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Subj: School Issues Newsletter #54
Date: 2/23/99 2:39:57 PM EST
From: jklagge@bev.net (Jim Klagge)
Dear Friends,
Hope your family has weathered the worst of the cold/flu that has beengoing around. It seems to be hard to tell when you are finally reallyover it.
If you have been receiving this newsletter for awhile, you know it has gotten some attention in national media as a way of keeping citizens informed about school and political issues. Last year I took some time to reflect on how I saw the newsletter, and I wrote an article about the newsletter for "Electronic School", which is a monthly publication of the National School Board Association. It appeared in theJanuary, 1999 issue, which is now on-line and can be accessed at:
. I'd be interested in any comments you might have about the article or the newsletter.
The SB spent 2 hours last week in executive session reading copies of the SoL tests that were administered last spring. Though none of us managed to read all of them, they were very interesting. Some of our comments were published in the "Current" today. They certainly set a very high standard. I read 3rd grade tests, Algebra, Algebra II, and American History. It seemed to me that there was not always a range of questions that could be answered by varying ability/achievement levels. Thus I was not surprised to see many very low scores. One issue that school systems have been facing is what, if any, incentive to give students to be sure they do their best on these tests. We have not yet taken a position on this, and probably will not until we feel more confident in the value of the tests and pass scores, and until we hear more information from other districts on what is working and not working for them. I'm glad we didn't jump into this head-first, as some otherdistricts did.
I mentioned last time that Mr. Morton has been meeting with all PTA's to discuss SoL issues. I urge you to attend one of these meetings, even if in another school, to hear what he has to say. Some changes and additions to the schedule have been made since the last newsletter. Here are the meetings that remain (and again, these dates are subject torevision):
Auburn MS/HS- 3/4 at 7:30pm
Beeks- 4/8 at 7pm
Belview- 3/9 at 7
BHS & BMS together- 3/17 at 7pm at BHS
C-burg Primary- 3/29 at 7
CHS- 3/1 at 7
CMS- 4/13 at 7 (new date)
Elliston-Lafayette- 3/11 at 6:30
Falling Branch- 3/15 at 7
Harding Ave.- 2/25 at 6
Kipps- 3/8 at 7
Shawsville Elem- 4/12 at 7
SHS/SMS- 3/22 at 7.
SB Retreat: We had our annual SB retreat last weekend at the PatrickHenry Hotel in Roanoke. Our main focus was ways of keeping a balanced approach to assessment--so that it can be done in a serious way, but not be limited to SoL results and standardized tests. We may set out a plan that would gradually do this over the next few years, but it will require further discussion.
In addition to discussing assessment, we also reviewed the topics we hadtackled over the last year, and considered the topics we want to tackle over the coming year. Since the last retreat we have had worksessions on:
March: Bomb threats, Discipline study, Standards of Accreditation
April: The nature of executive sessions, Class size
May: Starting times
June: Information needed for Student expulsion cases, School-centereddecision-making
August: Charter schools
Sept: At-risk efforts, and at-risk grants
Oct: Process used by state to establish SoL cut scores, Class size,Gifted program
Nov: At-Risk task force, Salary-scales and their impact on hiring and retention, Staff development, Legislative items before the GeneralAssembly
Dec: Special education advisory report, Budget
Jan: Budget
Feb: School Nurse program, SoL tests
Of course we dealt with many other issues as well, but these were theones where we stepped back for learning and reflection during worksessions.
The following are topics we plan to discuss in depth in the coming year, though we have not established a precise schedule:
Starting times: report from study committee due in late Spring
Gifted Program review: interim report in May, full report in Nov.
Discipline committee update: spring
Balanced assessment system
Learn about our programs in Arts and in Foreign Languages
Review new SoL results and consider issues of disparity: Fall
Technology plan: June
Process for teacher and administrator evaluations
Discussion of early release days/in-service days/professionaldays/conference times: Fall
Possibility of snow routes
I think that should keep us busy. Again, other issues will also be addressed, but these will be times to step back and reflect.
Budget: The County Administrator, Jeff Johnson, last night submitted to the BoS his recommended budget for the county. His recommendations included an overall 9% increase in the school budget. This is not as much as we are requesting, but it is a strong sign of support for the needs of the schools. We will be making our budget presentation to the BoS on Wednesday, March 3rd at 7:15. (You may have heard other dates being thrown around, but this is the one now.) At this time we will set out the sizable needs as we see them, and make the case for meeting them. The BoS has the option of adopting a budget larger than the recommended one, or smaller. So it is important for us to be heard. There will probably not be public address at our presentation meeting, since it will be a work session. But there is time for public address at all of their regularly scheduled meetings (2nd and 4th Monday of every month at 7:15pm). Please find some way to make your views known to the supervisors. I published contact addresses in Newsletter #52, accessible at www.gisone.com/schools.htm. Their final hearing will be 3/23 at CHS.
Elections will be held for 4 SB seats and 4 BoS seats in November (in Districts B, E, F & G). It is important that good candidates run for these seats. Democrats and Republicans will hold mass meetings to make nominations this spring for BoS seats. But SB candidates and independent candidates for BoS must get on the ballot by petition. To be on the ballot in November, a candidate must have submitted petitions by early June. For details, contact the Voter registrar's office at 382-5741.
Thanks for your interest in local school issues. If you wish to be removed from this mailing list, please let me know. If you know others who would like to be added, please contact me with an address. The views expressed in this newsletter are my own personal take on issues before the SB. They do not represent the official views of the SB or any other members of the SB. But I hope you find them helpful and interesting nevertheless.
Jim Klagge
Chair & District F Representative
Montgomery County School Board.
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