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School Configurations as they Relate to the 2010-11 Budget Discussion May 10, 2010

School Configurations as they Relate to the 2010-11 Budget Discussion May 10, 2010. Milford Public Schools. Initial Thoughts …. We are not alone in our budget struggles this year. Initial Thoughts …. Initial Thoughts …. Priorities 2010-2011 Board of Education Budget.

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School Configurations as they Relate to the 2010-11 Budget Discussion May 10, 2010

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  1. School Configurations as they Relate to the 2010-11 Budget DiscussionMay 10, 2010 Milford Public Schools

  2. Initial Thoughts …. We are not alone in our budget strugglesthisyear.

  3. Initial Thoughts ….

  4. Initial Thoughts …. Priorities 2010-2011 Board of Education Budget • Provide funding to support diverse and unique academic programs. (Pre K-12, Regular Education, Special Education and response to intervention). • Update adequate instructional materials for teachers and students as required through the curriculum renewal cycle. • Support funding to reduce or maintain class sizes at all levels of instruction. • Continue commitment to instructional programming, technology and academic improvement plans which includes a strong professional development initiative. • Provide adequate funding for maintenance and facilities projects. Board Reviewed November 9, 2009

  5. Initial Thoughts …. Assumptions2010-2011 Board of Education Budget • Safety, security and health standards will be maintained and supported through continued training of staff, i.e., Blood Borne Pathogens, Sexual Harassment/Title IX, OSHA (Office of Safety and Health Administration), Indoor Air Quality, Pesticide Management, Asbestos Management and Vaccinations for Critical Staff. • Salaries will increase based on commitments incurred through collective bargaining agreements. • Existing programs and services will be maintained or adjusted as the educational needs of students change. • Overall certified and classified staffing levels will be adjusted based on enrollment/programming/facility considerations. • Staff benefit costs will be based upon current health packages. • Purchased services and supply accounts will be adjusted based on documented prices and trends; i.e., fuel, where appropriate, enrollment changes and facility needs. • State and Federal financial support of education will not keep pace with increased programming mandates. • Budgeted items that are bid will be based on budget history and inflation projections. • There will be efficient and effective use of space and facilities district-wide. The annual Capital Improvement Plan will be transmitted to the city to request funds to meet long range facility and mandated improvements. • We all maintain open communication and cooperation with other municipal boards and the community throughout budget process.

  6. Recap of April 26, 2010 Meeting • Wepresented 4 options in response to a $2.2 million cut to our budget request, recommended by the Board of Finance. • Public comment immediatelyfollowed. • More than 1,000 residentsattendedthis meeting, heldat Jonathan Law High School.

  7. Recap of April 26, 2010 Meeting The four options unveiled were: Plan 1: Implement Cost Cutting Measures Plan 2: Bring Class Size to Contractual Maximums Plan 3: Close a School; Redistrict 8 Elementary schools Plan 4: Close a School; Convert to K-2/3-5

  8. Recap of April 26, 2010 Meeting Each of the 4 options were measured against the same set of questions.

  9. Recap of April 26, 2010 Meeting Only one option received an answer of ‘Yes’ in each of the three questions.

  10. Recap of April 26, 2010 Meeting PLAN 4 Close a School; Convert to K-2/3-5 • Close Simon Lake School • Create four ‘Sister School’ Pairings • Each pair consists of a K-2 school and a 3-5 school • Students would travel as a complete unit from the K-2 school to the 3-5 school.

  11. Recap of April 26, 2010 Meeting PLAN 4 Close a School; Convert to K-2/3-5 • Estimate that up to 25 Teachers would be cut due to reduction in force. • An additional 14 would be cut due to reduction in programs and services. • The targeting of educational support to the unique needs of K-2 and 3-5

  12. Recap of April 26, 2010 Meeting PLAN 4 Close a School; Convert to K-2/3-5 • Budget reduction by implementing this plan would be: • $2,209,025 • and deliver a better, more cohesive education program to all of our students in Milford.

  13. Recap of April 26, 2010 Meeting PLAN 4 Close a School; Convert to K-2/3-5 • The City would also recoup additional savings of • $391,000 • due to reduced health services and health insurance (relating to reduction in force) • - The City would retain the Simon Lake property.

  14. Finances PLAN 4 Close a School; Convert to K-2/3-5 • The savings would continue to benefit Milford for many years to come.

  15. Finances Projected 5-Year Savings from Closing One Elementary School

  16. Finances Strategic School Profile Data • Statistics confirm we have historically spent significantlyless ‘per pupil’ on categories such as transportation, improvement of instruction, media services, administration and support services, and student support services. • On the other hand, we are spending far more in the categories of Instructional supplies and equipment and Instructional staff and services than that spent in comparable districts.

  17. Finances Strategic School Profile Data (08-09 report)

  18. Finances Salary Comparison Data With Instructional Staff and Services funding so notably higher than the other SSP categories in the previous slide, one might argue that Milford teachers are paid more. They are not.

  19. Finances Salary Comparison Data (2009-10) The six listings above represent districts with an enrollment of 5,000 – 10,000 students and are districts in the same District Reference Group (DRG) as Milford, which compares municipal wealth and demographics.

  20. Finances Salary Comparison Data • Our teachers’ salaries are not out-of-line when compared to similar public school districts. • Why, then, is our Per Pupil ratio too high? • We have an over-abundance of teachers when compared to the number of students we need to serve. • We need to ‘re-calibrate’ this relationship.

  21. Actions since April 26, 2010 • Presentationwasuploaded to district website • Proposed district map for Plans 3 & 4 was put online • List of redistrictedstreets for Plans 3 & 4 was put online • Videorecording of 4/26 meeting online • E-blast letterfrom Mr. Cummings

  22. Actions since April 26, 2010 • Collection of information continues for additional questions asked. • Central office staff members continue to meet to receive updates and additionalassignments. • Mr. Cummings continues to respond to all questions and requests for information.

  23. Actions since April 26, 2010 • April 28, 2010: Board of Education leadership, alongwith Milford Public Schools administration, presented the original BOE Budget Request to the Board of Aldermen at City Hall. • This budget requestwasapproved by ourelected BOE officials on January 21, 2010. • This requestproposed a 4.97% increase over last year’s budget.

  24. Actions since April 26, 2010 • May 3, 2010: Board of Aldermen regular business meeting, City Hall. • Attendance wasstrong. • Public comment lastedapproximately 2 hourswithalmost all speakingagainst the plan.

  25. Issues and Answers • Research • Benefits to Educational system • Before- and After-school Care • Transportation/Start & End Times • Transitions • Community connections

  26. RESEARCH

  27. Issues and Answers Research • School configuration (alsoknown as Grade Span) is a long-standing question in education. • Whileresearchexists, it is not particularly conclusive, one way or the other. • Many of the studiesavailable to us are sospecific in scope, they do not applyhere(i.e. urban centers, rural centers). • Additionally, many of the studies are 20 yearsold or older – and do not reflecttoday’seducational stage.

  28. Issues and Answers Research • In Connecticut, alone, we have 43 distinct Grade Spans/Configurations in place today. - The variety of grade configurations found in Connecticut ismirroredthroughout the country.

  29. Issues and Answers Research PK-K PK-1 PK-2 PK-3 PK-4 PK-5 PK-6 PK-7 PK-8 Configurations currently found in Connecticut K-2 K-3 K-4 K-5 K-6 K-7 K-8 K-10 1-3 1-4 1-5 1-6 2-4 2-5 3-4 3-5 3-6 3-8 4-5 4-6 4-8 5-5 5-6 5-8 6-6 6-8 6-12 7-8 7-12 9-9 9-10 9-11 9-12 10-12 Ref: Connecticut State Dept. of Education/Strategic School Profiles Data Tables

  30. Issues and Answers Research Research has not provideddefinitiveanwers to the myriad possible questions about grade span … [these] questions arise wheneverschoolreform, increasing or decliningenrollment, or financialconsiderationsbring about a reorganization of existingschools, or consolidation of districts. Much of the researchavailable has been done on rural or middle schools. The research on the ‘best’ grade configuration isinconclusive. At best, it indicatesfactors to beconsidered in deciding on a school’s grade span or a community’s configuration of grades withinitselementary and secondaryschool system.  Ref: CEEP: Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting/A clearinghouse of sources, (i.e. ERIC)

  31. Issues and Answers Research On the issue of Class Size: Before building new schools or adding to existingones, planners and educatorsshouldthoroughly explore how to optimize class size, whilebearing in mind the possibility of a diminishingtax base and conflictingresearch about what the definition of ‘optimal’ class size shouldbe. Ref: Educational Trends Shaping School Planning and Design 2007; Kenneth Stevenson, Dept. of Educational Leadership and Policies/National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities

  32. Issues and Answers Research While the researchdoes not statistically support anyparticular configuration or class size as ‘ideal’ – wecanlearnfrom the anecdotal reports.

  33. BENEFIT TO EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

  34. Issues and Answers Benefits to Educational System • Grade-level curricula, instruction, and other programs (such as assemblies and field trips) willbe more consistent. - With all teachers of the same grade, in the sameschool, each grade levelwillbe more unified in philosophy and studentswillexperiencesimilar programs in eachclassroom.

  35. Issues and Answers Benefits to Educational System Group 1 Group 3 Group 2 - In the existing system, one class containsstudentswho struggle, studentswho are in the ‘middle,’ and studentswho are fast-pacedlearners.

  36. Issues and Answers Benefits to Educational System Group 3 Group 1 Group 2 • In the restructured system, studentswillbe able to learnwithotherstudents in their range, in a dedicated setting. • Self-esteem issues willrise due to studentsbeingwithotherchildrenwholearnat the same rate.

  37. Issues and Answers Benefits to Educational System Group 3 Group 1 Group 2 • Whilestugglingstudents have had the advantage of dedicated instruction, in this new configuration, wewillalsobe able to deliverbetter and more dedicated instruction to ourfast-pacedlearners (i.e. Math, Reading).

  38. Issues and Answers Benefits to Educational System Current system, from the teachers’ perspective Grade 4 Grade K Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 5 Collaboration exists, but among a very small group.

  39. Issues and Answers Benefits to Educational System K-2 system, from the teachers’ perspective (example) Grade K Grade 1 Grade 2 Collaboration can become more robust, across a larger contingent of teachers in the same grade.

  40. Issues and Answers Benefits to Educational System • Most of the educational programs available to us (fromboth the federal and the retailmarket) are alreadysegmentedinto a K-2 and 3-5 delivery. • Having an entire building in either the K-2 or 3-5 format will help us consolidate and betterinventorymaterials.

  41. Issues and Answers Benefits to Educational System • With regard to support staff, (speech, resource, reading intervention), services willbebetterusedwith all professionalshousedunder the same roof all day.

  42. Issues and Answers Benefits to Educational System • One particularstudyrevealsthatwhenstudents of grades K-2 are groupedtogether in one educational setting, with a concentration and focus of services, thereis a decrease by 50% of specialeducationreferrals in grades 3-5.

  43. BEFORE- and AFTER-SCHOOL CARE

  44. Issues and Answers Before- and After-School Care Currently, the WoodruffFamily YMCA offersBefore AND After-School Careat 8 elementaryschools. Total BeforeSchool participants: ~ 125 Total AfterSchool participants: ~ 325 BeforeSchool Start Time: 7:15 a.m. AfterSchool End Time: 6:00 p.m.

  45. Issues and Answers Before- and After-School Care Idea: Offer the Before/AfterSchool Care program at ONE of the sisterschoolpairings. Example: JFK/Pumpkin Pairing Care wouldbeofferedat JFK (the K-2 school) for BOTH JFK and Pumpkin

  46. Issues and Answers Before- and After-School Care Benefit: Parent drops off/picks up all childrenat one place. Benefit: Consolidation of resources/staff on the YMCA’sbehalf (operates 4 sites, not 8) Benefit: Payment to the Y islesssegmentedthan if childrenwent to 2 differentfacilities

  47. Issues and Answers Before- and After-School Care Question: How will the Grade 3-5 kids getfrom the care site to theirschool for the start/end of the schoolday? The answer lies in the Transportation and Start/End time section.

  48. TRANSPORTATION & START TIMES/END TIMES

  49. Issues and Answers Transportation/Start & End Times One of the more frequentlyasked questions relates to Start and End times for schoolswithin a sisterschoolpairing. • Same time? • Staggered time? • How willthat affect YMCA care?

  50. Issues and Answers Transportation/Start & End Times Staggeredstart/end times seem to be the more workable solution for families in all situations.

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