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Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School Special Progress Report February 1, 2008
1. Garner appropriate voter support to provide a consistent and reliable source of funding to support the school’s educational programs and services and the facility. Classification: In Progress There has been a major effort undertaken to explain and resolve the school district’s funding issues. At the conclusion of the 2007-08 budget cycle, which ended in a successful override vote in both communities for approximately a half million dollars, the Superintendent of Schools issued a statement that after years of level funding and reduced state aid, the regional school district was at a critical fiscal stage. Despite the successful override, the district was forced to reduce teachers and support staff across the district and institute a 100% user fee for all athletics. This year, the Superintendent and Regional School Committee have initiated school funding discussions with state and local government officials and the residents of Hamilton and Wenham. The over arching objective is to garner voter support to provide for a more consistent and reliable source of funding to support the District’s educational programs, services, and facilities. “Grass Roots” community groups have been formed in support of our schools; representatives from the School Committee and respective Boards of Selectmen are pursuing funding options with our legislators. The Leadership Team, comprised of all the administrators in the district, started in December this year to work on the development of a level-service rather than a level-funded budget. They addressed the needs outlined in the District Strategic Plan, the DOE Coordinated Review, and the NEASC recommendations. Each principal presented their budgets to the School Committee. After many School Committee Finance meetings, the Superintendent presented an FY09 budget which reflects approximately $2 million additional funding for level services, $1.2 to meet the needs listed in the strategic plan, and an additional $3.2 million to address a Capital Plan which would address many of the facility issues in the NEASC recommendations. Public forums have been held where the Superintendent has detailed these funding needs. The Superintendent is now meeting with town selectmen and finance boards to determine each town’s ability to contribute to the needs of the school district. Of special note for the high school in the proposed FY09 budget: the regular education teaching staff would be increased by 3.2 positions, user fees for athletics would be reduced from the 100% to 80%, activity fees would be maintained at the present $50 fee, and the high school would receive funds to purchase technology.
2. Report any increases in professional and support staffing levels. Classification: In Progress Due to the fiscal constraints in the FY08 budget, the school district was faced with a $1.4 million funding gap. At the high school we were facing the potential loss of 7.2 classroom teachers and a .5 custodian. But thanks to a successful budget override of $495,800, the loss of regular education staff at the high school was reduced to 3.0 classroom teachers and a .5 custodian. This loss in the regular education staff resulted in dropping under-subscribed courses especially in the area of business, and an increase in class size especially in science.
However, due to the increased high school population of special needs students, (45 students in the last two years) and in order to reduce the number of students in out-of-district placements, the high school was able to add 2.0 special needs teachers and a 1.0 alternative high school teacher. One teacher was added in special education assigned as a liaison and inclusion specialist in the regular education classroom. Another teacher was hired in order to expand our alternative high school (STAY – School to Assist Youth) program to include a 9th and 10th grade component. Previously, we only had an 11th and 12th grade component to STAY. The third teacher was hired to offer a Learning Skills program to five students who require specialized language based instruction and a highly modified curriculum. Additionally, an Augmentative Communication Consultant was hired to support our high school ASPIRE (Accessing Student Potential in Realistic Environment) program offered to students with intensive needs. In the FY09 budget, we are requesting the return of 3.2 regular education positions. We are also asking for an additional 1.0 library aide and 1.0 technician to be shared by high and middle school to service the library and tech-support needs of 6-12 students and teachers. We have also requested the return of our student summer worker program, approximately five students hired during the summer to help our custodial staff. In the area of special needs, along with the NEASC site visit in FY07-08, the district also was audited by the Department of Education in its Coordinated Review Program. The recommendations made by that review also have budget implications for FY09. The high school needs to address the state’s concerns about our levels of course offerings, primarily our third level (AI Skills.) In order to satisfy the state requirements, we will add a 1.0 special education teacher in each of the next three years. Further, we are requesting a 1.0 permanent substitute to cover classes for regular education teachers mandated to attend special education team meetings during the school day. Our growing population further necessitates the hiring of a 1.0 reading specialist and a .3 registered nurse for our ASPIRE program.
3. Report any increases in course offerings. Classification: In Progress Due to the level funded FY08 school budget, the high school experienced the loss of 17 regular education sections. These losses occurred across the curriculum, dropping under-subscribed courses where possible. Areas effected were business and math (5 sections), science (5 sections), foreign language (4 sections), social studies (1 section), English (1 section), and music (1 section.) To meet the unique needs of our special education student population, the high school gained 5 sections in Learning Skills math, science, English, social studies, and social skills. Five alternative high school STAY sections were added in math, science, English, social studies, and social skills for that population. In the 2008-09, to support our request for 3.2 regular education teachers we will be introducing AP Chemistry, AP Physics, and Astronomy in science, and Latin 1 in foreign language. French 1 will once again be offered. We will also be aiming to reduce our average class size back to the 2006-07 level of 19.3 in Honors and Academic A1 levels.
4. Fund and implement the professional development program through the school budget. Classification: In Progress Although no money is allocated to professional development on the district level, there has been significant progress made in the creation of professional development opportunities for the high school staff through grants, in-kind contributions, and funding allocations from per pupil expenditures. Through grant funding we offered “Reaching All Learners” a six session (10 hour) professional development workshop in either Thinking Maps, Curriculum Mapping, Differentiated Instruction, Understanding by Design, Building Class Climate through Functional Behavioral Assessment, Authentic Assessment/Portfolios, Addressing Student Mental Health Issues in the Classroom, Team Teaching, and Creating a Language Based Classroom. The District Curriculum and Professional Development Committee, with teachers as members, are charged with creating opportunities for professional development for all faculty and staff using whatever financial resources are available. This year, the committee has become much more active in the direction of these opportunities and has conducted a faculty survey to assess offerings and suggest additional ideas for professional growth. Additionally, teachers were offered two sessions of Curriculum Mapping (3 graduate credits) and one session of Curriculum Development and Evaluation (3 graduate credits) through Endicott College. With grant funding, the courses were offered free to the staff, only the fee of $150 for the 3 graduate credits (if staff was interested) was charged – a portion of which was reimbursable per the teacher’s contract with the district. The district is also a member of the Collaborative Project for Mathematics Science, and Interdisciplinary Education, which offers low cost professional development to all staff. High school teachers are presently participating in 12 team and 16 individual Special Development Projects. Thirteen teachers participated in summer curriculum work. Two teachers attended summer AP workshops. The Carol M. White Physical Education Program (P.E.P. Grant) in Physical Education/Health provided professional development to staff in that department. The district provided professional development training on Positive Behavior Intervention Supports to all staff on one of the in-service days. The Student Services staff was also trained on legal issues and report writing. Guidance personnel, administrators, and secretaries were trained in the new Redikker Administrator’s Plus data management system. All faculty were trained in the new automated attendance program that became operational as of January, 2008. Additionally, as part of the per pupil expenditure allotted to the high school, $10,323. is shared by the departments to support professional development opportunities pertaining directly to their particular disciplines. Additionally, $750 from general supplies has been budgeted to support the growth of the professional library in the teacher workroom. 5. Fund and implement the 5-year technology plan through the school budget. Classification: In Progress The high school principal, librarian, and technology coordinator are members of the District Technology Committee. The goal of the committee this year was to revisit the 5-year technology plan in order to update its vision. In reviewing the existing plan created in 2004, the decision was reached that due to the quickly changing world of technology, the changing demands placed upon the students, and the lack of funds to properly support the plan since its inception, to continue to address the existing plan was counter-productive. Therefore a re-visioning at the district level and the school level was undertaken. The result for the district is a new three-year plan, and in particular at the high school, an updated and more comprehensive vision entitled “The Technology Improvement Plan Supporting Teaching and Learning” has been created. Commencing with the FY09 budget, the technology plan will be funded at the school and district level. With the input from teachers, department leaders, librarian, and School Council members, the new comprehensive vision at the high school aims at the development of a wireless technology infrastructure throughout the high school building and the updating of classroom technology including computers and presentation stations in each classroom. Each classroom will become a wireless environment supported by three 30 lap-top carts maintained in the library media center. The science and engineering rooms will receive additional subject specific technology including a CAD update, and “green” technology utilizing solar and wind energy. Each classroom will be wired for cable television. The gym and café will receive the technology needed to conduct large group instruction. The plan also calls for the reinvention of the library media center as the “Educational Prototype Center for Teaching and Learning.” The plan includes the redesign and additional technology needed to support the main room. It will also include a redesign of the library’s three auxiliary spaces to include a lap-top computer driven writing center, a foreign language learning lab, and a digital media lab. Next to the library the plan calls for the creation of a new tech-support lab, a repair and preparation computer lab. Throughout the year the building principal, district and school technology coordinators, and librarian have been meeting with a small group of private citizens who in turn are leading a private donor campaign to raise a portion of the $1.5 million funds to support the plan. The plan was also presented to the school committee resulting in a total of $50,045 in funding included in the FY09 budget. 6. Report increases in the number of computers and software for classroom instructional activities. Classification: In Progress The high school has been very fortunate this year to be the recipient of funds to support technology from three organizations. The Hamilton-Wenham Education Fund was created by private citizens several years ago to offer support to the schools in the district for programs and initiatives that cannot be supported in the operating budget. That fund now has exceeded the $1 million dollar mark, allowing the organization to give contributions from the interest earned annually to each of the schools. The high school received over $13,000 in funding to purchase presentation stations containing LCD projectors, laptops, and carts for the classroom. The High School Friends, similar to a PTA/PTO organization, adapted its giving program. At the request of the principal, instead of raising money solely for the purpose of providing scholarships to graduating seniors, the Friends now donate money to support school initiatives. They responded this year to the principal’s request to purchase computers for the 17 classrooms that did not have a computer. Thanks to their $9,000 gift all high school classrooms now have at least one networked computer. A new organization, Support Our Schools (SOS) formed last year to raise funds to support teacher positions at the elementary and middle school levels and to support technology at the high school. Through their efforts, the high school science department received $5,000 to purchase lab stations to support probes for science labs, and the high school received an additional $14,000 to use for technology improvements throughout the school. Combining all of the above donations with the $13,450 in technology line items in the FY08 budget, in total, we have added 50 new computers to our inventory with purchases made since the end of last school year. This is a 19% increase in inventory. Three of these computers went to the guidance department; four to the library media center, the remaining were placed in classrooms. Each of the 45 classrooms now has an up-to-date computer, 11 have presentation stations, and the library Room 400 now has a presentation station including Smartboard technology. The math department has purchased a portable “Mimio” wireless system which attaches to any whiteboard, connecting the computer and projector, allowing desktop applications and documents directly to the whiteboard. The Mimio Interactive + Capture software purchased combines the features of Interactive and Capture kits to provide a complete interactive whiteboard system. New software for instructional activities include purchases of assistive software for special needs students, upgrades to music/fine arts production software, and web authoring software to support history fair projects. We have made great use of freeware/shareware/webware applications to augment our curriculum in science and math.
7. Report increases in the number of computers and accompanying software to support guidance, health, and library/media services. Classification: In Progress Three new computers were purchased for the guidance office, four new computers for the library media center, and one for the health office. Further, two refurbished computers with internet access replaced two outdated units in the guidance office for student access to college and career information. Software for guidance and library media services focused on upgraded versions of existing software. The School District also has invested in an up to date data management system installed in all schools. Last year, a study of different systems was undertaken due to the limited and outdated capability of the previous service provider. The Redikker Program Administrators Plus was selected, purchased, and installed in all administrative, guidance, and health offices. Training occurred for all school users from the company. Additionally, a practitioner of the product from another school system was contracted for additional training for the guidance counselors, and guidance and administrative secretaries. Much attention has been devoted to the library media center for planning, reorganizing, and improving the delivery of services to the students and teachers in grades 6-12. The librarian and principals from the middle and high schools have visited model library media center programs in the area to investigate library layout and design, curriculum, and technology and software programs. The results of this research have been shared with the School Council and School Committee and are included in the new high school Technology Improvement Plan.
8. Increase the level of funding to update the print and non-print resources for the library. Classification: In Progress The FY07 and FY08 budget line item for print and non-print resources for the library was $9,770. In previous years, the full amount in the library budget was not expended. The newly appointed library media specialist has been very active this year in purchasing resources for the collection, taking full advantage of the budgeted amount. The FY09 budget has been set at $10,770. To aid the librarian in the future purchasing for the collection, she has created an evaluation instrument to examine the present collection and has attended department leader meetings to promote a closer relationship between her purchases for the collection and curriculum initiatives.
9. Fund the long-term maintenance plan. Classification: In Progress Upon his arrival to the district at the end of 2007, and during the creation of the FY09 budget, the new Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance led a review of the funding process for what was known as the 4-year long- term maintenance plan and is now called special maintenance projects. He worked closely with the District Director of Facilities and Maintenance, the Facilities Sub-Committee of the School Committee, and the building principal to gather and prioritize long-standing maintenance issues at the high school. As the phone and intercom system shortcomings posed a serious safety issue, it was agreed to finance the replacement/upgrade of the phone system as top priority. The $100,000 project was completed in September, 2007. The building principal met with members of the Facilities Sub-Committee and toured the high school facility to further refine and prioritize remaining projects. As the result of these efforts, funding is included in the FY09 budget as Special Maintenance Projects and as such, will remain as a component of the District’s 5-Year Financial Plan. 10. Upgrade/replace the electrical system. Classification: Planned for the Future The Director of Facilities and Maintenance (a licensed electrician) has been charged with the responsibility of evaluating the school’s electrical system and working with the building principal and head custodian to consider upgrades/selective replacement. His research shows that the high school is legally wired to the code that was in effect during construction and when the permit was in effect. He determined that despite the changes in the National Electrical Code NFPA 70 since 1961, the electrical service of the high school is safe and meets the needs of the educational program. The electrical problems cited in the visiting team report focused on two areas in the building: the science classrooms and the auditorium. The report focused on the science rooms’ exposed electrical and video projection cords on the floors or suspended from the ceiling. Therefore, the “electrical” problem there is one of installation rather than of actual electrical service. Video splitters to reduce external cords in room and stationary teacher stations including laptops/desktops, projectors, DVD/Video have been purchased. To organize the network and video cords, the final installation of ceiling mount projectors will occur in the summer of 2008. The bidding process has already been conducted and the cost will be approximately $8,000 for installation in all the science classrooms. The auditorium has original electrical equipment in general house lighting. Theatrical lighting fixtures and dimmers have only been replaced on an emergency basis through the fine arts department budget. The estimates to update the electrical service in the auditorium range at $250,000. The need and cost for improvements in the auditorium has been outlined in the last four budgets and is now included in the 5-Year Capital Plan. Additional research work is being done by our Science and Engineering teacher who is exploring the possibility of adding solar and wind technologies to the school as an educational setting as well as a cost savings. 11. Upgrade/replace the existing phone system. Classification: Completed Last spring, the School Committee voted to allocate $100,000 to the replacement and upgrading of the school’s communication system. This system included the exterior phone service to the school and the interior service from office to class rooms, the public address system, and the setting of bells. The existing phone system was upgraded in both the middle and high schools during the summer of 2007 and became operational during the month of September, 2007. Included in the upgrade:
All room telephones were upgraded or replaced ensuring 100% communication capability from class rooms to office. Incoming phone lines were reorganized and a voice mail system created to promote direct communication between parent and teacher. The PA system was re-zoned, re-wired, and some room speakers were added or replaced in order to improve the quality and versatility of the system.
12. Renovate the auditorium. Classification: Planned for the Future The auditorium renovation estimated at $500,000 has been added to a 5-year Capital Plan and we will be seeking funding for this project in the FY10 budget. In the meantime, the auditorium chair replacement donor program continues. Electrical and maintenance issues will continue to be addressed as part of the yearly maintenance budget.
13. Replace student lockers. Classification: Planned for the Future The replacement of the student lockers has been identified as a necessity in the last five budgets. Earmarked for removal during the building of the middle school and renovation of the high school, the poor condition of the lockers was noted by the Facility Sub-Committee of the School Committee during their facilities inspection. The replacement of the student lockers was included in the 5-year Capital Plan as Phase 1 of a multi-phased replacement project. $175,000 has been requested in the FY09 budget.
14. Identify the targeted level of successful accomplishment for each of the school-wide rubrics. Classification: In Progress We are presently in our second year of portfolio development as our measurement instrument for students to demonstrate successful accomplishment of our expectations for learning. We continue to refine the process with teachers who monitored last year’s freshmen acting as mentors for this year’s teachers working with the Class of 2011. Our plan for total school involvement is on schedule as half the school population is now intimately involved in portfolio assessment. As we re-invent the school-wide rubric, the initial rubric for the portfolio has been adapted and will in all likelihood remain a work-in-progress through the development of the senior exhibition planned for the graduating class of 2010. The teachers have developed a Regional Exit Portfolio grading rubric with targeted levels for accomplishment. They have also developed a L.E.A.R.N. Evidence coversheet and reflective writing worksheet to aid students in their reflective writing, along with a Progress Report to inform students and their parents of their progress in the development of their portfolio. The Portfolio process has also been detailed on the high school’s web site. To support the process, a coordinator position and stipend has been created. Also two portfolio reflection days per year have been created and one early-release Wednesday each month. On these days, students in all classes work with their teachers to collect, select, and reflect on evidences that address our expectations for learning. Each reflection is turned in to their “homeroom advisor” who goes through the reflections and assesses each according to the rubric developed. Students in Grades 11 & 12, although not mandated by a graduation requirement like their counterparts in Grades 9 & 10, are also expected to participate in the reflective writing exercise. Students receive reports each semester indicating progress towards portfolio completion. Currently sophomores have 10 different entries, 2 representing each of our expectations for learning, which demonstrate their mastery. At the end of their senior year, students will have 30+ pieces of evidence and reflections to show mastery of L.E.A.R.N. L – Live as Lifelong Learners 15. Reexamine the job descriptions of the high school technology coordinator and the high school librarian to best coordinate library/information services. Classification: Completed The job descriptions of the High School Technology Coordinator and the High School Librarian were reviewed and subsequently updated in September, 2007. A 6-12 library media center concept was also implemented at that time. Funds necessary to support hiring an additional aide in both technology and the library, as well as funding for a library redesign have been included in the FY09 budget requests. |
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