Good News

Some good news for the schools.  Thought I would pass it on.


Sports restored; fees increased

Before ... and after

Shining light on science

My Meeting with the Superintendent

So I had my meeting with Mr. Ingano on Thursday morning (Jul 12) and I think it went very well.  I basically had three main topics to discuss: Communication,  Marketing, and Politics.  Mr. Ingano was very receptive all of the thoughts and ideas presented. 

Communication

In my personal experience with the school system , I feel that communication is lacking in a lot of areas.  I talked about this in depth.  I tried to convey that parents want updated information about everything and in many different ways.  I touched on the school district’s website, newsletters, social media (Facebook), and Olde Home Days. 

Mr. Ingano expressed that he will be doing a monthly newsletter in the Item, and also possibly starting a Facebook page as two new ways to update everyone.

Marketing

I talked about the marketing aspect of the school.  I think that  the school should be showcasing all of the positive things and letting everyone know all the great things that are going on in the schools.  There are always going to be things that people don’t like, but let’s focus on the positive things.  I want to hear about the volunteer program, and about the recent graduates going to great schools.  I want to hear about what’s going on at the Middle School.  Be prideful of the schools.

I talked about the less than friendly experiences that I’ve had (and also witnessed) with some of the administration staff.  Although these were few and far between, I know that it’s happened to other people as well.  That kind of behavior creates a feeling of “us versus them”  and that’s going to help no one.  It also contributes to the sense that parents don’t matter or that we shouldn’t “bother” the school.  This just can’t happen.

Politics

Politics was the last thing I discussed.  This is not my strong suit, so please keep that in mind.  My main points about politics had to do with the School Committee.  My first question was,  why does it seem that the School Committee doesn’t know the procedure of the Town Meeting – and how can that change?  I honestly don’t mean this disrespectfully, but I know I’m not the only one who has asked this question. 

This question came about because I was really confused about the “sandbagging” incident that took place when a member of the finance committee made a motion to reconsider the town budget, which in turn shut down all further discussion to re-allocate funds, specifically $300,000 from the stabilization fund. It was this money that the schools were going to ask for, but couldn’t because the budget was reconsidered (please correct me if I’m wrong about this, but this is the way I understood it).  Ultimately I can’t figure out why the School Committee did not anticipate this move by the finance committee.

My other question was why does it seem that the School Committee, teachers, and superintendent all have the same goal, but don’t seem to work together?

I had this question because at Town Meeting, I saw Mr. Ingano speak about the school in response to  a question/comment. I also saw a teacher trying his best to gain more money for the schools, and I saw a couple of members of the school committee speak on behalf of the schools.  None of them seemed to work together, which is a shame. I would think that if forces united, goals might be met more efficiently.  It would also give the schools a better appearance in the eyes of the town because the situation wouldn’t seem so disorganized and unplanned.

Mr. Ingano didn’t have good explanations for these questions, other than recognizing it is a problem.  I realize that I need to speak to someone on the School Committee directly about this, but one step at a time.

Wrap Up

So all in all I feel that this meeting was worthwhile.   There is still work to do, but I think it’s a good start. My goal is getting information to the parents and empowering all of you to voice your opinions and express your thoughts.  If enough of us come together, we can accomplish something.

Message from Terrance Ingano

I had my meeting with Mr. Ingano yesterday (Thursday), and I will posting about it this weekend, but in the meantime, he has responded to some of your posts:

Question:
Anyone know who the business manager is yet ? Also anyone know the status of assitant principal at the middle school. School opening is not that far away. We should have those positions on board by now.

Response: 
Mrs. Sargent only officially took over on July 1; we have advertised the Assistant Principal's job and received many applications; a search committee has been formed and met once; I'm sure the group will pare down the number and interviews will be held within the next two weeks. Certification is required and experience preferred.

As for business manager, we received 12 applications; a search committee already met once to pare down the number to the top 5 applicants. This committee will meet again next week and has now invited the Chair of the Finance Committee to join; the interviews will probably be held the week of July 23. That number will be knocked down to two finalists--for those last two interviews, we will invite a member of the Board of Selectmen (or their designee) to join the committee. Certifcation is required.

Both positions will be in place by mid-August.

__________________________________________________________________________

Question:

As a staff member of CES and a parent of a child in the school, I hope I can answer a few of the questions relating to that particular school. I understand the concern regarding the NEASC certification and the $15,000 it is costing the district, however, without accreditation we will lose the full day kindergarten grant which pays several salaries. We receive approximately $90,000 annually from this grant (please do not quote me on the numbers; they may not be exact). In the past, we were able to receive this grant because the preschool and kindergarten were accredited by NAEYC. Our current kindergarten program would no longer be in line with NAEYC's developmental approach to education. So basically the district was faced with the decision to either lose the grant money or put the time and hard work into becoming accredited by a different organization. So yes, we are spending $15,000 but it is necessary.

As far as school choice, this also brings money into the district. Only a few grade levels in the district except school choice students and it is based on the class size. Acceptance is based on registration returns; first come, first served type of situation. For example, if first grade is accepting 5 school choice students the first 5 who registered will be accepted (each folder is numbered when it is completed). It is against the law to discriminate based on a disbality.

I love the idea of a monthly newsletter and I agree communication is lacking across the district.

Hope that helps...

Response:

Also, accreditation MAKES for a better school. For the past year, an intensive self-study has been going on. Aspects like curriculum, leadership, community support, support services, instruction, etc. are all studied and analyzed by a mix of teachers, parents, etc. Each standards area "rates" itself; when the visiting team comes in, they read the report, interview people, and MOST IMPORTANTLY--observe classes and actually see what's going on. At the end of all of this expensive venture, the elementary school will be accredited--however, the visiting team will make recommendations to us (things we need to work on, to get better at) AND commendations (things we are doing very well that we should be very proud of); from there a follow up committee is established to start working on these goals--how are we going to make this school better. Although this is an expense, I believe NEASC is a great tool to help improve a school.

As to school choice, we're probably only taking students in K and in all Clinton High grades; it is very unlikely (because of class size) that we'll take too many others--that's why I so concerned about the money issues and people thinking that I'm sitting on a "pot of money" -- that money could dry up very quickly as some students leave and we don't take other students in.



Summer Update

I hope everyone's summer is going well and you're all having a lot of fun.  For us, it's one of the busiest summers that I can remember, but the difference from past summers is that we're actually doing some fun stuff.  So it's been good. 

Couple of topics to bring up with you.  First, I'm having a  meeting with the Superintendent this week.  The conversation I have with him will be completely based on your comments, suggestions, and some of my own observations.  I'm hoping that some good will come out of this.  It won't be a quick fix, but maybe it will be a start to seeing some positive change.

I have some time before the meeting, so please more comments, suggestions, etc are very welcome (as always).  As I said in my last post "keep it coming".

Second, I would like some feedback from those of you who are participating in Summer Enrichment this year.  How do you like it?  How does it compare to previous years?  What kind of rating would you give it?  What would you do to improve it if you could?

That's it for now.  Next week, I'll have more to update.  In the meantime, enjoy your summer days!