Mamaroneck School Superintendent Dr. Robert Shaps Kicks Off the School Year

Mamaroneck Schools Superintendent Dr. Robert Shaps Thursday wrote the below letter to the community discussing a host of issues as it relates to the district and the new school year.

Among the items he touches on are professional development, enrollment increases, diversity and future planning projects:

Dear Community Members,

It has been a joyful and productive start to the 2015-2016 school year!

Thanks to our custodial staff, our summer building maintenance work was completed in a timely and efficient manner, and our school facilities were in pristine condition for the first day of school. Students and staff seem relaxed yet full of energy and enthusiasm and ready for new beginnings.

At the school year’s first Board of Education meeting earlier this week, we talked about the extensive professional development initiatives that took place throughout the District all summer long, including an ambitious three-day Summer Literacy Institute, preparation for our evolving science curriculum and work revising our math pacing calendars and support materials. All of this professional development highlights the importance of teachers as learners and the positives that come from sharing and collaborating among colleagues. Additionally, the professional energy of our MUFSD staff is evident by the amount of professional reading and planning that our faculty members did on their own this summer….Many of them are motivated by new books they read on effective teaching strategies, the social-emotional well-being of their students and/or thoughtful classroom layout. Whatever it is that they did this summer, our teachers all returned with new vigor and excitement as they welcomed their students back to school.

I’ve mentioned previously that our District’s enrollment continues to grow, with 155 more students attending our schools this year over last year. While we are thrilled to see our school district expand, we are at the same time mindful of continuing to deliver the same top quality education we provide. As we keep a close eye on this upward enrollment trend and make projections for the coming years, we are aware of the potential need for more space in our buildings. Our instructional space, in fact, was one of our top five “System Challenges” that the School Board and Administration began to look at during our day-long summer retreat and then again at this week’s Board meeting. The other challenges we discussed -- which may impact the District in the short or long term -- include financial sustainability (primarily due to the potential of a State-imposed zero percent tax cap increase this spring); changing student demographics (a significant growth in our Latino population); an increasing number of students living in poverty, and the classification trends of students with special needs.

Diversity is our strength within our community and within our schools. What more can we be doing to celebrate it? How can we increase interaction between students at all four elementary schools before they get to the Hommocks? These are some of the questions we asked ourselves.

I believe we are fortunate to have School Board members who are invested in planning for the future. They are not just concerned with today’s offerings of a top-notch educational product, but think deeply about the years ahead. Through discussion, thought and careful planning, we will continue to focus on these challenge areas and how best to prepare ourselves for an ever-evolving public education world.

For example, I’ve suggested exploring a range of space utilization strategies, such as revisiting class size guidelines, the Princeton Plan (which designates district-wide Gr K-1, Gr 2-3, Gr 4-5 schools and does not consider where you reside, but brings each grade level throughout the District together into the same school) and/or a Gr 5-8 middle school configuration. And, the Board agreed to have the Finance Committee help prepare for upcoming teacher contract negotiations, comparing with other districts and ensuring that we remain competitive and able to attract the highest quality teachers.

We’ve also been having open conversations about the data associated with our students in poverty and the impact of poverty on student learning. On that front, our philosophy is to advance an “enrichment rather than remediation” approach to improving academic performance and social-emotional well- being and to explore community partnerships.

Much of the work to be made in our challenge areas is difficult work that will not happen overnight. Tackling the challenges may require big ideas and a different approach. But I believe the most important things to remember are that we want to always be looking ahead and considering ways in which to improve. As a co-governance team, I look forward to working with the Board this year to advance our work in these areas and establish priorities.

Click here if you’d like to view the PowerPoint presentation from the Board meeting. Good luck with the remainder of the week, and keep cool!

Regards,

Dr. Robert I. Shaps
Superintendent of Schools