Now, depending on that much how much capacity they have at these schools, if they're not filling all that room, AD might not even give us that that opportunity to take a couple of those buildings because we can't fill them up. In in addition, um if if those buildings and thank you, Ben, um we more than likely will have to go through the process also of leasing if this is something that they become part. Sorry, I didn't mean to to um to to be part of the um the district. Um and as you know, we're going through the process again. I laugh because it is it it's a process that we've been that we missed the ball on that one and we're going to expedite as much as we can uh to ensure that we get our leases back. No, just I mean just mainly that plus that you know as far as transportation, you know, they you know area too and you know keeping them in their their own in their same location but also and then al also you know budgetary budgetary issues.
I was going to say do you think that that 30% have not touched it has something to do with that? Um it it is I think a mix. Yeah. So in some cases the teacher we do have a lot of new teachers, right? We've that's something that we've addressed or we've talked about many times here and it is a very challenging structure to implement when you're new in education. It took me three years before I was able to run small groups in my classroom successfully that involved things other than students coloring and running around the room while I was working with uh my small group of intervention students. So that is absolutely part of it. Another part of it um is being comfortable with the materials and having training on the materials. So, um, one of the things that we'll reference a little bit later is that our the the amount of hours required for the training was extensive and we were not able to offer all of that training during contract hours.
I was just wonder like h there is so much that that is going to be um that would have to be done in order for you know and you know I'm you know I give you, you know, an A for your um your plan here and your thinking and you know this the information that you've shared with us. Um, I just think that again I think because we're the only ones here, we can't really say and we need others here and share their thoughts and their and I don't know, you know, they may have a plan too. I don't know, you know, we just need to it'll be great kind of work together. Yeah. Um I think the point is and which is where I agree I understand and I agree but I know Mr. DS yesterday told them a number of times you're welcome to join.
So, we did offer it outside of contract hours with compensation. And even with the compensation for teachers, it did limit the number of teachers that were able to participate in the training. And um one of that was something that came out in that survey when it said um when we referenced that um 41% of our teachers completed the survey. One of the very common things that they referenced was even though there was compensation offered, it was incredibly challenging to participate in that training of hours. Is there um a way I mean what are the total hours that it takes to do the training? Do we know roughly? It depends on the grade level. So, anywhere between three hours and I think like seven or eight hours. Okay. And and I I'm just throwing out there like ideas on being creative for you know small groups at a time with sub like whatever coverage whatever we got to do if folks because I would want folks obviously I'm not going to feel confident right out a curriculum I have no training on.
We are going to have some discussion and that their input is important. Um but again we can't force anybody to come to our meetings. And that's that's it's unfortunate but at the same time I would much rather that we are having discussion and prepared as a school district just in the same way we would if say if we were in the city and a school closed down the road. It's kind of like you have to be prepared if that influx is going to happen anyway. So my questions are going to kind of pertain to what is our current capacity and what what are we going to what's going to happen if we do get 100 more students. Have we already kind of have some plans to say I think that we we've been really really we've been really fortunate to have um student counts above a thousand.
So absolutely. And so um one of the the things that we added after that the full training really was offered through September 30th and then in February and March each of our coaches offered days on their campus when they were pulling those smaller groups and a lot of the feedback was that oh my gosh this really isn't that challenging. It is a scripted program. It really was more of the like uh it's just one more thing. I just need somebody to sit with me and go through it. Even the people that attended those trainings, much of the feedback indicated that even the people who attended the trainings still felt like they needed somebody, one of their coaches or a co-teer just to say like, "Let's sit down one-on-one and look at it." And once they did that, their confidence increased. And so that survey is going to be sent out again at the end of the year.
I don't know that we were above what 900 or 11, 1100 recently. It's been below. With preschool, uh we are about a thousand. Uh without preschool, we are 1,200. Yes. Correct. That is correct. So I think if we got 200 more students, we can handle that. Um so I I I think it's important for us to just be prepared if that influx does happen. I can't say as much as you guys can't say why or what and when the nation's going to get on the ball. Maybe they are. We don't know. Obviously, you just said that, but we don't know. But I think it's good for the school to at least be prepared and and all of our directors and everyone else to kind of have an idea of what does happen when we're at our our full capacity as a school district. Um and and then the other question was our current approved student toteer ratio was ris res risen was it increased increased by three.
we hope that the interventions that we've provided will increase that um usage rate. And so then the the other side uh so we have the first side that that piece of being comfortable with the materials and then the second one is being able to facilitate small groups in the classroom. And so actually uh Miss Stanford and Miss Soloro are our two language and coaches who are participating in this training. Um and so we've completed three of the four sessions. The fourth session is actually tomorrow for our district professional learning day. And so what we see from the feedback from the teachers who have participated um is that the majority of them see that their fe their participation will positively impact the student learning which means that they'll be able to implement it in their classroom and it will hopefully then increase those numbers of implementation.
Okay. So is there and I know that even that can get kind of intense for certain at certain points but we've also noted that there are some classrooms that don't even have that amount of students. So I'm I'm hopeful that we can kind of gather and say okay this is just the discussion that we need to have in order to feel again it was in order to kind of give the sense of this school is prepared they have the space they have the teachers we can I want to I want to make sure we can really focus on the transportation. I want to be able to say to a parent on the west side who I know the drive, you know, the drive, lives hour, hour hour and a half away can be can feel a little bit better about their student going so far away to school and that maybe we can work on the express buses that you have mentioned in the past, buses that go directly to Manager's Dam or whatever and straight back as opposed to stopping along the way so students aren't on the bus that long.
and then I'll give you a minute to read um some of the feedback. So, the prompt question on the survey was, "What new learning are you going to incorporate?" And these are some of the highlights. From this we really see that or how helpful it is to be given and trained in explicit strategies for teaching students to how to be independent while the teacher is working with that small group of students. And I just wanted to share why this is so important because we talked about this earlier how the kids need to be do most of the work most of the time. So when they're when the teacher is working with a small group, we really want them working independently on reading and writing and practicing before it's their opportunity to go to the small group with their teacher. And that's the only way they're going to get better at reading and writing as if they're practicing that independently.
That's the type of conversation and discussion I like to hear especially because I think that's important for parents or people who may be watching uh or who may watch later you know hey okay maybe that is something that we can consider when it comes to alternatives for the school. Um so those will be my questions and I guess if there's any response but but I really want I I know I know and I I understand and I and I agree I wish they were here. Um, but it also sounded like they were interested in getting the presentation to themselves and then that kind of puts us in the bind because we all work and we can't get up and go to their meeting. So I I think we have either we meet in the middle or or we give input to Mr. Diaz tonight and then he can go do what he needs to do with HRDC when when they're together and we just figure it out that way.
So So that was street data from the teachers who were participating in the professional development. And then we have street data from our third graders. And this was a survey uh with data collection dates between the end of January and the beginning of February. We had 345 of our third grade students respond and these are some of the highlights from that data. So the question that that bar graph shows are how often do you learn to read which is that purple color. How often do you practice understanding what you read, which would be comprehension in that darker blue? And then in the teal, it's how often do you practice writing? And then when we look at the two questions, um 48% enjoyed reading their reading and writing lessons. About the same percentage of students said they kind of do. Uh it actually was heartening to see that less than 10% don't enjoy their reading.
But I think for the most part um I'm really really um again bring impressed as to what's been done so far. But those are the things I feel like might be um things that will help a parent make a decision when it comes to if it comes to and they may just decide that anyway because the way that the way that the environment and the chaotic the chaoticness of it is just so unsettling. I wouldn't want I mean they don't want to have to deal with something that's not secure or unstable. Um but that that's just my comments to those to that president. Yes sir. Um one of the areas that I want to follow up is uh transportation. Um again we met as a cabinet and and and I asked my team um to give us their best thinking and and and with the thought in mind how can we best serve our community because this is the time that they're going to need us the most in the this happen.
Like there there definitely is joy. And one of the primary things that primary teachers really enjoy is teaching the love of reading. And I think that this shows that many of our students are learning that joy of reading as they're learning how to read. And then this is interesting with the question of do you want to change your reading and writing lessons? A quarter of our students indicated yes. However, when we were listening to their responses, um they actually didn't they we didn't have a lot of responses indicating what they would change. So, the next slide shows um some of those student voice recordings and the the highlights are really that they wouldn't change it. So, that it was was interesting when they were prompted like, "Okay, tell us what you would change." We didn't get a lot of examples from the third graders. These are so sweet.
Um when it came uh to the area of transportation, um our current director um based on the the the contract that we have um he had um give us the um confidence that in a very short amount of time he can provide the units needed and the bus drivers needed and that he his number one priority will be able to provide as many express buses for the areas that are the furthest to be able to shorten the um the the amount of time that students are riding on the bus. Um again, we need to control uh or focus on what we can control and not to overpromise and underdeliver. This is one of the areas that I feel very confident based on our partnership that um he um our director is now familiar with the area that distances and the type of equipment is needed to provide the services to our students.
I know. I love the kids. And one thing when we select these examples to highlight, we really are trying to not just cherrypick the best ones. These we're trying to look for ones. We're trying to pick the ones that represent the themes from across the comments. So for what that's worth, these aren't best of the best, right? And the the other piece of the student data is we have um our student congress feedback. So that's our middle school students who participate in student congress. And I know four of the five of you were able to join us when we did have that session with the middle schoolers. And so that this is um these are the highlights from that that day and two of our presenters here. So overall, the two of the major strengths that came out of the the student feedback was that students really appreciate talking about their learning and finding it helpful to they find it helpful to collaborate and discuss with their peers and that they really do engage with each component of literacy during their English language arts instructional blocks.
Um and he did say based on the contract that I have with you guys, we can increase it as many as we need to u in a short amount of time and it will be his prerogative to be able to provide that service. um and and and and and in and keeping us as a priority. So that we have uh one of the areas. The other one um as long as I have some time is I want to make sure that I have enough food on the first week of school. Um so that we based on the numbers that we might get. Um the area right now um that it will be the trickiest one is having teachers. That is the one that the earliest I know, the earlier I can begin either recruiting and continue to recruit nationally but also internationally. And even the timeline um if I were to know by next month, it takes um about six months to get uh an international teacher, sometimes four months when we pay the expedite.
So we our coaches taught them what are the components of language of English language arts and what really should be happening in your class and they really did indicate yes those things are happening. One of the the major trend trends that came out in terms of things um to work on is really that study sync is not being used as effectively as students would like. They feel overall that they are not being actively and collaboratively engaged in their learning. Um they really feel like study sync which is our adopted resource for middle school language arts. They feel like they're just being assigned the tasks rather than taught how to complete the tasks. And really as a as a coaching group when we were reviewing this data, we really felt like the student responses really do match our observations and also the the conversations the content of the conversations that our coaches are having with teachers.
Um that will puts us past our first day of school. So that's what I want to emphasize to all families, not only our continuing families, but all families that are interested in considering Bab School District. The earlier that we have the enrollment packet, you doing us a favor in how to return the favor by providing u the services that our students deserve um based on on on the numbers that we need. Sir, with that comment, and I know we have a list, I mean a a schedule of events happening for enrollment. Are you doing them in those districts on the other side? Um our office manager um we have a rec um enrollment committee. Um and Mr. Bates is part of the the committee. Um there's late nights they've been different parts of the nation. Um I don't know if Mr. Bates would you like to elaborate a little bit more on our system in place of enrollment.
So this really is while it's not it's it's not positive and it is something that we need to change, it is something that we have been working on and that we were aware of. So it w it is always nice when the students really are seeing the same things that the teachers and the coaches are seeing and we know that our observations when we go into classrooms are very small snapshots of what happens throughout the day and the students are the ones that are there for the full day and they have the full picture and their full picture is very congruent with the observations. May I ask a question? Sure. So, at what point, I guess, do we start making changes on maybe this isn't the right thing that we should be using? If we're seeing observations and we're hearing students, like how much do you allow time to go by to continue in that?