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Mr. Watson called the meeting to order at Mr. Shea, The focus of
the study will be how we might change the educational funding for The Board is
asked to support only the study at this time.
The report will layout the options in detail,
for the Board in Spring of 2010. At
that time, the Board can move forward, change course, or remain with the
current configuration. The planning
will involve community support and involvement over the next fifteen months,
to gather their feedback and ideas about how to make the High School
education in Board members
had several questions about the proposal.
What was the reason for this proposal and what made you start thinking
about this issue? Mr. Shea stated that
it was the number of students that aren’t engaged at the School. We have many students involved in the
football team, band and normal high school activities. We also have a large group of students not
invested in the school or educational opportunities. A smaller school with a more personal
approach can engage those students. It
would at least offer an option for students and parents. The smaller school setting can provide an
integrated real world education compared to the current departmentalized
education high school program. The schedule in a smaller school can be
adjusted and tweaked to Many Board
members supported the proposal but still have various questions they look
forward to having clarified. The proposal will be considered under New
Business at the Regular Board meeting scheduled for Ms. McCarley
moved, second by Mrs. Hubbard, to adjourn the meeting at Respectfully
submitted, Mr. Robert
Watson Presentation to School Board BIG STEP FORWARD Proposal/Vision
(BSF) (1)
Review, elaboration, and Q&A on the BSF proposal/vision presented and
discussed at Instruction Committee meetings on Oct. 30 and Nov. 20. BSF proposal /vision (four pages) is attached. * * the state. * New
high school (350-450 students) – one of the best examples in the country
of a whole new model of secondary education –
innovative, effective, and aligned with the realities of the twenty-first century. * Impact on school district operating
budget – not significant. (2) Further discussion as to why change is
needed, the rationale for the approach laid out in the BSF proposal/vision, and
the goals/outcomes we are aiming to achieve. (3) Discussion/deliberation about next steps
and prospectively moving forward with BSF.
(a) Asking for a vote at the Dec. 11 board meeting
approving a thorough exploration of the BSFproposal/vision which would culminate with a comprehensive and detailed
presentation to the School Board before the end of the coming 2009-10 school
year. (b) Cost of this sixteen-month process
(January/February 2009 through spring 2010) would be approximately $25,000. (c)
If the board were to approve the comprehensive/detailed proposal in
the spring of 2010: * Transitional/downsizing period
for * New school planning and development – 2010-11 & 2011-12 school years (two years). * New school opens with 9th & 10th graders – 2012-13 school year… and we roll out to full enrollment over the next two years (9th, 10th, 11th graders in 2013-14 and 9th-12th graders in 2014-15) * It would
be in 2014-15 that we would have an 350-450 students, and a BCA with 100-150 students. Spaulding High School/secondary education in BIG STEP FORWARD PROPOSAL/VISION
(DRAFT) Shea / I) VISION A. w
With eight strategic/critical areas of focus. B. C. New high school – approximately 350-450
students. II) RATIONALE/OUTCOMES III) NEXT STEPS I) VISION A. Target
enrollment of approximately 1000 students.
Comprehensive program with rigorous academic programs (including and a
strong sense of community and a culture of high expectations. With an information/ technology
infrastructure that supports teaching and learning and that provides better
data for more-informed decision making (at the administrative level and in
the classroom). 1.
Strong school-within-a-school space with its own faculty and
principal/director (leaving a sophomore-junior-senior program/ high school of
about 700 students). Focused on the
critical transition year from middle school to high school, the Academy will reduce
drop out and retention rates – as well as better engage and prepare all students for
success in high school
The
fifth year (2010-11). Prospective schedule change (#3 below) will
likely be critical to forward
progress. 2.
More tightly focused and strengthened school curriculum/course offerings
aimed at getting all students
to targeted competencies (essential learning outcomes) – via constant
instructional improvement and measured varied and
well-aligned assessment strategies (scored/graded in a manner most
helpful and useful to students and others).
Process has been in the works for a few
years. Detailed plan/timeline is now
in place to
complete these efforts over next two years –
to be wrapped up in 2010-11. 3.
Ideal school day schedule (and school year calendar) in place to
maximize effectiveness of teaching and learning – via best mix of
shorter and longer periods and frequency of class meetings, appropriate mix of
semester/year-long classes, built-in time for teacher planning/collaboration,
greater flexibility for alternative/non-traditional pathways, etc.
Faculty voted overwhelmingly to
tackle this last spring/summer.
Process is now beginning –
and should be wrapped up/implemented in
2010-11 or 2011-12. 4.
Significantly increased number of quality/rigorous options (or alternative
pathways) for earning high school credits (i.e.,
demonstrating competencies on essential learning outcomes) – for at-risk students,
highly-engaged/successful students, and all of the students
in-between.
(by about 2011-12 or 2012-13) 5.
Campus fully “settled down.”
Clear, reasonable, and consistently enforced/reinforced expectations for all students – with
fully-staffed school safety team at the center (along with powerful school culture set by
principal/administrative team) – producing far fewer disruptions to
the learning environment and a stronger sense of community and support.
Have made significant progress
over past year. And will continue to make progress – but
school size is not helpful. 6.
Homeroom/advisory program providing all students (and their families)
with a single adult advisor,
a comfortable weekly check-in, a homeroom/advisory peer group of
approximately 16-18 other students, and an effective
vehicle for school communication, course selection/ registration,
etc.
Program now in its second year. Should be solidly implemented and firmly
established by
2009-10 or 2010-11. 7.
No classes (or very few) with more than 24 students. Ideal class size of 16-22 (with some
exceptions). Smaller faculty (and administrative,
support, guidance team) but slightly decreased
faculty to student ratio.
term improvements would require more teaching
positions. 8.
Facilities no longer overcrowded nor in need of expansion – just
renovated and reorganized in some areas. And technological resources (computer labs,
Smartboards, etc.) updated/ expanded. (Note, for example, that with 1000
students, we can have three school lunches in the current
cafeteria much more comfortably and at more appropriate times.) B. Enrollment
of approximately 100-150 students (grades 9-12) at separate school (located
at community center). Innovative
program aimed at better serving students who are least likely to be
successful at Spaulding. Launched this year. Should be solid, well-established, and at
optimum enrollment within next 2-3 years (by about 2010-11). C. New high school in Enrollment
of 350-450 students attending a new tuition-free public school (charter,
pilot, district-run, or another organizational structure) with a focus such
as entrepreneurship (both private/ business and public/social entrepreneurship) or some other appropriate and powerful
unifying theme. The school will have
an innovative cutting-edge academic program (integrated curriculum,
project-based learning, etc.) tied closely to the surrounding community
(internships, apprenticeships, various forms of collaboration) – but
extracurricular and athletic options will be limited. Start-up
funding (likely $5 to $10 million) for renovating and furnishing an existing
local space/building to be raised via grant, state, federal money – not local
property taxes or municipal bonds. School
of choice. If oversubscribed,
interested students to be selected via lottery. With timely board approval to simply
explore this option, the hope would be to have seed money committed, facilities identified, and
charter (of some sort) established within next 2-3 years – with the
school opening a year or two later – as early as 2012-13 (with enrollment
phased-in). II) RATIONALE/OUTCOMES We
are not serving all of our students well enough. The drop out rate is too high. The percentage of students going on to
post-secondary education is too low.
Truancy is a significant problem.
Far too many of our students are at-risk and disengaged from the
learning process. We are doing poorly
on standardized tests such as the Fundamentally,
The
vision outlined above is in line with the recently launched Spaulding's
current principal – with the background and credentials of an entrepreneurial
reformer (including significant start-up and fund-raising experience) – is
uniquely qualified to lead these efforts.
We
have the leadership at the district level and in the community to achieve
this vision. We have the will, talent,
and creativity at the high school (and now at BCA) to make this happen. Despite the issues and problems we are
faced with, we have a significant number of achievements and successes (many
of them recent) to build on. The
timing is right. During difficult economic times is precisely the appropriate time to be
planning and doing the ground work for five years out – and beyond. Cost
of taking next steps and exploring possibilities is minimal – less than
$25,000. Longer-term
costs are comparable to current operating expenses. Annual district expenditures per high school
student will be approximately the same.
(School administration/overhead should actually decrease.) And the start-up costs of prospective new
high school are to be covered by outside funding. The case for support – based on both the
size and needs of our high school and the needs of the greater Lastly,
we have no real choice but to act boldly.
Responsibly, deliberately, thoughtfully – and boldly. It is the right thing to do. Outcomes for w More
students (all students) learning more (reaching targeted
competencies), better prepared for (and more eager to pursue)
post-secondary options, better prepared to find and pursue meaningful and fulfilling work, and better
prepared for (and more motivated to engage in) civic/citizenship
responsibilities. w Fully
engaged, high quality, hard-working, and proud faculty/staff serving all
three schools. w Student
bodies at BCA, all students
participating in at least one extracurricular activity. w Average
daily attendance up to at least 95%.
Ideally with the top 5-10 rates in the state. w Drop-out
rate lowered to under 10%. Ideally closer to 5%. w
Approximately 75-80% of our graduates going on to post-secondary schools –
and all of them (or at least 90%
of them) identified as successful and still enrolled one or two years
later. w Fewer
than 25 ten-day suspensions (or longer) earned/given out at school. w All
NECAP/NCLB AYP targets met in all areas in need of improvement. No more SINI – and no more
DINI. w An
overwhelmingly and stunningly positive NEASC accreditation review in 2014. II) NEXT STEPS Seeking a timely
“green light” to properly and fully explore the vision outlined above
(ideally within the next three months).
Hopeful that an Instruction Committee meeting devoted solely to this
proposal could be scheduled before Thanksgiving.
Exploratory stage
would culminate (in the spring of 2010) with an extensive and detailed
proposal for the board’s consideration – and either an approval vote or
not. (Needless to say, the board would
be involved every step of the way leading up to this proposal.) |