Newton Public
Schools
Final Report
The
Newton Public Schools strives to meet the learning needs of all students by ensuring that the K-12
curriculum offers a coherent course of study yet remains flexible enough to
allow for differentiation according to children’s needs; by recognizing the
diversity that exists within the school population; and by respecting teachers’
judgment in making sound instructional decisions for the students they meet
every day. The school system’s core
value of respect for human differences
should permeate all of our work (see attached mission statement). With the cooperation of all members of the
school community, the system seeks to hold true to its values while it sets out
to accomplish the goals specific to 2002/2003 as outlined below.
1. To strengthen the quality of K-12
education by continuing the process of
aligning
To achieve this goal we will:
• continue the review/revision process in health and physical
education, world languages and math;
All
review/revision processes are on target for FY03. The transition meetings for a new department
of Physical Education, Health and Wellness,K-12, have
been completed. The World Language
Review Committee has identified replacing textbooks as a high priority. The mathematics committee moves into year two
of its high school pilot to better articulate the K-12 math curriculum aligned
to frameworks.
• implement a citywide approach to
improving student literacy, including a
cost/benefit
analysis connected to projected short- and long-term
results;
The
Literacy Initiative is progressing with sustained staff development in grades
K-2 and implementation in grades 4-8. Our balanced literacy approach includes
opportunities for early intervention and student challenge in reading, as well
as writing. With this model, the
intended blending of services between special education, English Language
Learner (ELL) staff and general education staff is more feasible and increased
student reading proficiency/outcomes are anticipated. We have already informally noted that fewer
special education referrals are occurring in the primary grades. Our goals for
developing a cost/benefit analysis are contingent upon a 3-5 year period of
intervention.
• complete review of high school
graduation requirements to allow for
School Committee approval;
The staff will present two or more options
that have surfaced from the current discussions to the School Committee in
early June with a final proposal to be approved by School Committee in the
fall.
• determine steps to improve the
quality of life and ensure equity in two
equal sized high schools;
Newton North and Newton South held a
joint School Council meeting to discuss the 990 hour requirement, stress, and
how to come up with a plan from both schools to present to the School Committee
(this will be ongoing through the spring and fall with a small committee from
both schools). In addition, both schools
have cooperated to create opportunities for Russian to be offered - sharing
students and teachers and schedules. There
has been an unprecedented level of cooperation between the schools in terms of
department meetings - lots of sharing of ideas/curriculum etc., and even a
joint trip to
Each high school has continued to learn
from the other about new programs including freshmen parent guidance nights and
utilizing guidance groups as part of the curriculum for all 9th and 11th
graders.
Perhaps most significant, however, is
the development of a grant to promote smaller learning communities in both high
schools. A report on this initiative was
delivered to the School Committee on May 27, 2003.
• review/revise elementary school
student progress reports;
A
committee of teachers, administrators and parents, K-8, is formulating a draft
template and schedule for a more standards-based reporting system. They will meet for one day during the summer
to complete the proposal for a pilot system of reporting and to develop a
schedule of public engagement meetings to inform the school community about
some of the issues inherent in any progress report system change. We will present the proposal to the School
Committee in the fall.
• provide professional development
related to standards-based instruction;
Our
system of professional development opportunities is well documented in the
annual Professional Development Handbook.
We have consistently met the DOE requirements for professional
development programming. Our challenges,
given recent federal and state mandates, include diversifying and increasing
our offerings in order to comply with these mandates, while we provide a highly
qualified professional staff with appropriate options for rigorous, ongoing
professional growth.
• communicate MCAS results and use the
data to inform curriculum
revision and instructional practice;
Our
reporting on MCAS is ongoing—especially in this initial graduation year
(2003). Our ongoing curriculum revision
cycle as well as our academic support system utilizes this data on a regular
basis. Several appeals were submitted to
the Department of Education. Only one
appeal was granted; however, we plan to improve our system of local
documentation of student performance to facilitate future uses of data in the
state appeals process and the reporting/requirements system.
• conduct School Committee deliberation
on policies related to
standardized, high-stakes testing programs;
The
School Committee had opportunities to discuss MCAS and high stakes testing at
its meetings on
• continue technology planning, with an
emphasis on integrating
technology as a tool for
improved teaching and learning, focusing on
implementation at the high school level;
The
iCamp for
• support the system’s commitment to
full inclusion of special education
students through increased training for
teachers and support staff;
A
main goal of the literacy initiative is to decrease the number of students who
need special education services in reading and writing. This is our most obvious attempt to support
the system’s commitment to full inclusion.
However, an overarching goal of the professional development
opportunities in every subject is to simultaneously train both general and
special education teachers. Curriculum
coordinators meet regularly with special education educators to plan both
separate and joint training programs to support systemic inclusion. The most important aspect of this work has
been the ongoing collaboration through dialogue that K-12 faculty in both
general and special education programs have begun to rely on to enhance the
learning of our students.
• continue to
identify and put into effect throughout the school system
classroom practices
and individual interventions that are culturally
responsive and
promote student achievement;
Administrators
from all levels of the system identified our goal as "raising the
achievement of all students and in doing so, narrowing the achievement gap for
students of color and students in lower socio-economic groups." To that end, during FY03, administrators from
across the system took a course in “culturally responsive” teaching
practices. We studied disaggregated MCAS
data that displayed the achievement gap and had a discussion on the hiring and
retention of teachers of color. The
Steering Committee is developing a research proposal to gather data on the
class of 2003, which will focus on factors that influenced student achievement
of students of color in this class. This
data will serve as criteria for reviewing our current practice and as a
baseline for examining the achievement of future classes.
2. To develop a
capital plan for meeting the needs of
To achieve
this goal we will:
• work with
City officials to implement ongoing construction at
The Operations Department has been
attending the weekly meetings with City officials, contractors, and the
architects to update the status of the project at South. We have played a role in verifying specs when
necessary and have voiced concerns when the project went in certain
directions. Also, we have been
instrumental in coordinating all events within the building involving
contractors, the school administration and faculty and staff. The project is now in the second phase and is
moving at a satisfactory pace.
• develop plans for phasing
construction at
Phasing
plans for NNHS were set aside in October when the Project Manager announced his
concerns about safety during renovations.
• assess the physical plant needs for
the school system and develop a
capital improvements plan for FY05-FY09;
Next
year, we are upgrading our capacity with the purchase of a web-based
software package for maintenance. This
software package will contain a module specifically designed for CIP. Not only will it accurately project out five
years, but it will extend as far as we would like to allow for planning of
these types of large expenditures. It
will be able to store expected life spans for equipment, installation dates,
all repairs made and will incorporate this type of critical information to
calculate the capital needs of the future.
This tool will allow the City to see the capital needs of its buildings
years in advance of the actual expense.
• explore options and create
policies for keeping all school buildings safe
and
secure;
At this time we have a one-door open
policy in the elementary and middle schools.
Each building has been issued a cell phone for the principal to keep in
contact with the school if/when they leave the building. A lockdown procedure has been developed and
is in the training phase with the administration. In the near future, the students will also be
trained on this new procedure. An
Emergency Response manual has been developed and will be installed in every
classroom by
• work with
City officials to improve the delivery of building maintenance
services;
In addition to the CIP module of the
software package, we have purchased a work order module as well. This web-based program will allow real time
entering of information, whether it is the actual work order or the information
the City craftsmen entered to update each work order. The program will allow individuals to look
into the system to track the status of their work order. As each work order is verified complete, a
transfer of funds will go directly to the City as payment for services
rendered. This will greatly improve the
turnaround time of transfer billing between
3. To develop a
budget for FY04 that sustains the essential programs and services of the School
Department – With the continuing sluggishness of the economy and the resulting
decline in state resources for schools, the school system will be challenged to
develop a forward-looking program within what will surely be tight fiscal
parameters. A number of factors will go
into the decision-making process, including public deliberation about what is
most precious in our school and therefore must be preserved. We will also review current practice to
determine if there are more cost-efficient ways to deliver comparable services
in the coming years.
To achieve this goal we will:
• prepare information and options
for the School Committee to consider as
we
commence collective bargaining with all NPS unions;
The
Central Staff has provided staff salary, benefits, and FTE data, as well as
comparative community information to the Negotiations Team. A detailed database
of actual personnel information including all step, range, FTE, and benefits
data, in a format which allowed the Negotiations Team to manipulate the information
through the use of pivot tables and spreadsheet tools, was also developed. The Team was able to use the data to
determine the costs associated with step increases, the impact of various
benefit proposals, and numbers of related analyses. We provided comprehensive data on surrounding
communities’ pay scales, employee benefits, and status of contract
negotiations, as well as size of staff, any reductions in force, and tax
override results.
• conduct a thorough and
comprehensive staffing audit of all positions in
the
school system, with an eye toward reorganizing the work force as
necessary
and desirable;
All
positions in the school system are tracked and reviewed annually in the
Staffing Reconciliation Report in October. This provides a clear accounting of
positions relative to the budget plan for FTEs for the year. All staffing is in
line with budget during FY03 as it was in FY02.
Over a several month period, each member of the Central Staff reviewed
every position in his/her area of responsibility with the charge of analyzing
the functions performed and the current outcomes. Positions were then redesigned or eliminated
in line with the functional goals of the department. In consultation with Future Management Systems,
Inc., the Central Staff worked to accomplish four goals: 1) to provide improved services to schools,
2) achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness in Central Office operations,
3) reduce the number of FTEs and realize cost savings, and 4) redefine jobs to
reflect current functions while providing a higher level of skills. An administrative reorganization plan was
prepared and integrated into the FY04 budget proposal, which reduces staffing
by more than fifteen FTEs with a savings of more than $750,000. The implementation of that plan is in
progress with twenty-two
(22) new positions now posted for applicants.
The reorganization affects all departments in the central administration
including the Superintendent’s direct staff.
A number of positions in the schools, including assistant principals and
assistant department heads, are also reduced as part of the streamlining of the
school system staffing plan.
• examine the special education
program to determine possible means for
delivering
comparable services in a more cost-efficient manner;
Reorganization of Special Education was
accomplished in the budget development process without losing the vision and
focus of the programs. Through program consolidation based on enrollment and efficiencies,
the system was able to meet legal and programmatic requirements. Continuation of inclusive practice was
exemplified by the proposed creation of a center for students with autism
spectrum disorders at
• focus on long-range forecasting
and financial planning so that the School
Committee can adopt with
confidence a budget that will be sustainable
in the
years to come;
As
part of the budget development process, the five year forecasting model was
brought up to date and used to project the FY04 budget needs in advance of the
budget process. The model was also used
in the salary forecasts used for planning for collective bargaining. In the spring of 2003, the five-year forecast
has been reviewed and brought forward through fiscal years 2005 through
2009. The forecasting model uses linked
spreadsheets to allow easy variations to a number of variables including enrollment
changes, contract settlements, and inflation factors. Useful as a one page summary for reviewing
the long term impact of various budget conditions and contract settlements, the
forecasting model can also be expanded to analyze subsets of the full budget
such as benefits trends, special education costs, and staffing levels. A revised model is in development to expand
and enhance the utility of the model under conditions of declining economic
resources. This work will continue in late FY03 and throughout FY04.
A
new FY04 school budget document was developed via School Committee and staff
collaboration. The budget book provides
clear data about the budget, several new summaries, a large appendix of
supplementary information, and a full annotation of budget line items.
4. To initiate a process
of public engagement, so that all segments of the greater community become
better informed of school programs, policies and decisions – The recent
override campaign drove home the importance of improving communication between
the school system and the community at large.
Using an established research base, and sharing responsibility for this
goal, the School Committee and the administration will lead the effort to
facilitate quality two-way communication.
To achieve this goal we will:
• establish structures to facilitate ongoing communication between the School Committee and the Board of Aldermen;
This objective should be further addressed during the 2003/04 school
year.
• create
outreach mechanisms to provide the public with important information about the
Newton Public Schools, including but not limited to newsletters and school
calendars;
The Newton Public Schools website contains a wealth of
information with links to all schools and all departments. It is updated frequently and is a useful tool
for all those seeking information about the school system.
The
Newton Schools Foundation Newsletter, mailed periodically to all households in
the city, is an important link between the schools and the community.
Twenty-one
schools communicate with the community through weekly newsletters, cable TV
programs, student newspapers, web pages, and email.
Teachers,
students, and administrators have attended and presented at workshops and
conferences both in and out of state.
Teachers and students have participated in exchanges in the
• continue
development of the School Department’s web site;
Our web site development is ongoing with
regular upgrades and revisions. Some
teachers have been trained in the development of classroom web sites. Other teachers may access this training by
appointment. This year, the registration
for the system-wide professional development day (12/2) was accomplished
on-line. Our annual Professional
Development Handbook is now on-line with both registration for workshops and
updates on professional development offerings (“What’s New” section) added
periodically.
This year, the application process in Human Resources has been put
on-line facilitating the hiring process.
All job vacancies are posted. Our
newspaper advertisements refer potential candidates to the web-site for more
detailed information about vacancies.
Beginning in the spring of 2003, candidates are able to apply for
positions on-line. The next step in the
process is to enable administrators to preview candidates’ credentials
on-line. In addition, a comprehensive
book list, developed by library media specialists for use by all families, K-6,
will be available on-line to suggest a wide variety of appropriate reading
materials. As a result of our SILC
grants, a data base of lessons that infuse technology
have been developed and will be web accessible to scale-up classroom
instruction and support the standards-based curriculum. Numerous other projects are ongoing that
capitalize on the expertise of our webmaster to integrate technology into the
teaching learning process.
• devise a
strategy and implementation plan for working more effectively with the media;
Timely
and substantive information about the schools is of interest not only to
parents but also to the whole community.
This year, as in the past, there have been articles about the schools
each week in the TAB and the News Tribune.
In addition to regular reporting about high school sports and issues
raised at School Committee meetings, there have been feature articles about
curriculum and programs at all grade levels.
NEWTV
has showcased the schools in regularly scheduled programs such as the
Superintendent’s "Newton Public Schools News and Views." NEWTV also regularly airs programs produced
by students at Brown and
• find ways to
reach out to senior citizens and engage them in school activities;
We have continued to engage with senior
citizens in a number of ways. The Fine Arts Department sends blocks of tickets
for school performances
to the
In an effort to expand our community
outreach, this year we developed plans to initiate a comprehensive school
volunteer program. Supported by a grant
from the Newton Schools Foundation, this proposal would prepare volunteers to
provide math tutorial services to struggling second graders in five
• re-connect
with citizens who, for one reason or another, have begun to feel
disenfranchised with respect to the school system;
The
Superintendent has committed to work with an advisory group from the community
to identify actual and potential "hot button" issues. Community meetings in the neighborhoods have
continued and will continue next year.