All of the funds that are taken in by a district for school choice go into a “School Choice Revolving Account.” As you may have read in the School Choice Parts I – III blog posts, the total school choice amount for Petersham, Orange, and Mahar in the 2010 – 2011 academic year was more than in the neighborhood of $1,636,000.00.
At Mahar, school choice funds may only be expended by a majority vote of the school committee. While these funds can be used to fulfill any need of the district, at Mahar they have almost solely been used to reduce the assessments to the towns in each fiscal year. What this means as that the school committee has continually voted to utilize this money as a source of revenue in each operating budget.
At Orange Elementary this has not been the case. Funds from school choice have been continuously utilized to fill gaps that existed in previous operational budgets. This practice brought about a problematic situation at the end of the last school year. You see, when the school choice account reached a balance of $0.00 and the amount budgeted by the town for the purpose of elementary education was at $0.00, there were still unpaid bills in an amount that approached $100,000.00.
This happened because money was being spent before it ever arrived in the district’s school choice account. When the final payment from the state came in less than expected, there was an obvious deficit. This year we will be holding school choice funds with the intention of appropriating them as a source of revenue in the Fiscal Year 2013 budget. So if all goes according to plan, rather than having $5.1 million dollars in fiscal year 2013, the district will have more like $5.5 million dollars at its disposal.
This will return people to work and hopefully provide some funding for other serious needs. But….what if we were able to combine the three school districts’ school choice accounts and have one larger pot from which we draw funds? What if all of our teachers return to work and we are able to increase our school choice students by just five students per grade, Pre-K – 12? Well, we would have close to $2,000,000.00 in school choice revenue.
If the $2,000,000.00 were to be attributed to the entire budget of a Pre-K – 12 regional district, this means that 10% of the school budget would be covered by school choice. In previous blogs I informed readers that on average schools in the Commonwealth are funded at 13% more than the minimum allowed in “Net School Spending.” In the model I have just described, the towns would have only to contribute the absolute bare minimum required by law, and our schools would be funded at very close to the state average.
Let’s face the facts. The children in our region should be given the opportunity to compete with children from other regions. A child in Orange should have the same educational opportunities as students from Leominster, Shrewsbury, and Westwood. You see, when colleges accept students they accept them based on what they know and how well they demonstrate what they know. Our kids should at least have the chance to know what other students know. They will not have these opportunities in huge classes with old textbooks, broken computers, and fewer teachers.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
School Choice - Part III of IV
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| Trends in School Choice Enrollment Ralph C. Mahar Regional School Orange, MA As you can see from the graph above, School Choice in the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School has changed drastically in recent years. For quite some time more students from Orange, Wendell, New Salem, and Petersham chose to attend middle and high schools in other school districts rather than attend Mahar. A few years ago, the balance of this equation tipped. I would be delighted to go on about the programming at Mahar and Mount Wachusett Community College that draws students from all over Central Massachusetts, but that is not the purpose of this post. The graph above shows the possibilities that arise when academic programming is desirable to those from surrounding towns. In the next school year it is quite possible that Mahar will take in over $1,000,000.00 in school choice funding, with a rapidly decreasing number of students who choose to attend other schools in the Commonwealth. Last year Mahar took in $873,210.00 in school choice funds. This equates to $5,432.00 per student. In my part IV of this blog series, I will focus in on how the three aforementioned school choice accounts can be consolidated for the benefit of all students in our three districts, should regionalization take place. |
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Sheriff Donelan's Work Crew Gives Butterfield Auditorium Much Needed Upgrade
In the Spring of 2011 I had the privilege of taking a tour of all of the elementary facilities with my friend and former colleague, Dr. Paul Burnim. When I stepped foot into the auditorium at the Butterfield Elementary School for the first time, I looked around in silence. My question to Dr. Burnim, “When was this school built?” soon fell from my mouth. Dr. Burnim then informed me that the school was built in 1881!
My eyes were caught by falling paint from the ceiling; wooden chairs that desperately needed attention; and chandeliers that may very well have been in the room for 130 years. While I could feel the age of the building, I could also feel its warmth. The warmth was exacerbated by the teachers who were in their classrooms interacting with students, the soon to be Mahar students passersby, and the sound of students singing, “America the Beautiful.”
There were so many things on my mind about the up and coming school year, and on the aforementioned day a new thing was added. The auditorium at the Butterfield Elementary School stands as the place where students and parents gather for celebrations of yearly success. It also stands as the auditorium that has housed each and every graduate of the Orange School System at one point or another for the past 130 years. I wondered how room deserving of so much respect could be allowed to look the way that it did.
Not long after this day, I had many conversations about the condition of the auditorium. One of these conversations did not fall upon deaf ears. Enter Sheriff Chris Donelan. I had a conversation with Sheriff Donelan about the auditorium. In that conversation it was it was Chris who reminded me that he along with many Mahar parents, grandparents, and great grandparents stood in that room at one time or another. I recall him saying, “You know, there are more memories in that room than can ever be counted.”
The next day Sheriff Donelan called me with good news. He informed me that he had a work crew from the Franklin County Jail that could come to the auditorium and give it a tune up. Without hesitation, I agreed. Having no idea what the possibilities were, I just hoped that the falling paint could be scraped from the ceiling. Today when I went to the Butterfield Auditorium to meet the Sheriff and look at the work that was completed, I was absolutely amazed.
With little experience on how much labor it takes to scrape, paint, and completely update the appearance a room of this size I am going to have to turn to an expert to understand the dollar value of this work. I have heard jobs such as these costing tens of thousands of dollars. As you can see in the pictures below, the floor, walls, ceiling, and seating all look brand new!
Soon we will celebrate our students' success in the renovated auditorium. Thank you Sheriff Donelan for your assistance and for the generosity of your work crew. Mr. Trill is in the process of planning a September event in which parents, students, and community members can see what I had the privilege of seeing today. It is my hope that you can be our guest.
My eyes were caught by falling paint from the ceiling; wooden chairs that desperately needed attention; and chandeliers that may very well have been in the room for 130 years. While I could feel the age of the building, I could also feel its warmth. The warmth was exacerbated by the teachers who were in their classrooms interacting with students, the soon to be Mahar students passersby, and the sound of students singing, “America the Beautiful.”
There were so many things on my mind about the up and coming school year, and on the aforementioned day a new thing was added. The auditorium at the Butterfield Elementary School stands as the place where students and parents gather for celebrations of yearly success. It also stands as the auditorium that has housed each and every graduate of the Orange School System at one point or another for the past 130 years. I wondered how room deserving of so much respect could be allowed to look the way that it did.
Not long after this day, I had many conversations about the condition of the auditorium. One of these conversations did not fall upon deaf ears. Enter Sheriff Chris Donelan. I had a conversation with Sheriff Donelan about the auditorium. In that conversation it was it was Chris who reminded me that he along with many Mahar parents, grandparents, and great grandparents stood in that room at one time or another. I recall him saying, “You know, there are more memories in that room than can ever be counted.”
The next day Sheriff Donelan called me with good news. He informed me that he had a work crew from the Franklin County Jail that could come to the auditorium and give it a tune up. Without hesitation, I agreed. Having no idea what the possibilities were, I just hoped that the falling paint could be scraped from the ceiling. Today when I went to the Butterfield Auditorium to meet the Sheriff and look at the work that was completed, I was absolutely amazed.
With little experience on how much labor it takes to scrape, paint, and completely update the appearance a room of this size I am going to have to turn to an expert to understand the dollar value of this work. I have heard jobs such as these costing tens of thousands of dollars. As you can see in the pictures below, the floor, walls, ceiling, and seating all look brand new!
Soon we will celebrate our students' success in the renovated auditorium. Thank you Sheriff Donelan for your assistance and for the generosity of your work crew. Mr. Trill is in the process of planning a September event in which parents, students, and community members can see what I had the privilege of seeing today. It is my hope that you can be our guest.
School Choice - Part II of IV
As you can see from the graph above, in 2010 -2011 the Orange Elementary Schools had 82 students from other towns. Their families chose Orange Elementary rather than their home school districts. Since Orange Elementary received $393,019.00 in Fiscal Year 2011, each choice student brought only $4,770.00 to the district. You will note that this is significantly less than the per pupil amount that was cited in my most recent blog post about school choice in the Petersham Elementary Schools.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has a formula by which towns and school districts are financially punished for not meeting Net School Spending Requirements. The Net School Spending Requirement is the absolute minimum amount allowed to go to public education in each town. Unfortunately for the Town of Orange and the Orange Elementary Schools the absolute minimum was not met in Fiscal Year 2010.
It is safe to say that the state allocates more than $5,000.00 per school choice student. In some cases the state may allocate more for individual students based upon their need for special education services. It has been estimated that the Town of Orange missed out on around $50,000.00 in school choice revenue in Fiscal Year 2010 because Net School Spending was not met.
The graph above shows that the number of families who chose to send their children to Orange increased rapidly from 2004 to 2010. Last year the number fell slightly, and of course it is possible that it will fall yet again this year.
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| School Choice Trends in Enrollment Orange Elementary Schools Orange, MA |
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has a formula by which towns and school districts are financially punished for not meeting Net School Spending Requirements. The Net School Spending Requirement is the absolute minimum amount allowed to go to public education in each town. Unfortunately for the Town of Orange and the Orange Elementary Schools the absolute minimum was not met in Fiscal Year 2010.
It is safe to say that the state allocates more than $5,000.00 per school choice student. In some cases the state may allocate more for individual students based upon their need for special education services. It has been estimated that the Town of Orange missed out on around $50,000.00 in school choice revenue in Fiscal Year 2010 because Net School Spending was not met.
The graph above shows that the number of families who chose to send their children to Orange increased rapidly from 2004 to 2010. Last year the number fell slightly, and of course it is possible that it will fall yet again this year.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
School Choice - Part I of IV
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| School Choice Trends in Enrollment Petersham Center Elementary School Petersham, MA |
The next series of blog posts will focus on school choice in each district, one at a time. Today, I will start with Petersham Center Elementary School. In Fiscal Year 2011 Petersham Elementary received an average of $6,563.11 per student of choice from surrounding districts. While this amount does not reflect the true cost of education for a single student – it comes as much needed support for Petersham Center Elementary.
As you can see from the graph at the top of this post, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education showed in 2011 that 56 students in the Petersham Center School were students who actually came to Petersham from surrounding towns. So, with this Petersham Center Elementary School received a little more than $370,000.00 in Fiscal Year 2011 for these 56 students.
Without School Choice each classroom at Petersham Center Elementary School would have an average of around 8 students per class. This low number of students in each class would drive the per pupil cost of education in this small school to an unsustainable amount. If Petersham did not accept School Choice Students, classrooms would have to be combined so that students from multiple grades would bein a single classroom. Commonly referred to as The Little House on the Prairie model, this would not be to the benefit of the students who attend this school.
Having students choice in to your school is a badge of honor. It means that parents from towns other than yours view your school as a better place for their children to learn. School Committees, administrators, and teachers alike take pride in the fact that their school is a desirable place for those outside of their own communities.
The next blog post will focus in on School Choice at Orange Elementary and the third will focus on Mahar. The final blog post will focus on School Choice in a new fully regionalized Pre-K – 12 district for the Mahar, Orange, and Petersham School Districts.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
What is an Excess and Deficiency Account?
I received a question from one of my new colleagues from the elementary system that I felt was important for everyone to understand. I have spoken about the Excess and Deficiency (E & D) account many times in our public meetings in which regionalization has been the topic of discussion. At our Regional Planning Meeting on August 11, 2011 I said, “Should Orange, Mahar, and Petersham regionalize the elementary schools and towns would be beneficiaries of an Excess and Deficiency Account.” So the question:
What is the E & D account and how is having it beneficial for our schools and our towns?
Every regional school district must maintain an Excess and Deficiency (E & D) Account. In cities or towns this fund is referred to as Free Cash and in business it is similar to retained earnings. At the end of every fiscal year, any surplus or deficit in the district’s general fund is placed in or taken from the E & D fund.
Every year and in every regional school district this fund is certified by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. Failure to have this account certified may result in the state withholding all or part of the region’s state aid.
The regional school committee may use all or part of the certified balance in E & D as a revenue source for its next proposed budget. This fund may also be used at the discretion of the school committee for extraordinary or unanticipated expenditures. Up to 5% of the current year’s budget can be attributed to the E & D account.
So what does all of this mean????
For starters the assessments to the towns of New Salem, Orange, Petersham, and Wendell were reduced by $489,945.00 in the 2011 – 2012 school year. This amount came directly from the Ralph C. Mahar E & D fund. If we were to regionalize, we would be able to store close to $1,000,000.00 in a larger, combined E & D account. As has been the case for many years at Mahar, these funds would be used to reduce the assessments for Orange and Petersham Elementary as well.
Second and even more important, this fund can be used in a time of crisis. The over expenditure of funds at Orange Elementary in fiscal year 2011 is a perfect example of this. If Orange were a regional school the deficit at the end of fiscal year 2011 would not have been an issue for the Town of Orange. The best way to handle this deficit would have been to pull funds from the Excess and Deficiency Account.
What is the E & D account and how is having it beneficial for our schools and our towns?
Every regional school district must maintain an Excess and Deficiency (E & D) Account. In cities or towns this fund is referred to as Free Cash and in business it is similar to retained earnings. At the end of every fiscal year, any surplus or deficit in the district’s general fund is placed in or taken from the E & D fund.
Every year and in every regional school district this fund is certified by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. Failure to have this account certified may result in the state withholding all or part of the region’s state aid.
The regional school committee may use all or part of the certified balance in E & D as a revenue source for its next proposed budget. This fund may also be used at the discretion of the school committee for extraordinary or unanticipated expenditures. Up to 5% of the current year’s budget can be attributed to the E & D account.
So what does all of this mean????
For starters the assessments to the towns of New Salem, Orange, Petersham, and Wendell were reduced by $489,945.00 in the 2011 – 2012 school year. This amount came directly from the Ralph C. Mahar E & D fund. If we were to regionalize, we would be able to store close to $1,000,000.00 in a larger, combined E & D account. As has been the case for many years at Mahar, these funds would be used to reduce the assessments for Orange and Petersham Elementary as well.
Second and even more important, this fund can be used in a time of crisis. The over expenditure of funds at Orange Elementary in fiscal year 2011 is a perfect example of this. If Orange were a regional school the deficit at the end of fiscal year 2011 would not have been an issue for the Town of Orange. The best way to handle this deficit would have been to pull funds from the Excess and Deficiency Account.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Questions About Regionalization: Superintendent's Response
“For those who have not been able to attend meetings on regionalization, would you address that issue in a separate post? It seems like you are a big proponent of regionalization. What are the next steps to regionalization? What are the benefits to regionalizing? There must also be some drawbacks--what are they? If we regionalize how soon could we see the benefits?”
- Amy Borezo
Thank you Amy!
Regionalization meetings have typically been lightly attended since I took over for Dr. Namin in 2009. The topics of the meetings are complex as they deal mostly with education and finance laws, and local and state governmental bodies. Typical conversations at these meetings are around school finance, school committee composition, costs associated with transition, and local politics. While these meetings are full of information and discussion, they can be rather drab for those not directly involved in the conversations.
When I came to Mahar in 2007, I could not say that I was a proponent of regionalization, and I cannot say that I was against it either. At that time I was the Director of Special Education and at first, only concerned myself with the issues that were right in front of me. I looked at the Orange Elementary, Petersham Center, and Swift River Schools as I would look at any neighboring district as I moved from being a classroom aid, to teacher, to administrator. I looked forward to meeting with Dr. Burnim, Dr. Conway, Mrs. Hunter, Mr. Haigh, Dr. Martin, and Mrs. Phillips as students were transitioning from the elementary systems to the secondary system.
Truth be told, we worked together quite a bit to ensure that Mahar’s incoming seventh graders would be greeted with educational programs tailored to their individual needs. In the Spring of 2008 I recall driving down to Butterfield Elementary School to meet with parents and students who would be leaving Orange Elementary in Grade 6 and coming to Mahar for grade 7. That was the first time that the effects of being in a split region dawned on me. I was driving just a few blocks to go see students in a separate school district, and our town had two school Superintendents just blocks away. We also had two special education administrators, two central offices, and well…two of everything quite frankly. I thought about adding Petersham and Swift River to the mix and actually having four of everything.
When I was a teacher at Niagara Falls High School in Niagara Falls, NY the student population of the school was more than 3,000. There were more than a dozen schools in the Niagara Falls City Schools, and they had only one superintendent, one special education administrator, and one central office. I thought about doing four grant applications instead of one, four weekly payrolls instead of one, having four packages for data management instead of one, for directors of facilities, four technology administrators, four cafeteria managers, and…four of everything – all for about 1,800 students. When I worked in Niagara Falls there were nearly 10,000 students in the district! So slowly, with much thought and research, I did become a serious proponent of the regionalization of our schools.
I learned that while some local leaders looked to regionalize Mahar, Orange, Petersham and Swift River in a single Pre-K – 12 region, other local leaders took an active stance against it. I attended meetings, read documents, and educated myself about both sides of this argument. I found all of the places in which regional efforts have fallen down in the past. And I learned how complicated this issue really, really is.
I originally believed that we just had to merge on paper. I thought that once a regional agreement was put together everyone would just vote and that would be that. I could see quite clearly how it would be better for education and better for finances, and I figured everyone else would see that too. Then reality set in…
First, if we were to regionalize several people would be out of jobs. All of the “fours” that I mentioned above would become “ones.” There would be only one school committee, so instead of eighteen school committee members there would be only eleven. Healthcare plans, teaching contracts, and non-teaching contracts would all have to be merged. Finally, in cases where our four separate districts do business with four separate companies, there would be only one company with whom we did business for each good or service we use. Sure, there is cost savings in each of these, but with the cost savings come individual winners and unfortunate losers.
We began regionalizing by consolidating. When I became the Superintendent, Dr. Conway became the Special Education Administrator for Petersham, Orange, and Mahar. With this we have and continue to respect the wishes of the Towns of Wendell and New Salem to remain an independent Pre-K -6 school district. In 2010 Wendell and New Salem funded education 43.1% higher than the minimum required Net School Spending amount. The Swift River School received $391,919.00 more than Net School Spending. They clearly have a great thing going there.
Consolidation at a Glance
Special Education Administration: Merged 2010 – One Special Education Administrator and Special Education Office for three school districts.
Central Office: Merged July 1, 2011 – One Superintendent and one Central Office for three school districts.
Maintenance: To be voted September 2011
Technology: To be voted September 2011
Cafeteria Services: To be voted September 2011
Health Care Plans: Orange, Petersham, and Mahar on same health care plan – MIIA (Blue Cross/Blue Shield)
Next Step: Information Sessions for Voters to understand the proposed regional agreement so that it can be presented to the townspeople for their vote in the Fall of 2011. First session to be held October 13, 2011 at Mahar at 7:00 PM.
There are a number of benefits to regionalizing that would take effect on July 1, 2012 with the affirmative vote of the Towns of New Salem, Orange, Petersham, and Wendell. I will separate these into two categories; financial and educational.
Financial Benefits
Regional Transportation Reimbursement: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts reimburses regional school districts for the transportation of its students. This year the rate of reimbursement was 57.59%. For every $100,000.00 a school district spent on transportation in 2011, $57,590.00 will be given to the regional school as a source of revenue in fical year 2012. In fiscal year 2012 the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School is projected to spend $572,560.00 on transportation and expects to receive $329,737.00 from the state for fiscal year 2013.. Orange Elementary is projected so spend approximately $300,000.00 on transportation in fiscal year 2012 and because it is not a regional district, reimbursement from the state will be $0.00. A regionalized Orange Elementary would receive an additional $172,770.00. These are funds that the district would receive every year.
Bonus Aid: The state has allocated bonus aid for regionalization to the tune of $50.00 per pupil. Orange, Petersham, and Mahar are projected to have around 1,800 students in the next academic year. So if regionalized we would receive a one-time payment of $90,000.00.
Cost Savings: There are cost savings in every consolidated position, merger of purchasing agreements, and increased dollars available in grants for a larger district. I will be presenting these amounts at the informational session on October 13, 2011 at 7:00 PM here at Mahar.
Educational Benefits
A strong elementary focus can now be held by the overseer of elementary education found in the Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education. Prior to the creation of this position, Dr. Burnim had to oversee all of the financial, facility, state reporting, and personnel decisions in the district, leaving little or no time for education.
Professional development can be shared among all three districts in the generation of common languages and themes for student learning.
A Pre-K through Grade 12 curriculum can be created that is the same for ALL learners.
Uniform preparation of students can be ensured – meaning that seventh grade at Mahar is the same for all students, no matter which town they come from.
From my perspective it is very difficult to see drawbacks. I can see the complexities of getting the regionalization approved, but drawbacks are hard to find. Right now I see school buildings in Orange that need to be repaired, technology that needs to be enhanced, professional development for teachers that needs to take place, teachers who we need to return to work, test scores that need to improve, and textbooks that need to be purchased.
In Petersham I see a school funding formula that is teetering. While the number of school choice students at Petersham Center is a badge of honor, these students are funded at a level that is significantly less than that of students who live in the town in which they are educated.
At Mahar I see seventh grade MCAS scores that have yet to be adequately addressed. To improve seventh grade scores, we must interact with the curriculum in grade 6. To improve 6th grade MCAS scores we must improve practices in grade 5, and so on.
To me Regionalization can be explained as an endeavor of transformation. If accepted it will bring about a change in our system and a changes in individuals who work therein. If we continue at our current pace, state takeover of our schools is a real possibility in the coming years. The state and federal government have set standards that we are not meeting. In not meeting these standards, our students are the people who will suffer. We can be better together, and regionalization is the road to this taking place.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
A Question About Inclusion
When I started writing this blog, I had hoped that it would bring about lively online dialogue about the issues that confront our students, teachers, families, and schools. In preparation I did some research on how school superintendents across the country have used blogs to communicate with members of their school communities. I found that many superintendents started out with the best intentions, yet wound up shutting their pages down. You see, the anonymity offered by the Internet attracted people to these well-intended sites who had other motives.
Many of these tech-savvy school administrators found themselves confronted by statements that were charged with hate, anger, threats, and other inappropriate material. Essentially, people could post whatever they wanted on these blog sites with no accountability. With this in mind I instituted a more comprehensive technological form of identity verification on this blog. Sadly, the steps that one must go through in order to post seem to have diminished the quantity of posts that I have received. Irrespective of this fact, I am happy to see that this site is on the verge of recording 12,000 hits.
Over the past couple of weeks I have had the opportunity to meet with many in the community who are concerned about our latest unfortunate turn of events. I have also responded to questions at public meetings, and am now experiencing an uptick in the number of questions that I am receiving via E-mail. I decided that with the permission of those who E-mail me, I will begin posting my answers to their questions online. I hope that this will be one more way for our districts to communicate accurate information with regard to our budget crisis and our efforts to regionalize the Orange, Ralph C. Mahar Regional, and Petersham Elementary schools.
Today’s question came via E-mail from Orange Elementary parent, Rachael Coolidge. Rachael’s inquiry pertained to the difference between an elementary inclusion class and those that were not labeled to be inclusion classes in our recent press release about class size in the Orange Elementary system. If you have not had the opportunity to read the release, it was posted on this very blog just one week ago. In Mrs. Coolidge’s E-mail she wondered why there were more inclusion classes in grade 4 at Dexter Park Elementary than in other grades. I thought that this was an excellent question and I could not wait to get to it this evening. So Rachael, please accept my thanks for taking the time to send me the message.
Before answering this question there is some educational jargon that must be understood by all readers:
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE): This term comes from federal legislation (IDEA) that deals with the education of students with disabilities. It refers to the location in which education is provided for students who are educated under this section of law. This law states that children with disabilities must be educated with non-disabled students to the maximum extent possible, and with respect to each individual’s disability.
Full Inclusion Classroom: In Massachusetts a Full Inclusion Classroom is one in which students with disabilities are educated in regular education classrooms with their same aged peers for 80% or more of the school day.
IEP: Individualized Education Plan – the legal binding document that describes the educational program of a student educated under IDEA (Special Education Legislation).
Back in 2001 it appears as though the Orange Elementary Schools had more than 175 full time instructional staff. Today it appears as though there are nearly 70 less full time teachers and classroom aides than there were ten years ago. Over the last thirty days I learned that in 2001 each classroom at Orange Elementary had both a regular education teacher and a special education teacher. So it is my understanding that in 2001, Orange Elementary had what I would call the “Gold Standard” in elementary education staffing. With the advent of school choice, the district has remained with very close to the same student population for all of these years – yet there is significantly less staff.
The 2001 model offered all students with disabilities education in the “Least Restrictive Environment.” Students with special needs were equally dispersed throughout the schools. In this system each child can be provided with his or her daily educational needs in any and all classrooms.
Each year from 2001 the number of employees in the Orange Elementary system was reduced. The reductions were not quite as dramatic as those that took place just a couple of weeks ago. These were quiet reductions. When employees retired, resigned, or were terminated they simply were not replaced. The fact that their positions were not filled did not draw the attention of our recent 22 layoffs. Eventually each classroom that was populated by two teachers each only had one teacher to provide the same quantity of instruction.
According to the law that I mentioned above (IDEA) students with disabilities are required to have services from special education licensed personnel. As staff was reduced students with disabilities were assigned to classrooms with the remaining special education teachers. In the current model, there are many classes in which the classroom teacher and the special education teacher are one in the same. What Rachael sees in the class size report is the serious efforts of the previous superintendent to remain in compliance with special education regulations as resources became less and less available to the school system.
My research has indicated that it has taken several years for this model to evolve. In its current form there must be special education teachers at every grade level. Also, in this model we are not likely to see students who have IEPs in classrooms of teachers who are not properly licensed to provision instruction to special education students.
This special education delivery system will not endure with me in the position of superintendent. I would change it immediately if I could, but funding is not available for professional development to institute a new, more effective model. Also, we are significantly lacking in an even more precious resource…..and that is time.
Many of these tech-savvy school administrators found themselves confronted by statements that were charged with hate, anger, threats, and other inappropriate material. Essentially, people could post whatever they wanted on these blog sites with no accountability. With this in mind I instituted a more comprehensive technological form of identity verification on this blog. Sadly, the steps that one must go through in order to post seem to have diminished the quantity of posts that I have received. Irrespective of this fact, I am happy to see that this site is on the verge of recording 12,000 hits.
Over the past couple of weeks I have had the opportunity to meet with many in the community who are concerned about our latest unfortunate turn of events. I have also responded to questions at public meetings, and am now experiencing an uptick in the number of questions that I am receiving via E-mail. I decided that with the permission of those who E-mail me, I will begin posting my answers to their questions online. I hope that this will be one more way for our districts to communicate accurate information with regard to our budget crisis and our efforts to regionalize the Orange, Ralph C. Mahar Regional, and Petersham Elementary schools.
Today’s question came via E-mail from Orange Elementary parent, Rachael Coolidge. Rachael’s inquiry pertained to the difference between an elementary inclusion class and those that were not labeled to be inclusion classes in our recent press release about class size in the Orange Elementary system. If you have not had the opportunity to read the release, it was posted on this very blog just one week ago. In Mrs. Coolidge’s E-mail she wondered why there were more inclusion classes in grade 4 at Dexter Park Elementary than in other grades. I thought that this was an excellent question and I could not wait to get to it this evening. So Rachael, please accept my thanks for taking the time to send me the message.
Before answering this question there is some educational jargon that must be understood by all readers:
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE): This term comes from federal legislation (IDEA) that deals with the education of students with disabilities. It refers to the location in which education is provided for students who are educated under this section of law. This law states that children with disabilities must be educated with non-disabled students to the maximum extent possible, and with respect to each individual’s disability.
Full Inclusion Classroom: In Massachusetts a Full Inclusion Classroom is one in which students with disabilities are educated in regular education classrooms with their same aged peers for 80% or more of the school day.
IEP: Individualized Education Plan – the legal binding document that describes the educational program of a student educated under IDEA (Special Education Legislation).
Back in 2001 it appears as though the Orange Elementary Schools had more than 175 full time instructional staff. Today it appears as though there are nearly 70 less full time teachers and classroom aides than there were ten years ago. Over the last thirty days I learned that in 2001 each classroom at Orange Elementary had both a regular education teacher and a special education teacher. So it is my understanding that in 2001, Orange Elementary had what I would call the “Gold Standard” in elementary education staffing. With the advent of school choice, the district has remained with very close to the same student population for all of these years – yet there is significantly less staff.
The 2001 model offered all students with disabilities education in the “Least Restrictive Environment.” Students with special needs were equally dispersed throughout the schools. In this system each child can be provided with his or her daily educational needs in any and all classrooms.
Each year from 2001 the number of employees in the Orange Elementary system was reduced. The reductions were not quite as dramatic as those that took place just a couple of weeks ago. These were quiet reductions. When employees retired, resigned, or were terminated they simply were not replaced. The fact that their positions were not filled did not draw the attention of our recent 22 layoffs. Eventually each classroom that was populated by two teachers each only had one teacher to provide the same quantity of instruction.
According to the law that I mentioned above (IDEA) students with disabilities are required to have services from special education licensed personnel. As staff was reduced students with disabilities were assigned to classrooms with the remaining special education teachers. In the current model, there are many classes in which the classroom teacher and the special education teacher are one in the same. What Rachael sees in the class size report is the serious efforts of the previous superintendent to remain in compliance with special education regulations as resources became less and less available to the school system.
My research has indicated that it has taken several years for this model to evolve. In its current form there must be special education teachers at every grade level. Also, in this model we are not likely to see students who have IEPs in classrooms of teachers who are not properly licensed to provision instruction to special education students.
This special education delivery system will not endure with me in the position of superintendent. I would change it immediately if I could, but funding is not available for professional development to institute a new, more effective model. Also, we are significantly lacking in an even more precious resource…..and that is time.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Orange Elementary Projected Class Size Report Released
Released to local media: August 9, 2011
A little more than one week after laying off 22 Orange Elementary School Employees, new Elementary Superintendent, Michael R. Baldassarre released the K – 6 Class Size Report. “I have been asked by many parents and staff what the effects of the layoffs would be on class size” said Baldassarre. One such forum in which the superintendent was questioned about class size was during the Orange Elementary Finance and Facilities meeting on August 2, 2011. This meeting, held at Mahar Regional was attended by more than thirty concerned parents and community members.
Mr. Baldassarre stated, “There is no doubt that the number of students in a single classroom directly impacts both the quality and quantity of educational attention that each student receives.” “This is precisely why music, art, and physical education were cut from the fiscal year 2012 budget. Our commitment has to be to keep classes as small as possible so that our children have the best and most opportunities to learn to read, write, and do arithmetic” he went on.
The reduction of staff at Orange Elementary is just one of many issues being faced by the district in the next academic year. Deficiencies in funding have also called upon the superintendent to question how facilities repairs could be funded. New on the Orange Elementary facilities radar is the leaking roof at the Dexter Park Elementary School. When Baldassarre and a reporter from Channel 22 News entered the facility for an interview on August 1, 2011 Baldassarre noted water pouring into Principal Softic’s office. Baldassarre, speaking at the previously mentioned finance and facilities meeting also stated that there were little or no funds in the fiscal year 2012 budget for textbooks, technology, curricular materials, or professional development.
More than 450 parents and concerned citizens have gathered on Facebook to express their concerns. Many Orange residents have become educated about the term, “Net School Spending.” This is the term used to illustrate the absolute legal minimum amount of funding that the Commonwealth expects to be dedicated to each school district in the state. Unfortunately, Orange Elementary has not been provided with the legal amount to fund education in fiscal year 2010, and it appears as though that mark will again not be met when the books are closed for 2011.
At the August 2, 2011 meeting, one parent asked of Baldassarre, “How are you going to fix all of this?” Baldassarre’s response was that the task of repairing and/or improving would be a difficult one. Without proper funding it is possible that scores on state tests plummet. If scores plummet in consecutive years, the district runs the risk of being taken over by the state. “We don’t want to see that happen” said Baldassarre. “This is a time to look at transformative system-wide reforms that will benefit our students” he said. Baldassarre was referring to the regional planning efforts. Over the past two years the school committees of Orange Elementary, Petersham, and Mahar have joined forces in unifying their special education administrations and central offices under a single superintendent.
Coming in the next few months the superintendent is expected to present the committees with unified technology departments, cafeteria services, and maintenance departments. Baldassarre said, “This can’t happen soon enough. We have to combine to create efficiencies and save funds wherever and whenever we can.” The districts stand to gain substantial funding through regionalization. Once an agreement is voted Mahar, Petersham, and Orange stand to gain more than $90,000.00 in regional bonus aid and more than $200,000.00 every year in state regional transportation reimbursement.
Baldassarre encourages any person with questions about regionalization efforts to contact him directly via e-mail (mbaldassarre@rcmahar.org) or phone (978-544-2920).
Fisher Hill Elementary Kindergarten Room A: 24 students
Fisher Hill Elementary Kindergarten Room B: 24 students
Fisher Hill Elementary Kindergarten Room C: 25 students
Fisher Hill Elementary Grade 1 Room A: 23 students
Fisher Hill Elementary Grade 1 Room B: 23 students
Fisher Hill Elementary Grade 1 Room C (Inclusion): 18 students
Fisher Hill Elementary Grade 1 Room D (Inclusion): 19 students
Fisher Hill Elementary Grade 2 Room A: 23 students
Fisher Hill Elementary Grade 2 Room B: 22 students
Fisher Hill Elementary Grade 2 Room C: 22 students
Fisher Hill Elementary Grade 2 (Inclusion) Room D: 17 students
Fisher Hill Elementary Grade 2 (Inclusion) Room E: 16 students
Dexter Park Elementary Grade 3 Room A: 25 students
Dexter Park Elementary Grade 3 Room B: 24 students
Dexter Park Elementary Grade 3 (Inclusion) Room C: 20 students
Dexter Park Elementary Grade 3 (Inclusion) Room D: 20 students
Dexter Park Elementary Grade 4 (Inclusion) Room A: 22 students
Dexter Park Elementary Grade 4 (Inclusion) Room B: 22 students
Dexter Park Elementary Grade 4 (Inclusion) Room C: 22 students
Dexter Park Elementary Grade 4 (Inclusion) Room D: 26 students
Butterfield Elementary Grade 5 Room A: 20 students
Butterfield Elementary Grade 5 Room B: 18 students
Butterfield Elementary Grade 5 (Inclusion) Room C: 14 students
Butterfield Elementary Grade 5 (Inclusion) Room D: 14 students
Butterfield Elementary Grade 5 Room E: 19 students
Butterfield Elementary Grade 5 Room F: 19 students
Butterfield Elementary Grade 6 Room A: 20 students
Butterfield Elementary Grade 6 Room B: 20 students
Butterfield Elementary Grade 6 Room C: 19 students
Butterfield Elementary Grade 6 Room D: 18 students
Butterfield Elementary Grade 6 (Inclusion) Room E: 16 students
Butterfield Elementary Grade 6 (Inclusion) Room F: 15 students
A little more than one week after laying off 22 Orange Elementary School Employees, new Elementary Superintendent, Michael R. Baldassarre released the K – 6 Class Size Report. “I have been asked by many parents and staff what the effects of the layoffs would be on class size” said Baldassarre. One such forum in which the superintendent was questioned about class size was during the Orange Elementary Finance and Facilities meeting on August 2, 2011. This meeting, held at Mahar Regional was attended by more than thirty concerned parents and community members.
Mr. Baldassarre stated, “There is no doubt that the number of students in a single classroom directly impacts both the quality and quantity of educational attention that each student receives.” “This is precisely why music, art, and physical education were cut from the fiscal year 2012 budget. Our commitment has to be to keep classes as small as possible so that our children have the best and most opportunities to learn to read, write, and do arithmetic” he went on.
The reduction of staff at Orange Elementary is just one of many issues being faced by the district in the next academic year. Deficiencies in funding have also called upon the superintendent to question how facilities repairs could be funded. New on the Orange Elementary facilities radar is the leaking roof at the Dexter Park Elementary School. When Baldassarre and a reporter from Channel 22 News entered the facility for an interview on August 1, 2011 Baldassarre noted water pouring into Principal Softic’s office. Baldassarre, speaking at the previously mentioned finance and facilities meeting also stated that there were little or no funds in the fiscal year 2012 budget for textbooks, technology, curricular materials, or professional development.
More than 450 parents and concerned citizens have gathered on Facebook to express their concerns. Many Orange residents have become educated about the term, “Net School Spending.” This is the term used to illustrate the absolute legal minimum amount of funding that the Commonwealth expects to be dedicated to each school district in the state. Unfortunately, Orange Elementary has not been provided with the legal amount to fund education in fiscal year 2010, and it appears as though that mark will again not be met when the books are closed for 2011.
At the August 2, 2011 meeting, one parent asked of Baldassarre, “How are you going to fix all of this?” Baldassarre’s response was that the task of repairing and/or improving would be a difficult one. Without proper funding it is possible that scores on state tests plummet. If scores plummet in consecutive years, the district runs the risk of being taken over by the state. “We don’t want to see that happen” said Baldassarre. “This is a time to look at transformative system-wide reforms that will benefit our students” he said. Baldassarre was referring to the regional planning efforts. Over the past two years the school committees of Orange Elementary, Petersham, and Mahar have joined forces in unifying their special education administrations and central offices under a single superintendent.
Coming in the next few months the superintendent is expected to present the committees with unified technology departments, cafeteria services, and maintenance departments. Baldassarre said, “This can’t happen soon enough. We have to combine to create efficiencies and save funds wherever and whenever we can.” The districts stand to gain substantial funding through regionalization. Once an agreement is voted Mahar, Petersham, and Orange stand to gain more than $90,000.00 in regional bonus aid and more than $200,000.00 every year in state regional transportation reimbursement.
Baldassarre encourages any person with questions about regionalization efforts to contact him directly via e-mail (mbaldassarre@rcmahar.org) or phone (978-544-2920).
Fisher Hill Elementary Kindergarten Room A: 24 students
Fisher Hill Elementary Kindergarten Room B: 24 students
Fisher Hill Elementary Kindergarten Room C: 25 students
Fisher Hill Elementary Grade 1 Room A: 23 students
Fisher Hill Elementary Grade 1 Room B: 23 students
Fisher Hill Elementary Grade 1 Room C (Inclusion): 18 students
Fisher Hill Elementary Grade 1 Room D (Inclusion): 19 students
Fisher Hill Elementary Grade 2 Room A: 23 students
Fisher Hill Elementary Grade 2 Room B: 22 students
Fisher Hill Elementary Grade 2 Room C: 22 students
Fisher Hill Elementary Grade 2 (Inclusion) Room D: 17 students
Fisher Hill Elementary Grade 2 (Inclusion) Room E: 16 students
Dexter Park Elementary Grade 3 Room A: 25 students
Dexter Park Elementary Grade 3 Room B: 24 students
Dexter Park Elementary Grade 3 (Inclusion) Room C: 20 students
Dexter Park Elementary Grade 3 (Inclusion) Room D: 20 students
Dexter Park Elementary Grade 4 (Inclusion) Room A: 22 students
Dexter Park Elementary Grade 4 (Inclusion) Room B: 22 students
Dexter Park Elementary Grade 4 (Inclusion) Room C: 22 students
Dexter Park Elementary Grade 4 (Inclusion) Room D: 26 students
Butterfield Elementary Grade 5 Room A: 20 students
Butterfield Elementary Grade 5 Room B: 18 students
Butterfield Elementary Grade 5 (Inclusion) Room C: 14 students
Butterfield Elementary Grade 5 (Inclusion) Room D: 14 students
Butterfield Elementary Grade 5 Room E: 19 students
Butterfield Elementary Grade 5 Room F: 19 students
Butterfield Elementary Grade 6 Room A: 20 students
Butterfield Elementary Grade 6 Room B: 20 students
Butterfield Elementary Grade 6 Room C: 19 students
Butterfield Elementary Grade 6 Room D: 18 students
Butterfield Elementary Grade 6 (Inclusion) Room E: 16 students
Butterfield Elementary Grade 6 (Inclusion) Room F: 15 students
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Facebook: 450 and Growing
Back in 2009 when I started this blog, I tried to hone in on the impact that technology has in and around the school system and our students. For the most part I had been thinking about cyber bullying and smart phone uses that well, weren’t all that smart. Recently the reality of the social networking era has taken its impact on our elementary system while those who have worked most intimately with our new problems have remained internet silent….until now.
I have read plenty of articles and scholarly research about the impact of social networks in both the academic environment and in the community. When used appropriately, social networks such as Facebook can be powerful sources of information. They can be places where people share ideas and educate one another about complex and often misunderstood things. These same social networks can also be powerful sources of negativity or even worse, assist in the proliferation of information that is lacking in credibility.
CBS Channel 3 and Channel 22 Springfield newscasters took interest in the fact that more than 450 people joined a Facebook page that focuses on the financial condition of the Orange Elementary Schools. With this, I could not help but to log on and read just about every post from every person since the page was created. I was happy to find people who quickly educated themselves about school funding regulations in our state and shared them with the many readers on the site. Sadly too, I noted some posts that were full of misinformation and unflattering remarks.
On August 2, 2011 I stood in the Eileen Perkins Media Center at the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School and took question after question from parents and community members until there were no more. The communication in which we engaged was much more authentic than the posts that have filled the aforementioned Facebook page. Questions asked were answered in real time, and without the benefit of asynchronous communication offered by sites such as Facebook - answers were given to moms and dads in a more immediate and genuine fashion.
While school district administrators will not be posting on Facebook anytime soon, you can find us here at Mahar in our new Combined Elementary and Secondary Central Office. Our school’s administrators have been and will continue to respond to your phone calls, your letters, your E-mails, and we are available to meet with you in person too. And, if you are reading this blog – don’t hesitate to post questions here.
The Regionalization of our school districts can be the most transformative educational movement that has taken place in our towns since the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School was built in the 1950’s. This effort can be the axis on which opportunities are built while resources are saved. I hope to be blogging more in the very near future about this topic, and your questions, concerns, or comments will provide me the opportunity to do just that. So please, post away!
I have read plenty of articles and scholarly research about the impact of social networks in both the academic environment and in the community. When used appropriately, social networks such as Facebook can be powerful sources of information. They can be places where people share ideas and educate one another about complex and often misunderstood things. These same social networks can also be powerful sources of negativity or even worse, assist in the proliferation of information that is lacking in credibility.
CBS Channel 3 and Channel 22 Springfield newscasters took interest in the fact that more than 450 people joined a Facebook page that focuses on the financial condition of the Orange Elementary Schools. With this, I could not help but to log on and read just about every post from every person since the page was created. I was happy to find people who quickly educated themselves about school funding regulations in our state and shared them with the many readers on the site. Sadly too, I noted some posts that were full of misinformation and unflattering remarks.
On August 2, 2011 I stood in the Eileen Perkins Media Center at the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School and took question after question from parents and community members until there were no more. The communication in which we engaged was much more authentic than the posts that have filled the aforementioned Facebook page. Questions asked were answered in real time, and without the benefit of asynchronous communication offered by sites such as Facebook - answers were given to moms and dads in a more immediate and genuine fashion.
While school district administrators will not be posting on Facebook anytime soon, you can find us here at Mahar in our new Combined Elementary and Secondary Central Office. Our school’s administrators have been and will continue to respond to your phone calls, your letters, your E-mails, and we are available to meet with you in person too. And, if you are reading this blog – don’t hesitate to post questions here.
The Regionalization of our school districts can be the most transformative educational movement that has taken place in our towns since the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School was built in the 1950’s. This effort can be the axis on which opportunities are built while resources are saved. I hope to be blogging more in the very near future about this topic, and your questions, concerns, or comments will provide me the opportunity to do just that. So please, post away!
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