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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-11-23 School Committee Minutes - RetreatTown of Reading ;, Meeting Minutes ,s39 d /NCOR00 Board - Committee - Commission - Council: School Committee Date: 2013 -11 -23 Building: School - Memorial High Address: 62 Oakland Road Purpose: Retreat Attendees: Members - Present: Karen Janowski Chuck Robinson Hal Croft Jeanne Borawski Chris Caruso Lisa Gibbs Members - Not Present: Others Present: Time: 9:00 AM Location: Superintendent Conference Room John Doherty, Superintendent Mary DeLai, Assistant Superintendent Craig Martin, Assistant Superintendent Alison Elmer, Director of Student Services Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: John F. Doherty, Ed.D. Superintendent Topics of Discussion: I. Call to Order Chairperson Croft called the School Committee to order at 9:09 a.m. II. Recommended Procedure A. New Business Superintendent's Goals Dr. Doherty reviewed the goal setting process. He said all educators, including the Superintendent, are required to have a least two goals. The School Committee, as the Superintendent's supervisor, must approve the goals that have been developed. Mrs. Janowski asked if members of the School Committee would be able to observe the Superintendent. Dr. Doherty said they would be welcome at any time to accompany and observe him. Mrs. Borawski asked what information feeds into the evaluation. Dr. Doherty said student and staff surveys play an integral part of the process. Page I 1 Dr. Doherty reviewed each of his goals for this year. Goal 1 addresses curriculum alignment and implementation of the new frameworks. The School Committee asked clarifying question regarding the implementation of the PARCC assessments. Goal 2 focuses on the Educator Evaluation tool and the possible implementation of a Peer assistance and Review Program. The school Committee expressed concerns that the percentage of Reading teachers receiving "Need Improvement" is higher than a majority of the districts in the state. Goal 3 is a District Goal focusing on behavioral health. Mr. Robinson asked if we have sufficient funding for the proposed initiatives. The Superintendent said we did not but the administrative team will be addressing the needs during the development of the FYI budget. Goal 4 is also a District Goal addressing resource needs facing the district, including additional time for staff, additional programmatic space needs at the elementary schools, RISE preschool, and RMHS; the implementation of full day kindergarten for all students, and additional instructional and administrative support needed to continue to move the district forward. Goal 5 addresses the development of a comprehensive communications plan for the district. The Superintendent referenced the Rennie Center's Conditions of Education as a template for communication on performance that will be used for the basis of the Reading Plan. Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs, to approve the Superintendent's goals as presented. The motion carried 6 -0. FYI Budget & Mission of RPS Superintendent Doherty reviewed the Reading Public Schools strategic vision and global themes as the Administration begins the budget development process. He shared that it is the goal of the Reading Public Schools to provide a safe, secure, and welcoming environment for all. There will be a strong emphasis on behavioral health of students and staff ensuring there is a system of support in place. We will continue to maintain and upgrade our buildings to provide a safe and comfortable environment for all. To be able to accomplish these goals we will continue Wedikko services, continue the implementation of the MTSS, add staffing to address behavioral health and maintenance needs, the creation of a District Safety Committee and the restructuring of the existing behavioral health support including high school guidance. Learning and teaching instructional practices will continue to be refined with the implementation of the Common Core Curriculum across grade levels. Our instruction will be based on standards and not how to do school. Assessments will be focused and aligned to what we teach and data accessible to all staff in a central location will drive the decisions we make. The district will investigate methods to provide time for teachers to work together, additional professional development days and planning time. Extended learning opportunities for our students are also part of the budget discussion hoping to provide before and after school opportunities for grade K — 8 students, summer academies, dual Page 1 2 enrollment, virtual environments and internships / externships. Another major goal is to address our space issues in our buildings. The Elementary Working Group has been working diligently to determine options to address this matter. To be able to accomplish these goals we hope to add staff to address our ELL learners, the implementation of a Grade 3 -5 Health & Wellness program, develop and offer a summer CCSS Geometry class for the summer of 2014, the addition of instructional coaching and outsource coaching, increase substitute pay and allocations to allow more coaching opportunities for staff, allot time for continued development of DDM and assessments and administer the CWRA at the high school. Technology needs will also be address as the FY 15 budget is developed. The district hopes to transition to be paperless, add mobile carts and centers in Pre -K to 5, continue to expand the BYOD initiative at the secondary level, make use of Cloud Computing and Web 2.0 devices and to assign staff mobile technology and home access. In developing the FYI budget increasing the annual technology replenishment amount and allotting a one time amount of $100,000 for PARCC and the addition of technology staff are priorities. Professional development opportunities continue to be a priority in the district with the focus on time for collaboration, the Educator Evaluation system, a three year Teacher Induction Program and course opportunities such as NISL, Skillful Teacher and ETBL 1 & 2. The priorities in FYI budget would be the formation of a District Wide Professional Development Committee and funding for PD opportunities in Differentiated Instruction, Math Instructional Practices and Literacy and Writing. Student support continues to be a priority and to address these needs the district will strive to embrace inclusion with the integration of special education and regular education students, focus on research based instructional practices and continue to provide services. The addition of staff to support the behavioral health programs and associated paperwork is a priority in the FYI budget. The District Leadership will strive to be innovative with an increased focus on effective communication, trust and decision making in line with the vision. We will strive to be a model for other districts working collaboratively with the ability to critique and compliment as we move forward. Dr. Doherty said that more information will be provided during the budget deliberations. III. Future Business 2014 -2015 School Year Calendar The School Committee asked the Superintendent to develop two school year calendars for discussion. The first being a traditional calendar with all religious holidays taken as days off and the second eliminating all religious holidays from the calendar. Dr. Doherty said he would provide these calendars for the School Committee to discuss at the next meeting. Page 1 3 IV. Adjournment Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr. Robinson, to adjourn. The motion carried 6 -0. The meeting adjourned at 12:05 p.m. NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as stated in the posted meeting agenda not the order they occurred during the meeting. A k J I F. Doherty, Ed.D. Page 1 4