NEWTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE
MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING - JANUARY 28, 2002 EDUCATION CENTER, FRAZIER ROOM,
7:30 P.M.
PRESENT: Chairperson Anne Larner,
Vice-Chairperson Susan
Albright, Gail Glick,
Patricia Kellogg, Marc Laredo,
Nancy Levine, Leslie
Schneider, Dori Zaleznik, Lindsay
Dahlben, student
representative - Newton North High
School
ABSENT: Mayor David Cohen, student
representative, Newton
South High School
OPEN SESSION
At 5:30 p.m., it was
announced that the Committee will entertain a motion to convene in executive
session.
MOTION: It was moved, by
roll call vote, to convene in executive session for the purpose of discussing
matters related to collective bargaining. If passed, the Committee will
reconvene in open session at 7:30 p.m.
(Levine - Albright) 8-0- 1
Absent: Mayor Cohen
ROLL CALL VOTE BY WARD:
Ward 1, "yes"
(Glick); Ward 11, "yes" (Albright); Ward 111, "yes"
(Larner); Ward IV, "yes" (Levine); Ward V, "yes" (Kellogg);
Ward Vl, "yes" (Schneider); Ward Vll, "yes" (Laredo); Ward
V111, "yes" (Zaleznik); Mayor Cohen, absent
CALL TO ORDER
Chairperson Anne Larner
called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. She announced that they would first
present the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents Awards for
Academic Excellence and the Blumer Book Awards to five outstanding students.
She is pleased to be able to have this time to step back from their
deliberations around the dollars associated with the budget, to see how this
funding relates to program and students and their accomplishments.
PRESENTATION OF
MASSACHUSETTS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS (MASS) AWARDS FOR ACADEMIC
EXCELLENCE & BLUMER BOOK AWARDS
Superintendent Jeffrey
Young presented the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (MASS)
Awards for Academic Excellence, in conjunction with Irwin Blumer, previous
Superintendent of Newton Public Schools, who presented the Fifth Annual Blumer
Book Awards. These outstanding students are commended for their academic
excellence and the myriad of extra-curricular activities in which they are
involved. They, along with their teachers and parents, should be congratulated.
Andrew Gerst Newton North High School
Benjamin Green Newton North High School
Peter Williams Newton North High School
Rebecca Levy Newton South High School
Ricky Liu Newton South High School
PRESENTATION OF WISE
INDIVIDUALIZED SENIOR EXPERIENCE (WISE)
PR O G RA M
Marla Weiner, Program
Coordinator, thanked the Committee for giving them this opportunity to speak
about the program, which was initially funded two years ago through a grant
from the Newton Schools Foundation. At least 60 schools nationwide participate.
The goal of the program is to keep seniors active toward the end of their high
school career with projects and internships of their own design for academic
credit. Last year 22 students participated and this year the number is up to
32. The program is open to all seniors, at every curriculum level, and is
overseen by a faculty mentor. Students keep journals, engage in research, and
execute a final presentation. The program provides students an opportunity to
engage in real work experience and explore possible career choices. It forces
them to take responsibility for their learning and practice independent
thinking skills. It helps them transition from high school to the adult world.
It encourages connections with the community. A task force composed of
teachers, students, parents and community representatives oversees, supports,
and guides the program. Some of the obstacles they face are lack of funding,
difficulty in maneuvering the high school schedule, concerns about finding
placements, and time constraints on staff. However, they are working hard to
overcome these obstacles and are very excited about their successes. She then
introduced the three students who will discuss their experiences: Rebecca Levy,
Newton South High School senior, Jason Williams, previous Newton South High
School student now attending Boston College, and Liang Qui, previous Newton
South High School student now attending Emerson College.
Liang Qui stated that the
main lesson she learned from the WISE Program was not to be afraid to make
mistakes and changes. Her initial proposal was to work as an intern in an
advertising agency. After some time, she realized this was not to her liking
and instead changed her project and wrote and illustrated a children's book.
This also changed her thinking from majoring in business in college and instead
chose journalism.
Jason Williams appreciated
the fact that in this program he could choose whatever project interested him,
so he picked an internship at Fleet Bank. He shared one particular success
story of a friend who participated in the WISE Program. This girl initially
thought she wanted to be a doctor, but came out with a very different
perspective after completing the program. She put together her love for music
with her desire to care for people and is now studying music education. This
shows that this is not just a continuation of what students are already doing
in high school, but a real chance to broaden interests.
Becky Levy sees the program
as a means to take what she has learned beyond the classroom and apply it to
something that has always fascinated her and that is the field of genetics. She
will be doing an internship at Whitehead Institute at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology.
Anne Larner thanked the
group for their interesting presentation.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Barbara Cronmiller, 150
Oliver Rd., Waban, talked about how special education services have helped her
son, who suffers from autism. He went from a frustrated, non-verbal child, to
an accomplished student who has received advanced scores on the Massachusetts
Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exams and who is making great progress.
He originally participated in a substantially separate classroom, which helped
teach him the skills necessary for participating in the regular education
program, and then moved into an inclusion classroom at Franklin. He has had
fabulous teachers and aides, who have helped him to increase his workload with
less assistance each year. Without this support, he would have required outside
placement. He is now ready to enter an integrated program at Brown Middle School,
which will be less restrictive, but still supportive. These programs keep
children in their community schools at less cost to the system than if they
were in outside placements.
Anne O'Halloran, teacher at
Angier Elementary School, co-teaches in an integrated classroom. She has been
in the profession since 1972 and, therefore, has seen many changes in the area
of special education services. What she has learned is that all people in the
system have to be committed to inclusion. Newton supports these efforts through
their hiring of staff and staff development opportunities. She is concerned
about inflammatory statements she has been reading in the media. She suggested
these people talk to parents, staff, and students and visit the schools, to see
firsthand what inclusion is all about and why Newton has such an excellent
reputation in this field.
Virgil Vickers, 70
Windemere Rd., wished to speak tonight in defense of what some people are
calling "touchy-feely" jobs, i.e., guidance counselors, psychologists,
social workers, and aides. These people work directly with students providing
the necessary support they require to mitigate obstacles in learning, so that
they can be successful in school. These services are one reason why Newton has traditionally
had a low dropout rate. People who argue against funding these programs are
pitting cost against a child's needs. While these things may seem like frills
to those who are not familiar with them, in fact, they are a way to address
issues that could cost the system more at a later time.
Kirk Daffner, 101 Central
Ave., is a parent of two children in the school system and one of whom has
attended the integrated class at Angier. This class housed both a regular and
special education teacher, as well as an aide. There were 25 students, with 1/3
having special needs. These children are intelligent and have great potential,
but have an array of complex issues. Working with them to help them reach their
full potential is extremely labor intensive. To be successful, they require
individual attention, small group work, and repeated exposure to material.
Without the support in the classroom, the children would constantly be pulled
from class disrupting not only their schedules but also those of all the
students in the classroom. Staff has created a remarkable environment where all
students are respectful of one another and learn that everyone has different
strengths and weaknesses. Children are learning, as well as feeling a part of a
community. High demands are placed on the entire class. The integrated program
is very effective in meeting the educational goals and is cost effective in
accomplishing these objectives.
Len Mead, 27 Camden Rd.,
Auburndale, President of the Newton Taxpayers Association, stated that the
schools cannot be managed within their budgets, which have been rising at a
cost three times higher than inflation for the past five years. The main cause
of this increase is additional staffing that is out of line with enrollment. Special
education is now 23% of the budget. The current administration and School
Committee does not appear willing to attempt to manage the budget. This year
they are asking for twice the entire city revenue growth of last year to keep
pace. They are calling for an override, at a time when the economy is in a
two-year recession. An override would force the elderly out of Newton, and will
not address issues of waste and mismanagement in the system. Therefore, the
Board of Directors of the Newton Taxpayers Association calls for the School
Committee to fire the Superintendent and replace him with someone who can
better control the budget.
Brian Camenker, 34
Staniford St., talked about what he views as reoccurring problems in the school
system around issues dealing with sex education and vulgarity in theater
productions. State law requires parental notification on the matter of sex
education. However, the Superintendent has stated that in his view these
programs are not about human sexuality, but rather about human rights and,
therefore, parents do not need to be notified. This kind of comment shows a
lack of respect for true diversity in the schools. He also supports the
replacement of the Superintendent.
Jake Anderson, student
representative, and Mark Blogier, 5 Jenison St., parent representative of the
Newton North High School Council, addressed some of the building infrastructure
concerns, e.g., poor ventilation, broken and damaged equipment, carpeting and
painting needs, water leakage, insufficient furnishings, and inoperable
restroom facilities. They understand that the budget has been underfunded for a
number of years and the new Chief of Operations is trying to address these
issues. However, waiting three years for the renovations to begin is far too
long a timeframe and they hope this can be addressed sooner.
Faye Ruopp, 25 Groveland
St., Newton North parent, initially was prepared to speak this evening about
standards of excellence. However, given the comments made by two previous
speakers, she felt compelled to respond. The problems being faced in this
budget are a result of Newton not investing sufficient funds to keep pace with
neighboring communities. For too many years they have lived with cuts to
services and programs. It is only because of the excellent staff, who have
continually made due with less, that the system is not in even more dire
straights. She has total confidence in the Superintendent, who has recently
come under attack by a small, but vocal group of citizens. His concern for
every child, knowledge of educational issues, willingness to listen to parents
and community members with divergent opinions, dedication to the staff, and
highly effective communication skills, are all admirable qualities. People need
to work together to find solutions to difficult fiscal problems rather than
discrediting reputations. Newton has managed to survive without an override,
while neighboring communities such as Wellesley, Wayland, Sudbury, Lincoln,
Brookline, Weston, Concord, Arlington and Lexington have understood the
importance of education and have supported these measures.
Jessica Spahn, 300 Ward
St., stated that special education students who receive appropriate
instructional services and support grow up to be productive and active
citizens, while those that do not end up being a drain on society. Newton
offers some of the best programs in the State and is a model of what is
possible when a community believes that all its children are equally important.
Many parents of regular education students request their children be placed in
the integrated classroom because of its rich academics, creative environment,
and diversity. Support for direct services is the last place cuts should be
made in a budget.
Kathy Jordan Quern, 13
Prospect St., parent of a child in the Angier integrated program, talked about
how this classroom has helped her daughter. New England Medical Center reviewed
the program and is now recommending it as a model for others.
Sean Jordan, 13 Prospect
St., 1996 Newton North High School graduate, recalled how special education
services were what allowed him to graduate. He was not diagnosed with his
learning disabilities until high school and did poorly in his earlier academic
years. However, once services were provided, his grades improved remarkably. If
everyone had firsthand knowledge of what these programs can accomplish, they
would not be recommending them for the "chopping block."
Deborah Garnick, 1717
Beacon St., parent of three children in the system, spoke of her positive
experiences with the integrated program and the gifted teachers involved. For
her children, who did not have special needs, the program taught them about
diversity, which will be helpful to them for the rest of their lives. They
learned that people with special needs are no different than themselves, but
that they bring different ways of learning to a task.
Anne Larner stated that the
School Committee fully supports the Superintendent and has no intention of
asking for his resignation.
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES'
DISCUSSION
Lindsay Dahlben talked
about how the Newton North community is feeling somewhat left out given the
emphasis on the work on the Tier 1 elementary schools and Newton South High
School. Previous speakers addressed some of the specific concerns regarding
maintenance of the building. She related a personal incident in which a piece
of ceiling in one of her classrooms fell down during class. She hopes they will
not delay some of the real issues that need to be addressed immediately at
their school. These are safety hazards that are only going to worsen over time.
Anne Larner mentioned that
there is a substantial amount of money in the requested budget for supplies and
materials at both high schools. The School Committee is well aware of the
situation at Newton North and she hopes they can fully fund this area.
Michael Cronin, Chief of
Operations, agreed that the need is great at Newton North. He is working
closely with staff at that building to address as many of the problem as they
can within the limited budget currently in place. Next year's budget calls for
an increase of $575,000 for building maintenance. In the interim, he hopes this
summer to address the heating and ventilation problems systemwide, as well as
to continue to develop a better system for maintenance & repair orders
(M&Rs).
R ECO G N I Tl O N S
None.
APPROVAL OF SCHOOL
COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
None.
OPERATIONS STATUS REPORT
Michael Cronin discussed
the highlights of the report. Forty-three thousand dollars is all that remains
in charter maintenance, with a half year remaining. However, knowing at the
beginning of the year that they were going to face tight fiscal constraints,
they encumbered $329,000 for any problems that might arise with boilers,
heating/ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC), roofs, etc. There is a
$230,000 balance in this account for any further emergency repairs.
The electronic billing
process is in place and working quite well, albeit with some minor glitches.
This program will ultimately allow them to have up-to-date information on all
M&Rs.
The Memorial-Spaulding
project is progressing on schedule and they are further ahead in the work than
they were with Williams at this point.
In terms of custodial
overtime, they have spent $195,000 of the $326,000 in this account, or 60%. In addition,
there is $34,458 of overtime associated with administrative costs in the area
of use of school buildings fees for school events. These are extra costs
associated with custodial overtime events that are not billable to users. but
that the schools cannot afford to pay. Therefore, it is taken out of this
account. This is another area that they are reviewing.
In terms of summer
projects, they have asked each school to prioritize the top three improvement
projects that they would like to see accomplished in their buildings. If the
requested funding is approved in this budget, they will be able to begin
addressing these requests.
HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING
PROJECT UPDATE
Heidi Black, Liaison for
High School Planning, was not able to be present this evening, but any
questions the Committee has about the report will be forwarded to her for a
response. There were no questions.
DISCUSSION ITEMS DISCUSSION
OF GUIDANCE PROGRAM
Carol Daynard, Assistant
Superintendent for Pupil Services, provided the Committee with a description of
the guidance program, which begins in grade six in Newton. An excellent
transition/open house program is in place for families of students coming from
elementary into the middle schools. The average ratio of students to guidance counselors
at this level is 173:1. At the high schools, the ratio is 186.5:1. The role of
the guidance counselor is wide and varied -- from personal, individual
counseling, to group work. They are involved in general assistance on academics,
scheduling, and career counseling, and work with students on social and
emotional issues, as well as crisis intervention. Both high schools also have
fully-staffed career centers. In addition, there are drug and alcohol
counselors, who do both prevention and intervention, as well as some anger
management and other group work linked to the courts.
Sam Schneider, guidance
counselor at Brown Middle School, talked about the services counselors provide
to students at this level. They help students talk through difficulties they
may be experiencing either at school or at home. Many of the difficulties at
this age center around social concerns and even small issues can be very
overwhelming for students, leaving less time to focus on learning. They have a good
opportunity to get to know students well, so that they can tailor their
services appropriately to each individual. They are there to empower, support,
and advocate. They are also available as a resource for teachers. They are
constantly in motion; circulating throughout the school to do whatever is
needed. They are the bridge between elementary and high school and must help
students successfully transition at each level. Today's lifestyles for children
can be very stressful. Having an adult listen to them is what is paramount to
their success.
Carol Kerrissey, Guidance
Department Head at Newton North High School, is pleased to have this
opportunity to discuss their work. Newton North is a very exciting and diverse
community. The role of the high school guidance counselor is fairly comparable
to that at the middle schools, except students at this age are dealing with
different issues. The academic pressures are more intense. Hormones are
flowing. Temptations to participate in risky behaviors are greater. The schools
are also much larger buildings and counselors have a greater population of
students. To make matters even more complicated, students want to be more
independent, while at the same time needing an adult for direction. The
developmental guidance program model that they utilize provides services in a
proactive manner rather than only addressing problems after they have
escalated. Each counselor sees all their students in small groups in order to
establish relationships and make an initial connection, which often leads to
regular contact. They also train older students to work with younger ones. In
these instances, guidance aides disseminate information in homerooms and lead
peer mentor groups where students serve as ambassadors to the school and help
students maneuver and find their way in a larger and more complex building.
Their role also involves working with parents. In addition, there are more
cases today of divorced and remarried parents, so often they are dealing with
several people. They consult with teachers and other staff, as well as outside
agencies to coordinate services. Another interesting component of their jobs is
that there are many immigrant students in the school and they have to be
sensitive to these different cultures and expectations. She then relayed
several personal counseling experiences that demonstrated their various roles.
She concluded by discussing
how competitive the college application process is today, as there are so many
more students applying for limited openings. A frenzy has been occurring over
the past few years in the area of early admissions. This has added more stress
to students, families, teachers, counselors, and secretaries, as requests are
made for letters of recommendation, copies of transcripts, assistance with
applications, etc. By January of this year they had handled over 300 more
applications than last year at this same time. They are estimating that by the
end of the year, they will have processed more than 1,000 applications for the
class of 2002 than they did for the class of 1997, which was only five years
ago. One student alone this year applied to 29 schools and 87 have applied to
more than 10. She does not believe this is healthy for students.
Vaunita Schnell, Guidance
Dept. Head at Newton South High School, is pleased to be able to speak to the
School Committee about the role of the guidance counselor and thanked this
group and previous Committees for their continual support. She passed out a
survey she gave to her guidance staff regarding their experiences over the past
five years on number of meetings, time spent with students and changes in job
responsibilities. Every generation is different than the previous, so people
should not compare schools today to what they were like years ago Today's world
and family situations are more stressful. Life was somewhat simpler years ago.
Now, often both parents are working and the divorce rate is much higher.
However, she wanted to make it clear that most students are doing very well.
Under the leadership of
Carol Daynard, they have developed the group work programs, which have been
enormously helpful in ensuring that all students have contact with a counselor.
Ninety percent of students return to a counselor when there is an issue, if
they have had a chance to meet with one prior. Preventative work is probably
the most important piece of what they do on a daily basis. Being proactive
means warding off future problems. Twenty-nine years ago, when she started
working in this system, the ratio of students to guidance counselors was 150:1.
There were four attendance counselors, a psychologist, a social worker, a
community outreach worker, and two prevention programs. There were also many
more resources available in the community. While many of these services are no
longer in place, they are fortunate today to have many excellent special
education programs. Crisis intervention teams are one example of these new
successful programs. She talked about a great need this year with the ninth
grade class, who were greatly impacted by the Oak Hill tragedy last year.
Discipline issues and several hospitalizations have occurred as a result of
that incident. Increased attention, interventions, and support have been necessary
for this class.
She concluded by stating
that while guidance counselors do their best at their jobs, they are
overwhelmed by the increased number of students and their complex needs,
increased paperwork as a result of special education mandates, more meetings,
and less time to spend time with students. It can be a very frustrating
situation.
Susan Albright asked what
the School Committee can do to make things easier for students and guidance
counselors.
Vaunita Schnell replied
that lower ratios and class sizes would provide more opportunity for
interventions and proactive work. Advanced placement classes probably suffer
the most because the rationale is that they can better handle larger numbers.
Carol Kerrissey added that
large classes are also a detriment to the marginal student, who receives less
attention, struggles more and eventually gives up. Reducing the ratio would be
her preference over adding additional specialists or other personnel, because
as caseloads increase, the relationship between counselor and student is
jeopardized, which puts students at a greater risk. She also mentioned that
accessibility to technology would help counselors immensely. Easy access to
computers and email would assist in writing communications and reports and
providing faster communication with staff and parents.
Gail Glick asked if they
could provide a picture of which things are prioritized and which fall into
second place as a result of time and workload constraints.
Vaunita Schnell replied
that college admissions have deadlines, so they have to be a priority. Any
discipline issues or situations that arise on a daily basis have to be
addressed immediately. It is the proactive things that get set aside. There are
many students that she knows could use some assistance. If they do not come to
her, she has them on her list of things to do, but often other priorities take
precedence.
Leslie Schneider believes
that safety must be a priority, both physically and emotionally. This is particularly
true at the middle school level, where children's emotions are fluctuating and
intense. Organizing all the people and services necessary to keep things moving
smoothly and providing services and follow-up is a tremendous task.
Marc Laredo stated that
some systems separate the college counseling and admissions process from other
guidance functions and he wondered how people felt about that approach.
Vaunita Schnell believes
that the Career and College Resource Center provides an incredible amount of
specialized services and knowledge. If they did not have this service, she
would be more in favor of separating the programs.
Carol Kerrissey is
philosophically opposed to having outside specialists conduct college
counseling because the nature of a developmental program is that the counselor
follows students' progress over time and gets to know them as individuals. For
someone to step in at the junior or senior year and try to provide meaningful
direction does not seem like a good model.
Patty Kellogg asked about
first contact with guidance counselors for sixth-graders and how often they
connect with students during their middle school careers.
Sam Schneider responded
that counselors see every sixth-grader upon their entrance into the school.
Each child is placed in a group of between 9-12 students and is involved in
activities around getting to know not only the counselors, but the other
students as well. This is very helpful since they are coming from different
neighborhoods and schools. Once this foundation has been established, further
contact occurs in a variety of ways, such as visiting classrooms and
developmental group sessions. In eighth grade, they work with the students on
the transition to high school through the registration process.
Patty Kellogg asked if the
ratio at the middle school level is appropriate.
Sam Schneider replied that
it is somewhat tight now. A smaller ratio would be helpful in providing them
some more time with the quiet students, to see if there are any issues they
might have that are not evident.
Leslie Schneider asked how
much of the counselor's time is spent on course selection.
Vaunita Schnell explained
that they start right after February vacation and attempt to meet with every
student to go over their schedule. Unfortunately, Education Reform and college
prerequisite mandates have dictated more of the courses students must take,
thereby leaving less time for electives. These electives provide a breadth of
program, which is particularly necessary in a community like Newton, where most
students are very motivated and could use a break from the stress of too much
academics.
Nancy Levine asked if they
could be specific about a ratio that would work for their caseload.
Sam Schneider stated 150:1.
Vaunita Schnell noted that
the Guidance Advisory Committee also recommends this ratio. Even the 170:1 that
they reached a few years ago was noticeably better. While she would prefer the
former number, even the latter would be much appreciated.
Carol Kerrissey worked in a
school where the ratio was 150:1 and there were significant differences in
service delivery. She dreams about reaching that number in Newton, but she too
would be happy to return to the 170:1.
Susan Albright asked how
much more staffing would be required to reach this goal.
Carol Daynard replied that
to reach a ratio of 175:1 would require 2.5 full-time equivalencies (FTEs).
VOTE TO APPROVE DONATIONS
MOTION: It was moved to
approve the donations to the Early Childhood Program and the Zervas Elementary
School, as outlined in Attachment C.
(Albright - Glick) 8-0- 1
Absent: Mayor Cohen
REVIEW OF PROPOSED BUDGET
Dori Zaleznik would like to
see if there is someplace in the budget to transfer funding in order to provide
some more support to the high schools, in terms of both class size and guidance
counselors.
Marc Laredo is pleased that
there is a substantial amount of funding in the budget for building maintenance
and security, but even that amount is not sufficient to bring them up to where
they should be in this area. He asked for a review of this account.
Susan Albright echoed Ms.
Zaleznik's request for some additional support for the high schools. In
addition to staffing, she would like to also look at textbooks.
Nancy Levine would like to
focus on replacing what has been lost over the past few years in the budget
before beginning to think about enhancements.
Gail Glick also has
concerns about the high schools, as well as the literacy program. She would
like some more information on the savings and economies they expect to gain
from expanding this initiative.
Anne Larner also has
concerns about the high schools, but needs to see the tradeoffs in order to
understand the balance.
Jeff Young will take all of
these comments under advisement in preparing a recommendation..
ACTION ITEMS
None.
COMM UNICATIONS
Anne Larner announced that
she has assigned Susan Albright, Dori Zaleznik, and Leslie Schneider to a
planning committee that will review the School Committee's self-development.
Nancy Levine congratulated
the five new School Committee members for the way they have digested and
intelligently deliberated on this budget in such a short timeframe.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Leora Feldstein, 21 Clark
St., sophomore at Newton South High School, talked about the importance of
guidance counselors and how essential they are in the lives of students. Her
counselor was instrumental in helping her change her schedule when problems
arose. She also helped her deal with am issue she had with a teacher. Her
friends have had family issues and stress that their counselors have helped
them with and one received a note of commendation from his counselor on a
report he had completed. While they are supportive and caring, they are also
very busy because of the number of students in their caseload.
Margot Steinberg, 136 Ridge
Rd., member of the Newton Citywide Guidance Advisory Committee, is pleased that
the School Committee seems to be so sympathetic and supportive of the
importance of guidance in the schools. If they do not try to lower the guidance
ratios, they are only going to continue to creep up as enrollment g rows.
Christine Vulopas, 48
Harrison St., spoke about her sons' experiences in the Anger integrated
classroom. As a child with learning disabilities, this program greatly
increased his chances of academic success. He had previously attended Zervas
and while the staff was tremendous, he was having to be pulled from class seven
to eight time a week. This called for quick transitions, which took a toll on
him academically and emotionally. In the integrated classroom, he receives all
the support he requires within the class and any necessary modification occurs instantaneously.
Small group instruction can happen more frequently, which requires less
one-on-one support. He is once again confident and successful and is excited
about learning. This is a model program that is being copied in other systems.
Teddi May, 20 Wamesit Rd.,
is a parent of a child with Down's Syndrome, who has been in the inclusion
program since kindergarten and is now in eighth grade at Brown. She has always
believed that the best place for her son is at his neighborhood school. While
some of his curriculum must be modified, he is a contributing member of his
class. He works on group projects, makes presentations, plays the trumpet, and
participates in all classroom activities. Children with disabilities help to
teach others about respect and differences. The community must not fear
investing in these programs early in a child's career, because it is only with
these type of supports that they can grow into productive, taxpaying citizens.
In conclusion, she commented on the important role that her son's guidance
counselor plays. He has to see him on a daily basis to review his schedule for
the day. They have developed a great relationship that will be invaluable over
the next three years.
Peter Sterpe, 163 Dorset
Rd., Angier parent, wished to dispel some of the misconceptions about children
with special needs and their aides. Aides are not baby-sitters, nor are they
luxuries or optional. His daughter is borderline quadriplegic and is
non-verbal. She needs the assistance of an aide to adapt the work and
participate in classroom discussions. These aides make the difference between a
child remaining in Newton Public Schools or having to be serviced in a far more
expensive outside placement. The other misconception he wished to dispel is
that these children take funding away from regular education students and give nothing
in return. On the contrary, they give back a great deal. He relayed a personal
incident in which his daughter helped another classmate who was upset to sit
together and read a book. She was able to do this through the use of her
adapted computer and not through the usual methods of verbal language or touch
i ng.
Maggie Orr, 95 Court St.,
Newtonville, talked about her daughter, who is in her second year in the
inclusion program at Horace-Mann Elementary School. Prior to this, she was in a
private placement, which was not in her best interest. She now has friends in
her class without disabilities. She is a brownie scout. Her speech continues to
improve. Modifications are made to her curriculum immediately. The staff is
what makes the program so successful. She hopes the Committee will keep these
children in mind when making final decisions about the budget.
Stephen Linsky, 9 Simpson
Terr., member of the Board of Aldermen, is impressed by the number of people in
attendance and the passion they are expressing about important issues that
impact on their children and all students in the schools. This City faces a
difficult financial situation ahead and the Board of Aldermen and School
Committee need to continue to be well informed and communicate with each other
as often as possible.
ADJOURNM ENT
The meeting was adjourned
at 10:40 p.m.