Disruptive change could be on the horizon for four of Tacoma’s lowest performing middle schools.

Hunt, Stewart, Giaudrone and Jason Lee fall in the bottom 5 percent of test performance state wide, and in order to qualify for up to $2 million in grants that could help each school improve, the district must make some major changes.

The district got wind of this optional, federally-funded initiative Feb. 8. As of press time, the lowest performing schools in the state had not been officially announced, but officials were moving forward with the four schools falling in the lowest 5 percent bracket on the state’s tentative list in order to meet the March 5 grant application deadline.

“As the days rolled along, we simply felt we could not wait any longer,” Superintendent Art Jarvis said. “We had to start with what we know.”

Low performing schools, like the four middle schools in Tacoma, can receive anywhere from $500,000 to $2 million at each school for three years if they conform to one of four options dictated by the Federal School Improvement Grant (SIG).

The district made its preliminary suggestions Feb. 23 for which direction to take at each school. The final decision on changes to be made at each school, and whether or not to move forward with the grant application, will be made by the school board March 4 at 7:30 a.m., a day prior to the SIG deadline.

The district suggested that Hunt, the middle school with the lowest enrollment, be shut down at the end of this school year. Officials say they would re-open Hunt with new staff and new programming at the new facility, recently approved by voters through a facilities levy Feb. 9, when it is completed in January 2015. In the meantime, the 346 Hunt students will be split up between the higher performing Gray, Truman and Mason middle schools, based on the student’s proximity to each school.

While officials say Hunt students could be accommodated at existing schools now, the new Hunt facility will still be needed as projected growth would mean major crowding down the road. Jarvis suggested at a Feb. 25 board meeting, to re-open the open enrollment for fifth-grade students who would have been fed into Hunt.

Giaudrone and Stewart would be put under the “Turnaround” model, which calls for a replacement of the principal and overhaul of at least 50 percent of the schools’ staff.

Giaudrone would implement a rigorous International Baccalaureate program, which holds students to high international standards. Teachers at the Giaudrone IB would loop with their students, instructing the same group from sixth to eighth grade. The district’s first middle-level IB program was implemented at Hunt earlier this school year. Foss High School offers the high school level IB.

Stewart would follow a STEM school model, focusing on science, technology, engineering and math. This would include a computer for each student in core classes, and a 15-student math and literacy classes.

The changes at Jason Lee would be less drastic. They would follow the “Transformation” model, which calls for increased community engagement and learning time, and would be able to retain Principal John Kellett, because he has been at the school for only one year.

The test scores that determine the school’s low performance are based on the last three years of data.

“(The changes) would be disruptive…sudden…and dramatic,” Jarvis said. “Ultimately (we want) to change the world dramatically for children, and see if we can break out of that pattern.”

Jarvis noted the importance of these changes in order to get not only the four identified schools on track, but also have a greater impact throughout the district. He stressed that if First Creek Middle School didn’t open this year, combining low-performing Gault and McIlvaigh students, Tacoma would have six of the district’s 10 middle schools on the state’s low-performing list.

“I say that to emphasize the work that is in front of us. This is not about supporting these schools for three years… it is about building a strong educational system… that supports a strong community.”

The district and school board heard from the public Feb. 25, largely voicing opposition to these sudden and drastic changes.

Stewart seventh-grader Kiersten Luedtke pleaded to the board to keep the staff with the students at her school.

“The staff at Stewart cares about Stewart very much - please give the staff and students a chance to stay together - and give our school a chance to perform.”

Stewart parent Trisha King-Starge said these grants would be ignoring the greater issues in the community that causes the students to struggle in school.

“This grant is not going to fix the social problems (in the district). We’ve got all these plans of how we’re going to make these wonderful schools instead of” finding how to address the social issues which cause low-performance. She noted implementing more rigorous curriculums at Stewart and Giaudrone might actually create a larger rift in student performance. “A bunch of kids are going to be left in the wake.”