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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-06-25 School Committee Minutesr ' Zy QFR Town of Reading a Meeting Minutes 838.1N(otRr` Board - Committee - Commission - Council: School Committee Date: 2016-06-25 Building: School - Memorial High Address: 82 Oakland Road Purpose: Retreat Attendees: Members - Present: iilb .',,V fl p Time: 8:00 AM Location: Superintendent Conference Room Session: Open Session Version: Final Chuck Robinson, Jeanne Borawski (remote participation), Linda Snow Dockser, Gary Nihan, Julie Joyce, Elaine Webb Members - Not Present: Others Present: Superintendent John Doherty, Director of Student Services Carolyn Wilson Director of Finance Martha Sybert, RPS parent Michele Sanphy Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Linda Engelson on behalf of the Chair Topics of Discussion: I. Call to Order Chair Robinson called the School Committee to order at 8:02 a.m. II. Recommended Procedure A. Old Business FYI Budget Discussion Dr. Doherty started the presentation providing a glimpse into the FYI budget.', The model he used was for an increase of .70% which would lead to a shortfall ll of approximately two million dollars. He next reviewed the possible breakdown of FYI reductions in the areas of expenses and wages. A reduction of $300,000 could be taken in the areas of professional development, technology and curriculum purchases, classroom supplies and miscellaneous expenses but these would be a series of one year reductions. Cuts in wages would be equivalent to the reduction of 30 FTE teachers to account for approximately $1,650,083. The Superintendent reviewed the challenges facing the district over the next few years including retaining and attracting staff, developing well balanced and prepared students for career and college, supporting teachers and administrators as we transition to more rigorous standards and curriculum, continuing to improve our special education services and indistrict programs, identifying long term space needs to address program changes and to remain competitive with area school. Page 1 1 Retaining & Attracting Staff Factors affecting the district's ability to retain and attract staff include`the reduction of 7.3 positions in the FYI budget (6.3 teachers), the number of teachers and administrators leaving the district and the fact that our teacher salaries rank in the bottom half of 30 comparable communities. Mrs. Joyce as what makes it more difficult in our town. Dr. Doherty pointed out that we do have a lot of middle level support across the board which puts added pressure our administrators and principals. Mr. Robinson asked what we would be gett if we were able to provide the resources needed. Dr. Doherty said our student outcomes would improve, with supports in place teachers would have time ne( to prepare. Mrs. Borawski asked what was used to compare teacher salaries. Dr. Doherty said we used Masters Step 1, Masters Step 8 and the top Masters step. We are more competitive in the lower steps. Michele Sanphy pointed out that parental pressure and expectations is greater in Reading which affects moral. Developing Well Balanced and Prepared Students for College and Career There are several areas that the district is focusing on to prepare our students including the implementation of the new science and engineering curriculum, implementation of dedicated health and wellness curriculum in grades 3 — 8, continuing to focus on the social emotional needs of our students, restructuring the elementary, middle and high school schedules and course offerings to refle t changes in curriculum and practices, increase AP and honors course offerings and provide support for struggling students. The Superintendent pointed out that our students are at a disadvantage because of the lack of AP offerings. The district', would have to add staff including middle school health/PE teachers, the restoration of 4.0 FTE teachers at the high school and 4.6 FTE elementary teachers to enable the district to eliminate the half day Wednesdays. Continued implementation of the science curriculum and social -emotional supports are vital in preparing our students for college and career. The district continues to investigate solutions to be able to offer free full day kindergarten. The district as effectively restructured resources to support this goal such as the addition of the BCBA. Mrs. Webb would like to understand the social emotional supports at the high school level. Dr. Doherty said there will be a restructuring of the high school guidance department to more effectively address these needs. Supporting Teachers and Administrators as We Transition to More Rigorous Standard and Curriculum Areas of focus in this area include maintaining and updating technology and technology infrastructure, providing adequate supervision and support to teachers and administrators, the ability to offer training in key areas to give teachers the, tools they need to address all students in their classrooms and time for teachers to work collaboratively to improve student learning. It is key to maintain the cur�ent levels of time, professional development, and technology support. It is also Page 1 2 important to add K-6 curriculum coordinators in the STEM & Humanities areas as well as having the ability to continue to fund the Data Analyst and Administrator for Social Emotional Learning once the School Transformation Grant has ended. The restructuring of the high school department head positions to give them evaluation responsibilities is important in supporting the high school administrators. Mrs. Joyce pointed out that performance evaluations are crucial in the development of staff. Mr. Robinson asked about the department head piece. Dr!. Doherty shared that discussion is occurring regarding the model. Many models are driven by budget. Mrs. Webb would like to see a model that is driven by student success. Continuing to improve Our Special Education Services and Indistrict Programs Mrs. Wilson continues to use the information from the Walker Report to improve the special education programs. Resources are needed to add an Assistant Director who would assist in the day to day operations of the programs and to alleviate the evaluation burden on the director. Additional clerical help would be used to support the Team Chairs in processing of paperwork, scheduling IEP meetings as well as other needed clerical duties. It is also important to continuel to offer professional development, time and training to better serve our special education population. Identifying Long Term Space Needs to Address Program Changes In an effort to keep special education students in our indistrict programs space must be provided that can adequately serve these students. In the 2016-17 schof year classrooms are being added at Joshua Eaton, Birch Meadow, and Wood Ed due to the DLC, ILP and LLD programs expanding. Mrs. Wilson explained that we are required to provide space for our programs that is equitable to regular d�y spaces. Often times outside evaluators and families will visit schools to determine if our programs would be an appropriate placement for students, both in district and tuitioned in. Our programs offer services that out of district placements are unable to provide. Space needs are not always driven by enrollment. Many times the equipment needed to provide required services or changes in regular and special education programs are driving factors. As discussed previously the ability to offer free full day kindergarten and expansion of the RISE Preschool in Reading is a priority. For this to occur, a long term p an to address space needs in district needs to be created. The last piece is the renovation of the Killam School. Killam was built in 1969 and is the only school in Reading that has not been renovated. This is a discussion that needs to be had with the community. Mrs. Joyce left the meeting at 9:20 a.m. Remaining Competitive with Area Schools The previous challenges and resources needed to address them all play a role in remaining competitive with other area schools. Resources Needed to Address Challenges Page 1 3 Dr. Doherty reviewed the resources needed to address the presented challenges. Mr. Robinson asked if the Superintendent could quantify this slide. Mr. Robinson and Mrs. Webb agreed that we are not in a position to remove any revenue generating program such as full day kindergarten. Dr. Snow Dockser asked if the list could be broken into two charts — imminent' needs and long term needs. Mrs. Borawski pointed out that the immediate issue is the need for $2M for the FYI budget to maintain level services. She suggested prioritizing the list, hitting mandates and which will have the biggest impact on student achievement. Mr. Robinson cautioned that he did not want the Selectmen to draw value judgements on the priorities. Mrs. Webb suggested the priorities be grouped rather than listed as line items. Dr. Doherty asked for direction for Monday night's continued discussion. Chair Robinson suggested that the Committee members review the information for continued discussion on Monday night. Discussion continued regarding the override. Michele Sanphy shared that the community is looking for leadership from the School Committee and Superintendent. The feeling is the Board of Selectmen Ore not experts on the schools even though they are the authorizing board for the override. Dr. Snow Dockser asked if the Committee would be voting to support the override. Dr. Doherty pointed out that the Committee will need to vote on the number to move forward. III. Adjournment Mrs. Webb move A 5-0. Mr. Robinson, Mrs. Web and Mrs. Borawski. to adjourn. The roll c, The meeting adjourned at 10:15 a.m. NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as stated in the posted meeting agenda not the order they occurred during the meeting. %UA o F. DohertEd.D. Page 1 4