next school year will compare teachers' performances to test scores.

Weekly walk-through observations during which a building principal or other administrator randomly visits classrooms will accompany the program, Budzilek said.

“I think criticism is valuable,” Budzilek said. “I asked the school board to evaluate me after six months.”

Friedman said the program is about growth, and it will force teachers to reflect upon their instruction styles and whether they are effective.

“I see it as hugely positive in that the reflective process is so important,” Friedman said.

Other subjects discussed included full-day kindergarten, grading methods, consistency between classrooms in each grade, and the effectiveness of rows of desks.

The forum lasted for about 90 minutes

Budzilek stressed that while concerns will be addressed, the roundtables are not complaint sessions. He said an exchange of information is the goal.

“This allows parents the opportunity to see things through our eyes,” Budzilek said.

He said having an administrator at each session will allow parents to put faces with the names seen on school forms.

Input from parents, Budzilek said, would help to shape the district in the next one, five and 10 years.

“Public education is changing, and the way we deliver education is changing just as quickly,” he said.

Budzilek said he appreciated the attendance, a mix of elementary and secondary parents, and the insight and input the parents brought to the roundtable.

“I love to engage the parents, and I think we accomplished that,” Budzilek said.