EAST ST. LOUIS • As she grabbed the hand of another little girl next to her, Lakayla Johnson and her friend took off running Thursday for the play structure outside their school.
The first-grader and her schoolmates were ready for recess, the only time on most days they get a chance for physical activity at Dunbar Elementary.
They have no gym class, and haven’t all year.
Neither do the other elementary schools in East St. Louis. Budget cuts axed the physical education teachers for those grades years ago.
Although some teachers try to find time to play kickball or another form of exercise at some point during the school day, it’s not the type of physical education experts say is necessary for students to learn how to stay healthy and active, or help them stay focused at school.
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But plans are underway to get a structured gym class back into the school day next year for Lakayla and the other students in East St. Louis, thanks to a $635,985 federal grant.
It’s welcome news after what has been another bare-bones budget year. Elementary schools also don’t have teachers for art or music, or counselors or librarians. Teachers’ only free period is at lunch.
Administrators have been trying to pull the district out from a dismal financial situation since taking control of the books two years ago. As the district’s enrollment — currently at 6,300 — continues to decline, the number of social workers, assistants, paraprofessionals and teachers also has been cut.
“When you are a cash-strapped district such as ours, you try to keep the classroom teachers and whittle away at everything else,” said Beth Sheppard, an assistant superintendent. “Our staffing is the bare minimum — any support that we have for our students is through grants.”
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded the East St. Louis School District and 66 other organizations nationwide grants totaling more than $33 million. The money is intended for initiating, expanding or enhancing physical education and nutrition education programs, including after-school programs, for students in kindergarten through 12th grades through the Carol M. White Physical Education Program.
In East St. Louis, officials plan to hire three physical education teachers for the district’s six elementary schools and one to be shared between two middle schools. They also will develop the physical education curriculum, buy materials and supplies and provide professional development for staff.
The goal is for students to develop an appreciation for lifelong, healthy nutrition and physical education habits.
Although there are other schools that do not meet professional recommendations for the number of hours of physical education each week, the students in East St. Louis have one of the most dire situations in the entire country, said Paula Kun, spokeswoman for the SHAPE America, the Society of Health and Physical Educators.
“That is horrible,” she said.
The association recommends 2.5 hours of P.E. a week for elementary students; and three hours, 45 minutes for middle and high school students.
State requirements vary. Missouri requires 50 minutes a week of physical education in elementary school and 45 minutes in middle school. High school students in Missouri must earn one P.E. credit to graduate.
Illinois is one of a few states that requires daily physical education for all grades. Schools can apply for a waiver from those requirements for special circumstances.
State officials convened a special task force two years ago aimed at enhancing physical education in Illinois. The group reviewed extensive research that showed that children who are more physically active perform better in class and on standardized tests and have better classroom behaviors and improved health outcomes.
But research also has shown that the time students spend being physically active during P.E. classes is generally very low. In a typical 30-minute, K-6 grade class, students engage in only about 11 minutes of physical activity, according to report.
One recommendation from the task force involves enhanced P.E. programs in which students spend at least 50 percent of the time in moderate to vigorous physical activity.
Just 18 percent of students in the East St. Louis District passed the math and reading portions last year of the state standardized test given to elementary and middle schools. In high school, only 10.6 percent passed their tests. The scores reflect poverty, poor attendance and several other negative factors that affect communities without many economic resources, Sheppard said.
But Sheppard says that despite $3 million more in budget cuts coming, the district is launching new initiatives such as a revised curriculum in math and reading to align with state tests. Plans are in place for similar changes for social studies and science.
“There are no quick fixes for problems that have taken decades and decades to build,” she said. “But we have set a foundation to change. We can change this.”
