School Committee Reviews Redistricting Progress and Acceptable Use Policy

With the budget process nearly completed, a visibly relaxed School Committee discussed a myriad of issues on Tuesday, May 10 including elementary redistricting progress, a needs survey report from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) and a proposed acceptable use policy for Burlington High School (BHS) students.

Superintendent Dr. Eric Conti reported to the Committee that redistricting plans are moving forward as expected. Conti said that the department would achieve its goal of an 18:1 student-teacher ratio at the elementary school level, despite having accommodated all out of district placement requests. The next step in the process is to make teacher placement decisions based upon the needs of each school.

Conti estimated that seven classroom teachers will be moving to the new Memorial School and an eighth teacher will probably  move for the start of the 2012-13 school year.  The department intends to hold individual meetings about teacher placements on May 19^th and 20^th and official announcements will occur shortly thereafter. Conti indicated that teacher placements would be finalized by early June so that principals can concentrate on placing children in their classrooms for September 2011. Conti stated that the department would try to accommodate as many teacher requests as possible but ultimately the teachers must go where they are needed.

Director of Finance and Operations Craig Robinson reported to the School Committee that Burlington had recently received a positive needs survey report from the MSBA. According to Robinson the MSBA listed all Burlington’s schools as a “1” which is the highest rating possible. Robinson stated that the report was no surprise to him and he commended the School Committee and Town Meeting for their diligence in maintaining Burlington’s school buildings. The report also listed the general environment at each school as a “1.”

Patrick Larkin, Principal of BHS presented the School Committee with a draft of the school’s Acceptable Use policy for the 2011-12 school year.  Larkin stressed the importance of this policy in light of the school’s impending adoption of iPads in September.

“Our mission is for our students to use technology to learn,” said Larkin. “But we also want them to be safe, legal and responsible.”

The draft Acceptable Use policy is available online at http://burlingtonhigh.blogspot.com/2011/05/school-improvement-plan-and-acceptable.html.

The School Committee also listened to a presentation by freshman Jordan Matheison.  Matheison and some of her classmates proposed opening an internet café in the school’s lower library.  The students envision a comfortable seating area with chairs and tables and a service station that sells coffee, tea and snacks. According to Matheison, refreshments would be provided by an outside company but the area would be staffed by students.

The Committee praised the students for the initiative they demonstrated in coming to School Committee. Robinson noted somewhat wryly that the students seemed rather young to be coffee drinkers.  Robinson’s comment was clearly not meant as criticism, but he brought up a valid point. While most adults consider coffee a somewhat harmless vice, there are some serious concerns about the effects of caffeine on younger people.

A 2007 report by the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools advised against selling caffeinated products to children because of possible negative effects, including difficulty concentrating. According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA), the amount of caffeinated drinks consumed by teenagers has tripled since the 1970’s.  All that caffeine can have harmful side effects. According to the ADA, caffeine consumption causes a decrease in the amount of calcium in the body. The report added that teenagers who drink coffee tend to consume less milk, which compounds the problem.

Principal Larkin supported the idea and noted that providing coffee and snacks onsite may reduce tardiness.  Larkin suggested a field trip to nearby Chelmsford High School which offers a similar service to its students.

The School Committee adjourned to executive session to discuss union contract negotiations.