NPS Curriculum subcommittee meeting: 4/7/11

SchoolsWatch's report of the April 7, 2011 Curriculum Subcommittee meeting

PRESENT: 
School Committee: Jim Young, Downey Meyer, Mike Flynn, Stephanie Pick (arrived 45 min. after start)
Staff: Interim Superintendent Bill Erickson (arrived 30 min. after start), Technology Director Bill Dornbush, Director of Academic Effectiveness Mark Prince (arrived 45 min. after start), Clerk Jennifer Towler

AGENDA
·      Status of Technology Program (Bill Dornbush)
·      FY12 District Calendar (Bill Erickson)
·      Report: System-wide Accountability (Mark Prince)

Status of Technology Program
The district has 900 computers, 30 server boxes, every school has a firewall and a router. The tech department is also responsible for the phone system and networked copiers which were updated this year and are state-of-the-art. There are 450 staff email accounts, 1500 network accounts, and 12-15 systems that are run for school business. All of this is overseen by BD and 2 tech people. Therefore, support is not as timely as it should be.

MF: At my school, a stipend is paid to 2 teachers who trouble-shoot in the building.
BD: We have someone full-time at the high school, a full-time ESP position at JFK, and a full-time person shared by the elementary schools. The amount of stuff we’ve acquired has outstripped our staff. Teachers push because they want more, but we haven’t been able to achieve stability with what we have. Two years ago the city put in a fiber optic network. The Comcast cable connections are more than adequate—bandwidth is not an issue. The challenges we face are how to incorporate new technologies, provide support, meet our legal responsibilities, and set aside money for a wireless infrastructure. We have some spot wireless—rolling laptop carts. We can’t expand using stand-alone devices—it has to be done on a premises basis. Social networking poses legal, technical support, and pedagogical issues. We have to filter the internet. We’ve used open source (free) software to do that, but it’s one-size-fits-all. We need granularity, different levels for teachers, students, etc. We’re getting that soon.
MF: What is the timeline for teachers getting direct access?
BD: We had to totally replace the filter at NHS. Now, we need 90 minutes to give a teacher access to a blocked web site.
DM: How is information being fed from classrooms to you, re: tech needs?
BD: There are 3 sources: the tech integration people, principals, and I read trade magazines. In addition to more computers, principals say they want Smartboards, projectors attached to ceilings, and rolling carts. We’ve now gone to electronic report cards. Last year, the big push was to get more tools for special education students, both hardware and tools (Ginger, Kurzweil). There are compelling reasons why the general education population should have access to these tools, but it’s very expensive. Ubiquitous computing is the future; we must teach kids not how to get the information but how to use the information.
DM: What I want to get at is the lateral thread of information—teachers talking to each other about technology. Does that happen?
BD: Computers are locked down, which means that teachers can’t add software because it creates too many problems. PTOs have been great at getting Smartboards into the elementary schools.
MP: I’m thinking about how to use teacher roundtables—savvy teachers could show others how to use technology.
BD: 12 people from NPS signed up to go to the TEP (Technology Education Partnership) conference today. From 2009 to today, I’ve cut 17% of my budget. Capital expenditures meant hardware purchases, and we have saved on maintenance. In terms of our upcoming needs, it’ll cost $20,000 to upgrade the student information system. Our fleet of servers is 6, 7, 8 years old. We’re doing a lot of virtualization—one box runs lots of programs.
MF: Have you considered Google Education at all?
BD: I can’t answer that—I have mixed feelings about it.
MF: I’m not talking about Google docs, but Google Ed.
BD: Cloud computing raises concerns about security breaches. However, whenever possible, I’m in favor of outsourcing. Isabelina told me that the School Committee wants more of a public face on technology. Jennifer has been updating our web site. Staff have been able to access software to build a class or grade web page.
MF: What is it that we can do in the classroom to promote 21^st century skills, and get the technical support for it?
JY: We can draw on the parents of kids who are expert in technology.
BD: We have 3 or 4 Smartboards at Leeds, and a parent volunteered to come in after school to work with teachers. That was a great model.

FY12 District Calendar

BE: The first day of school is September 1^st. We took one half-day off in the elementary schools—they felt they didn’t need it. All professional development takes place in the first half of the year (September 27, November 8, January 20). There are two late starts at the high school due to accreditation ( February 8, March 14).

System-wide Accountability

MP: I’ve been visiting all of the schools, explaining how accountability works and how it impacts them. [Accountability data is determined by MCAS performance. Google “2010 accountability data Northampton MA + the name of your child’s school to see the results.] Our targets are 95% proficient or advanced in ELA, 92% proficient or advanced in math. The state determines if a district made AYP (adequate yearly progress) based on this formula: A + (B or C) + D
            A: participation (95% or more students take the MCAS)
            B: performance (meet or exceed state target)
            C: improvement (meet or exceed own improvement target)
            D: attendance (meet attendance or graduation rate target)

Northampton is a level 3 district. Any district with a level 3 school automatically becomes level 3.  [Level 1 is the best, and 47% of schools in MA are in this category. 34% of schools are level 2, 15% are level 3, 4% are level 4, and 0% are level 5. Charter schools are not included in this data.]

MP: We have to make peace with the beast. We have to pass the test. We have to look at how we are spending our day. We have 900 hours. Are we using them wisely? The data shows us that we have areas of concern in math—we’re addressing that. This summer will be a workshop looking at computation. There are gaps from school to school. Are our assessments rigorous enough, and do they give us enough information? We are focusing on four conditions for school effectiveness this year: aligned curriculum, effective instruction, student assessment, and professional development and structures for collaboration.

Next meeting: Thursday, May 5 at 5:15 in the JFK conference room.

Julie Spencer-Robinson, SchoolsW

NPS Budget & Property Subcommittee meeting: 4/7/11

PRESENT:  Subcommittee members Ed Zuchowski, Stephanie Pick, Howard Moore.  Other school committee members:  Mike Flynn, Downey Meyer.  Interim Superintendent William Erickson, Business Manager Susan Wright, Curriculum Director Mark Prince, Special Ed Director Nathan Ziegler, Secretary Jennifer Towler.  Public:  Teachers' union rep. and JFK PE teacher Sharon Carlson, Gazette Education Reporter Barbara Solow, Leeds School Council Member Julie Asbornsen, Ryan Road School Principal Margie Riddle.

SUMMARY:SW updated the subcommittee on the FY12 proposed budget.  Since her last report on March 2, the school budget deficit has been reduced from $1.4 million to $333,000.  This is due to two changes since March:  1) the City has appropriated an additional $748,868 (3.3% increase from FY11) to the school budget, and 2) school administrators have made program changes for a net reduction of $331,940 in expenses.  Approximately 6 or 7 teaching positions would have to be cut in order to close the now $333,000 budget gap.  However, NPS will not be certain until May or June of its share of circuit breaker (state reimbursement for out-of-district special ed. tuition) and school choice revenue.  The amount of state aid could also change; the Mayor bases her budget on the Governor's budget for those figures.  Also still being negotiated with the union are the cost of health insurance and STEP increases.  This budget assumes no cost of living (COLA) increase for teachers.  The budget also assumes a $90,000 reserve for FY12 (out of a $28.5 million budget). The full board will discuss the reserve amount at its next meeting this Thursday, April 14, 7:15 pm at JFK.

SW presented a summary of changes since the level service budget she had presented on March 2.  The changes in expenses that led to a net expense reduction of $331,940 are as follows:

- Salary adjustments                                                                                                                   15,000
- Added student enrolled in virtual school                                                                                        5,000
- Added .20 full-time equiv. Adjustment Counselor at NHS                                                                8,468
- Adjust FY12 payroll to full accrual (one day added for full-time staff)                                              14,439
- Add one full-time teacher for new Autism program at JFK                                                             48,309
- Add two full-time aides for new Autism program at JFK                                                                33,138
- Reduce special ed out-of-district payments (due to new autism program)                                      (81,447)
- Reduce 1 teacher at Ryan Road school due to enrollment shift                                                    (48,309)
- Reduce 9 kindergarten aides (ESPs)                                                                                       (148,129)
- Reduce PE at JFK to FY11 levels (cut .50 PE teacher)                                                               (23,368)
- Reduce English at NHS (cut .33 fte teacher)                                                                              (20,473)
- Reduce utilities                                                                                                                      (102,152)
- Savings factored in from one additional retirement                                                                       (14,230)
- Reduce copier budget                                                                                                                (3,212)
- Reduce school choice coordinator from 1.00 fte to .75 fte                                                            (14,988)

Explanation of above changes:
The new autism program at JFK is designed to help reduce out-of-district placements, so for now the savings versus expense of new hires is roughly a wash.  There will now be one kindergarten aide, or ESP, per classroom as it was before.  Last year the exceptionally high kindergarten enrollment warranted adding a second aide to each class.  SW found out about another retirement at Bridge St. school.  The School Choice coordinator resigned, so that position was reduced.

WE explained how the administrators met to come up with these changes and how they were "responsible" and "the right thing to do."  The approach was to reorganize services without compromising integrity of programs.  There is still a gap, however, and contract negotiations will be the next step.

SP asked about reserves amount, and SW explained that there is currently $390,000 in reserves.  This FY12 uses $300,000 of those reserves, leaving a $90,000 reserve for FY12.  The other reserve account, called circuit breaker, is only for special ed.  There is $150,000 in that account now, and SW said it's the lowest it has been since the circuit breaker program was established in 2004.  She recommended against pulling from there, as special ed. costs tend to be unpredictable.

SW said the remaining deficit of $333,000 "absolutely will have to come from staff cuts" as the operations and management side of the budget has been "completely wrung out."  PTOs, SOS and NEF have all helped out in raising funds to pay for supplies cut from the budget in recent years.

SP said she couldn't vote on a budget with as few reserves as $90,000.  She is concerned about having to make mid-year cuts as a result: "You make bad cuts that way."

DM asked if there was a risk of the reserves going to zero.  SW:  "I think we'll have some more reserves to carry forward from FY11 - maybe $100,000 (for a total reserve of $190,000 in FY12).

WE:  "Still, a $190,000 reserve in a $28 million budget is very small."

SP asked Nathan Ziegler about the possible use of the Florence Community Center again for special ed or other NPS services.  He responded that they are not looking to use it for FY12 but hesitant to surplus it to city yet.  Perhaps it can be used later for transitional services for 18-22 year-olds who go through 12th grade but do not receive their diplomas.

HM asked about the possibility of the new autism program accepting students from other districts as a revenue source.  NZ explained that once the program is up and running, there is the possibility of opening it up to other students.  He is not opposed to "tuitioning-in" these students, but NPS has not had that practice in the past.

EZ said he prefers to take discussion about how much to keep in reserves to the full board rather than have this subcommittee make a recommendation.  HM asked SP how much in reserves would she feel comfortable with, and she said $300,000.  HM said if it means cutting 6 teaching positions in order to build the reserves, he would prefer to keep the teachers and risk losing them mid-year.  EZ gave example of Jobs Ed funds that the committee decided to spend last year to try to get long-term benefits now for a student rather than hold those funds as a reserve.  SP:  "We were divided about that.  I'm not a betting person. I think it's a full board discussion."

Sharon Carlson asked about the Mayor's budget being built on the assumption of no increases for all unions and how the sacrifice was being shared cityside vs. schools.  SW said the City's share of the STEPS raises is smaller than the schools' share. SW said if the schools didn't give teachers the STEP increase, then the schools budget would essentially be balanced for FY12.  EZ said the City has taken on the burden of the schools' loss of federal stimulus funds.

SP asked about how much has been spent on legal expenses so far in FY11. SW said we're $15 to 20,000 over budget at this time.  Legal costs driven up in part by having one-year contracts. "We're always at the (negotiating) table."  NPS has had one-year contracts for 2 or 3 years now.

Barbara Considine

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SchoolsWatch

NPS Superintendent Finalists: 3/14/11

The School Committee announced the names of the two finalists for superintendent (in no particular order): Daniel Hanneken, Principal of Whitcomb School (grades 4-7) in Marlborough, MA since 2008; and Irwin (Earl) Sussman, Superintendent of the Hadley-Luzerne Central School District in Lake Luzerne, NY since 2003. 

Hanneken was previously Principal of a 1-8 school in Lawrence, MA from 2004-2008, an assistant middle school principal in Chelsea, MA from 2002-2004, and the Title I coordinator at a middle school in Danvers, MA from 2001-2002. Prior to his employment in the field of education, Hanneken was Assistant Superintendent of Operations at the Third Air Force Command in Mildenhall, England, and an instructor at a military specialist school in Fort Walton Beach, FL. His B.A. is in business administration from Columbus State University, and he holds an M.S. in human relations and an M.Ed. in teacher education from the University of Oklahoma.

Before he became Superintendent, Sussman was a high school principal at Hadley-Luzerne High School from 1990-2002, and an assistant principal at the junior-senior high school in Otego, NY from 1980-1990. He began his educational career as a social studies teacher at a junior-senior high school in Amenia, NY. Sussman holds a B.A., an M.A., and a C.A.S. from SUNY-New Paltz.

At the next meeting (March 21 at 6:30 at JFK) school committee members will develop the questions they want to ask the two finalists. At that meeting, they will also develop the dates for those interviews. The two finalists will spend the day visiting the city's schools, and then be interviewed that evening. Stephanie Pick argued for some type of meet-and-greet with community members before the interview, while Lisa Minnick argued against it. SP: "We value the input of out constituents." LM: "We are elected to vote our conscience."

Julie Spencer-Robinson
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SchoolsWatch

NPS Budget & Property Subcommittee meeting: 3/3/11

PRESENT:  Subcommittee members:  Ed Zuchowski, Stephanie Pick and Howard Moore; Staff: Interim Superintendent William Erickson, Business Manager Susan Wright, Secretary Jennifer Towler.

SUMMARY:  The agenda consisted of:  1) FY12 Budget Update and Discussion, 2) Transportation, and 3) Audit of NHS parking fee.  In the budget discussion, Susan Wright explained that we would have a $1.4 million deficit if we were to fund the same services next year as we have this year.  There was some discussion about specific budget items and dates by which we can expect to know more about certain funds.  Also some discussion about the process administrators and school committee could use to arrive at their decisions.  The transportation discussion centered on a proposal (approved) to reduce the elementary school bus fee from $300 per year to $225 and eliminate 2 of the 11 buses in order to increase capacity and reduce traffic.  The audit was the best NPS has had, but the school committee should tighten up how NHS parking fees are collected and spent.

I  FY12 BUDGET UPDATE AND DISCUSSION
SW presented the first draft of the FY12 level service budget.  Level service means all staff and programs currently in NPS today.  It is a calculation of what it would cost next year to keep everything we have today.  To provide the same level of service will require $1.4 million more next year than it does this year, hence the deficit, requiring NPS to either cut programs and services, raise more revenue, or some of both in order to achieve a balanced budget for next year.

- budget deficit in part due to loss of federal stimulus funds that NPS has received for the past two years
- includes 185 school days for teachers and ESPs (no furloughs as in FY10)
- includes STEP raises for all eligible staff at a total of $324,515
- does not include raises for non-union employees (about 25 people who have not had raises in 3 years)
- includes an increase in out-of-district special ed. spending of $232,269 (this is to cover private school tuition for those special ed. students whose educational needs cannot be met by NPS)
- assumes circuit breaker revenue increasing to 60% from its current 40% reimbursement rate (this is money the state reimburses school districts for its expenses on out-of-district special ed placements after a certain amount has been spent- used to be 75% reimbursement, now is 40% and we're hoping for 60%)
- includes known lane changes for teachers (when a teacher advances from a B.A. to an M.A. or M.A. plus and salary is increased accordingly)
- includes known retirements:  savings of $140,184 at this time
- uses lowest estimate of school choice for FY11:  now estimated down by $66,929; better number will be available in April
- assumes level funding from the city appropriations, plus Chapter 70 increase equivalent to state funds of $36,541:  not certain, however
- assumes NPS will use $301,852 in reserves, leaving a $100,000 reserve
- assumes transportation savings by reducing buses to 9 from current 11 (see discussion below)
- includes 3 students enrolled in Greenfield "Virtual School"
- assumes a new superintendent salary of $130,000 (see discussion below)
- no copier budget yet; savings may be seen here
- does not use circuit breaker reserves, as they are at $170,000 and SW recommends keeping at least that in reserve for unforeseen special ed expenses
- includes an increase in 3 part-time elementary school secretary hours from 4 to 6 hours per day (Jackson Street is only one with the 6-hr. position as it was once the largest elementary school; now that it is not and Leeds is, recommends at least increasing Leeds position).
- supply budgets should be adjusted to a per pupil rather than per school basis; Leeds probably to be increased, others decreased based on this: Mark Prince to give input
- no utility budget adjustment yet - more info. needed first from Central Services
- assumes same level funding for substitutes
- assumes 4 full time PE teachers at JFK, as Ms. Carlson ends one-year agreement at half-time and resumes full-time PE position
- funds academic dean position at NHS: at this time, a teacher does this 1/3 time funded by JobsEd while teaching 2/3 time. If this position is cut, that teacher will resume full-time teaching and the 1/3 teaching position will be cut elsewhere
- budgets $25,000 for high school accreditation process (done every 10 years).  SW will get specific info. from NHS Principal Nancy Athas on this, but WE said some of it goes toward lodging and food required for the auditors who are teachers from other parts of the state who come and stay here for three days to conduct the audit
- includes increases in several SPED accounts:  evaluations, $10,000; therapy, $20,000 and mainstream services, $20,000.  SW didn't know what mainstream services were but will ask Sped director Nathan Ziegler; therapy is costly in part due to using independent contractors instead of employees for speech, occupational and physical therapy
- technology budget currently level funded, no word from tech. director Bill Dornbusch yet on any changes
- used $80,000 in remaining JobsEd grant to fund salaries in FY12

DISCUSSION

There was some discussion about the process this year.  In the past, principals would be asked to come up with priorities and recommend cuts accordingly.  Is there a different approach possible or desirable? With WE and Mark Prince, there are two new sets of eyes looking at the budget. WE said all administrators feel very much a part of the process and want to provide essential special ed services but are looking for where they can be more efficient. EZ said it seemed there may be a duplication of sped staff across the schools and welcomed an examination of how those services are delivered for better efficiency.  WE offered as an example that the one-on-one ESPs might be able to also help other children at different times of the day.  Some questions about JFK's greater number of sped staff (3 times more than at other schools) was explained as integral to the team system with one sped teacher per team. Also said the four elementary schools should see themselves as part of one system, not as individual systems.  EZ said he felt there was that sense of unity among them at the district wide school council meeting.  SW said more specific figures for school choice and out-of-district sped placements would be available in April.  The draft budget includes lane changes (required) and STEP increases (not required but NPS chooses to) and does not include cost of living increases (a collective bargaining point).  HM raised a question about opening up the preschool program so that it was at each school again.  Would this bring more revenue as tuition-paying families may use it under those circumstances?  Also good for kids to go to pre-school where they'll ultimately attend school.  SW questioned cost of staffing 4 preschools vs. 1 but said it was best to hear from Nathan Ziegler and Barbara Black on the pros and cons of doing this.  There was some concern about budgeting only $100,000 in reserves for next year, with SP preferring $250,000.  Her concern is having to make mid-year cuts in services if the reserve runs out.  SW said she thinks there will be another $100,000 left to add to that for a total of $200,000 in reserves.  EZ said he was all right with leaving it as is.

SUPERINTENDENT SALARY

WE gathered information statewide on superintendent salaries and benefits.  Of the 39 districts that reported from Western Mass., the mean salary was $128,000 (NPS' previous superintendent earned $116,000).  WE recommended posting the position at a range of $122-130,000 to give flexibility.  How much a given candidate is offered in that range will depend on his/her experience and other qualities.  WE also examined statewide salaries for school department central office positions.  Central administrators generally earn in the 80,000 and 90,000 ranges.  He may recommend salary changes of central office staff during his interim superintendency based on some of the research he has done.

II  TRANSPORTATION
SW reported that more than 100 families stopped using the elementary buses two years ago when the school committee voted to increase the fees to $300 per year.  In the past, the number of buses NPS contracted for its 3-tier system (one set of buses going to all schools) was determined by the elementary school population as the largest group of riders.  This has changed and JFK is now the largest group of riders, filling 9 buses. Goals:  reduce traffic at schools and increase capacity on existing buses.  To accomplish these goals, SW proposes reducing the elementary bus fee to $225 and eliminating two of the 11 buses NPS now uses by:  1) not sharing transportation with Smith Vocational school,  and 2) reducing Leeds routes from 5 to 4 and Ryan Road routes from 3 to 2, as there are many empty seats on some of those buses.   SW said that even though NPS would lose $75 per rider by reducing the fee, others will come back to help offset that and NPS will save $46,000 by eliminating two buses.  SW said the merged routes at Leeds and Ryan Rd. will be the shorter ones so that students don't have excessively long rides.

III NHS PARKING FEE (within overall NPS audit)
An audit conducted of NPS in '09 recommended tightening up the way in which the high school parking fee is handled.  Currently, the school charges students for parking passes and those funds are deposited in a student activity account for use by the senior class.  The auditor recommended the school committee officially approve charging the parking fee and that the monies be deposited in a revolving fund to pay for the maintenance of the high school parking lot.  The school committee could approve the collection of the fee but also still approve its use by the senior class.  There was a consensus to keep the fee but hear from the NHS principal and vice-principal as to its use.

Barbara Considine
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SchoolsWatch

NPS Curriculum subcommittee meeting: 3/3/11

Present:  School Committee members:  Downey Meyer, Jim Young, Michael Flynn.  

Staff:  NPS Superintendent Bill Erickson, Director of Academic Effectiveness Mark Prince, Executive Secretary Nicole Markel

A) NEW BUSINESS

2011-2012 school calendar: Bill Erickson handed out a draft "skeleton" calendar: Want to avoid the pickle we're in this year, when 5 snow days have pushed the end of the school year to 6/27, and more snow days could run up against the 6/30 union cut-off. Spoke with Smith Vocation principal today and agreed if 2 or more snow days by 4/8, will turn an April vacation day into a school day.  Understand that that would be hard for many people.  

To avoid this situation next school year, have discussed options with administrative team.  If start after Labor Day, end during the 4th week of June.  Agreed that it's best to start the school year earlier, on Thursday 9/1.  Discussed a March vacation instead of February and April ones...but net gain is only three days of school, because of holidays during both February and April vacations. Would also affect Special Ed, and would need to be a regional change, not just Northampton schools.

Also looked at spread of professional development time.  A 9/1 start date eliminates one professional development day.  It would be great to have one professional day at the end of the school year. It's sweet that kids leave at noon on the last day and teachers soon after that, but there would be some gain to give teachers a day to close out the year with the principals, wrap up discussions and themes from the year.

By the time the calendar is presented to the whole School Committee for approval, the 6 professional development days will be mapped out.

Some group discussion on whether half day professional days would be more effective; if full days are too long for complete attention and absorption.  Mark Prince spoke about how full days, and spread of professional days throughout the year, allows for development and implementation of themes.

NHS would like some half days (similar to the elementary ones that are used for parent teacher conferences) to be used for accreditation work.

Bill Erickson left.

Progress Report on the Coordinated Program Review (CPR) by the Dept of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE)  Mark Prince handed out a Progress Report Status Sheet and gave a quick update:  good news, we are officially off their watch list.  In compliance with Special Education,  Civil Rights and English Learner Education requirements.  Nathan (Ziegler - Supervisor of Special Education) and he will have to talk about next steps.

B)  OLD BUSINESS

1)  Healthy Foods Initiative - Karen (Jarvis-Vance, Director of Health Services) is co-chair of the Advisory Committee and will pull members together. Mark Prince handed out a flier about a "Sustainability in the Science Classroom" professional development workshop at Worcester State U this July.  Perfect timing with Common Core coming and alignment with healthy foods initiative.  It's 5 days, there's a nice stipend, professional development points and $1,000 of technology hardware for each participant's classroom.  Will recommend it to teachers - there's an application process to get in but it's not daunting.  Even elementary schools would be able to use this.  There is some tie-in with healthy foods. Sustainability is more than just recycling, we need to change what we do. The program addresses the sustainability of goods and services.  Building a unit on sustainability is not as challenging as teachers might think; they can build on what they are already doing.

2) Instructional programming - Race to the Top (RTTT) - presented by Mark Prince  

Two handouts:  NPS RTTT Narrative and RTTT checklist.

The question is how will DESE measure our progress.  There is a roll out of the Common Core this spring.  The one at Westfield State on 3/29 is already full, as are all the others Mark Prince has checked out.  Poor planning re: enough space for 6 representatives from each district in state. He (and others) will go and stand if he needs to.

The statewide evaluation framework has not come out yet. Mike Flynn: I'm on the task force to develop this - it's been a long process but it has to be done and will be done soon.

Five NPS administrators enrolled in the National Institute for School Leadership training (NISL) - going to Marlborough for 2 days every couple of months into the next school year.

Discussion about moving Algebra to 8th grade and impact this has on curriculum for earlier grades.  6 middle school teachers are signed up to go to a training at Mount Holyoke College.  Part of RTTT work on pre-AP training for middle and high school teachers. And goal of increasing number of minority students taking and passing AP exams by 2012.

Discussion of how Benchmark Assessment System (BAS) is used, how for kids who are meeting goals, a shorter assessment can be done after initial BAS one. With pending loss of funding for the two reading interventionists who got the BAS system off the ground, can we sustain and integrate what has been learned so far?  Mark Prince: yes.  It's one part of what the interventionists do.

Mike Flynn - What is the beginning of the year math assessment? Mark Prince:  Ryan Road has one.  Mike Flynn: Can we see it at a future meeting?

Discussion on state need to make consistent how all districts report student and teacher information and statistics. Bill Dornbusch, District Technology Director, and his staff leading this effort.  NPS got some funding for this work, state will fund some of the cost, some relatively small portion (probably less than $20,000) will have to come from the district.

Science Technology Engineering, and Math (STEM) initiative for high school:  Mark Prince: sense that community does not support a separate high school, or branch of the high school.  Not moving forward on grant application for $100-125,000 that would support a STEM school/branch.  Will need to amend RTTT application.  Will be pulling together parents, teachers, and Smith College professors to ensure our STEM curriculum is 21st century.  Discussion: right now students self-select into STEM offerings and we want to expose and attract all kids.  Jackson Street School is piloting a robotics program that is fabulous.  How can we build on this and continue into middle school; what grade is best to start in?  Jim Young:  can we involve Smith Vocational?  Even though they have different Board/Trustees, they have similar goals. Can we collaborate?  Mark Prince:  Yes. We can ask them to join our collaborative. We have until 2014 to respond, so have time.  Jim: Smith Vocational can offer the agricultural perspective, which ties into sustainability and healthy foods initiative.  Good opportunity with both them and the new Bean/Allard farm in town.  Mark:  The healthy foods initiative is exciting.  They tried it in Amherst and it fizzled out; what can we do differently?

Amy Martyn
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SchoolsWatch

NPS Superintendent Search meeting: 2/14/11

All members of the screening committee (except Nicole Markel –traveling overseas) were present.  Meeting began at 6.10pm.  Stephanie Pick elected Chair of the committee.

The meeting was mostly led by Joe Wood – search consultant with New England Search Development Consultants.

Current status of the Search Process

·         The School Committee is responsible for appointing Superintendent.

·         The objective of the Screening Committee is to present up to 5 candidates to the School Committee.

·         The Superintendent position was posted on nesdec.org and advertized in topschools.org.

·         A brochure has been prepared to provide background on the Northampton schools system. 

·         Joe described the work of the focus groups – this work lead to the development of a desirable candidate profile and what should be the 3-5 starting priorities for the new Superintendent.

Results of the search so far

·         The collection of applications has been completed.  No further applications would be accepted unless the search is reopened.

·         14 applications are currently under review.

Next Steps

·         The Screening Committee received the candidate applications tonight in closed session.  They will need time to go over candidates and prepare questions and comparisons to the profile.

·         The Screening Committee will meet as a workshop on Feb 28 to review applications, confirm interview questions and affirm interview schedule.  

Interview Preparation

·         Screening Committee interviews will take place in March.

·         Each Screening Committee interview should be about an hour.  

·         8 questions should be prepared with 2 extras.  Candidates may be asked for a closing statement. 

·         Each candidate should be asked the same questions. 

·         Consultant probably will not attend interviews. 

·         There should be a greeter/escort to take care of the candidate before and after the interview.

·         The committee discussed how to develop good questions. 

·         A list of suggested themes was distributed. 

·         The Questions will not be made public in order to not give advantage to candidates or to give undue ability to prepare. 

·         Committee chose themes for questions.

·         The committee briefly mentioned that certain questions that should not be asked in interviews.

·         The committee noted that the process requires very strict confidentiality.

Alan McBride

-----

SchoolsWatch

NPS Full Board Meeting: 2/9/11

PRESENTChair and Mayor Clare Higgins, Alden Bourne (1), Lise Glading DiLorenzo (2), Howard Moore (3), Ed Zuchowski (4), Stephanie Pick (5) (arrived later), Downey Meyer (7), Jim Young (at-large), Mike Flynn (at-large).  Absent:  Lisa Minnick (6)  Staff:  Interim Superintendent William Erickson, Business Manager Susan Wright, Secretary Jennifer Towler.

PUBLIC COMMENTSeveral people spoke about the Fresh Wednesdays program.  Most expressed support for the program whose goal is to replace overly processed foods with more fresh, local produce and whole grains; some expressed concerns about the difficulty of carrying it out (e.g., eliminating chocolate milk will lead to children bringing in their own chocolate syrup, too much prep. time for kitchen staff , too expensive, fresh not always superior to fresh-frozen, depending on circumstances, etc.).  NPS Health Director Karen Jarvis-Vance provided a brief history of the program, explaining how the coalition was formed.  She recommended more parent representatives on the coalition and a tie-in with curriculum (some teachers already do this).

FRESH WEDNESDAYS
Mickie Darling, a second grade teacher and parent leader for the Fresh Wednesdays program, presented an overview of the program and its progress up to now.  Change is difficult, so transition should be taken slowly.  They are guided by research, specifically the Institute of Medicine standards and best practices.  Since its beginning here in October, the program has been successful, according to survey feedback from parents and students.  Between 170 and 260 parents have attended each time.  Benefits:  educates children about healthy foods, makes use of local foods, increases local purchasing, sustainable, limits processed foods.

What is healthy food?  minimally processed, whole grains, low in sugar, sodium and fat.  Real food, no flavored milk.

Children will eat healthy foods if you put them in front of them.  Healthy foods don't have to cost more.  You just have to look around and find where those healthy foods are for less.  Modeling is important. 

Dietician (sorry, didn't get her name) accompanied Mickie and listed the following food recommendations on behalf of the coalition:  no more sugared cereals for school breakfasts; no marshmallow fluff on sandwiches; no hot dogs, BBQ ribs, chicken bowls or french toast sticks (all have too much saturated or trans fat and sodium); no processed desserts (have freshly made dessert once per week); fruit for dessert; limit popcorn chicken and chicken nuggets to twice per month; use fresh or frozen vegetables, not canned; baked potatoes or wedges, not french fries; no juices or flavored milks.

How can school committee help?  Keep supporting Fresh Wednesdays; implement the above recommendations; work with kitchen staff to come up with healthy menus within budget.

Conclusion:  We, as educated, concerned adults should lead by observing the best practices re. nutrition, even when children resist.  Likened it to children saying they didn't feel like doing their homework.  Do we just let them do that?

School Committee DiscussionCH:  EZ is on the committee, as is Karen Jarvis-Vance, so any comments can be directed to them.
EZ:  Agree with KJV that more stakeholders need to be represented on coalition.  Change comes slowly and in moderation.  Important to be conscious of how this is going to be funded.  There isn't as much federal funding for this as you think.

SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORTField trips approved.
Snow days:  5 so far out of 185-day school year (180 legally required).  Last day is June 27.  Days cannot be made up by lengthening school days, according to state.
Roof snow:  staff is doing well in determining where it needs to be removed and they're doing it.
CH:  City will pay for the cost of school roof snow removal.
School choice program:  committee voted to continue participating (allowing children from neighboring towns to attend NPS).

FY2012 BUDGET UPDATESusan Wright presented a detailed budget update, which I was not able to view. Please see SchoolsWatch's Budget & Property subcommittee meeting from Feb. 3 for this same information.
Conclusion:  At this time, there is a $1.2 million deficit for NPS, which does not include salary increases.  By the next Budget & Property meeting, SW will have a draft of the proposed FY12 budget.  Items that are likely to fluctuate over next few months:  school choice, circuit breaker (special ed. reimbursement), health insurance costs.

SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH UPDATEVice-chair Stephanie Pick has been leading this process for the school committee.  She reported:  weather has delayed some of the process.  NESDEC (consultants hired to do search) led a focus group for the public (one was cancelled and not rescheduled) and met with the school committee, administrators, faculty and municipal employees.  NESDEC then wrote up a summary and presented it to the school committee, taking their feedback.  A candidate profile will be given to the screening committee at its first meeting Monday.  The screening committee will first conduct a workshop open to the public, followed by a closed executive session so they can review applicants.  New screening committee member to replace one who had to leave: Stephanie Grimaldi, parent and education teacher at Westfield State College.  Goal:  to bring finalists to school committee by end of April at latest.

SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS[See SchoolsWatch's curriculum and budget & property subcommittee reports for Feb. 3].

NEASC accreditation process for NHSSchool committee members asked NHS Principal Nancy Athas a number of questions about the eight Wednesdays she has proposed to start school late so that teachers can participate in accreditation tasks. Concerns about:  insufficient notice for families, state laws regarding minimum number of hours school must be in session, morning not as good as afternoon to do this.

Rules & Policy committee to meet this Thursday at 6:00 pm at JFK. Conference committee to meet this week (see NPS website).  Invited State Senator Stan Rosenberg to talk about state funding for education.

Barbara Considine, SchoolsWatch

NPS Curriculum subcommittee meeting: 2/3/11

PRESENT:  

School Committee: Jim Young, Downey Meyer

Staff: Interim Superintendent Bill Erickson, Director of Academic Effectiveness Mark Prince, Principal Nancy Athas, Clerk Jennifer Towler

Public: Julie Spencer-Robinson (SchoolsWatch)

AGENDA

• Later Start Time for NHS Accreditation Work

• MassCore

• Set March Agenda

NHS Accreditation

NA: The high school is undergoing this important process, and we need time for the faculty to do the work related to it. Therefore, we are asking for a later high school start time for 7 or 8 Wednesdays, beginning on February 16 through May 11. Students would come in at 9:30, and faculty would have almost two hours of professional time to work with each other and compile the reports they need to. Our experience has been that when we have a later start time, due to the PSATs or for other reasons, it doesn’t detract from attendance. We are just about done with the core values and the rubrics.

JY: I’m sorry that Steve [Herrell] has left. We could use this opportunity to set up a mini lab experiment, and ask teachers how starting school later affects alertness.

MP: We could create a baseline—pick a class, and ask students and parents how they experience the later start time.

DM: We want to know if students get more sleep or just stay up later because they can sleep later.

MP: I talked to Joy Winnie because there are contract issues with transportation, and it’s all okay.

DM: It seems like a reasonable request. We will recommend it to the full School Committee.

BE: What is the cost of accreditation?

NA: $20,000-25,000. Fifteen people come, and we have to put them up. Lucky me—this is my third one. First Westside, then Greenfield, and now here.

MassCore

MassCore is a state-recommended, rigorous program of study that aligns high school coursework with college and workforce expectations. The recommended program of studies includes:

English: 4 years

Math: 4 years

Lab-based Science: 3 years

History/Social Science: 3 years

Foreign language: 2 years

Arts: 1 year

5 additional core courses: business education, career and technical education, health, and/or technology

Additional learning opportunities: AP classes, dual enrollment, a senior project, online courses for high school or college credit, and service- or work-based learning

MP: The state is putting these forth as default requirements. School committees have a right to vote in what you want. Higher ed set out requirements—this is what we’re looking for in 2014. MassCore is in our Race to the Top grant application. We know this is coming. It will impact the high school, therefore the middle school, therefore the elementary curriculum. What do we need to be thinking about? 80% of NHS students graduate meeting the foreign language requirements. When we add up all the units, there is still time in their schedule. We would like to create opportunities for students to develop career-based senior projects. It may increase staffing, which increases the budget.

DM: Where are the mismatches between the high school and MassCore requirements?

NA: Currently students take 3 years of math. If they don’t get at least a 240 on the MCAS then they have to take a fourth year of math, but that’s just 30 kids. English, social studies, and science are all okay. We offer PE all 4 years, but we only require Wellness 1 and 2. Are we meeting the PE requirement? I don’t know.

MP: Business and tech ed should also be considered. Michael Jacobsen said that 40% of high school kids come through his department, but it is cut to the bone.

DM: How much modification will be required by Common Core [a federal program]?

MP: Not much. MassCore was thought of long before Common Core.

DM: Will this be helpful to your accreditation process?

NA: We’re going to have to take a look at how we do things. The Endicott survey of students showed they want more tech ed. My predecessor made the choice to boost the arts at the expense of tech ed in order to prevent students from going to PVPA. That worked, and it still keeps students from leaving, but it’s time to see if we can offer more tech ed. Dual enrollment frees up seats, and seniors are ready for that experience. We also need credit recovery for students who fail two or more courses.

DM: Thank you for coming.

NA: I’m so happy to be here when it’s not controversial.

March Agenda

There was a general discussion about a number of items they want to pay attention to in the near future: tiered instruction, Disrupting Class, which is a book recommended by Jim Young, and the implementation of the middle school model. DM wants to know if we’re really doing what we’re supposed to be doing in terms of that model, and JY wants to bring to light a full reasoning for why we’ve gone with the middle school model so that it can be more effectively defended. BE said that Lesley Wilson could speak to those issues. MP noted that neither special ed nor ELL have been brought to the curriculum subcommittee, and it was agreed that it would be good to hear from Nathan Ziegler now that he is “fully entrenched” as Director of Special Education. 

Next meeting: Thursday, March 3 at 7:00. This meeting will take place at NHS. 

Julie Spencer-Robinson, SchoolsWatch

NPS Budget & Property Subcommittee meeting: 2/3/11

PRESENT:  

School Committee: Ed Zuchowski (Chair), Stephanie Pick, Howard Moore

Staff: Interim Superintendent Bill Erickson, Business Manager Susan Wright, Food Service Director Carol DiMauro, Director of Maintenance Mike Diemand, Director of Facilities David Pomerantz, Clerk Nicole Markel, one other person name unknown, and myself, Steve Herrell, filing this report.

Please note that I did attend this meeting, but not in the capacity of making a report for SchoolsWatch.  I attended simply to educate myself on the budget process, relative to the possible change in the high school start time.  Afterwards I was asked to write just a simple summary of the meeting anyway.  Therefore, much of the below is from some very rough notes and my memory!  I am sorry if it is somewhat incomplete.

This was the second of some preliminary meetings relative to the budget process for Fiscal Year 2012 (FY12), which runs from this July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012 (the same as the City budget). 

Much of the meeting was focused on the needs of Capitol Projects.  Carol DiMauro, Mike Diemand, and Dave Pomerantz  presented a listing of the projects, and they and the committee discussed each item at some length.  The total of these projects is $910,500.  Here is the list (same as given in the minutes of the January Budget and Property meeting, but bears repeating):

Building Needs:

Bridge St. carpet replacement                       $20,000

Jackson St. A/C library                                   15,000

Leeds carpet replacement                               20,000

Leeds overflow parking lot paving                   30,000

Leeds parking lot repaving                            150,000

NHS Track Resurfacing and re-lining              85,000

Ryan curbing and sidewalk replacement          65,000

Ryan parking lot re-paving                              90,000

Ryan ventilation, and A/C library                     21,000

School furniture replacement                           10,000

School and Recreational Needs:

District-wide gym repainting                           36,000

JFK gym, floor refinishing                              15,000

JFK pool filter replacement                            75,000

Ryan playing field backstops, dugouts            60,000

JFK steamer and tilt kettle                             31,000

Bridge St. dishwasher                                    13,500

Ryan kitchen remodeling and equipment       140,000                                   

Jackson dishwasher                                       20,000

Jackson floor mixer                                        14,000

GRAND TOTAL:                                     $910,500

There was a sense among committee members that not all projects will be approved and included in the budget.  (This is only a small piece of the approximately $29,000,000 school budget).  They prioritized by assigning numbers to the projects, according to safety and health issues, and how badly repairs were needed.  No final decisions were made.   

Stephanie Pick raised this issue: If we are going to close Ryan Road, and/or possibly Bridge Street, we shouldn’t spend money on the projects relative to those schools.  

SW presented and discussed the “Revised Budget Shortfall Estimate,” and discussed various parts of it.  The report shows in conclusion, “Revised Preliminary Gap for FY2012: $1,188.019.”  That is, we expect that much less revenue for the schools (still based on a number of estimates and unknowns) than we had for this year.  SW characterized this as “dismal”

SW presented a “draft” of a time line for the FY12 Budget Process.    I’m pretty sure she wants to revise this (it lacks some specific dates) and it will be available soon, probably on the Northampton School Department’s website (as it has in the past), so suffice it to say here that the Budget & Property Subcommittee will take up the budget at all of its meetings; the School Committee itself does several reviews; and the ALT (Administrative Leadership Team) has several meetings re the budget.  In mid-May, the Mayor submits the city budget to the City Council.  In late May there will be the Joint Meeting of the City and Council and School Committee.  On June 9 the School Committee takes its final vote on the budget.  Still there are unknowns, but all is finalized by late July.

There was discussion of the elementary transportation fee, but no conclusion was made.

Thank you, Steve Herrell, on behalf of SchoolsWatch.

NPS SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING: 1/13/11

Present: Susan Wright, Jennifer Towler, Alden Bourne, Lise Glading-DiLorenzo, Howard Moore, James Young, Stephanie Pick, Mayor Clare Higgins, Isabelina Rodriguez, Mike Flynn, Edward Zuchowski, Lisa Minnick, Downey Meyer, and Kevin March

I.                   Roll Call

            During the roll call, Mayor Higgins introduced Howard Moore, the newly-                     elected School Committee member from Ward 3.

II.                Organization

1)      Election of Vice Chairperson: Stephanie Pick was unanimously elected Vice Chairperson.  SP noted that there is a 3-year term limit and that someone needs to get ready to take on the position next year.

2)      Election of Executive Secretary:  The superintendent was elected Executive Secretary.

3)      Adoption of Rules of Procedures: Motion to adopt rules and procedures, with the following changes: elimination of 9.4 (that stipulates all SC members need to return notebooks—members no longer receive notebooks because now most information is electronic); change of 5.2 and 5.5 (which would change the meeting time back to start time of 7:15 p.m.); and elimination of 10.1 (to reflect changes in School Committee’s hiring practices in light of the ed reform bill).  Motion to adopt amended rules and procedures passed unanimously.

4)      Meeting dates for 2011: Meetings will be held on the second Thursday of every month at 7:15 p.m. for the whole of 2011.  There will be three times when there will be three extra full board meetings: one in April for budget purposes, one in May for a joint meeting with the City Council, and one in June for presentation of budget.  Calendar was accepted by unanimous vote.

III.             Public Session

No public comments.

IV.              Announcements

Announcements were about forming subcommittees for the new calendar year and about a farewell party for Isabelina Rodriguez on Thursday, January 27^th. 

V.                 Recommended Actions

Minutes from the following committees were approved:

      12/2/10 Budget & Property Subcommittee

      12/2/10 Curriculum Subcommittee

      12/9/10 Full Board Meeting

      12/7/10 and 12/14/10 Ad-Hoc Committee

      12/16/10 Rules & Policy Subcommittee

VI.              Reports and Recommendations

·        Northampton High School Representative:

Kevin March, the student representative from Northampton High School,    reported that final exams are 1 ½ weeks away, the winter concert is in a week, and the Norway students will go to Woods Hole to do research before their trip.

·        Vote: Acknowledgement of Gifts

Vote to accept $17,004 from the Northampton Education Foundation for the SOS Book Fund.  These funds were raised through the plant sale and annual census drive.  The funds will be distributed to the schools on a per capita basis.

           

Vote to accept a gift of medical supplies totaling $1787.  Nurses from area schools were present to express how helpful the donation will be.

           

Vote to accept gift of $1,000 to NHS Special Education Department.

·        Vote: Acknowledgement of Scholarship

George Zimmerman announced that the estate of Eileen M. Kirby has given $266,000 to establish a scholarship fund at Northampton High School.  The interest from this money will support four scholarships for the following areas of study: art studies, fashion, public relations, and engineering.  The high school will announce the scholarship in 2012.  Mayor Higgins thanked Mr. Zimmerman for managing scholarship investments wisely.  Vote to accept this scholarship.

·        Report: High School Start Time Proposal

Susan Wright outlined answers to questions the School Committee had asked about the financial implications of starting the high school day at 8 a.m.  She reviewed the overall bus schedule and bus costs.   The district runs 11 buses, and each one holds 50 to 52 kids and costs about $45,000-plus to run.  A three-tier system would not work because of the time needed between each different run (for buses to finish up one route and begin another).  Because a three-tier system would not work with an 8 a.m. NHS start time (and later dismissal), the only solution would be to contract for extra buses just for the high school.   Four additional buses would cost over $180,000 (this number of buses would allow all current high school bus riders to continue to ride the bus), and if we limited the ridership and ran only three buses, the cost would be closer to $135,000.

During the discussion that ensued, School Committee members asked questions about how Special Education (SPED) transportation would be affected by any changes, about the possibilities of having fewer stops (“satellite stops”) for older kids to make the bus routes shorter, and possible other schedule scenarios.   Here is some of the discussion that followed:

Howard Moore: What would happen if elementary school got out earlier?  What would happen if NHS and elementary school started at the same time and high school and elementary school students rode the bus together?

SW Capacity is the biggest issue.  400 elementary students ride the buses.

HW: Numbers from last year are lower than the ones Susan Wright is quoting.

SW: We are using current numbers, and there are 393 elementary kids riding buses.

Mayor Higgins: I want to understand where we are going.  I want to frame the discussion.

Mike Flynn: We moved to recommend not changing the time.

Mayor Higgins: If we assume for a moment that we need to add buses, how much would it cost?

Alden Bourne: I want to make sure we’ve considered all scenarios.  How many kids wouldn’t get to school if we went to the minimum required by law?

SW: If we went to minimum required by law, 700 students would no longer receive transportation.  How many students couldn’t get to school is another question.

SP: We wouldn’t make the choice to provide transportation to 6^th graders [as required by law] but not 7^th and 8^th graders [not required by law to receive transportation].

SW: Whoever can’t get to school, we will provide transportation. Hard to determine who would truly be eligible who couldn’t get to school.

James Young: We did not approve the proposal that came before us because we didn’t think it was a good proposal because it disenfranchised people.  Here’s another solution.  Start JFK at 7:30, NHS at 8:05, and elementary at 8:55.  That would be cost neutral.

SW: In order to make that scenario work, the times would need to be later—7:40, 8:15, 9:05—and that would mean NHS students couldn’t get into Smith College courses [the issue is not just getting to the first class on time, but that the class periods at NHS would be out of sync with the day’s class periods at Smith College, if the start time went to 8:10 or 8:15].

There was then a discussion about the relative importance of the Smith College courses (are we giving too much priority to the 80 students who take Smith College courses?), and a few people pointed out that this connection with Smith College alleviates the need for extra electives at NHS.  Even without the Smith College consideration, a three-tier bus schedule doesn’t work.  One proposal was to have NHS students get out at 2:45 but not be picked up by buses until 3:30 or later.  There were two concerns about this: (1) no one would be there to supervise students at the high school (and Lisa Minnick pointed out that the students are the district’s responsibility while on school property and there would be a liability issue) and (2) some parents depend on older children to be home to meet elementary school children. 

Mayor Higgins: When does the current bus contract end? 

SW: We will be bidding for FY 13.

Kevin March:  Existing schedule would work if you switched JFK and NHS start times.

Mayor Higgins: We have a recommendation not to make a change.  We now understand the cost implications of making a change [between $135,000 and $180,000-plus, depending on number of buses].

LM: Mr. Moore came up with an alternative plan but I have serious concerns about putting high school students and elementary school students on the bus at the same time.

HM:  The numbers work.  If you are a high school student who can’t control himself, we have rules to address that.

KM: Ironically, I think the relationship between high school and middle school students might be worse than between high school students and elementary.

MF: [As a teacher,] I see issues on the bus between 2^nd graders and 6^th graders.  Things get said.  I wouldn’t be comfortable with any of my kids on the bus with high school students. 

Mayor Higgins: Does someone have a motion?  Right now we have a recommendation not to change the start times.

Nancy Athas [NHS principal]: If all things were equal, I would be in favor of later start time.  But I do have to say that we looked into this trying not to spend extra money.  It’s difficult to support later start time if it’s going to cost [close to] $200,000. 

SP: It’s incredibly frustrating.  We try in every vote to do what’s best for kids, but we can’t find a way to do this [start high school later] and still provide transportation.  Every time we can’t do something that we know is good is incredibly frustrating.  But we can’t find a way to do this that works for the district.

HM: What would it mean to combine high school and elementary kids on the bus?  He makes a motion to ask the administration to explore this possibility, but the motion is not seconded. 

Therefore, the start time for Northampton High School and the other schools will remain the same for the coming year.

·        Superintendent’s Report

[Here’s a link to a video clip from this part of the meeting, featuring the comments by both Stephanie Pick and Isabelina Rodriguez:

http://acmne.mirocommunity.org/video/19636/superintendent-isabelina-rodri]

SP asked for the floor and read a tribute to Isabelina Rodriguez honoring her many years of service to the Northampton Public School and her many accomplishments as superintendent. 

IR expressed gratitude for the tribute and began her report.

IR: Enrollment numbers look good, though some high school classes are large.  (The district had over 30 school choice applications for high school that they had to turn away.)  Kindergarten information nights have started, and people are out and about visiting schools.  By early March, we should have a handle on who will be registered for fall.  There were many kindergarten school choice students this year.  Mark Prince [director of curriculum effectiveness] has been working on Race to the Top.  He is looking into professional development opportunities.  Gwen Agna was honored at the Northampton Survival Center; a parent center is being named in her honor. Bullying plan is on website.  Protocols are there, and parents were notified by a connect-ed call about the website.  Reporting forms can be found online, and safe school webpage has been updated. 

            Met with Bill Ericksen [the interim superintendent], and he has attended the administrative leadership team meeting.  He will be visiting schools starting tomorrow [January 14].  Confident staff will welcome him warmly.

Met with the administrative team, and they identified the following priorities to focus on during budget discussions: Full special education and ELL continuum across the district, throughout the district; strong support for co-curricular offerings in arts, music, P.E., specials; academic rigor; social/emotional therapeutic support for elementary ed; support for at-risk students at secondary ed; full implementation of the middle school model; support for early literacy for pre-K to 2^nd; and class size at or below 20 for pre-K to 2^nd.

            As you hire an executive officer, be sure he or she is capable to run the district and make hard decisions.  Choose a person and then allow him or her to use his or her expertise to run the district.  Support the superintendent.  Work hard to build level of mutual respect. 

IR then concluded her comments by speaking about what an honor and privilege it has been to serve as superintendent and by noting that she will miss her colleagues.  She then announced that she has made a donation to the VINS [Volunteers in Northampton Schools] in honor of the School Committee. 

·        Superintendent Search

SP announced schedule for focus groups for teachers, administrators, parents, and city workers on January 19 and January 20.  There will also be focus groups for the School Committee.  NESDC (New England School Development Council) will prepare a summary of data from the focus groups.

SP reviewed the search schedule:

Tuesday, January 25^th at 6 p.m.  NESDC focus group with School Committee.  This is an open meeting.

Tuesday, February 1 at 6 p.m.  School Committee integration workshop with NESDC for us to have a discussion about all the collated information from the focus groups.  Priorities, how we are charging the search committee. This is also an open meeting.

Monday, February 7, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.  First meeting of the screening committee.  First part will be an open session, and the second part will be an executive session during which the screening committee will review procedures and take a confidentiality oath.

Monday, February 14, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Closed meeting of the screening committee to discuss all applications and semi-finalists.

·        Business Manager’s Report

SW brought five contracts forward for a vote and then reviewed the budget to-date, noting some budgets lines that were over and some that were under—but nothing was terribly unusual or worrying. 

            Here are some of the highlights from the very thorough report (available in office) SW presented:

(1) Analysis of Fresh Wednesday expenses shows that it’s holding its own. The first Fresh Wednesday incurred additional labor costs, but the December and January Fresh Wednesdays did not have extra labor. 

(2) Difficulty in retaining speech therapists in district because speech therapists can get higher salaries in hospitals, and we pay teachers’ scale for speech therapy.  IR commented that we need to look at different model for speech therapy.

(3) Capital Plan for updating cafeterias

(4) 1.5 million in school choice funds this year.  $245,000 used for additional preschool teacher and additional ESPs.  $396,000 will roll into next year’s budget.  Also, $169,000 in circuit breaker funds will roll over.

(5) Stimulus grants will be gone in FY12.

(6) Sub costs are lower so far this year.

(7) After school programs running in black.  Jackson Street is starting up after school program in spring.

Curriculum Subcommittee Report

Nothing new to report, in the process of rescheduling a meeting.

Building and Properties. 

BPS meeting with school councils scheduled for January 19.

Rules and Policies

Needs to meet one more time before finalizing vote. 

VII.            New Business

(1) SP will populate the subcommittees and all other committees.

(2) IR thanked the DPW and custodial staff for making sure schools were ready for school today [1/13—day after the snow day on 1/12].

(3) JY observed that the School Committee tends to have such packed agendas that they don’t always get to talk about new things.  He then held up a book called Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation will Change the Way the World Learns (by Clayton Chirstensen et al) about the use of technology in schools: leveraging it to change how we deliver education in school.  Would like to spend time talking about innovative ideas.  Mayor Higgins said that she and SP will talk about a structure for addressing long-term goals and innovative ideas in the meetings, with the plan to put these ideas on an agenda for a future meeting.

Meeting adjourned shortly after 10 p.m.

Submitted by Emily Todd (ebtodd2002@yahoo.com)