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
(Glick
- Levine)
6 - 0 - 3
Absent
for vote:
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, absent for vote (
CALL
TO ORDER
Chairperson Anne Larner called the meeting
to order at
PUBLIC
COMMENT
Gail Erlich,
Parents are concerned about the impact this will
have on their children’s education and fear that those who excel and those who
need extra individual attention will suffer.
She is also concerned about how the cuts are allocated systemwide and feels that Ward, being a small school, is bearing
a disproportionate percentage. Pressure
on teachers is only going to increase and they are already taxed and doing the
best they can. She does not understand
how, after supporting an Override, the community is faced with this situation. She urged the Committee to use one of the
reserve positions to address this issue.
STUDENT
REPRESENTATIVES’ DISCUSSION
None.
RECOGNITIONS
The following recognition was acknowledged:
Maxine
Rosenberg, retired K-8 Science Coordinator, for being
inducted
into the Massachusetts Hall of Fame for Science Educators,
as someone
who has made significant contributions to science education
in the State of
APPROVAL
OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
MOTION: It was moved to approve the School Committee
regular
meeting minutes of
and
executive session meeting minutes of
(Heyman – Zaleznik)
unanimous
REPORTS
None.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
DISCUSSION OF ADMINISTRATIVE
TECHNOLOGY
Superintendent Jeffrey
Young stated that tonight’s presentation will include the administrative
technology piece associated with the reorganization at the
Fran Zilonis,
Director of Information Technology, introduced the members of her staff present
to discuss this topic and answer any questions:
Bob Rainville, Manger of Information Systems,
Chris Mills, Technology Support Specialist, John McLaughlin, Technology Support
Specialist, Joe Lamarca, Network Specialist, and
Michael Nash, Information Support Specialist.
Bob Rainville
began the discussion by praising the technology team that he has had the
pleasure to oversee. They are extremely
effective and competent people who have helped to lead the charge in the
implementation of the various components of this area that he will be
discussing. The day-to-day work of their
department consists of activities such as maintaining accurate database
information, in order to provide reports for the various agencies that require
this material. The Department of
Education (DOE), in particular, requires numerous reports with very detailed
information. The tech assist team covers
all of the buildings to provide administrative support and assistance. In terms of the infrastructure, they have
done significant upgrades on the firewalls and web server. They have installed a
raised floor in the computer room at the
The work they have ahead
includes upgrading the student management database system (SMS), which will
begin shortly. They are also bringing
some significant personal computer (PC) technology into the district, as it is
becoming more challenging and problematic to maintain both the Macintosh (Mac)
and PC systems in a compatible manner.
They will also be implementing AHA!Educator,
a program to facilitate, track and report professional development plans for
all teachers. Another focus will be on
the middle school network infrastructure and equipment, which require major
upgrades. They hope to complete this
work before September. They are planning
to assess, evaluate and develop plans for wireless technology for network
access for the elementary schools. Currently
it is being introduced sporadically and is not very reliable. They are working closely with the City’s
technology department around a long-term fiber network plan that will link city
and school departments effectively.
The number and complexity
of projects is challenging for their limited staff, but they are a positive “can-do”
group who work well together and cross-train in their roles. He is confident that they can meet these
objectives, so that they can help teachers be more effective and broaden the
capabilities of students as they progress through the system.
Reenie Murphy asked about Pentamation.
Bob Rainville
explained that they are phasing in an upgrade of Pentamation
–
the financial and human resources program. A
request has been made to the City to fund approximately 80+ PC
systems to help facilitate the rollout of this program to key users across the
school department.
Marc Laredo asked if the
move to PCs is for administration, instructional or both.
Fran Zilonis
replied that the PCs are for administrative purposes and the decision was primarily
driven by the software they will be using.
All of the Macs that will be replaced will be going into
classrooms. There is the possibility
that one or more of the middle schools will elect to change to PCs when the
system can afford the purchase. While
she does not see the change moving into the elementary schools for some time,
because there is a good infrastructure in place at that level, she is open to
discussions with all users.
Marc Laredo asked if this
will create training issues.
Fran Zilonis
responded that many people are comfortable with PCs because they have them at
home. In addition, the software is
nearly identical, so it is basically using Windows, which people can learn
fairly quickly. Newton Schools
Foundation has provided a grant for a short tutorial program that will be
helpful. Many school systems have made
the change and most of the software companies now write for PCs.
Marc Laredo asked if the
figures for FY02-FY04 are actual spending.
Fran Zilonis
replied in the affirmative. The $750,000
for FY05 represents the dollar amount budgeted by the School Committee, as well
as other funding sources that have been identified. The years beyond are projections and an
opportunity to see what the system requires to stay abreast in technology.
Marc Laredo asked if the
projected administrative costs get absorbed into the operating budget and
carried forward into future years.
Fran Zilonis
stated that the personnel costs, as in any other area, get absorbed and carried
forward and becomes part of the regular operating costs. These are the staffing projections she feels
need to be put in place to support the hardware and network infrastructure. It makes no sense to provide people with new
computers and software without having someone available to
keep it running and address problems when they arise. Otherwise, this equipment is of no
value.
Reenie Murphy asked how problematic Spam is in the
system.
Bob Rainville
stated that it has been very challenging to intercept and filter Spam because
the perpetrators are constantly changing the parameters of what they send, so
it become an action/reaction type of process.
It would take significant manpower to devote just to this problem. In addition, in dealing with 3000 mail
accounts, decisions regarding what to filter can be disruptive if it is not
Spam and people lose important communications.
There is a delicate balance involved in the process.
Marc Laredo asked if they
could elaborate on the implementation of the professional development plans.
Fran Zilonis
mentioned that the Curriculum & Instruction office provides a wide array of
professional development opportunities, for which teachers are given professional
development points (PDPs) for their
participation. As a system, they must keep
accurate records for the State mandate of “highly qualified” teacher status. The AHA!Educator
program will allow them to facilitate, track and report all the information and
then report that to the State.
Jeff Young remarked that
they cannot overstate the complexity of what is involved in the DOE
reporting. The data collection around
the Education Reform Act was quite hefty, but cannot compare to what is
necessary to address the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. There are 52 elements on each of the 11,300
individual student data reports and the first time they attempted to submit
that electronically the DOE server crashed.
Fran Zilonis
next talked about instructional technology.
Teachers rely on the Internet and expect it to be in working order. School librarians attempt to troubleshoot
whenever possible, but if it cannot be addressed at that level it goes to tech
assist, where they attempt to get to every call within a 24 hour period. Research has shown that if teachers cannot
rely on good support they will not utilize the technology in their classroom
because they will not spend the time to create a lesson if they cannot rely on
the equipment. Their subscription
databases and reference materials are all online, so the connection to the
Internet is crucial for learning.
Student data management, Individual Education Plans (IEPs),
etc. are databases that are similarly crucial for staff. The majority of the instructional resources
of the future are going to be delivered through the Internet, so a reliable network
is essential for communication.
DISCUSSION OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAM
Carolyn Wyatt, Assistant
Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction, stated that she is pleased to
follow the previous topic on technology, because of the strong collaboration
between their departments. The I-Camp – a technology training session for staff
– is one example and a special thanks is in order to
Marc Richmond, webmaster, who helped initiate the online registration
process. With the proposed reductions in
FY05, they have attempted to narrow the focus, in order to better utilize the
available funds. Their priorities are differentiating
instruction, teacher advisory program, peer observations, building teacher
leadership roles, literacy program, and the integration of the disciplines. They are looking at new ways to bring
teachers into the conversations around what they see as their professional
development needs and to be certain they receive the appropriate training, as
well as the need to strengthen these opportunities for aides in both regular
and special education. Tonight’s
discussion will highlight some of the work around the connections of the
disciplines, leadership building, and the mentor program and then the group
will be prepared to answer any questions the Committee may have around any of the
topics under professional development.
Because of the size of system, the program serves a large number of
people and covers a range of topics.
This program owes its success to the collaboration between the
administration and the union through the joint instructional council, which
meets several times throughout the year.
In addition, a smaller central staff professional development committee
has been developed to oversee larger goals in this area.
Joseph Russo, Principal of
Horace Mann Elementary School, talked about the Thursday afternoon early
release days. Initially the work focused
on the standards-based movement but has recently been geared mored specifically on literacy, where they have been
phasing in the work in a systematic manner K-5.
Half of the days are devoted to systemwide
professional development and the other half are building-based. Principals and coordinators work together to
coordinate the efforts so that they are working in tandem.
Al Calderone,
Acting Science Department Head at
Eva Thompson, Principal of
Peirce Elementary School, talked about the
professional development of principals this year around understanding how to
use technology in the classroom and how to lead teachers in that effort. She also talked about a workshop she attended
with colleagues entitled Getting Accountability Right, offered by Harvard’s
Center for Performance Assessment, which touched on various ways to think about
assessment within the teaching practice.
In terms of peer observation, a Newton Schools Foundation grant allowed
them to pilot programs in four schools where teachers visit each other’s
classrooms and reflect on their observations.
Another part of the workshop dealt with being certain that there is
dedicated time for instruction in the scheduling to make sure students are getting
the services they require and the amount of time necessary for these
offerings. Assessments were another
topic and conversations were had about making sure they are consistent.
Lisa Mikus,
fourth grade teacher at
Steve Ford, sixth grade social
studies teacher at
Kelley Gangi,
K-8 Science Coordinator and Marc Richmond presented the newest component of the
professional development program in science and technology, which involves the
use of an online format to engage teachers in small collaborative learning
communities. The goal is to utilize
technology to draw out the exceptional expertise of
Dori Zaleznik commented on
the obvious excitement on the part of staff around this work, which she thinks
is terrific. She asked about the process
for professional development of new staff.
Sandra Delaney, Assistant
Director for Curriculum & Instruction, stated that they place new staff
with experienced teachers as mentors.
Initially they focus on familiarity with the culture of the school. The mentors help the teachers choose courses
that are appropriate for their skill level depending on if they have taught
elsewhere or are brand new. There are a
series of introductory courses for first year teachers that help them
understand
Carolyn Wyatt mentioned
the annual staff orientation, where they provide two days of general orientation
workshops around the system and the curriculum, as well as breaking into
smaller groups for more specific work on Systemwide Goals
and Benchmark documents. The mentors
work with the teachers throughout their first year and sometimes into a
second. Ultimately they would like
people to commit to a three-year period, which is what the State requires.
Dori Zaleznik believes peer
observation is an important model but wondered how they find time in the
schedule to free up teachers for this activity.
Eva Thompson explained that
in their school the Instructional Support Staff (ISS) are used for
coverage. Another method is to utilize
the time when students are involved in art, music and physical education
classes. Classes that have assistants
can utilize those staff members for short periods of time as well. While it is a challenge, principals are eager
to accommodate staff because it is such an important commitment.
Al Calderone
stated that at the high school level, particularly in the science department, staff constantly cover for one another during free
periods. They have also put a lot of
emphasis in their department on the importance of meeting time to brainstorm
around the notion of modeling good teaching.
Sandy Delaney added that
this summer teachers from all levels will participate in formal training on
peer observation as part of the mentor program.
Carolyn Wyatt mentioned
that as part of the smaller learning communities (SLC) grant, a group of
administrators and teachers will be training in a Critical Friends Group, to
learn how to support each other through dialogue about teaching and
learning.
Nancy Levine is pleased
with the ongoing work in this area and tonight’s presentation has made it come
alive. She asked how they stand in using
these modules in other content areas.
Carolyn Wyatt responded that
integrating technology into the science curriculum along with the appropriate professional
development is their first venture. It has been exciting to upgrade the science
and math areas and bring engineering into the fold. The material and equipment purchases have
included things such as microscopes that can be hooked up to computers for
analyzing work and it is wonderful to see young children using these
state-of-the-art tools for learning.
Gail Glick thanked them
for the presentation, which has given the Committee a clear understanding of
the variety and range of their work. She
asked about budgetary implications on the future of professional development
and whether difficult fiscal times will limit their options. She would also like to know if the
professional development topics are reevaluated annually.
Carolyn Wyatt replied that
the budget will allow them to focus on the major areas of their goals and this
year they were able to offset that with funding from various other sources,
such as the entitlements that are part of NCLB.
While cuts have not caused them to totally curtail the program, they
have forced them to focus and narrow the options to best utilize dollars. They are building teacher leaders in the
system for the dual purpose of providing more opportunities for collaboration
and to lower costs. In terms of evaluation,
courses are tied to the Systemwide Goals and each course
is evaluated annually to see if it is meeting the needs of the participants and
the goals. There have been some courses,
particularly involving outside consultants, that were not what they had
envisioned and they were dropped. In
addition to the tools developed in-house to evaluate courses on an ongoing
basis, they also look to program evaluations, such as the literacy initiative,
in which the assessment is tied to student performance. The one area of challenge is the need to broaden
the array of offerings at the secondary level, which is what they are working
on now.
Patty Kellogg asked if the
Benchmarks have been updated since 2001.
Carolyn Wyatt stated that
they are in the process of revising them now that the social studies Frameworks
are in place.
Jeff Young concluded the
discussion by thanking all involved, particularly the teachers, who are the
ones that grapple with all of this on a daily basis in the classroom.
VOTE ON SCHOOL CHOICE
Jeff Young recommended
that the Committee once again vote not to participate in the school choice program,
as it takes funding from local sending districts and sends it to the often more
affluent receiving systems, creating further imbalances.
MOTION: It was moved that the
participate in the Massachusetts School Choice
Program for the 2004-2005 academic year.
(Mayor Cohen - Levine)
unanimous
CONTINUED DISCUSSION/VOTE ON
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANS
Dori Zaleznik believes that
the three-year vs. one-year cycle makes a great deal of sense and is a more
useful exercise. She thinks they will
see more measurable progress under this new process.
MOTION: It was
moved to approve the Elementary School Improvement Plans and Amendments.
(Zaleznik – Glick)
unanimous
VOTE TO ACCEPT DONATION
MOTION: It was moved to approve the donation of a computer
to
(Heyman – Murphy)
unanimous
COMMUNICATIONS
None.
PUBLIC COMMENT
There were no members of
the public who wished to address the Committee at this time.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned
at