Synopsis Of Jan. 6 Westfield Board Of Education Meeting

Synopsis of the Westfield Board of Education meeting on January 6, 2015
by Superintendent Margaret Dolan

ORGANIZATION OF BOARD

Business Administrator Dana Sullivan congratulated Mark Friedman, Peggy Oster, and Christopher Langhart who were elected to the Westfield Board of Education on November 4, 2014.

Mitch Slater nominated Richard Mattessich to retain his position as President of the Board of Education. Mr. Slater pointed out that under Mr. Mattessich’s leadership, the Board accomplished many positive initiatives that have benefitted all of our stakeholders. Mark Friedman nominated Gretchan Ohlig as Vice President.

Mr. Friedman praised Ms. Ohlig’s collaborative approach on the Board and noted that she has served on almost all committees and would be excellent as part of the leadership team.

The Board was unanimous in electing Mr. Mattessich and Ms. Ohlig to these positions. The Board agreed to abide by the School Board Association Code of Ethics, which our Board members read aloud.

UPDATE OF DISTRICT AND BOARD GOALS

In August 2014, the Board presented its goals for 2014-2015 and approved the district goals for the school year. In reviewing the progress we have made since then, I provided a summary that included these major points:

Board Goals:

1. Elevate Board work to be more strategic and forward thinking.

2. Clarify governance structures, roles and responsibilities of the Board, and individual boardsmanship.

Status January 2015:

Earlier this year the Board met in a workshop to take steps to set forth their plans, including working through their various committees who are setting goals for the year. At the workshop, a field representative from the New Jersey School Boards Association discussed the main roles and responsibilities of school board members which included oversight, appraisal and planning.

District Goals:

The foundation of all of our goals is the district’s Strategic Plan. Here are the district goals for 2014-2015 and a snapshot of how we are approaching our goals:

1. Develop and make recommendations to address long-term financial needs and potential areas to increase revenue.

a. Review cost of education index to determine where opportunities for efficiencies exist, using state averages as an index. (December 2014-February 2015)

Status January 2015: Analyzed district’s cost per pupil; compared cost per pupil with similar districts and state averages (we are lower); and reviewed identified areas with Central Staff and Finance Committee.

b. Strengthen partnership with Ed Fund to allocate grants for targeted district programs. (Summer 2014-June 2015).

Status January 2015: Supporting district’s STEM initiative, Science Night (October 16, 2014) attended by more than 600 parents, grandparents and children.

c. Review Board policies and consider possible changes to increase revenue, e.g. building rental policy, advertising policy. (September 2014-June 2015)

Status January 2015: Analyzed and compared WBOE rental policy to similar districts; and entered into lease agreement for summer camp which will generate $36,000 in revenue.

d. Explore establishment of an Alumni Foundation to fund targeted facility or program needs. (September 2014-June 2015).

Status January 2015: Discussed at November 11 Board workshop.

2. Ensure the community relations program promotes the work of our district and makes it more responsive to community needs.

a. Review current community relations program. (October 2014)

Status January 2015: Reviewed program at November 11 Board workshop.

b. Utilize the district website to communicate via social media and to provide community access to examples of work in our schools. (August 2014-June 2015)

Status January 2015: Increase in use of Twitter (over 1,000 followers), Facebook and videos; and linked Google Analytics to district website to track traffic on site.

c. Redesign the parent portal to allow parents to provide required approvals electronically and to update data relevant to their children. (Summer 2014)

Status January 2015: More than 90% of parent “back to school” computerized forms were completed via parent portal.

d. Develop a system to allow additional community input into the Board’s policymaking. (July 2014-November 2014)

Status January 2015: The goal of the Policy Committee is to see input from constituents. Policies for first reading by Board are posted on website and announced in Synopsis.

e. Develop and conduct a community survey to form the basis for the 5-year Strategic Plan. (November 2014-June 2015).

Status January 2015: Previous community survey was reviewed and analyzed by the Long Range Planning Committee December 2, 2014.

3. Analyze data from the 2013-2014 teacher and administrator evaluation system and develop professional development to address areas in need of improvement.

a. Review data from staff and administrator survey, rubrics and student growth objectives from the 2013-2014 school year. (September 2014-October 2014)

Status January 2015: Reviewed at district, school and department levels.

b. Develop professional development based on identified needs. (October 2014-December 2014).

Status January 2015: Based on identified needs, PD has been planned by administrators at all levels.

c. Provide professional development through meetings, workshops and online resources (October 2014-May 2015).

Status January 2015: PD being provided through staff meetings, professional learning communities, school grade level meetings, department meetings, post-conferences, and February In-Service.

Our new evaluation system of our administrators and our more than 500 teachers now is on a digital platform. It provides us with a great deal of more data and helps us find out where teachers need more support and professional development.

FACILITIES

Richard Mattessich reported that the Facilities Committee met with Dana Sullivan to review the five-year facility plan. They are prioritizing projects, such as those that are more potential safety concerns, with subsequent general projects and enhancements to structures.

LONG RANGE PLANNING

Ginny Leiz reported that the Long Range Planning Committee met in December to discuss the development of a community survey which would serve as a foundation for the district’s new strategic plan. The committee plans on meeting again this month.

POLICIES

The Board approved for second reading the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 calendars. Policies Chair Gretchan Ohlig explained that three e-mails were received by the Board objecting to the proposed calendars.

The concerns centered on the scheduled Friday graduation time of 3:00 PM. E-mails indicated concern about heat during that time of day. Ms. Ohlig stated that the air conditioned Westfield High School auditorium would provide a live feed of the graduation ceremony for those guests who would not want to be outdoors.

She also mentioned that graduations that begin later in the day face the threat of thunderstorms.

Lastly, the earlier time slot provides an opportunity for families and other guests to have dinner together prior to the graduates leaving to attend the all-night Graduation Bash sponsored by the Optimist Club of Westfield.

The Board approved for first reading to abolish Policy 1522 School-Level Planning (no longer a state statute for this policy).

The Board approved for second reading the following Program policies: 2412 – Home Instruction Due to Health Condition; 2417 – Pupil Intervention and Referral Services; 2481 – Home or Out-of-School Instruction for a General Education Pupil for Reasons other than a Temporary or Chronic Health Condition.

The Board approved for second reading to abolish 11 Special Education policies (as these are redundant, the substance of which are included in existing Policy 2460). The abolished policies include: 2460.2 – 2460.7 and 2460.10 – 2460.14.

The Board affirmed my decision on an HIB incident.

CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION & PROGRAM

The Board approved the following curricula for first reading: Physical Education Grades 6, 7 & 8; and in Fine Arts: K-5 General Music; K-5 Musical Concepts and Expectations; Elementary Instrumental Music 4th and 5th Grade; Fifth Grade Chorus; 6th & 7th Grade Band, String Orchestra and Vocal Music; 8th Grade Band, String Orchestra and Vocal Music.

The Board approved the following curricula for second reading (Gifted Curriculum): Advanced Topics in Mathematics – Grades 3, 4 & 5; Life Science Exploration – Grade 3; Living Together in Communities under the Law – Grade 3; and Countries of the World – Grade 4.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. OBSERVANCE

On Monday, January 19, the Westfield Public Schools will be closed to have the opportunity to observe the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. The 28th Annual Interfaith Commemorative Service – organized by the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Association of Westfield -- will be held at the First Congregational Church at 125 Elmer Street beginning at 1:00 PM. The featured speaker will be Taigi Smith, an investigative reporter and TV producer.

There will be an assembly at 12:15 PM at the Martin Luther King Monument on the South Avenue Circle before marching to the First Congregational Church.

The theme this year is “The Courage to do the Right Thing,” and students were invited to submit essays, poetry, art and photography to illustrate the theme. Winners will be presented with prizes during the ceremony.

WESTFIELD HIGH SCHOOL

The Westfield High School’s World Language Department is launching an International Film Series which will be free to the Westfield community. The first film will be shown on Thursday, January 22, at7 PM in the WHS Auditorium. It is a Spanish film with English subtitles, called La Misma Luna (Under the Same Moon). Donations will be accepted to support the Westfield High School’s Spanish Club’s scholarships and activities.

As our school winter concerts come to a close, we want to remind the public of the last one scheduled for Friday night, February 6th. The Westfield High School Chorale will present a “Night of Love Songs” at 7:00 PM. In the meantime, please visit the district website for videos of the Westfield High School orchestra, band and choral holiday concerts.

Congratulations to Westfield High School students Jacob Davis, Aidan Paul, Kevin Tsui, Jack Liebling, Mark Kostyack, Chris Ng, and Cole Feltman for collecting 1,934 pounds of food for the Community Food Bank of New Jersey. Their efforts were recognized by the Food Bank as well as the Westfield Rotary. According to the Food Bank, on a single day in New Jersey, 71,000 residents do not know if they will have food to eat. Thank you to these young men for helping to fill that urgent need.

Congratulations to Jorge Ledesma and Nina Wang who have been named National Merit Semifinalists. In addition, 21 students have received recognition as Commended Students in the 2015 National Merit Program. Their names are listed in the News section of the district and high school websites.

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION

The Westfield Public School District will be registering children who will become eligible for kindergarten in the 2015-2016 school year. The District also is interested in reaching children who have not attended the Westfield Public Schools for kindergarten but will enter first grade in the fall. Registration dates, which begin next week, are posted on ourwebsite in several locations, including under “Important Messages” on the district’s homepage.

NEXT BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING

The next Board of Education meeting will be held Tuesday, January 20, at 7:30 PM. The agenda will be posted under the Board of Education tab on the district website.