NEWTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE

MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING, JUNE 13, 2005

EDUCATION CENTER, FRAZIER ROOM, 7:30 P.M.

PRESENT: Chairperson Anne Larner, Vice-Chairperson Dori Zaleznik,

Gail Glick, Susan Heyman, Patricia Kellogg, Marc Laredo,

Nancy Levine, Reenie Murphy, Mayor David Cohen,

Superintendent Jeffrey Young

ABSENT: student representatives (graduated)

CALL TO ORDER

Chairperson Anne Larner called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m.

PUBLIC COMMENT

There were no members of the public who wished to address the Committee at this time.

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES’ DISCUSSION

None.

REPORTS

REPORTS ON NEWTON NORTH HIGH SCHOOL’S MISSION STATEMENT FOR NEW ENGLAND ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS & COLLEGES, INC. (NEASC) ACCREDITATION

Jennifer Huntington, Principal of Newton North High School, stated that part of the requirements of the NEASC accreditation is for school administration and school committee support of their mission statement, although it does not require a formal vote. The accreditation visits have changed dramatically over the past 10 years, with increased standards and expectations. The mission statement is the basis of all of their work in the school. She then introduced faculty members who worked on the committee and who are present this evening to answer any questions: Co-chairpersons Helen Smith and Michael Fieleke, Jennifer Huntington, and Meredith Ghattas.

Helen Smith noted that the committee included faculty, parent and student representatives. They reviewed the core values and previous mission statement and then broke into groups to formulate ideas. These people then brought the work back to their constituents for feedback. The Newtonite school newspaper published the first draft of the mission statement in April and they have since reworked and synthesized the material.

Susie Heyman is pleased to see that the mission statement extends into broader issues aside from just curriculum, such as citizenship and building life skills. However, she wondered about the academic competencies that they expect students to have upon graduation, which are not listed in the statement.

Jennifer Huntington stated that every department will take the mission statement and make it specific to their areas and other committees will base their work on this document.

Meredith Ghattas, housemaster, added that the mission statement drives all that happens in the schools, including expectations for students in a broad sense. From this statement each department will choose those that apply to their subject area and teachers will bring that alive in the classrooms.

Marc Laredo was very impressed with the document and asked how they plan to determine whether they meet the standards.

Jennifer Huntington explained that they have been discussing this and are thinking about a check list for each student that will cover the academic, civic and social areas.

Dori Zaleznik asked if this would be something in addition to the report card and wondered if it might be more detail than necessary.

Jennifer Huntington replied that it would be more of an internal document for their own benchmarks, but not something they envision sending home to parents.

Dori Zaleznik suggested rewording the statement so that it is clearer that this is for in-house purposes.

Meredith Ghattas mentioned that they view this as a review of the culminating experience for students, through projects, final exams, etc. Not every teacher will use every academic standard.

Helen Smith added that this is meant to be an ideal statement to strive toward. They are well aware that not all students are expected to accomplish every item in every class. This is why they attempted to make the statement broad.

Dori Zaleznik asked about some of the feedback they received that got incorporated into their work.

Helen Smith mentioned the core values as one area in which they received good feedback. Some people thought they were too abstract and not personal

enough. Students had numerous comments and she would be happy to share those with Committee members if they are interested.

Gail Glick asked how these will be extrapolated at the department level and when they anticipate having a final document.

Jennifer Huntington replied that each department will select the items that apply to their area and develop their own benchmarks and expectations.

They will probably spend most of next year during faculty meetings and early release days working in committees on this mission statement.

Marc Laredo asked if they will keep a detailed record on each child.

Jennifer Huntington responded that this is not something that has been discussed. However, they have talked about teachers sharing work so that they are in agreement on the difference between meeting, exceeding or not meeting expectations.

Susie Heyman believes it is important to step back as a community and evaluate the values of the school and what they deem important, which is itself an outcome.

Jennifer Huntington agreed. There have been many spirited debates around this matter. When the visiting committee asks if all constituents had a say in the development of this statement, they can answer with a resounding yes.

Helen Smith commented that one of the most important pieces of the mission statement is that students learn to take responsibility for themselves and conduct themselves with integrity and civility. This sets the tone for the entire community.

Judith Malone Neville, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, commended the faculty, students and parents of Newton North for the hard work they have put into the initial stages of this process, which will be critically reviewed in the accreditation. Newton South is a year ahead of North and will be visited by the accreditation committee this fall, so they will have some feedback from that experience as to what they can expect next year.

OPERATIONS STATUS REPORT

Jeff Young commented on the continuation of the environmental training in the buildings and the possibility of a federal grant to support this work.

Marc Laredo asked if there will be any additional cost to the system after this grant is completed.

Michael Cronin, Chief of Operations, explained that part of the grant process is to identify any hidden costs. The Grants Manager has assisted in evaluating this and they do not foresee any additional costs. In fact, they see benefits in terms of the training module being provided at no cost, which will then empower Newton Public School staff to conduct its own in-house training.

Marc Laredo asked how much grant funding is anticipated and how much time will be devoted to the program.

Michael Cronin replied that the grant is for $25,000. They are about a year ahead of other communities and have already invested a lot of time in this work. At this point, they are collecting the information and developing the program.

Reenie Murphy asked about the current heat wave and its impact on air-conditioning costs.

Mike Cronin explained that they had some issues with turning on the systems at Day Middle School and the two high schools because of the rapid change in weather. Some coils and valves were lost over the winter from freezing, so they are scrambling for replacement parts. It is rare to go from heating to cooling so quickly and the public buildings department was of great assistance to the school staff in identifying and fixing the issues as promptly as possible. The custodians monitor the buildings carefully to be sure windows are closed when air-conditioners are running and people in the building are educated about the need for oversight. In addition, the contractor hired this year for servicing air-conditioners did not meet their expectations or perform up to standards.

Marc Laredo suggested further follow up on any recourse they may be able to take with regard to the contractor issue.

Dori Zaleznik noted that what stood out to her in the report is the high proportion of work orders associated with electrical, heating, and plumbing areas at Newton North.

Mike Cronin commented that the systems are showing their age in this school. They do not anticipate doing any major repairs unless necessary given that they will be building a new school in the near future. They are basically keeping things running as best they can.

Susie Heyman asked about the impact of the cut of one craftsman in their ability to complete maintenance and repair orders.

Mike Cronin noted that the City has lost two of these positions as well, so they are actually reducing three out of a pool of 19. This means they will either be doing some work on overtime or will outsource more work and will not be getting as much accomplished.

Susie Heyman asked if any of these personnel will be working the 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. shift.

Mike Cronin responded that the majority of the City crew work first shift and all school department craftsmen will be working that shift as of July.

Susie Heyman mentioned that the second shift is important in terms of repairs to classrooms, because students are not in the building.

Mike Cronin agreed but noted that this is a cost savings measure. Principals have been very accommodating in providing them with scheduling that will allow them to work in the classrooms during the day, when necessary, such as during lunch hours.

FY05 BUDGET UPDATE

Jeff Young mentioned that the report indicates a small positive balance of approximately $5,000.

HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING PROJECT UPDATE

Jeff Young noted that the material in tonight’s packet details the punch list items at Newton South High School. He commented on the wonderful graduation ceremony in the brand new field house. He thanked all the staff that worked so hard to make that a reality.

Anne Larner added that the building is looking more like a school vs. a construction site every day.

Susie Heyman asked about the status of commissioning.

Anne Larner noted that the Mayor would have been the best person to address this question, but he had to leave the meeting early. She believes it is sitting with the Board of Aldermen and will follow up and report back to the Committee.

SPECIAL EDUCATION (SPED) UPDATE

Jeff Young reminded Committee members that before the budget was even presented this area took a $1 million cut followed by additional cuts in their budget deliberations. They face an enormous challenge to absorb the reductions in aides that will be necessary and this is becoming clear as it is the time of the year when the Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) for students are being written for next year.

Margie Daniels, Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Services, stated that last year there were no reserve aides to allocate. They quickly ran into a deficit in this area as needs arose among the student population or as new students moved into the system or returned from outside placements. In addition, they had an influx of students at the preschool level with significant disabilities. They ended up requiring an additional 10 aides, which created the fiscal problem. Her approach for next year was not to start without an available pool of aides. However, as a result of the cuts that have to be made in the budget, once again all of the aides will be allocated before the start of the school year.

Dori Zaleznik asked if students who are placed out-of-district at the end of a school year automatically remain out-of-district for the next year.

Margie Daniels replied that an end-of-the-year placement does not necessarily mean it will continue the following year. Often it can be the result of a hospitalization followed by a need for outside placement on a short-term basis.

Nancy Levine asked about savings resulting from bringing students back into the system which would then allow them to increase the aides account.

Margie Daniels replied that they are projecting to transfer the equivalent of 8.0 full time equivalences (FTEs) from the out-of-district account into the aides line item, as a result of this effort.

Marc Laredo asked how they plan to address unanticipated needs with no reserves.

Margie Daniels hopes they can offset that with Circuit Breaker funding, as they did this year. In addition, she will be reviewing contract services for possible shifting of funds.

Susie Heyman stated that she does not want people to get the impression that their obligation to students fades when budgets are tight, because their needs must be honored both by law and by Newton’s commitment to this program.

Reenie Murphy noted that the legislators are in agreement that the Circuit Breaker funding is not sufficient and hopefully there will be some additional relief next year from the State.

Anne Larner asked if they could review the numbers on the preschool SPED vs. typical children because the figures in the material appear to be opposite of what they would expect.

Margie will review the numbers.

Dori Zaleznik asked if typical children in the preschool program pay tuition.

Margie Daniels replied that they do, although it is somewhat less than private preschools in the area. It is a wonderful program that provides role models in language and behavior for special needs students. It also works in reverse, where the typical students learn to understand and appreciate differences at an impressionable age.

END OF YEAR REPORT ON SYSTEMWIDE GOALS

Jeff Young noted that this is the annual report that wraps up how they did on the goals that the Committee voted last fall. It relates back to the retreat last year, where they identified four core challenges. One of the differences is that this year the goals were set for a two-year period, so some are still a work in progress.

The first goal is improvement in teaching and learning, which addresses the articulation of a consistent learning expectation for all students and a particular focus this year around mathematics. They will be discussing the social studies curriculum this evening in a separate agenda item. Also under this area is the integration of technology into the curriculum and the technology specialists’ role in that process, as well as the work around the smaller learning communities, which they heard about in a previous presentation.

The second goal is around workforce/organizational development, where they are working to comply with federal standards to employ “highly qualified” staff by providing standards-based professional development, streamlining human resources procedures, and utilizing new professional development software. They will continue the leadership development course taught by Central Staff members, since the feedback was very positive. He noted that they also completed five principal searches this year, resulting in permanent placements at four and an interim principal at one. The administrative technology group achieved a great deal this year building the infrastructure and supporting the system to address the compliance issues and integrating the technology into the classroom.

The third goal has to do with the physical assets. Historical data collection on enrollments and building capacities was gathered in preparation for the review by the Elementary School Building Task Force on long-range planning and this will continue through next year. They also plan to work closely with city officials

around identifying and documenting capital needs to support regular improvements to school buildings. Safety and security is another area under this goal. They have worked with a number of city departments around the creation of the “Emergency Response to Critical Incidents – Quick Reference Guide,” which is now in place in every classroom accompanied by crisis kits. They are also piloting the speed pass entry system program at Countryside Elementary School.

The fourth goal has to do with public engagement. They want to continue their work of engaging the public through forums and surveys and one example this year was the progress report. The School Committee is working on this goal as well, and they were able to visit eight schools, including the pre-school at the Education Center. He concluded by thanking the Central Staff, who provide the leadership and oversight of these areas on a daily basis.

Dori Zaleznik commented that the Committee has been fortunate to hear and discuss a number of these areas throughout this year, so many of their questions were answered at that time.

Reenie Murphy stated that in terms of the School Committee’s role around public engagement, they have only begun to get started this year and the work will continue not only for the second year of these goals, but hopefully into future years. She will be working with the volunteer webmaster around the website and Susie is doing some work on funding from outside sources for some consulting efforts.

Anne Larner noted that this is true of the facilities planning group as well, which is just commencing its work, and will be providing some preliminary information to the School Committee hopefully at the next meeting. She echoed the comments made by the Superintendent thanking staff for their hard work around all these areas. In particular, she mentioned Paul Stein who, in his first year on the job as Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, also had to deal with contract negotiations, which is not even mentioned in this material. They have all done a yeoman’s job.

DISCUSSION ITEMS

CURRICULUM UPDATE – SOCIAL STUDIES

Carolyn Wyatt, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction, stated that tonight they will focus discussion on issues relating to the alignment of the curriculum with the State Frameworks, as well as their efforts in the area of civics education K-5. With them this evening is Janet Buerklin, History & Social Sciences Coordinator, Jonathan Bassett, History & Social Sciences Dept. Head at Newton North High School, and Marshall Cohen, History & Social Sciences Dept. Head at Newton South High School.

Janet Buerklin began with a PowerPoint presentation on the proposed civics program for the elementary schools. This is not a traditional unit with lesson plans, but more of a framework of the content. She worked with teachers to conceptualize how this would play out in each grade.

In kindergarten the theme is symbols of America, where children will be introduced to such things as the American flag, George Washington, and The Pledge of Allegiance, which will also be repeated in later grades.

In 1^st grade the theme is “Everyone Makes a Difference,” which melds with the current “People Who Make a Difference” unit and they are keeping the six established units in that program. Some examples in this area are Christopher Columbus/Columbus Day, and Thomas Jefferson. Discussion will focus on thinking about what a leader is and the qualities that make someone a leader.

In 2^nd grade, the theme is “Justice For All.” This area will cover things such as The Jackson Homestead, Abraham Lincoln/The Lincoln Memorial, Harriet Tubman, the Underground Railroad, Election Day, and America the Beautiful. While students will be exposed to the beginnings of African-American history beginning in kindergarten hearing about people such as Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges and Martin Luther King, at this level they will be getting a more in-depth understanding of the African-American experience. There is some fabulous literature provided by the English Coordinator and literacy specialists around this topic that will be introduced at this grade.

In 3^rd grade, where they are most seriously out of alignment with the Frameworks, they will be addressing early American history, mostly related to Massachusetts, with the unit on “America’s Struggle for Freedom.” In this grade children will be exposed to Paul Revere, Deborah Sampson, Native Americans, Patriots Day, the Mayflower, and the beginnings of discussion around The Declaration of Independence and the key people that played roles in the signing of that document.

In 4^th grade they will implement a geography program, the largest piece of it being studies of various regions of the country and how they are unique yet American. Immigration will be covered and there is a unit on civil rights. With some grant funding from the Newton Schools Foundation they have developed a web quest for the national parks. They will round the program out with information on buildings in Washington D.C. and the Statue of Liberty.

In 5^th grade the curriculum explores numerous historical information having to do with the development of the country, but for the first time it will include the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights. People are very excited about the new program and anxiously awaiting receiving the specific materials that outline the scope and sequencing, as well as expectations.

Gail Glick asked if there will be an equal amount of attention paid to the Constitution in grade 8 once this new program is in place.

Janet Buerklin replied that 8^th grade teachers currently begin with the French and Indian War, followed by the Revolutionary War, and spend approximately ¼ of the year on the Constitution. The 5^th grade piece is more of an exposure to what will be a more in-depth program in grade 8.

Reenie Murphy asked if all grades will be in alignment once this program is in place.

Janet Buerklin stated that the two grades that will still be somewhat out of alignment will be 5th, which needs some additional work that is currently being refined, and 3^rd, which needs more extensive work.

Nancy Levine asked if they discuss local and state government in the civics program.

Janet Buerklin noted that in several grades there will be introductions to the roles of mayor and city government, with the focus on the concept of the election process.

Dori Zaleznik is very excited about the program and that students will have a better understanding of how Massachusetts fits into the country. The Committee has heard complaints around some components being emphasized in the curriculum and others being omitted, particularly with regard to who will be covered in the biography units. It seems that the addition of the civics piece may remedy some of these concerns.

Janet Buerklin stated that the current 1^st grade unit on biographies provides six suggestions, of which teachers choose four. The selections were names that students might not get elsewhere, in order to extend their knowledge base and learning experience. The civics program will not be negotiable. If something is listed on the grade level material it is expected to be covered in some fashion. This will mean they will be more true to the Frameworks and it should help provide the balance they desire.

Marc Laredo believes that it is good that students learn about a variety of people and not just the traditional list that most had in school. However, he asked how they expect students to get biographical information on particular people if it is not specifically listed in the curriculum.

Janet Buerklin noted that biography projects occur in various grades mainly in the English language arts program. The learning expectations are not specifically connected to the biography project. Rather, they expect that students will learn about specific leaders and important people throughout the curriculum.

Dori Zaleznik noted that one of the issues may be that parents experienced a very different social studies curriculum growing up and perhaps a more clearer understanding of the material would be helpful.

Janet Buerklin replied that her point is well taken and perhaps they are not conveying the work as well as possible. While parents receive information on the topics that are to be covered at a particular grade level, some narrative explanation of the larger picture might be helpful.

Marc Laredo asked if they are drawing upon any curriculum from other communities to help in their work.

Janet Buerklin reviewed the curriculum of school systems in the Education Collaborative (EDCO) on their websites and there was an enormous variety. Interestingly, many of the communities focus the 3^rd grade curriculum on their own community because of the richness of the history in some of those cities, such as Lexington and Concord.

Marc Laredo suggested using some of the best practices from these communities in their work.

Carolyn Wyatt added that coordinators meet with their colleagues from other districts on a monthly basis, so there is a constant sharing of what is happening in each community.

Gail Glick noted that while it is helpful to see what others are doing, part of the joy of teaching is to be able to develop one’s own lesson plans.

Jeff Young stated that curriculum is developed in Newton with the involvement of teachers. The development of the social studies Frameworks has been long and involved. Unlike math, where there is basically one national organization, without a great deal of controversy around what needs to be taught and when, this area has numerous organizations debating at the macro level what is being discussed tonight on the micro level.

Jonathan Bassett talked about the focus groups involving teachers and parents that occurred this past year. A consultant group is compiling the work from these meetings and they are awaiting that report.

Susie Heyman commented on the sequencing challenges facing the high schools.

Marshall Cohen responded that there are several key issues involved; one being the grade level placement of the MCAS exam itself. Another is the fact that U.S. History is taught in 8^th grade and then not again until 11^th. They face the challenge of maintaining their commitment to world history and a global perspective, while at the same time making sure students are competent in American history. Then they have to grapple with to what extent they teach only to the test or whether other things are important as well.

Dori Zaleznik commented that there is a sense that they are going backwards to teaching more facts that are testable because of the high stakes environment. Studying history is an opportunity to learn a method and develop and test hypotheses vs. just learning facts. She wondered how they can do both.

Jonathan Bassett replied that because an exam is a standardized test does not necessarily assume it only tests facts and a good test will mitigate that assumption. They expect students to think critically, make hypotheses and reason and they place an emphasis on writing in the curriculum because they share the same concerns she has raised.

Gail Glick asked to what extent they need to determine the sequencing prior to the inauguration of the MCAS exam and whether there is any flexibility to make that decision later.

Janet Buerklin outlined the timeline. The history portion of the exam was administered last month in grades 5 and 8 and re-administered in grade 11 as a trial test. At the very least the DOE is going to publish the questions they will not use in the future. This information will give them a sense of the level of sophistication they can expect of the questions. The first set of scores will be published in 2009 and they will not become high stakes before 2011, so there are several years for the test to be revised and for the system to make decisions about the curriculum and sequencing.

Gail Glick asked if one of their concerns about placement of the MCAS in grade 11 has to do with the fact that placing it a year earlier gives students an extra year to pass.

Marshall Cohen replied that this is one of several issues of concern.

Marc Laredo asked if they could elaborate on the 6^th grade curriculum, which had extensive changes.

Janet Buerklin stated that they are working with a team textbook rather than one for every student, supplemented by online research and materials. Geography was an important component of the Frameworks, so they identified the key information they needed to impart in this area, as well as materials that would be useful in that work. They then placed that within the context of one of the themes suggested by the Frameworks. For example, colonialism is one theme. They would use that in class to discuss the impact of colonialism throughout various regions of the world. In five classes last year they piloted a unit on the theme of health care using the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) databases and other online information to research diseases in specific areas and gather data on the number of hospitals, hospital beds and doctors and then discuss and debate the findings of their results. These teachers are very excited about the concept of doing contemporary geography and sharing that with their colleagues and helping one another through the process. Refinements will continue because that is the nature of an evolving program. Only time will tell how well their work is matching to the Frameworks.

Nancy Levine noted that facts do not need to be taught to be learned. As the mother of a recent 2004 graduate, she can attest to the strength of this curriculum in teaching students how to think about and manipulate concepts while learning the facts along the way and she hopes this is never lost.

Carolyn Wyatt added that this is the challenge of the balance they want to create.

Marshall Cohen agrees that learning a lot of facts is not key to success. Students need to understand the information and how make connections. They do their children a great disservice by making up hard lists that need to be checked off fastidiously.

PRESENTATION OF Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) PLANS

Lisa Reed, Director of METCO, announced that the budget was increased by approximately 13% allowing them to restore a counseling position to the middle schools and an elementary late bus, which were cut the previous year. There are currently 418 students in the program, with 16 graduating this year and the overall enrollment remains stable. She has been meeting with librarians to determine their needs and has been donating books to enhance their multicultural collection. Their department upgraded this year to PCs to be compatible with the rest of the system. There has been a learning curve, but it has allowed them to share databases more easily and be more efficient. This year they created a freshmen METCO Advisory course at Newton South, to help students transition from middle to high school, and seniors serve as buddies to the younger students. They sent 108 faculty members to The METCO Directors Association Conference this year and also supported various school initiatives. These include the elementary science and technology/engineering program, a walking tour of Boston for the new affinity group at Day Middle School, an outing for the teacher/student mentor program at Memorial-Spaulding Elementary School, hosting a parent meeting regarding the transition from middle to high school, and the Brown Middle School 8^th grade camping trip. Other services that they have been able to restore as a result of increased funding are sending students to the METCO Directors Youth Conference, tutoring, and student assessment for incoming students. The additional $260,000 Newton expects to receive from the state for the METCO program will be used to offset the gap in the school system budget. METCO will also assume the cost of the part-time coordinator of the Math Volunteer Program. In addition, they are working on ways of encouraging parents -- particularly those of color -- to volunteer in the schools.

Susie Heyman is thrilled that they were able to restore so many of these important programs this year. She also thanked Lisa for her willingness to help contribute to the system’s budget gap and the volunteer program.

Reenie Murphy asked if they track students who leave the system, as it appears that the numbers dwindle as they get into the higher grades.

Lisa Reed stated that they lose students for many of the same reasons that Newton residents leave, i.e., moving or being accepted into exam schools.

Reenie Murphy commented that when Newton residents leave they are often replaced with other students moving in. but that is not true of the METCO program.

Lisa Reed noted that this is true because students are not placed in the higher grades.

Jeff Young commented that Lisa, along with Mary Eich, have been leaders in the district around the achievement gap and he thanked her for all the work she does for this program and for the system.

COMMUNICATIONS

Nancy Levine wished to remind the public that the same rules about stopping for yellow school buses apply to special education vans and cars. She observed several cars pulling around one of the vans this morning, which is a serious safety issue.

PUBLIC COMMENT

There were no members of the public who wished to address the Committee at this time.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 9:50 p.m.