Parent/Family Community Meeting 1/13/10
Meeting Minutes
Agenda:
Welcome
Introductions
Presentation on Peer Relationship Study - UVM
Budget Update – Next Budget Meeting – January 21 – 7:30 AM Wainer
Next Parent Group Meetings – February 16 @ 6:30 pm and February 17 @ 8:30
Attendance:
Bob Goudreau
Jill George
Jen Prue
Cheryl Farnum-Rendino
Lisa Falcone
Maria McCormack
Sue Hoeppner
Julie Eastman
UVM Research Opportunity:
Peer Relationships Academic Achievement
UVM grad students/assistant professor (contact is Annie-Mary Close)
Opportunity to participate in a study about relational aggression – particularly in girls
Might look at things like gossip, rumors, social exclusion, online social networking, etc.
Voluntary per students/parents, voluntary per classroom/teacher
Participation would include a number of surveys Spring 10, Fall 10, Spring 11
More information to come home about this opportunity
Budget:
This budget cycle has been particularly challenging due to the declining enrollment, economic pressures, state funding adjustments:
CVU’s budget will be 1.5% increase
*HCS will result in 7% +/- increase
Town budget is TBD
*This number included 4% increase for CLA adjustment, 2%+ changes in state fund allocation
This challenge to reduce budgets will continue for the coming years - until economy turns or enrollment increases considerably
Monday, January 18, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Budget Challenges for HCS 2010-2011
BUDGET CHALLENGES FOR H.C.S. 2010 - 2011
Challenge
Our school faces challenges of controlling/reducing costs, addressing a declining student enrollment while at the same time maintaining a quality educational experience for the students of the Hinesburg Community School. With our dedicated staff, I am confident that working together we can address these issues and end the process with a quality program that is responsive to the needs of our children.
Opportunity
I view this process as an opportunity for our school community to review our program and related expenditures in each area of our annual budget with the lens of:
Is this service/program required by law, regulation or policy?
Are we in compliance with the Vermont School Quality Standards?
Are we providing this service/program in a cost effective manner compared to other schools within the Chittenden South Supervisory Union?
Is our instructional delivery model as efficient as it could be?
Do we need to develop class size parameters for classrooms with a K-3 (average less than 20)and 4-8 (average less than 25)?
Can we share any expenses/service with a partner school or the SU?
Transformation
To help build flexibility into the system, we began last year to work on transforming the culture of our school from one which is independent classrooms to one which has a team approach. In addition we are encouraging collaboration among the various programs and service providers within our school. By increasing our ability to share resources, best practice and utilizing the collective experience of the team we will enhance the learning opportunities of all of our students. Specific strategies and challenges that will have an impact on this transition include reconfiguration, integration of technology, common planning time and staff professional development.
A definition of team is anyone that works with classroom teachers to support students in achieving the goals and expectations that we have for them at the Hinesburg Community School. On most teams you would have classroom teachers, special education instructors and assistants along with specialized reading and writing staff. Other school personnel and staff may be called upon at anytime to support the team in its work.
Common Planning Time/Grade Level Teams
In my first year at HCS, teachers on a two member team might have talked about their team’s needs and about services for their kids but time was not available in the daily schedule for a broader conversation with other teachers within the building who were responsible for teaching the same curriculum for their students. I found that restrictions on common planning time might lead to duplication of services and missed opportunities for working together to improve instructional practices. Individual teams did not in most cases share kids for instructional purposes and had little time to reflect with others on the common work that they shared.
Today the creation of grade level teams and common planning time is allowing for collaboration of professionals around the needs of all their kids, sharing of resources more efficiently and will cut down on duplication of services. Kids win with this model as the initial instruction they will receive will be better aligned to their individual needs. By stretching our configuration model, staff will be better informed about curriculum expectations and outcomes and the performance of all students served by the team.
Reconfiguration
Currently, we serve kids in our EEE and K Program as independent programs while the remainder of our school is served by multi-aged teams of 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8. In the 09 – 10 school year we will begin our transformation by having a three member 6, 7, and 8 team. As we move forward with our transformation of the school we will continue to look at teams of educators and students based on a model of K-2, 3-5, and 6-8. With a declining enrollment and a need to make efficient use of staff we are reducing the number of transitions students will make. At the same time we will avoid having an impact on services to kids. We will make decisions around configuration of teams based on student needs. It would be my hope that once our process has been completed in three to five years that a variety of learning environments would exist within our school. These might include self-contained classrooms(All students within the classroom are on the same grade level), looping classrooms(All students are at the same grade level but remain with the same teacher for two years), multi-aged classrooms(our current classroom make-up), various teaming arrangements as well as alternative programs (create classroom environments directed toward addressing students with different learning styles). Reconfiguration may also prepare teachers for change in assignments as it creates more flexible staffing resources.
Technology/21st Century Learning
Our school district is challenging us to create 21st. Century Learning Environments within HCS. How do we begin to evaluate our current practice and incorporate a focus on the skills it is believed students in the future will need? These skills include but are not limited to collaboration with others, higher order thinking, problem solving, and working with technology in different ways. This is an Information Age with our students having access to a great deal more information than any other prior generation and the challenge will be for us to teach them how to analyze and use this abundance of information.
We will continue to take advantage of opportunities that technology creates for us to increase communication and collaboration among all members of the HCS school community. Alert Now as an example has become a convenient and quick way for us to get information to parents. Our staff is able to currently share curriculum work utilizing technology and applications for students to use quality learning materials are constantly growing.
Staff Professional Development
Our staff needs to be supported as we consider budget reductions which will lead to fewer personnel and resources. We have potential re-assignment of staff which will require adapting to a different set of curriculum materials and grade level of students. It will also require following negotiated contract language and meeting licensure requirements as we reassign our staff. The complexities of these issuesadd to the challenges that we face. Any re-assignments may call for professional development and time for staff to learn and work together as we realign resources, refine our delivery of instruction and develop programs. Planning and the gift of time will allow us to meet these challenges without sacrificing a quality education for the children of Hinesburg.
Analysis
We will review the budget with the goal of preserving our existing program and becoming as efficient an operation as possible while not sacrificing quality. Each decision will have ups and downs is my guess. Areas to be reviewed would include:
NON-INSTRUCTIONAL
Transportation/Staffing
Food Service/Staffing
Non-Instructional Supplies and Equipment
Heating/Ventilation
Maintenance of Building/Staffing
Service Contracts
INSTRUCTIONAL
Enrollment Review – Class Size Guidelines
Model for Delivery of Instruction
Salary Reduction – Explore part-time schedules for staff/job share opportunities/retirement
options
Administration/Office Staff
Co-Curricular
Review Core Instructional Positions/Programs Review Federal mandated programs looking for cost savings or possible grant opportunities
Field Trips/Travel/Professional Development
January 8, 2010
Challenge
Our school faces challenges of controlling/reducing costs, addressing a declining student enrollment while at the same time maintaining a quality educational experience for the students of the Hinesburg Community School. With our dedicated staff, I am confident that working together we can address these issues and end the process with a quality program that is responsive to the needs of our children.
Opportunity
I view this process as an opportunity for our school community to review our program and related expenditures in each area of our annual budget with the lens of:
Is this service/program required by law, regulation or policy?
Are we in compliance with the Vermont School Quality Standards?
Are we providing this service/program in a cost effective manner compared to other schools within the Chittenden South Supervisory Union?
Is our instructional delivery model as efficient as it could be?
Do we need to develop class size parameters for classrooms with a K-3 (average less than 20)and 4-8 (average less than 25)?
Can we share any expenses/service with a partner school or the SU?
Transformation
To help build flexibility into the system, we began last year to work on transforming the culture of our school from one which is independent classrooms to one which has a team approach. In addition we are encouraging collaboration among the various programs and service providers within our school. By increasing our ability to share resources, best practice and utilizing the collective experience of the team we will enhance the learning opportunities of all of our students. Specific strategies and challenges that will have an impact on this transition include reconfiguration, integration of technology, common planning time and staff professional development.
A definition of team is anyone that works with classroom teachers to support students in achieving the goals and expectations that we have for them at the Hinesburg Community School. On most teams you would have classroom teachers, special education instructors and assistants along with specialized reading and writing staff. Other school personnel and staff may be called upon at anytime to support the team in its work.
Common Planning Time/Grade Level Teams
In my first year at HCS, teachers on a two member team might have talked about their team’s needs and about services for their kids but time was not available in the daily schedule for a broader conversation with other teachers within the building who were responsible for teaching the same curriculum for their students. I found that restrictions on common planning time might lead to duplication of services and missed opportunities for working together to improve instructional practices. Individual teams did not in most cases share kids for instructional purposes and had little time to reflect with others on the common work that they shared.
Today the creation of grade level teams and common planning time is allowing for collaboration of professionals around the needs of all their kids, sharing of resources more efficiently and will cut down on duplication of services. Kids win with this model as the initial instruction they will receive will be better aligned to their individual needs. By stretching our configuration model, staff will be better informed about curriculum expectations and outcomes and the performance of all students served by the team.
Reconfiguration
Currently, we serve kids in our EEE and K Program as independent programs while the remainder of our school is served by multi-aged teams of 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8. In the 09 – 10 school year we will begin our transformation by having a three member 6, 7, and 8 team. As we move forward with our transformation of the school we will continue to look at teams of educators and students based on a model of K-2, 3-5, and 6-8. With a declining enrollment and a need to make efficient use of staff we are reducing the number of transitions students will make. At the same time we will avoid having an impact on services to kids. We will make decisions around configuration of teams based on student needs. It would be my hope that once our process has been completed in three to five years that a variety of learning environments would exist within our school. These might include self-contained classrooms(All students within the classroom are on the same grade level), looping classrooms(All students are at the same grade level but remain with the same teacher for two years), multi-aged classrooms(our current classroom make-up), various teaming arrangements as well as alternative programs (create classroom environments directed toward addressing students with different learning styles). Reconfiguration may also prepare teachers for change in assignments as it creates more flexible staffing resources.
Technology/21st Century Learning
Our school district is challenging us to create 21st. Century Learning Environments within HCS. How do we begin to evaluate our current practice and incorporate a focus on the skills it is believed students in the future will need? These skills include but are not limited to collaboration with others, higher order thinking, problem solving, and working with technology in different ways. This is an Information Age with our students having access to a great deal more information than any other prior generation and the challenge will be for us to teach them how to analyze and use this abundance of information.
We will continue to take advantage of opportunities that technology creates for us to increase communication and collaboration among all members of the HCS school community. Alert Now as an example has become a convenient and quick way for us to get information to parents. Our staff is able to currently share curriculum work utilizing technology and applications for students to use quality learning materials are constantly growing.
Staff Professional Development
Our staff needs to be supported as we consider budget reductions which will lead to fewer personnel and resources. We have potential re-assignment of staff which will require adapting to a different set of curriculum materials and grade level of students. It will also require following negotiated contract language and meeting licensure requirements as we reassign our staff. The complexities of these issuesadd to the challenges that we face. Any re-assignments may call for professional development and time for staff to learn and work together as we realign resources, refine our delivery of instruction and develop programs. Planning and the gift of time will allow us to meet these challenges without sacrificing a quality education for the children of Hinesburg.
Analysis
We will review the budget with the goal of preserving our existing program and becoming as efficient an operation as possible while not sacrificing quality. Each decision will have ups and downs is my guess. Areas to be reviewed would include:
NON-INSTRUCTIONAL
Transportation/Staffing
Food Service/Staffing
Non-Instructional Supplies and Equipment
Heating/Ventilation
Maintenance of Building/Staffing
Service Contracts
INSTRUCTIONAL
Enrollment Review – Class Size Guidelines
Model for Delivery of Instruction
Salary Reduction – Explore part-time schedules for staff/job share opportunities/retirement
options
Administration/Office Staff
Co-Curricular
Review Core Instructional Positions/Programs Review Federal mandated programs looking for cost savings or possible grant opportunities
Field Trips/Travel/Professional Development
January 8, 2010
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