NEWTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE
MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING – OCTOBER 28, 2002
EDUCATION CENTER, FRAZIER ROOM, 7:30 P.M.
PRESENT: Chairperson
Anne Larner, Vice-Chairperson Susan Albright, Patricia Kellogg, Marc Laredo,
Nancy Levine, Leslie Schneider, Dori Zaleznik, Mayor David Cohen, Annie Levine,
student representative – Newton North High School, Keith Agoada, student representative – Newton South High School
ABSENT: Gail
Glick
CALL
TO ORDER
At
7:00 p.m. the meeting was called to order in Room #207. The Committee heard from Alex Lazar, Isaac
Silver and Gwen Arber, Newton North High School sophomores, who presented their
perspective on the problems related to the Massachusetts Comprehensive
Assessment System (MCAS) exam, both at their school and in other communities,
particularly urban settings.
Superintendent
Jeffrey Young introduced Newton’s Cochairpersons of the Jinghsan School
Exchange program – Carolyn Henderson and Charlotte Mason. Their reputation is spreading and many other
school districts are inquiring about this program and expressing interest in
doing similar work. Newton is very
proud and lucky to have these two staff members on board.
Carolyn
Henderson and Charlotte Mason spoke about the exchange program, which Newton
has been hosting since 1985, and which has grown and flourished over the
years. It is not only the students and
teachers who are directly part of the exchange who benefit, but many others as
well. The Chinese teachers visit and
teach in several classes and schools during their stay and the Newton staff and
students return and share their experiences.
There are also offshoots that have resulted from this exchange. For example, the Newton South High School
chorale is planning a trip to China this spring and they will perform with
students from the Jingshan School. In
addition, they have integrated a great deal of Asian history and culture into
the curriculum and the Jingshan School is renown for its English studies.
Introductions
were then made of both groups:
Newton’s
contingent: teachers – Michael Kozuch,
George Swift; students – Matthew Borg, Nathaniel Brevard, Susannah Dyen, Andrew
Magnus, Nicholas Rice, Nathan Randall
This
group will be going to China in early 2003.
They were selected this past April and have spent the summer in an
intensive study of China’s culture and language.
Jingshan’s
contingent: teachers – An Yuan, Cao
Lei; students – Gan Quan, Lu Shu Yang, Xing Wenda, Zhang Quishi, Wu Yue, Gui
Jie, Han Mo, Zheng Peng
These
people are staying with host families, as does Newton’s contingent. The host families have been wonderfully
generous and involved and she asked them to stand and be acknowledged.
Individual
students and teachers from both Newton and Jingshan spoke about their
excitement and gratitude to have been chosen to participate in a program that
provides an opportunity to learn about the similarities and differences between
the cultures.
Richard
D’Angela, 36 Saco St., Newton, talked about his two children who received
special education services and who both failed MCAS despite the fact that they
are honor roll students and have received special achievement awards. Even after received additional support, one
daughter did worse in the retest.
Obviously they are part of a small minority of students who simply do
not test well. He has years of report
cards indicating that they do not comprehend easily and do poorly on
tests. It is the local communities that
are best able to ascertain their students’ achievements. These children have worked hard to overcome
many obstacles and they have earned the right to a diploma. His daughter wants to join the Air Force and
his son wants to attend culinary arts school.
Without a diploma they may not reach these goals.
Howard
Sholkin, 24 Brentwood Ave., Newton Centre, is troubled that the State is
relying on one test score to measure success, when colleges use a range of
measures. There are gaps in the MCAS
exam and alternate assessments and it is unfair to punish students while these
issues are being addressed. While
testing is useful, it should not be the sole measure for graduation. He would like Newton to take a stand against the high stakes nature of the
test and demand other opportunities to develop alternatives that assess not
just how students test, but whether they have met the standards using a variety
of assessments to reflect diverse educational styles.
Joan
Goldberg, 148 Sumner St., continues to oppose the MCAS as a graduation
requirement for the many reasons she has stated in the past, i.e., problems
with the test itself; negative impact on Time & Learning; discrimination
against the economically disadvantaged, minorities, English as a Second
Language (ESL),
and
special needs students. She expressed
concern for students who pass all their classes and work hard to meet local
requirements, but who will fail MCAS and not receive a diploma. This is a severe measure with lifelong
repercussions. Education should be about
helping rather than punishing children.
She hopes they will continue their support for the Brookline resolution,
which currently has 57 supporters.
Richard
Krushnic, 138 Waverly Ave., Newton North High School parent, shares the
opinions of those opposed to MCAS as a sole graduation requirement, even though
both of his children passed the exams with no trouble given the excellent
education they have received in Newton.
He is more concerned about students in other less fortunate communities,
where dropout rates have doubled since the inception of MCAS. It is not only the children who are at risk
of failing that will suffer, but the ones who will never get counted because
they have left school.
Eileen
Freiberg-Dale, 68 Carl St., read a statement on behalf of Anne Sullivan, 3
Bowdoin St., Newton Highlands. Ms.
Sullivan quotes from an October 26, 2002 New
York Times article about Senator Paul Wellstone, who grew up struggling in
school because of learning disabilities and who scored lower than 800 out of a
total of 1600 on his college boards. As
a result of his experiences, he continually opposes measures that emphasize
standardized test scores. Even as an
adult he has difficulty interpreting charts and graphs quickly, but has learned
to overcome his disabilities by studying harder and taking more time to absorb
information. As a parent of a student
at risk for not passing the exam, but succeeding in course requirements, Ms.
Sullivan challenges the legality of using a sole measure to award diplomas.
Eileen
Freiberg-Dale next spoke on her own behalf.
The fact that 57 other communities have signed onto the Brookline
resolution is indicative of the concerns around the high stakes nature of
MCAS. It does not matter that there are
five opportunities for students to retake the exam because each time they
become more humiliated and discouraged.
They may not have the skills that fit the exam, but if they have passed
their courses, completed their work, and shown that they are learning in other
ways, they deserve a diploma.
Certificates are not acceptable because they will not open doors to all
opportunities.
Julia
Landau-Taylor, 46 Morton Rd., Newton parent and an attorney who works with a
children’s advocacy organization, has spent a substantial amount of time over
the past several years looking at issues of equity and access for children with
special needs and disabilities who are participating in MCAS. She agrees with the concerns expressed by
the previous speakers and noted that the Commonwealth is at a critical
juncture. Alarming failure rates are being reported, which reflect school
districts lack of adequate time to prepare children for the high stakes nature
of the test. The vast majority of these
students are in urban areas and have special needs or limited English
proficiency. Without a high school
diploma they will be deprived of any post-secondary or vocational
opportunities. The barriers that this population
of children face are already huge.
Certificates
vs. diplomas will mean a two-tiered system.
Local communities should retain their rights to issue diplomas. The stakes are too high to do anything
different. Newton should take a
leadership role statewide by supporting Brookline’s resolution.
Al
Leisinger, 1002 Beacon St., high school teacher in Winchester, mentioned that
the State is advertising for people to advise and consult with the private
organization that has developed MCAS, which shows how poorly they are managing
the test. He then quoted failure rates
in several major urban cities and stated that the State is bordering on the
criminal in its treatment of minority and immigrant populations. He mentioned that Winchester had purchased
new social studies textbooks last year, only to have the DOE revise the
standards in that curriculum. Now they
have to determine if the purchased texts are adequate. He hopes Newton will continue to support
Brookline’s resolution. They are
dealing with a problem that needs not just repair, but massive
reorganization.
None.
The
following recognitions were acknowledged:
Professor Robert Horvitz, Williams Elementary
School parent,
who was selected to share the 2002 Nobel Prize in
physiology,
for
his work on discoveries concerning genetic regulation of organ development and
programmed cell death.
Fran
Zilonis, Director of Information Technology, for being
Chosen
as one of six of twenty-one applicants to receive a
Pathfinder
2002 Technology Award from Massachusetts
Computer
Using Educators, Inc.
None.
Jeff
Young reported that all seven of the capital improvement projects have been
completed or are in progress. As
mentioned in the last report, 70+ summer projects were undertaken, at a cost of
approximately $550,000. The new
telephone system is in place, with the exception of the two high schools, which
should be on line by the end of this year.
Excellent training in their usage was provided. A particular thanks goes out to Jeff Knight,
Superintendent of Fire Alarms and Communications, who has been an excellent
troubleshooter for staff.
Jeff
Young spoke of the tour he took last week of Phase IB of the Newton South High
School, which was very impressive. He
could begin to imagine what the new classrooms are going to look like once they
are outfitted with various technology and furnishings. The floor tiles were being installed and
painting had begun. The beginning of Phase
II was also evident by the large crane lifting pieces of steel into place.
Jeff
Young reported that of the $320,000 owed to the system through this program,
all but $400 was collected, as a result of the excellent work of Barbara Sauro,
who is overseeing the program. Waivers
are handled on a case-by-case basis, when necessary.
Nancy
Levine, Chairperson of the Use of school Buildings Subcommittee, added that
this is the first year of the implementation of the new policy. There are some issues that have come to
their attention and they intend to return to the School Committee in the spring
with some recommendations for minor changes to the policy. She too thanked Ms. Sauro for her efforts.
Michael
Cronin, Chief of Operations, emphasizes that this work could not have been done
without the assistance of Ms. Sauro, who has developed a good system and has
been aggressive in collections.
Jeff
Young noted that there are a number of new meal choices that have been added to
the program, which are available online.
In addition, all cafeteria staff
are
being trained in the Safe Serve
program, which addresses food handling and sanitation. This is part of the city-sponsored training
around safe and clean environments, of which custodial staff will also be
involved.
Michael
Cronin introduced Jack Jones, Food Services Director, who has served in this
role for the past 15 months. Jack has
15 years of experience in the food service industry, so he comes with a wealth
of knowledge and an extensive background.
He has done a great job already in Newton in his first year.
Jack
Jones briefed the Committee on the Safe
Serve program, which deals with proper sanitation in serving safe food to
children. The Massachusetts Health
Dept. requires one certified trainer in each food service establishment. They are going to attempt to have two people
for each site, so that there will be a backup on hand should someone be
absent.
Jeff
Young asked about future challenges for the food services program.
Jack
Jones admitted that school food services are nearly recession proof. However, when the economy does poorly, there
are increased numbers of children utilizing the free/reduced lunch program,
which forces increased prices. They
work hard at utilizing the commodity foods distributed by the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA), which helps keep costs down. One area that tends to pose problems is in
hiring and retaining quality, knowledgeable staff, as is the case with any
retail establishment.
Annie
Levine has received student complaints about the lack of kosher and vegetarian
dishes.
Jack
Jones admitted that it would be extremely difficult to serve a kosher
meal. However, in terms of vegetarian
options, there are a number of pasta and rice-based dishes available, as well
as a salad bar. There are also
vegetarian sandwiches at the deli bar.
A student food advisory committee is being formed at Newton North and he
will be meeting with that group next week.
Susan
Albright encouraged more vegetarian dishes, perhaps including bean-based, which
are both healthy and tasty. Given all
that is reported about child obesity, these are positive alternatives.
Jack
Jones announced that they are going to open an all-vegetable deli at Newton
North sometime in the next few months.
Keith
Agoado talked about the high cost of pizza in Newton South’s cafeteria, which
forces students to go out for lunch and purchase it cheaper elsewhere.
Jack
Jones responded that they purposely price slices high in order to encourage
students to purchase a complete meal rather than eating just pizza. The $2.50 meal includes a slice of pizza,
vegetable, fruit, and milk. Only if a
student purchases a complete meal can they purchase one additional slice of
pizza.
Dori
Zaleznik asked what types of foods are received through the USDA government
commodities program.
Jack
Jones stated that ground meats, peanut butter, rice and pasta are some of the
commodities. He processes a lot of the
commodities into finished products. For example, rather than x pounds of raw
chicken, he sells those back to the State who, in turn, sell back to him
chicken patties at a cheaper rate.
Patty
Kellogg asked if Newton accepts irradiated meats. She also asked about antibacterial hand soap/gel usage.
Jack
Jones is not aware of whether any meat they receive is irradiated, but he will
investigate. While they do not use
antibacterial lotions, employees must wash up to their elbows with soap and
very hot water for up to 20 seconds.
Marc
Laredo asked if the program has an educational component around healthy eating
habits.
Jack
Jones stated that Newton students overall have very healthy eating habits. Many utilize the salad bar and deli wrap
sandwiches. Since he has come on board,
he has introduced only healthy choice items, such as salad shake-ups, turkey
burgers, dogs and ham. In terms of
tying in with other curriculum areas, he does not do anything formally in this
regard. Mostly he works with the City’s
Health Department around food allergies and other food/health related issues.
Jeff
Young explained that the curriculum review work occurs mainly in the summer and
is connected to the Systemwide Goals and State Frameworks. This year’s list includes 79 projects.
Dori
Zaleznik wondered if the I-Camp workshop was under-subscribed, as it appears
that only nine staff members participated.
Carolyn
Wyatt explained that this number represents the payment for the teachers’
salaries for professional development, which is the case in many of the items
listed. Therefore, the nine represent
the leaders who actually trained the participants.
There
was some confusion around what this information represented and it was
explained that this report differs from a list of professional development
workshops, which occur throughout the year. This report traditionally deals
with the intense curriculum development work that happens in the summer. The Committee requested that next year’s Summer
Curriculum Report include the number of all participants.
None.
ACTION ITEMS
CONTINUED DISCUSSION/VOTE ON MASSACHUSETTS
ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL COMMITTEES/MASSACHUSETTS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL
SUPERINTENDENTS (MASC/MASS) RESOLUTIONS
These items were discussed in-depth at the last School Committee
meeting and require a vote this evening so that Nancy Levine, their delegate to
the conference, will have some direction.
Resolution #1 – Education Funding Fairness Study
This is a study report that will offer an advisory opinion on potential inequities in the
distribution of State education aid.
MOTION: It was
moved to direct the delegate to support
Resolution
#1 – the Education Funding Fairness
Study.
(Zaleznik
– Kellogg)
8 – 0 – 1
Absent:
Glick
Resolution #2 – MCAS as a Requirement for Graduation
MOTION: It was
moved to direct the delegate to support
Resolution
#2 – MCAS as a Graduation
Requirement.
(Mayor
Cohen – Zaleznik)
Discussion:
Dori Zaleznik will vote in favor of this motion. She stated that she is not opposed to
testing but is convinced that MCAS does not stand up to appropriate scrutiny
yet, nor is it aligned with curriculum Statewide, so it is premature to make it
a requirement for the class of 2003.
Susan Albright will vote against this motion. Unfortunately, local
control and the funding structure that is in place has been part of the
problem. She believes there are some
issues with the exam and that there should be some changes in terms of this
year’s graduation requirement, but Brookline’s resolution does not address
these problems.
Patty Kellogg will also vote against this motion. She agreed that there is a danger in local
control in that not all school systems in the State have the high standards
that are in place in Newton. Pressure
must be placed on these districts to work on the accommodations and remediation
needs of their students. While she
would support lowering the bar for the first year that the high stakes are in
place, she cannot support eliminating MCAS as a graduation requirement because
then diplomas would be meaningless.
Anne Larner is going to vote against this motion. While she empathizes with the situation
other communities find themselves in and the flaws in the exam, she believes
the focus should be on standards vs. test-taking. The standards in the Frameworks are clear for English and
math. She would support reform on the
alternatives for students to demonstrate performance tied to the standards, but
she cannot support this particular resolution.
Nancy Levine will vote in favor of the motion. She cannot support high stakes testing until
such time as the State returns to the spirit of the original legislation and
provides alternatives to test children with different learning styles, as a
means of demonstrating proficiency other than the paper/pencil test.
Mayor Cohen was touched by the poignant comments made by parents whose
children clearly deserve a diploma but who may fail MCAS. He feels that the wording of the resolution
does, in fact, address the issue of alternative assessments, as it mentions the
requirement that students must demonstrate competency in a common core of
skills measured by a variety of assessment instruments.
Marc Laredo will vote in favor of this motion. While it is appropriate to hold systems
accountable for students’ success and MCAS is a good tool to measure how well
they are doing, his problem is in the use of this as the sole tool to measure
competency and determine the awarding of a diploma. There are going to be children who simply will not be able to
pass the exam for a variety of reasons, but who have mastered all other
requirements. A diploma is the
fundamental ticket to the future. He is
also worried about increased dropout rates.
However, he would not approve of any measures that would ignore the laws
of the Commonwealth in terms of granting diplomas locally, if it is determined
that this is illegal.
Leslie Schneider will also continue to support the resolution. There are many problems with the test and it
should not be the sole criteria for a diploma.
While she does not agree with the exact wording of the resolution, it is
the only one on the table for discussion at the upcoming conference.
Vote on motion re: support for
resolution: 5 – 3 - 1
In favor: Laredo, Levine, Schneider, Zaleznik, Mayor Cohen
Opposed:
Albright, Kellogg, Larner
Absent:
Glick
MOTION PASSES
Resolution #3 – Bilingual Education in Massachusetts
This is the proposal re: opposition to ballot Question #2.
MOTION: It was
moved to direct the delegate to support
Resolution
#3 – Bilingual Education in Massachusetts.
(Laredo
– Levine)
8 – 0 – 1
Absent:
Glick
CONTINUED DISCUSSION/VOTE ON
FY04 BUDGET GUIDELINES
Anne Larner thanked the subcommittee for their hard work. The revised draft includes the revisions
made at the last meeting.
The Mayor stated that he will abstain from this vote, as he
traditionally does when items are requesting his action. He will work with the Committee on
developing the budget.
MOTION: It was
moved to approve the FY04 Budget Guidelines.
(Albright
– Levine)
7
– 1 – 1
Abstained: Mayor Cohen
Absent: Glick
CONTINUED DISCUSSION/VOTE ON
2003-2004 SCHOOL CALENDAR
MOTION: It was
moved to approve the 2003-2004 school
calendar,
as proposed.
(Zaleznik
– Albright)
8
– 1
Absent:
Glick
VOTE TO ACCEPT DONATION
MOTION: It was
moved to approve the donation of $500 from
the Exxon Mobil Foundation Educational Alliance
Program for Williams Elementary School.
(Levine
– Schneider)
8
– 0 – 1
Absent: Glick
VOTE TO APPROVE GRANT
MOTION: It was moved to accept the new grants
totaling $76,425.
(Levine
- Zaleznik)
8 – 0 – 1
Absent:
Glick
COMMUNICATIONS
None.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Judy Bartek, Cochairperson of the Newton South High School Council, is
concerned about the implications of the recent changes in the plan to renovate
Newton North High School. Newton South
PTSO will work closely with its counterpart at Newton North to attempt to
understand why the changes have occurred and to dialogue about options. The community as a whole will need to move
forward to develop a solution that will ensure the health and safety of
students, as well as guarantee the excellence in education that they all
deserve. All politics must be put
aside.
Deena David, 60 Rokeby Rd., Waban, Copresident of the Newton South
High School PTSO, also expressed surprise at the turn of events re: the Newton
North High School project. There are
many questions and concerns that will have to be addressed. She requested that the Newton South PTSO be
invited to all meetings around this subject, so that they can work in
conjunction with Newton North. There
may very well be implications for their school and so they are all in this
together. She also insisted that all
communication be clear and concise and not leave room for ambiguity, because
that is how rumors start.
David Ofsevit, 302 Woodland Rd., Auburndale, suggested the formation
of a permanent school building committee, as some other towns utilize, for
long-term planning.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 p.m.