League of Women Voters of New Castle, NY
P.O. Box 364, Chappaqua, NY 10514. e-mail: lwvnewcastle@optonline.net
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ABOUT THE LWV How You Can Help VOTING INFO ENVIRONMENT LOCAL OBSERVER NOTES
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The League of Women Voters of New Castle is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages citizens to play an informed and active role in government. Basic to all our activities is observing how government at all levels is working. League observers attend local public meetings and provide the following reports. Below are the School Board notes from Dec. 2005 through 2006. School Board Notes for 2007 are on a separate page. Click here for notes on the New Castle Town Board and Board of Education Meeting Dec. 5, 2006Summary: Representatives of KG&D presented their state mandated report outlining suggested repairs for district buildings and approximate costs. Projects were assigned priorities according to necessity for avoiding further damage. The Board had a lengthy discussion of a strategic question involving teaching and learning. The two strategic questions which have been identified will lead to specific goals and guide the budget process. Board Members present: President Susan Habermann, Robert Gursha, Janet Benton, Lisa Davis, Jay Shapiro Faculty present: Superintendent Dr. David A. Fleishman, Asst. Superintendent Dr. Lyn McKay, Business Administrator Ms. Mary Cronin Presentation: Facilities Update – KG&D Architects The state requires facility updates for a 5-year plan to manage capital needs. Significant repairs must be reported although the plan is not a mandate that must be funded. Work must be in the plan as a pre-requisite for state approval. Repairs are broken into 4 categories. Priority 1 are those projects which are required to prevent further damage, priority 2 are related to health and safety, priority 3 to age-related needs and upgrades to meet current codes, and priority 4 are age-related replacements. Currently the estimated expenditures range from $1,289,168 for priority 1 for all district schools to $849,565 for priority 4 projects. Large items include projects such as repairing falling masonry and lintels at Westorchard, and replacing failing roofing at Bell. The maintenance staff is already addressing some of the smaller projects. The state has Excel funds for items like roofs and Chappaqua is eligible for $1,355,000 of these funds. Ms. Cronin outlined the steps that need to be taken to qualify for the money. The Board will tour the buildings to look at some of the items listed and will consult with building principals and custodians. Board Goals 2006-07 The Board had an in-depth discussion of the 2nd strategic question proposed by Dr. Fleischman and Dr. McKay. The first strategic question and goals had been set at prior meetings. The discussion focused on how detailed the question should be and what specific goals should be included. Ultimately the Board agreed to accept: How can the district ensure that all students, in addition to acquiring necessary content knowledge, learn to think deeply, support their thinking, apply problem-solving skills, and actively participate in their learning? Other Items The audit committee has agreed on a firm to be our internal auditors and will make a recommendation to the Board. The search for new principals for Roaring Brook and Westorchard is proceeding. Hopefully candidates will be selected by the spring. Board of Education Meeting Nov. 7, 2006Summary: The Board approved several leases, contracts and gifts after discussing each. A resolution for STAR Exemption refund of taxes was tabled awaiting further information. Discussion of the strategic question that will guide budget deliberations continued with the focus on the phrase “moderating year-to-year increases”. A presentation on the strategic question for Teaching and Learning was postponed till a later date. Dr. Wishner presented population statistics for the Special Education and 504 programs and explained the various categories. Board Members Present: President Susan Habermann, Robert Gursha, Janet Benton, Lisa Davis, Jay Shapiro Faculty Present: Superintendent Dr. David A. Fleishman, Asst. Superintendent Dr. Lyn McKay Recommended Action After questions and brief discussions, the Board voted to approve a new lease for copiers at Seven Bridges, a gift of 2 laptops to Seven Bridges, a new technical consulting agreement with New England Systems and Software, Inc. and a contract for children’s residential services with SDTC. A resolution refunding taxes for STAR exemptions was tabled until further information was available. Darlene Nicolosi and Dr. Jerry Wishner were on hand to answer questions. Presentation: Continual Improvement Plan, Budget and Operations - Dr. Fleischman Dr. Fleishman reviewed the proposed strategic question: How can we ensure continued excellence in our academic and extracurricular program while moderating year-to-year budget increases? The discussion centered on defining “moderating”. Ms. Benton, Ms. Habermann and Ms. Davis seemed to be in favor of keeping this year’s increases close to the 8.1 percent of last year, without specifying an exact figure. Mr. Shapiro was reluctant to target a number without knowing at what point it would begin to affect the excellence of our academic program. Several Board members agreed that there’s a need to take a close look at programs and not just roll them over from year to year. There may be inefficiencies in the way programs are offered; it may be possible to increase productivity by sharing instructors with other districts or using technology. Mr. Gursha suggested that the Board think in terms of “rebalancing” the course offerings, rather than cutting courses. The Board agreed that it’s important to get community input. The Board must also maintain awareness of what changes may mean for students. Dr. Fleischman and Dr. McKay found the discussion helpful in setting a direction for preparing the budget: to look at program in a way that provides good experiences for kids. Dr. Fleishman will try to get data comparing offerings in comparable districts. President’s Report Four Board members enjoyed meeting with student council members Grades K-12. Several Board members attended the New York State School Boards Association Convention and found the workshops very worthwhile. The audit committee has interviewed 3 firms for an internal auditor and will have further interviews with 3 other firms. They hope to hire an internal auditor by the end of the year. Census Report of Students with Disabilities – Dr. Jerry Wishner About 11.2% of our students have been identified, which is about the state average. Board of Education Meeting October 24, 2006Board Members Present: President Susan Habermann, Robert Gursha, Janet Benton, Lisa Davis, Jay Shapiro Faculty Present: Superintendent Dr. David A. Fleishman, Asst. Superintendent Dr. Lyn McKay District Initiatives Dr. McKay presented information on 5 district teaching and learning initiatives: curriculum mapping, literacy, mathematics, science and professional development. This year our work with Columbia University will include reading as well as writing. There will be a major effort in math at the middle schools with exploration of the use of smart boards as well as major work on the new high school math curriculum. The science review, K-12, is coming to a close and will be presented to the Board at a future meeting. Professional development learning teams were effective last year and over 30 groups have applied for this year. The emphasis will be on classroom talk, defending thinking and self-management of learning. Dr. McKay explained that initiatives change over the years as some, which have been prominent for a while, become less so, and others take their place. Continual Improvement Plan - Budget and Operations The Board welcomed the chance to start the budget process early rather than having to make last minute decisions without in-depth study of the issues. A broad strategic question will guide the process and will lead to sub-questions and data collection. Dr. Fleishman suggested as a strategic question, "How can the district meet fiscal challenges and continue to provide excellent academic and extracurricular activities?" A lengthy, thoughtful discussion ensued. Many questions were raised including: How do we define "academic excellence" and "fiscal responsibility"? Are some programs just carried over without examining their usefulness while others should be added? How do our programs compare with those in other high-functioning districts? Can technology be used to make teaching more efficient? Board members struggled with the desire to improve education without incurring large budget increases and questioned how much of a budget increase would be acceptable to the community. It was decided to reword the strategic question as, "How can we ensure continuing excellence in our academic and extracurricular program while moderating year-to-year budget increases?" In the context of this question, there was a brief discussion of Dr. Fleischman's 4 pillars of a school budget: class size, program, infrastructure and contractual obligations. Dr. Fleischman and Dr. McKay found the discussion helpful and will return to the Board after doing further work on the issue. President's Report Several members of the Board will be going to the New York State School Board Associations' convention and asked for guidance on how to vote on several resolutions. After brief discussion the Board advised our members to support the resolution that parent member representatives are not required for CSE or CPSE meetings unless the parents of the special education student request that a parent member attend. They also decided to support the resolution saying that the NYSSBA should not provide benefits to its school board members since board members should not receive compensation. The audit committee is continuing the process of finding a new business administrator. The Wellness committee is preparing to bring the new regulations to the community. The Board members who walked through several of the buildings to view the special education program found it a "terrific" learning experience. They felt that this kind of first hand information is very valuable in making decisions. Board of Education Meeting October 10, 2006Board Members Present: President Susan Habermann, Robert Gursha, Janet Benton, Lisa Davis, Jay Shapiro Personnel Dr. Fleishman announced the appointment of Ms. Mary Cronin as the Interim School Business Manager from Sept. 15, 2006 probably until the end of the year. The Board is seeking a replacement for Greg Beall. Audit Report Presenters: Susan Barossi, Alan Kassay of O’Connor, Davies, Munns & Dobbins The external auditors examined the District’s financial statements and determined that they presented an accurate picture of the financial conditions of the Chappaqua School District. The budget reserves were somewhat higher than expected in the original budget and expenses were somewhat less. Management kept a tight rein on expenses. The Board members and Dr. Fleishman responded to each point in the auditors’ management letter, outlining changes the District would make to remediate the minor problems the auditors had identified. Summer School Presenters: Sue Fisher, Mark Bayer The nature of summer school has changed from predominantly remedial to enrichment and acceleration. Students come to get credits to graduate, to help transition into 9th grade, to prepare for higher track courses, to allow more flexibility in their winter schedules and for enrichment. A number of special education students take courses to allow more room in their schedules. This year there were 177 students; 74% were Chappaqua students. There were 46 out-of-district students and 21 Chappaqua Summer Scholars from 3 high schools in the Bronx. The program cost the district $44,503, which was lower than last year. Enrollment was lower than last year because physical education was not offered for physical education credit. Chappaqua Summer Scholars and out-of-district students are charged about $300. There is no charge for district students. The Board had a lengthy discussion of the program’s purposes, benefits and future goals. Ms. Habermann raised the question of whether the district should continue to fund a program for a relatively few Chappaqua students. Most of the comments from other Board members seemed to favor the program and especially continued emphasis upon enrichment. There was concern about whether allowing students to take summer courses in order to qualify for more advanced courses sent the wrong message and added to the pressures students experience. Dr. Fleishman cautioned the Board not to make budget decisions until the Board discusses the entire budget. Two community members spoke to praise the summer program. President’s Report The presentations for the year have been firmed up and will be posted on the Board’s web site. The audit committee had an extensive discussion of the auditors’ report. At the next meeting they will move to hire an internal auditor. Superintendent’s Report Dr. Fleischman briefly discussed school violence and the security measures in the Chappaqua schools. Since most of the shooters have been students, knowing students well is important. Other measures include emergency drills, lock-down drills and school crisis teams. The school calendar for ’07-’08 will include a full week of vacation in Dec., Feb. and April. The calendar will be ready after dates for teacher workshops and similar programs have been decided. Curriculum Mapping Presenters: Dr. McKay, Susie Novak, Professional Developer The curriculum maps for most areas, grades K-8, will be available on the school web site by the end of Oct. Developing the maps has been a very rewarding experience since it involved extensive conversations and meetings, culminating in agreement on a core curriculum. The process was guided by state standards and curriculum. The maps give a global overview rather than a daily lesson plan, allowing for teachers’ individual approaches and creativity. Teachers will have a more extensive version of the maps and will be able to make notations. The presenters demonstrated the web site, which appeared to be very user friendly. Financials The Board members had reviewed the financial reports for July and August ’06 and accepted them without further questions or discussion. Policies The Board accepted minor revisions to the Whistleblower and Student Resident policies. There are 9 pages of regulations for the Wellness policy that the Advisory Committee wants to take to the community. The Board appeared to agree on changing the name of the committee and restating its functions since they realize that the committee needs to deal with broader issues than those originally described. Board of Education June 20, 2006Board Members present: Janet Benton, Robert Gursha, Susan Habermann, Lisa Davis, Jay Shapiro School District personnel present: Superintendent Dr. David A. Fleishman, Business Administrator Greg Beall Actions The Board approved gifts from the Bell and Grafflin PTAs for funding student art work at Bell and a set of encyclopedias at Grafflin. They approved a gift from HG Parents of the class of 2001 for entrance mats, but inquired into how long a class could hold funds and asked for clarification about who was making the gift. The Board approved a 3-year contract agreement between the Administrators Association and the District. They approved a contract with Infinite Campus to implement the new student information system. Counseling HG Guidance Dept. Chair Dennis Cuddy reported that 70% to 71% of Horace Greeley students applied to colleges using early decision or early action. Despite the level of selectivity, by Jan. half of the class had either been accepted by their first choice school or by one of their other top choices. By May, most had several options to choose from. Anxiety over getting into college has driven a slight increase in the number of applications per student, from 9.3 to 9.9. A group called the Future Education Conservancy has begun a dialogue on lowering stress levels about the college process. Mr. Cuddy felt that this is a good group for Chappaqua to be associated with and is optimistic that they can accomplish something. High School Structure Study Principal Andrew Selesnick, and Steve Walker updated the Board on the progress made since the last report on Dec. 5th. They believe that in the absence of a guiding force, the high school experience is driven by student and parent perceptions of the college admissions process. Therefore the study group has narrowed its focus and is concentrating on how to increase student opportunities to discover and explore areas of interest in depth and over time. To this end they are studying the Greeley structure to determine what changes might help to achieve their goals and visiting other schools that have reinvented themselves. Community response, especially as manifested at informal coffees, has been very positive. Staff response may be assessed by the fact that the committee started with 12 members and now has 70. Work will continue over the summer on matters such as the advisory program, scheduling models, senior year options and use of space. They hope to be ready to implement changes by the ’07-’08 school year. Fire Safety: Greg Beall The Board approved the corrective action plan for the public school fire safety report. This was necessary because two of the necessary repairs cannot be completed within the 60 days allotted by the state. Financials: Greg Beall The Board approved the monthly financial reports for May. The District has a surplus due to unexpected revenues and is in “very good financial condition” according to Mr. Beall. Wellness Policy Cathy Ashe, Food Services Manager, was present and answered questions. The Board was under pressure to adopt the policy by the end of June in order to comply with NYS requirements. The policy had been discussed at the previous June meeting in conjunction with the report of the Health Advisory Committee. There was a great deal of in-depth discussion about various aspects of the nutrition policy. The Board agreed that food sold at school-sponsored events should comply with the nutritional guidelines in the committee report, and decided that they could not totally ban non-nutritional foods when outside organizations run events. The Superintendent or his designee will monitor compliance and the Superintendent will be responsible for writing the regulations. The Board will review the policy and regulations annually. Board of Education May 23, 2006Board Members Present: President Janet Benton, Robert Gursha, Susan Habermann, Lisa Davis, Jay Shapiro Personnel The Board granted tenure to 32 teachers, 13 teaching assistants, Asst. Supt. Dr. Lyn McKay, Principal Andrew Selesnick, Director of Technology Darlene Nicolosi, and Director of Physical Education Stephen Young. Sewer Agreement A 50-year-old sewer line that runs between Greeley and the Metro North tracks and is on watershed property, has deteriorated badly. The state is requiring that the sewer line be repaired by April, 2007. Representatives from Savin Engineers explained to the Board how this would be accomplished. There is a 12 foot right-of-way over the sewer line, but the only feasible way of reaching it is by building a 15 foot wide, temporary, gravel road behind Greeley down to and along the sewer line. Trees have grown up over the right-of-way and will have to be removed. The trees cannot be replaced since they contribute to the deterioration of the pipe. There is a way of lining the inside of the pipe so the pipe will not have to be excavated. The noisy part of the work, clearing and installation of the road, will be done in July and Aug. In response to the Board’s questions and concerns, the representatives said that all employees will wear ID badges and will avoid using the road during hours when students are arriving or departing from school. There will be fencing and a locked gate around the site. The Board voted to approve the agreement. Communications Dr. Fleishman and Darlene Nicolosi gave a presentation on communications. The district currently uses newsletters, NCCTV, the district web site, e-mail, cell phone text messaging and the rapid phone alert system to communicate with parents and others in the district. The district has upgraded to a new student management system called Infinite Campus. It is a secure system with easy access limited to those the school system determines to have valid reasons for access. A Parent Portal allows parents to see information about their child: notices, schedules, attendance, transcripts, demographics and similar information. It will be integrated with our current systems. The district is trying to find easier ways for staff to develop their own web sites. President’s Report A community group is willing to raise money for playgrounds at Bell and Seven Bridges to supplement money allocated by the District. The Board discussed the need for guidelines for issues such as who would raise the funds, recognition of donors, policies about fund raising on campus and similar concerns. The Board agreed to seek up to three non-Board members for the Audit Committee. They hope that qualified applicants from the community will volunteer. Financials Business Administrator Greg Beall presented a report on revenues and expenses for the year to date. Revenues have exceeded expenses by $917,777. No decision was reached on what to do with the surplus. The observer left at 11:00 as the Board prepared to discuss policies on petty cash, authorized signatures, non-aligned administrative personnel, nonresidents, and prepayment for food services. Board of Education March 28, 2006Board members present: Board President Janet Benton, Susan Haberman, Jay Shapiro, Robert Gursha , Lisa Davis Budget Work Session The initial 10.4% increase has been reduced to an 8.3% increase. It was acknowledged that they would like to get to a lower number if possible.Proposed Technology Budget Darleen Nicolosi presented her Proposed Technology Budget which consists of three components: Instructional Technology, Data Management, Operational Infrastructure. Instructional Technology The instructional technology component includes a pilot program of Smartboard Interactive Whiteboards. The pilot would include five Smartboards to be integrated into the middle school math classes. A very compelling demonstration video of the Whiteboards illustrated the value of this technology tool which enables teachers and students to interactively manipulate concepts, construct and save lessons. Many local school districts are using the boards, even down to the Kindergarten level. Discussion followed about how to get more Smartboards into the classrooms, replacing current technology was an option suggested by the board to move to the new technology. Data Management The district is set to upgrade to a new data management system, as the old system is no longer upgradeable. This system will have interactive productivity tools for scheduling, grades, report cards, attendance and will include a parent portal. Operational Infrastructure Computer Hardware Leases were discussed. The proposed budget includes 90 additional leases on desktops and 2 additional laptops. The laptop installations at Seven Bridges will be replaced with desktops, and those laptops will be moved to the Life School at Horace Greeley. Additional desktops will be added to the tech labs at the middle schools for full class instruction.The proposed technology budget is a 16.75% increase over the 2005/2006 school year, to $2.2 million. Physical Education and Athletics Director of Physical Education Steven Young presented the statistics on participation in Athletic Teams for the middle and high schools. Participation is expected to be up 2% for the 2005/2006 school year, 52% boys and 48% girls. The coaching staff added to positions this year, JVB Boys Tennis and JVB Girls Tennis, to total 106 coaches. The total current number of teams is 75. Both coaches and teams are expected to remain static for next year. The proposed Athletic budget is a 7.7% increase over the current year, to $1,054,630. The increase is driven primarily by contractual obligations for coach’s salaries (58% of increase) and the movement of $12,379 in supply costs into the athletic budget from the maintenance budget (16%).Staff development continues to be emphasized, as many coaches attended coaching clinics this year. 2005/2006 student achievements were recognized: Addition of junior varsity tennis teams, girls and boys Elevated freshman soccer team to a junior varsity B team Sponsored successful tournaments in volleyball, wrestling, boys and girls basketball Hosted Section One divisional wrestling tournament League champions in football, cross country, girl’s soccer, girls skiing. Sectional champion in girls cross country and sectional finalists in football. 52 Athletes received recognitions as All-League, All-County and All-Section or All-State in the fall and winter seasons. Key Dates Board Meeting to adopt Budget – April 18 Board of Education Meeting Mar. 14, 2006Board Members Present: Janet Benton, Susan Habermann, Robert Gursha, Jay Shapiro, Lisa Davis Budget Reductions Dr. Fleischman has been working on reducing the budget, using as criteria the operating standards and four pillars outlined at the last meeting. To summarize, the standards include offering a high quality program, maintaining appropriate class size ratios, supporting district goals and initiatives, providing sufficient resources, maintaining facilities and meeting legal mandates. The four pillars of the budget are: class size, program, infrastructure and contractual obligations. Stage I - Operational Costs which do not directly impact the program or student experience. He will present a list of reductions and their impact at the next meeting. He feels that this is the most likely area for cuts and some new information may make that easier. In response to Board concerns about limited time for discussion, Dr. Fleishman said he would have more information about Stage II at the next meeting. He cautioned the Board that the budget shouldn’t be so tight that there is no flexibility for unseen events. Ms. Davis felt that the Educational Program should not be exempt from examination since some programs may have just “lingered.” Ms. Habermann said that 70% of the budget costs are for personnel and that may need to be discussed. Ms. Benton added that Stage 3 is the opportunity to think not of just 1 year but of structural change, although this can’t be done quickly. Budget - General Support, Undistributed, Transportation, Community Services Mr. Beall presented a comprehensive listing of these expenses which comprise about 47% of the budget. Last year’s proposed budget, the actual expenses and the proposed budget for next year were included. The report presented details of expenses for the Board of Education, the Central Administration, the Financial Department, the Human Resources Dept., Operation and Maintenance, employee benefits, legal services, debt service, public information, and several other areas. The Board examined each part of the budget line by line, asked questions to clarify items, asked about some of the underlying assumptions, and asked for more details about areas such as BOCES expenses. Joan Corwin and her son, Seth, who oversees the daily operation of the Chappaqua Bus Company, were present and answered questions about how well buses are utilized, the length of routes, and busing for private, religious school and special ed students. Fuel costs have gone up 31% and more special ed bus monitors have been needed because more special ed students are riding the regular buses. Dr. Wishner confirmed that aides are required by some children’s IEP’s. The high school buses are often full, which Mrs. Corwin attrtibuted to the rise in gasoline rates. It was apparent that the bus company has provided additional services when needed at no extra cost to the district. Mrs. Corwin thanked the Board and the staff for their support and cooperation. President’s Report Members of the Board have attended the State Legislative Breakfast and the State Legislative Conference. They reported that concern over the Governor’s budget and the New York City schools’ financing case continue. Participants in the conference hope that more people will write and be vocal about support for public education.. Board of Education Meeting Feb. 28, 2006Board Members Present: Janet Benton, Susan Habermann, Robert Gursha, Jay Shapiro, Lisa Davis Budget Work Session: Overview Dr. Fleischman presented guidelines used in developing the budget. Developing the budget includes reviewing current expenditures in terms of district goals and priorities and deciding what is needed to continue our current high level of instruction. The standards guiding the budget process are: Dr. Fleischman outlined the Four Pillars of School Budget: In sum, to offer the same kind of services we currently have, next year’s proposed budget would be 9.66% greater than last year. Additional considerations, such as playground equipment, field repair and piloting new math books, would bring the increase to 10.4%, a total budget of $99,038,020. Fixed costs account for much of the proposed budget. Employee salaries and benefits make up 76% of the budget. Contractual obligations, a complicated category, are another large piece of the budget. Contractual obligations include items such as leasing computers, updating the student information system, and ocupational therapy and physical therapy for special education students. It also includes transportation costs, which have increased due to rising fuel costs and the need for additional special ed bus monitors. There have also been small increases in items such as materials, supplies and text books, and other obligations. The Board had many comments and questions. Ms. Habermann commented that it is upsetting to see this kind of increase without a dramatic increase in enrollment and that some painful measures may be needed to bring the budget back into control. Mr. Gursha pointed out that reducing the increase by even 1% means cutting a million dollars, which is very difficult to do. The Board would like more information about hiring physical and occupational therapists rather than contracting for them and buying computers rather than leasing them. They would also like more information about the per pupil allotment and how it is spent. Ms. Davis and other members agreed that, rather than cutting item by item, they would like suggestions from the professionals. Dr. Fleischman suggested that the Board look at the “Four Pillars” he had outlined when thinking about reductions. Much of what we do is mandated. Dr. Fleischman will look at what isn’t mandated: Pillar Two and possibly a little at Pillar One. It comes down to what programs we offer and possibly fewer support services. He agreed to present the Board with some options as to what might be cut and the consequences. In response to a question from Ms. Benton about whether we are overstaffed, he said our class sizes are not lower than other districts, but he will try to get some data about support services. Mr. Cardellichio pointed out that we are at this juncture because of decisions made in the past about things like class sizes and having two middle schools rather than a 5-6 and a 7-8 school. Professional development is costly but produces good results. High school teachers carry less than their contractual load in order to maintain quality of instruction. Because all special education students are mainstreamed, we have co-teachers in some classes. Our extensive music program is expensive. These are complicated issues that took years to develop and will have to be undone over a period of time. Mr. Shapiro said that he thinks certain changes like taking away high school electives and replacing them with a study hall aren’t a good idea but asked if there isn’t something the administrators can do over the coming year. Ms. Davis and others agreed that strategic planning is a way to look at what we offer. Mr. Cardellichio and the Board agreed that it’s important to determine where the community wants to go. Budget Work Session: Staffing Mr. Cardellichio presented a graph showing enrollment trends. We are approaching the peak of our growth curve. K-4 is pretty steady. Financial Reports Presenter: Mr. Beall. The Food Services Report is new. The general revenues and expenditures reports were discussed briefly. There is expected to be a surplus. Policies Ms. Habermann reported that work is continuing on the Code of Conduct. Board of Education Meeting Feb. 7, 2006School Board Members Present: Janet Benton, Susan Habermann, Robert Gursha, Jay Shapiro, Lisa Davis Strategic Plan Update Dr. Fleischman presented background information on strategic plans. Research indicates that plans developed through the ongoing inquiry of learning communities are more effective in changing teaching and learning than wide-ranging plans developed from the top down. A committee has been working on a model for developing this kind of inquiry plan. In the inquiry model, the Board develops one to three questions essential to the mission of the Chappaqua School District. The Board and the District (faculty, students, community) identify core principles to guide future work. The District then identifies one or two goals for each Board question and submits them to the Board for approval. The District then develops inquiry action plans around each goal. Two to four times a year the District reports progress to the Board. The general questions might take three years to achieve but goals might take only a year. The Board had many questions about the plan and stated their preference for having discussions rather than power point presentations. Dr. Fleishman pointed out that the plan is labelled “Draft 4” to indicate that it is still being developed. If possible the Board will get input from various groups to help them identify general questions by the summer and then possibly use the summer to develop principles. President’s Report Ms. Benton expressed her personal concerns about some of the education items in Governor Pataki's proposed budget. The Governor claims he is increasing the education budget, but in fact half of the increase is for the sound basic education law suit which was brought New York City to provide funds for a sound basic education for their students. There will not be an increase for other school districts. Policies The Board approved the building use policy. There was some additional discussion of fees for the use of fields. The fee schedule is available on the district web site. Board of Education Meeting Jan. 10th, 2006School Board members present: Lisa Davis, Susan Habermann, Janet Benton, Robert Gursha, Jay Shapiro Presentation: District Response to External Auditor's Management Letter Superintendent’s Report - Strategic Plan Dr. Fleishman has been working with a subcommittee to formulate a meaningful strategic plan for the district. Rather than work from someone else’s outline, Dr. Fleishman would like to develop 1 to 3 questions to guide the district. Administrators, parents, the PTA, teachers and students will be involved and will bring their ideas to the Board. Bell Middle School Tour Mr. Shapiro spoke about the tour. The Board was impressed by what had been done in-house with one of the science rooms. The Board considered what else could or should be done, especially with the other science rooms. Although maintenance is “terrific,” Mr. Gursha felt that the building needed some general “sprucing up.” Ms. Benton replied that some of this is in the general plan but might be speeded up. The roof is a continuing problem. Mr. Beall suggested that perhaps Bell could be closed for the summer so concentrated work could be done there. Reserve Funds Mr. Beall presented a brief explanation of the district’s different reserve funds. Basically the reserve funds are a way of setting aside funds needed for claims. For example, the property loss reserve is to pay deductibles or other charges not covered by insurance when repairs need to be made. Building Use Policy The Board has had several other discussions of this topic. Ms. Habermann presented a draft of the policy. The details and language still need work and it is anticipated that the administration will develop detailed regulations once the policy is finalized. Ms. Habermann stressed that buildings should be available to the community if such use doesn’t interfere with educational use and doesn’t result in additional cost to the district. There will be fees for custodial services beyond normal custodial duties or outside regular custodial hours. There will also be fees if certain types of equipment (such as ovens in the kitchens) are needed since only district-approved personnel may operate those types of equipment. Priority for use will be given first to school-affiliated groups or groups sponsored by the town of New Castle and next to community-based groups. There was extensive discussion about whether there should be charges for facilities such as the gym. The Board will review charges yearly. Book Loan Policy In accordance with state law, Ms. Davis presented a policy that covers loaning school books to district children in both public and non-public schools. The district is required to buy books for district students in other schools and needs to keep records of the purchases. According to Mr. Beall, we currently loan books to children in 9 schools. Questions and Comments In response to a question from the audience about the necessity for the Board to spend so much time discussing details of policies and other matters, Board members spoke about the responsibilities of a school board, especially in terms of writing policy and budget overviews. Dr. Fleischman commented that the professional staff is free to concentrate on educational concerns because the Board does its work so well. Board of Education Meeting Dec. 20th, 2005 School Board members present:
Lisa Davis, Susan Habermann, Janet Benton, Robert Gursha, Jay Shapiro Personnel Math Presentation Fees for Use of School Buildings and Grounds The Board has heard from many people in the community and the schools and is in the process of writing a policy to govern usage. Dr. Fleishman urged the Board to make the policy as simple as possible to relieve the secretarial burden of billing. Issues discussed included: whether to set specific fees for specific rooms, whether to take heating costs and wear and tear into consideration and whether to have different fees for groups from outside of Chappaqua. Once the policy is set, the administration will write specific regulations. Other Business Dr. Fleishman announced some changes to next year's calendar and also announced some changes in the physical education offerings at the High School. One new course will be similar to activities offered at fitness centers; another will emphasize development of games rather than competition. There will also be a change in math courses based on feed-back from advanced students who wanted a more challenging course. The Board visited the Seven Bridges School and was very pleased with the condition of the facility. There was a brief discussion with Mr. Beall about the format of the Nov. financial and revenue reports. Updated Dec. 17, 2007 by Valerie Castleman Many thanks to Westchester Alliance for Telecommunications and Public Access (WATPA ) & the Westchester Library System (WLS) for hosting this site. |
