Superintendent's Update
February 20, 2015
February is Budget Proposal Month!
I am hoping that the bad weather, or at least the weather that impacts school, is behind us. We have had 5 snow days to date, which means our last day of school as of today (Friday, February 20th) is June 22nd. I am ready for Spring, ready to not have to creep to the edge of snowbanks before pulling cautiously out into the street.
Between now and the official start of Spring on Friday, March 20th, exactly a month away, is school budget work with the Board of Education. On February 25th I presented the Superintendent’s Proposed Budget to the Board of Education. Mr. Melnik, Business Manager, and I presented an overview of the new proposals as well as other pertinent facets of the budget to consider at this point. My budget presentation as well as the complete budget book for fiscal year 2015-2016 is available for your review on the district webpage.
Two important considerations for our team as we move into next year include declining enrollment and the work that has been done in curriculum over the past two years. Our first consideration relative to enrollment is that our student population has decreased by close to 300 students since 2008 and is projected to decrease by over 500 students in the next 10 years. The decline in enrollment is what prompted the Board of Education to seek a facilities utilization study. Clearly maintaining six school buildings is not prudent when we consider other options for resource allocation that more directly impacts students. As enrollment decreases there will be a decrease in the number of sections at any one grade level that will be necessary and thus there will be, and has already been, a decrease in staff. Our planning for next year took into consideration the projected decline in enrollment for next year and the following few years as we made staffing cuts.
In terms of curriculum, our staff has worked to recreate units of study across all grade levels that are aligned with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). This work has been done by teams of teachers working together to modify existing units, create new ones, and create pre and post assessments as well as performance tasks. Based on some of the feedback we received in our parent survey, it is important that parents know that adopting the CCSS was not an option for us. Additionally, as a reminder the new state testing Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) is based upon the new standards. Our work in this area continues as we strengthen the units, our instruction and student learning. For this reason we are not presenting new initiatives, rather maintaining professional development funding to strengthen our practice. Additionally, we will continue our exploration of STEM/STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) programming for our district. Our high school will make changes by adding additional electives and adding UCONN credit classes as well as other enhancements as indicated in the NEASC report.
Many ideas were brought to the table by the administrative team as proposals for next year. We examined ways to achieve many of them without impacting the budget, and others were simply taken off the list. I portrayed to the Board the pace and effort with which you have all been working as akin to running on the treadmill with the incline and speed at max and sustaining this pace and effort over time. As a district we needed to bring the incline and the speed down and grow stronger by slowing down and paying attention, and by getting better at the things we are currently doing. I see next year as a time to "sustain, strengthen and prepare".
We have reduced staffing for next year based on enrollment and class size considerations. At this time the reduction proposals include 6.5 staff with all but one absorbed through retirements.
The total budget increase based on projected revenues and expenditures for next year is 2.96% over this year’s budget.
The proposed increases are the following:
· 0.5 Custodian
· .8 Central Office: Human Resources and Business Office Support
· Technology Support Specialist
· District-wide School Resource Officer
· Athletic Department Increases: increased stipend for MS Athletic Director, additional middle school Cross Country Coach, assistant CRHS Girls’ Tennis Coach.
· Chromebooks for Juniors and Seniors
· Updated Enrollment Study
· Architectural and Engineering Study
· OPEB (Other Post-Employment Benefits) Study
If you have questions, you may reach out to me directly at kveronesi@rsd13.org. Please attend Board of Education meetings as well starting next Wednesday and each Wednesday through the month of March at 7:30pm at Strong School. Again more information on the budget presentation, the entire budget and the rational for the above requests are on the district homepage.
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February 2015
Warm winter greetings to all!
As this seemingly endless winter trudges on, our dedicated administrators and staff at Regional School District 13 continue to collaborate on behalf of our students. They are working diligently to create an inclusive, relevant culture while driving continuous improvement in student achievement. The entire Board of Education also continues our work to provide advocacy and oversight in support of our 2014/15 District Goals.
At each Board of Education meeting we discuss different aspects of student achievement in order to clearly understand the initiatives underway that prepare our students for the future. This year each Board meeting includes a discussion of student achievement with focus not only on student outcomes, but also on such things as our efforts to monitor progress in student achievement, professional development for staff, improvements in safety and security within our schools, and the integration of technology in our classrooms. In September Dr. Linda Berry updated the Board on the use of formative and summative assessments. In October she provided us with a summary of the most recent CAPT and CMT scores in science as well as SAT/AP results at the high school. In November Dr. Veronesi and Principal Nancy Heckler led a discussion about the work of our elementary education teams, explaining the data team process and describing how the information gleaned in that process is used to differentiate instruction and customize student learning in the classroom. In November Principal Falcone provided an update on the school’s progress toward the completion of NEASC recommendations and his game plan to address the longer term committee suggestions. Our January meeting included a presentation by technology teacher Bill Kurtz demonstrating the use of Chromebooks in our classrooms and updating the Board on the improvements being made to integrate new technology. One of the highlights at our Board meetings is hearing from Naomi Rinaldo and Jeremy Cannon, our student representatives to the Board who update us on what is happening at CRHS and making sure we are aware of the outstanding achievements of our hard working athletic teams. We appreciate the time our educators and student representatives have spent informing the Board of these important initiatives and achievements in our schools.
Our Board standing committees meet frequently to address the specific areas with which they are charged. The Student Achievement Committee has worked throughout the year to ensure that the Board is informed of our progress on Common Core curriculum development, further implementation of the Inform System and efforts to build a common vision for the future educational programming in our district. The Policy Committee has completed a review and update of all Board Policies and By-Laws. In addition to completing negotiations with our Administrators’ Union, the Human Resources Committee is developing a Board of Education handbook to serve as a guide for new and existing Board members. The Educational Resources Committee has been very busy, reviewing the status of pension investments and guiding the transition to a new pension investment management firm. They have reviewed and approved the RSD13 annual financial statements, monitored expenditures versus the 2014/15 budget, recommended a project to renovate the Brewster School roof including a solar panel installation option and considered various financing options for future capital improvements.
The Utilization Committee continues its work on addressing the challenging issue of declining student enrollment. Actual enrollment is consistent with demographic projections, further reinforcing the importance of developing a more effective plan for the use of our school buildings and facilities. As has been communicated over the past several months, the Committee recommends a long term plan to convert to a four school configuration consisting of two K – 5 elementary schools, one middle school and the high school. The building mechanical, engineering and plumbing systems (MEP) review conducted as part of the DRA study has identified the condition of each building and has assisted the committee in recognizing the capital requirements expected over the next 5 to 10 years. The capital needs, combined with Brewster and Memorial additions and/or renovations will require financing. The Committee is evaluating a variety of financing options as well as the potential for state reimbursement grants in order to mitigate the net cost of these improvements and maximize the long term savings to our communities. Given the lead time necessary to obtain state building grants and the bond filing process, the Committee has decided to explore the possibility of a phased-in implementation. A review is currently underway to determine if, given the number of students anticipated for the 2016/17 school year, Korn School can be closed after the 2015/16 school year without the need for immediate or significant capital expenditures. If this approach is confirmed, the Committee will likely shift gears and begin to work on a detail transition and alternative building use plan for Korn School. The Utilization Committee anticipates delivering a report to the Board in the near future summarizing their findings, recommendations and next steps.
Dr. Veronesi presented her proposed budget for the 2015/16 school year at the February 11th meeting of the Board of Education. This budget proposal clearly reflects thoughtful efforts on the part of the Superintendent and Administrators to continue to strengthen our school system while being respectful of the economic impact the school budget has on our community. Please join us as we continue discussion of the budget proposal at our February 25th, March 4th and March 18th meetings. Regular scheduled Board of Education meetings are scheduled for March 11th and March 25th. (See the RSD13 website or your respective town websites for meeting postings.)
This is a transitional time in education, not only for our community but across our nation. We have a unique opportunity to take advantage of the best available world-wide thinking on educational programming while leveraging our resources and focusing our investments in areas that are most beneficial to our students. I know that by working together, our dedicated Board and inspiring team of educators will create a progressive school system which will make us all feel proud and be one that we are happy to support and claim as our own. Thank you for being a part of this awesome school district!
Sincerely,
Kerrie Flanagan
Chair, RSD13 Board of Education
Kathryn Y. Veronesi, Ed.D.
Email: kveronesi@rsd13.org
Website: www.rsd13.org
Location: 132 a Pickett Lane, Durham, CT, United States
Phone: (860) 349-7200
Twitter: @kathyveronesi