Approval of Records
September 22, 2003
Natick Public Schools
SCHOOL COMMITTEE RETREAT
June 7, 2003
The School Committee held a Retreat on Saturday, June 7, 2003 at 9:00 a.m. in Study Room 1A, Main Level of the Morse Institute Library. Chair Haugland called the meeting to order at 9:15 a.m.
Members Present: Peg Broekel, Michael Cashman, Jonathan Freedman,
Henry Haugland, Diane Packer, Kristine Van Amsterdam,
Ted Wynne
Others present: James J. Connolly
Superintendent’s Summary:
Mr. Connolly reviewed accomplishments during the past school year:
· Development and adoption of a re-districting plan
· Implementation of a fee-based transportation service
· Approval of the “04” budget by Town Meeting
· Hiring of myriad administrators, teachers and support staff
· Establishment of qualified administrative teams
· Effective transition from principal-elect to principal at NHS
· Change to decile system for reporting class rank
· Development and adoption of a middle school program
· Timely construction of the “new” Wilson building on budget
· Planning for renovations at Kennedy which will be completed during the summer
He reported on the current status of on-going issues:
Collective bargaining
We have been in process and we are now waiting for final budget numbers from the state and town. Our goal is to finalize contracts prior to the fall Town Meeting.
Budget FY ’05
Discussions are underway between Mr. Lemnios and Mr. Connolly.
Capital Improvements
The School systems' needs continue to mount and plans need to be addressed on maintenance of existing buildings as well as new construction/renovation of NHS, Kennedy, Memorial and Johnson must be developed over the coming year.
Curriculum/program initiatives
Work to ensure consistency (without loss of creativity) of expectation and content across grade level in the system as well as transitions from grade to grade and school level to school level continues. The focus is deliverable products in ELA and math.
The addition of new curriculum coordinators and scheduled daily common planning time at the middle school level will help to reach this goal. A review of the role of the department heads at the high school and that of the elementary curriculum coordinators will result in an accountability structure this year.
At the high school, the advantages and disadvantages of the 6-8-8 schedule will be reviewed and recommendations for changes/adaptations will be proposed as appropriate. Further discussion of elective courses will be held and include a review of the student population served. A review of the content/curricular expectations of courses and within levels of courses will be conducted. The transition between 8th and 9th grades will be addressed and current practices to ease the transition will be reviewed and changes implemented as appropriate. Limited performing arts opportunities as well as the issues of junior privileges and parking needs will be addresses and changes will be proposed and plans developed and implemented as possible.
At the middle school level, plans to: meet the needs of the under challenged, expand extra-curricular activities, develop the content for different math levels and develop more extensive writing across the curriculum is underway.
Members of the committee continue to request information on the status of the math curriculum which is beginning its’ fourth year of implementation. The committee is interested in the “pros” and “cons” and what changes are recommended at each levels and grade to ensure gaps are filled. The theme of meeting the needs of our diverse student population was prevalent in discussion. Approximately 30% of our graduating seniors go on to 2 year schools or to work while our top group of students continues to grow and attend increasing numbers of highly competitive 4 year colleges. Committee members acknowledged the crucial role of parents to support, supplement and participate in their children’s education and encouraged the superintendent to engage parents as much as possible in the process.
Natick Community Farm
A subcommittee of Kristine Van Amsterdam and Ted Wynne will meet with farm representatives. The farm board would like a long-term lease from the school department for the property which would help them in sustaining support for their long-range development plan. The committee acknowledges the farm as a valuable community resource, but it is concerned about possible future land use for roads/parking on the school site.
Accreditation
The process has begun at the high school and middle schools.
Communications:
The committee and Superintendent discussed the effectiveness of existing communication channels to constituencies of (students, parents, citizens, Town Meeting, town officials, Board of Selectmen, principals, teachers, press and bargaining units). It was noted that particularly effective channels exist and are used at the town level and within the constituencies of the elementary schools. It was also noted that the superintendent’s communications with the press were timely and appropriate.
The administration will continue to use existing channels to effectively communicate to town groups and department heads, as well as with PCC, teacher’s advisory group, union representatives, and superintendent/principal meetings.
The administration will review communication processes with parents at the middle and high school level to determine what is reasonable and how to best meet expectations.
The administration will review current internet communication options (email, list serve,
etc. for teachers/administrators and parents) to improve/increase communication.
Committee communications to the Superintendent will continue through the chair. The committee expects that the Superintendent and the chair will continue to closely communicate regarding all issues before the committee.
The Chair will continue to be responsible to be responsive to the press and to word comment on behalf of the committee as a whole.
The Chair can choose to initiate a communication chain amongst members to insure timely transfer of information as necessary.
Management Process:
There was a discussion of the roles of the administrators in the system. This included comment about the evaluation process and cycle.
The committee and Superintendent agree that the NPS is a school system not a system of schools and that the central administration has a strong leadership role in the system, however, each principal is expected to be proactive on school issues and to be a self-starter in their setting.
The committee requests clarification of the role and responsibilities of the department chairs (HS), curriculum coordinators (middle and elementary schools), principals, vice principals and teams re: curriculum development and implementation this coming fall. The administration is expected to define each role and the network of communication and accountability. The committee raised the following questions. Who will evaluate these individuals? What is the role of the Central Administration in making certain that the strategic direction of the system is incorporated into the building-based or level-based goals cited in School Council Plans?
Administrators with evaluation responsibilities will attend workshops this summer to learn how to better evaluate staff and promote successful individual staff development as well as to learn how to most effectively document staff performance and administrative expectations of that performance.
The Superintendent will provide the committee with a more formal document listing the system issues that will be addressed over the coming year and which will serve as a basis of his evaluation in March of ’04.
Budget Issues and Strategies:
The group had a brief discussion of concerns for FY ’05. The only program we offer that is different from that of some surrounding communities is our full-day kindergarten program. Potential budget impacts include: curriculum needs (ex. high school electives), collective bargaining, energy costs and unpredictable SPED expenses.
Mr. Connolly will prepare budget projections for FY ’05 so the committee can begin discussions of how to proceed most effectively in a fiscally responsible manner to meet the system’s needs.
Peg Broekel moved to adjourn the meeting at 12:00 noon. Jonathan Freedman seconded. The vote was unanimous.
Respectfully submitted,
Peg Broekel
Clerk
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