It was at the end of last night’s School Committee meeting that Bierne Lovely announced he would be retiring from the School Committee at the end of his current term. He expressed the need for new blood and hoped to see residents step up to run for the open seat in the spring.

That was one of two important statements Mr. Lovely made. The other was that the schools will face “very significant cuts in level of service.” given the current and projected financial health of the town. He was echoing a summation from Mary Kelly who is on the Finance subcommittee. She said that the situation could be “as dire this year as last year if not more.” And that “we are in very dire straights for FY11. [It is] not going to be a pleasant experience.”

These comments came at the end of a discussion of finances. At issue is the lack of a firm number. The Warrant Committee was looking for schools to cut approximately $440,000 in anticipation of 9C cuts. However, as member Glenn Pavlicek said, the Warrant Committee has been advised by Town Counsel not to create a budget based on a projected cut. “Choosing a number is not going to fly,” Pavlicek said.

Other highlights of the meeting included:

• Mr. Phelan gave an update on residency efforts (ie authenticating that students attending the schools live in town). They now have a part time dedicated resource paid for by a stipend. Though he could not put his finger on a specific number of students identified this fall, he expects to have it for the January meeting.
• The Glover Site Council gave a presentation outlining their efforts to address the AYP scores they recently received. Their efforts are similar to those being made at the Collicott. The staff are using data collection and analysis to identify under-performing students and target them for additional academic support. There is an Open Response Initiative underway. This initiative is to assist students in addressing open ended questions on standardized tests. They also are incorporating the Tufts reader’s workshop, a stucture for teaching reading that combines explicit teacher directed instruction with plenty of time for students to practice.
• The English Curriculum Review Team also presented. Ms. Martha Sherman, Language Arts Coordinator for the elementary schools and Stephanie Nephew, Humanities Department Head for the Pierce Middle School reviewed steps taken to improve the overall curriculum and teaching effectiveness. These steps included best practices research, a teacher survey across all academic levels, observations at all schools and recommendations. There were two themes that cut across all levels of the district: 1) in surveys teachers across all levels felt they did not have time for common planning to establish uniform assessments and 2) observations indicated that there was a lack of evidence of teachers effectively practicing differentiated teaching. Recommendations included 1) changes in curriculum development including articulation of objectives and allowing for common assessments and common planning time 2) professional development in differentiated instruction to engage all learners, use of assessment tools and technology and 3) additional resources such as in classroom libraries and technology (e.g.smartboards). ms. Kelly asked specifically about what was required to address ability to deliver differentiated instruction as that cut across all levels.  Ms. Sherman said the three things needed were “planning time, materials, and tools in the tool box.”
• Steve Traiser, Athletic Director and Matt Gillis, Business manager, reiewed the finances for the athletic program. The three revenue streams for athletics are the general fund (~30%), the revolving fund (eg walkathons, gate receipts, user fees ~60%) and student funds (e.g. buy uniforms ~9%). Students currenlty pay $250 to participate in a sport ($500 for hockey) which as both mentioned, is one of the higher fees paid in a south shore school district. They emphasized that there is currently no risk of cuts in athletic programs for this year. Karen Summer, a parent volunteer, briefly joined Mr. Traister in describing a new outdoor banner program to raise funds. This program complements the initiative that took place earlier for sponsored banners in the Copeland Field House.  Local businesses in fact anybody) can purchase a banner and have their company’s name displayed. The outdoor program will have banners on light posts in the athletic parking area a few inside of Brooks Field. Businesses and organizations interested in “leasing” a banner for 12 months can contact Ms. Summer by calling 866-748-3700 or emailing her at kate@gofullcontact.com. Thank you Ms. Summer!!