MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING –
PRESENT: Chairperson Anne Larner,
Vice-Chairperson Dori Zaleznik,
Gail Glick, Susan Heyman, Patricia Kellogg, Marc
Laredo, Nancy Levine, Reenie Murphy, Mayor David
Cohen
ABSENT: student representatives
OPEN SESSION
At
MOTION: It was
moved, by roll call vote, to convene in executive
session for the purpose of discussing strategy related to
collective bargaining. If passed, the
Committee will reconvene in open session at
(Levine-
8 - 0 - 1
Absent for executive session: Mayor Cohen
ROLL CALL VOTE BY WARD:
Ward I, "yes" (Glick); Ward II, "yes" (Murphy);
Ward III, "yes" (Larner); Ward IV,
"yes" (Levine); Ward V, “yes” (Heyman);
Ward VI, "yes" (Kellogg); Ward VII, "yes" (
CALL TO ORDER
Chairperson Anne Larner called the meeting to order at
PRESENTATION OF THE MASS AWARDS FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE/ BLUMER BOOK AWARDS
Superintendent Jeffrey
Young presented the MASS Awards for Academic Excellence, in conjunction with
Irwin Blumer, previous Superintendent of Newton
Public Schools, who presented the 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.
Julia
Kalow
Christina
Lu
Nina
Niu
Abigail
Tutor
Yian
Xiao
Prior to public comment,
Anne Larner wished to make a statement with regard to
the numerous communications the Committee has received recently from abutters
on the
Alderman Amy Sangiolo requested that the Committee delay a vote on
transportation fees, as there is still a lot of information that has not been
attained. The Aldermen were clear in
their resolution to the Committee requesting that they review the fees. There will be a meeting of the Program &
Services Committee next month, at which time this agenda item will be discussed
and she will be requesting information from the School Committee prior to that
date.
Audrey Nathanson,
Alderman Jay Harney added his voice to those supporting a delay in the
transportation fee vote. He does not
feel fees are equitable, as they penalize families in certain geographical
areas and with multiple children in school. The residents of
Cara Feldberg,
Waban, and Lauren Hallal, Newton Highlands, advocated
for the return of kindergarten aides, which they believe are critical to ensure
the safety, emotional well being, and educational needs of children. She asked for a show of hands in the audience
to indicate the number of people present who are concerned about this
issue. In December, they submitted information
to the School Committee showing that surrounding communities have maintained
sufficient number of aides despite State cuts.
Quality education in
Maria Harden, Auburndale,
echoed the comments of the previous speakers with regard to aides. Kindergarteners are frequently engaged in
independent activities in the classroom throughout the day and one teacher
cannot monitor all that is going on in the entire room. Lost is the ability to build the
self-confidence of a timid child; coach an impulsive child to think before
acting; or help a child from a different cultural background learn about
his/her new environment. Children enter
kindergarten with tremendous differences in academic and social skills and
require small group instruction and one-on-one opportunities. Her daughter was on the verge of reading when
entering kindergarten and was excited about
learning. Because of
the size of the class and no aide support, small reading groups could not even
start until after the first of the year.
Andrew Gottlieb,
Thompsonville, noted that the City has available free cash. Given that this
issue is critical to early childhood development, he would suggest this as an
appropriate item for funding from those dollars.
Deena Hackel,
None.
The following recognition
was acknowledged:
Charlotte
Brumit, music teacher at
and
her students in the All City Chorus, for being selected by
the
Massachusetts Music Educators' Association to perform at
the
MOTION: It was moved to approve the School Committee
meeting
minutes of
(Levine-
Glick)
unanimous
None
DISCUSSION ITEMS
DISCUSSION ON SMALLER
LEARNING COMMUNITIES (SLC)
Jeff Young reminded people
of the $100,000 SLC planning grant that
Judith Malone Neville,
Assistant Superintendent of Schools, stated that they have put together a
project leadership team that has been meeting and discussing the notion of SLC
and what that might look like in
Deb Holman, project
coordinator – Newton North, mentioned that tonight’s material included some
information about the philosophy of SLC.
A large number of American high schools are shifting towards this
approach, as research indicates its positive impact on students’ academic and
personal growth. Approximately 70% of
high school students are now attending schools of populations over 1,500. The majority of the schools that have
instituted SLC have been large urban schools, although some suburban systems
are adopting similar strategies and models to address concerns around school
reform. Newton North is a large school,
with a tremendous amount of activity, which at times can be daunting. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey results noted
a significant decline in the percentage of students who said they felt allied
with at least one adult in the building if they needed to talk about any
concerns. The Millennium High School
Survey indicated that a large number of students said that they did not meet
with any teacher outside of the classroom during the fall term of 2003, as a
result of lack of free time. In
addition, there is the racial achievement gap that continues to be troublesome. They believe SLC strategies and structures
can improve these situations.
Gail Glick asked if their
work will change depending on whether the high school project is a renovated
hybrid or a new school.
Jennifer Huntington,
Principal of Newton North, stated that they have asked the architects to be
flexible in the design of classroom space, so that they can develop the kind of
structures necessary to support SLC. She
feels they can do this in either model, since they have already done some of
this work in their current building. An
important component of SLC is the transition phases. One takes place from eight to ninth grade, at
which point they want to make sure students are connected to an adult. The other is when students are planning to
leave high school and are making decisions about their
future.
Michael Welch, Principal
of Newton South, believes that SLC is more about connections vs. physical
structure and this has to do with how they organize the way in which they
interact and place students. While some
of it will have to do with placement of certain programs, it also will focus on
allocation of staff and redefining their roles.
Judy Malone Neville noted
that she has visited schools that have put these programs in place by reconfiguring
some areas within the school to accommodate the staff and students. Major renovations are not necessary to
achieve these goals and building structure is not an impediment to the
achievement of the objectives.
Marc Laredo asked if they
are planning on similar or different approaches at each school.
Michael Welch stated that
the 9th and 10th grade years have such commonality to
them that he doubts there will be great differences between the programs at
each school, but they may begin to see some divergence in the junior and senior
years. He believes this is a good level to develop different programs in each
school, with the notion of either transportation between the two or some type
of optional enrollment.
Marc Laredo is open to
creative thinking in this program, but would like to see some consistency in
program philosophy.
Michael Welch understands
his concerns and believes they have an opportunity to provide different
programs with similar philosophies.
Anne Larner
noted that this is a complex subject, with many diverse views. She asked the staff to hear their comments
tonight as individual opinions.
Dori Zaleznik mentioned that
the appealing piece is that they can create SLC around a particular group
interest, while continuing to follow general curriculum courses. One example might be a magnet program in the
arts. The idea is to capture students
who might not be stimulated by the type of programs currently in place. She would expect small pilot programs to look
different at each school. The grant
would allow them to try more than one approach and assess which ones are most
effective.
Jennifer Huntington
mentioned that in their research on other schools, they have found some
interesting programs. For instance, some
have utilized smaller learning academies focused around particular interests
targeted for juniors and seniors. Others have students
cross-enrolling and being transported between two schools or choosing one
school based on their interest.
Community service has been a topic of interest as one aspect of SLC,
which might focus on the school in freshmen year, the community at the sophomore
level, and the larger world in junior and senior years.
Dori Zaleznik asked if they
plan to be specific in terms of the programs when writing the grant or if it
will be more of a broad approach.
Deb Holman stated that
they do not yet know how specifically the grant will be written, as they are
still in the research stage. One of the
requirements of the grant is that all students at some point in their high
school career experience one of the SLC.
Susie Heyman
is very excited about the plans and particularly likes the focus on transition
at the 9th grade.
Mike Welch stated that
there currently is no structure for 9th grade teachers to meet to
discuss students that they have in common, such as what happens in the middle
school. This is something he would like
to see addressed by setting aside dedicated time, which does not require any
specific physical structure.
Nancy Levine emphasize the need for looking at a variety of models because
the needs of students are so broad that it would be the only way to be sure
they can capture every student. They
want this to be the end of the “invisible” student that has been discussed so
often.
Judy Malone Neville
mentioned that research indicates students in SLC have had significant academic
gains and improved performance, based on the common core of teachers who know
them well and have the flexibility during the day to address some of their
learning issues.
Patty Kellogg asked about
funding once grant resources are depleted.
She also asked if, in their research on other communities, they have
seen any indication of student movement from one academy to another due to
ill-fitting placements.
Deb Holman stated that a
great deal of the grant funding would cover staff training and professional
development and those staff members would then share that knowledge. In some of her conversations with other
systems regarding flexibility in movement of students, they have indicated some
escape valves, but this was only in reference to 9th grade
clustering and not in changing from one academy to another.
Jennifer Huntington added
that, in terms of the grant funding, whatever they do would be
institutionalized so that it would not require additional funding for
staffing. Instead, they would be
changing the climate within the school, with the program structure remaining in
place.
Marc Laredo is not
advocating that everything be identical at both schools. However, he is concerned about having an
offering at one school that is not available at the other.
Susie Heyman
mentioned that there is currently a lot of diversity in the offerings at the
high schools, as a result of teachers’ interests and expertise. The goal should be for a rich experience for
students at both schools without necessarily being identical. What she would not want to see is a lack of
parity of opportunities between the schools.
Marc Laredo is not as concerned
about different programs, but forming different cultures in each school.
Judy Malone Neville
reminded people that there are staff and students from
both schools on the committee and the same topics and opinions being expressed
tonight with the School Committee will occur in that group as well.
Susan Linn, Grants
Coordinator, mentioned that SLC is really about changing the way schools do
business and less about adding programs.
With regard to grant funding, the most costly piece is staff training
and the hiring of any consultants or outside services to help implement
systems. However, after those things are
in place in the district, it is far less costly to maintain the program.
Michael Welch concluded by
expressing the excitement around SLC and will keep the Committee abreast as they
progress. He also thanked them for their
input, which is much appreciated and will be helpful as they continue their
discussions.
ACTION ITEMS
CONTINUED DISCUSSION/VOTE ON
TRANSPORTATION FEES
Anne Larner
began the discussion by reading the
MOTION: It was
moved that the School Committee instruct
the
Superintendent to review the existing bus fee
structure
and administration, in order to bring
recommendations back to the School Committee
before the meeting of
a more flexible system for transportation fees.
(Zaleznik – Heyman)
Discussion:
Dori
Zaleznik would like to set out the following goals
that the Committee might consider to inform this request:
• Ability to
charge fees based on service used (e.g., one-way passes);
• Options to allow for occasional fee-based travel;
• A
cost-effective accountability/pass-checking system to enhance
confidence that fare evasion is minimal;
• A payment
system that balances the financial burden of a one-
time payment of a yearly fee upfront with the burden of
tracking
multiple transactions;
• Administrative
simplicity and minimal administrative cost;
• Minimal
burden on school-based personnel;
• An appeals
mechanism for fee waivers or calculations of distance
for eligibility for free transportation;
• Criteria
for designating available travel routes as unsafe for
elementary school students and thus eligible for free waiver.
Marc
Laredo believes that it is good to study all of these issues but he believes
they are “putting the cart before the horse.”
He continues to believe bus fees are a mistake because they are
fundamentally unfair since the system has closed schools and redistricted
several times. In addition, the fee
encourages people to drive their children to school, adding to the already
congested traffic. Finally, it is a
difficult and costly fee to maintain and manage. So, while he favors studying the issue, this
motion presupposes that there should be a fee.
Nancy
Levine stated that these criteria have resulted from their experience in
looking at the past year’s user patterns.
The perception of some is that the system has not done anything around
this issue this year, which is not the case. The goals as outlined will help them refine
and add to the information. As difficult
as it is to have to impose fees again, given the budget they will shortly be
discussing, she sees no way to avoid the issue.
Patty
Kellogg thanked the administration for doing an admirable job in instituting a
very complex program. There have been
many thoughtful responses to a variety of individual problems expressed by
parents. It takes time after instituting
the fees to flesh out all the various nuances and now they can move forward on
developing some opportunities to make the policy somewhat user-friendlier.
Reenie
Murphy would be more comfortable in having the information prior to
voting. She supports the work that they
have outlined but continues to press for a delay in voting.
Vote
on motion to review bus fee structure: 8 – 0 – 1
Absent
for vote: Mayor Cohen
MOTION: It was moved
to ask the Superintendent to gather
information on the current usage patterns in
the transportation and fee system that has been
implemented.
(Glick – Zaleznik)
Discussion:
Gail
Glick elaborated on her motion and outlined the information requested:
• Patterns of
family use of bus services, such as daily one way
trips, seasonal use, use for other than between home and
school
(e.g., to a
school-based after-school program), mechanism of
transportation for those who have opted not to purchase bus
passes, other origin/destination information that would
allow
Newton
Public Schools to better serve students and families;
• Parent
opinion on how the current system might be made
more equitable.
Nancy
Levine is concerned about overburdening a lean administrative staff in the
middle of budget season.
Marc
Laredo shares this concern, as well as taking a vote prior to having all the
necessary information.
Jeff
Young stated that they will need some clarity around the scope and nature of
what is being sought, it’s purpose, and what they plan
to do with that information. Once this
is known, it will aid in the design of the instruments that will be used to
gather the data.
Dori
Zaleznik suggested a random survey, which might
include questions about how many people have decided to opt out of
transportation because their use would be sporadic and whether a one-way pass
might attract back some of that ridership. She envisions a data-gathering tool that
would not require an overwhelming burden of work.
Gail
Glick agreed and said that she views this as an aid toward tweaking the system,
in order to make it more equitable and efficient. She does not believe they have the luxury of
waiting until all the data is available to vote, but this is a starting point.
Susie
Heyman suggested Anne Larner
work with the administration on the development of the survey, since she has a
background in transportation.
Anne
Larner agreed to assist, if needed, although her
background in transportation dealt with finance.
Patty
Kellogg reminded people that cuts in State funding is
what drove them to institute a fee based on financial need. They were not given the luxury of knowing a
year in advance. So, as far as “putting
the cart before the horse,” the State took away the “horse” and they were left
with somehow trying to figure out how to move the “cart”.
Nancy
Levine commented that it is an oxymoron to call the fee system user- friendly
because the only user-friendly system would be none at all. If additional revenue were to materialize or
if they found that the program was not workable, they could always rescind the
vote.
Vote
on motion to request information on transportation: 6 - 2 -
1
Opposed:
Absent
for vote: Mayor Cohen
MOTION: It was moved
that the bus fees be continued for the
2004-2005
academic year, with appropriate
modifications to address issues of equity and ease
of use for families.
The intent is that modifications
should aim to be revenue neutral.
(Heyman – Levine)
Discussion:
Susie
Heyman commented that, as the Superintendent so
eloquently stated in his budget presentation last year, it is the system’s
responsibility to educate children by providing them with the best teachers,
programs, and materials possible and in tight fiscal times the resources must
be focused on these educational services.
At best, the State is going to level-fund next year and it will be
difficult to even keep what they have now in place. The Superintendent needs to have this
information as he prepares his budget.
Marc
Laredo stated that once a revenue source is generated, it is very difficult to
eliminate. While he agrees that they
need additional State funding for the schools, as do all communities, this does
not change the fact that bus fees are unfair.
He mentioned a Globe West
article from
Patty
Kellogg disagrees that they cannot get rid of the fee in the future. As for fairness, she believes their first
motion addresses that issue by attempting to achieve a more flexible system. In terms of the Globe West article, she would like to see what the class sizes are
in those communities because in
Susie
Heyman added that the group of communities selected for
the article does not reflect the reality Statewide and does not even include
some of their neighbors. In fact, many
of those communities have had fees far longer than
Dori
Zaleznik agreed with Susie’s last statement. If they were able to obtain some City funding
from free cash, that would only be a one-time resource and they would face the
same dilemma the following year. There
are some very important areas in the budget she would prefer to see addressed,
if additional funding became available.
Last year they investigated the possibility of a general activity fee,
which would be far less costly and assumed by all families. However, they were informed by the City that
they would have to set that fee at the least costly activity, which would only
be a couple of dollars. This would not
have produced the necessary revenue to make up for the elimination of the line
item. Another suggestion was a voluntary
fee for blue zone drop-offs, which was ultimately determined not plausible. She prefers tweaking the current policy, in
an attempt to make it more equitable and functional, and reminded people that
the fee is only approximately 1/3 of what it actually costs to transport
students.
Reenie
Murphy mentioned that eliminating the fee for people who live in unsafe areas
would lower the revenue and she does not see any other areas where they could
increase funding or guaranty that this tweaking is going to make the program
more successful.
Anne
Larner stated that they know enough at this point to
expect that the allocation from the Mayor is going to be approximately half of
what they need to sustain the same level of program that is currently in
place. If the Governor’s budget supports
education, as they hope it will, the Mayor will have the opportunity to increase
the allocation to approximately $4,000,000, which will still mean a significant
gap. This is on top of a budget this
year that was pared down and tweaked already and the Committee has heard some
of the results of that situation. Eliminating the transportation fees increases that gap by
approximately $400,000. She
believes that two successively difficult budget years will mean an impact on
the classroom. In that context, she
would have to support this motion, while working with staff to get the type of
information they need to make the system more equitable.
Vote
on motion to continue bus fees: 6 - 2
- 1
Opposed:
Absent
for vote: Mayor Cohen
VOTE TO APPROVE GRANT
MOTION: It was
moved to accept the grant totaling $600 from
the
Massachusetts Department of Education, for
special
education electronic portfolios for the
(MCAS)
alternate assessments.
(Levine
– Zaleznik)
8
- 0 - 1
Absent for vote: Mayor Cohen
Anne Larner
announced the Education Collaborative (EDCO) forum on
There were no members of
the public who wished to address the Committee at this time.
The meeting was adjourned
at