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School Committee Budget Meeting

March 28, 2011

The next School Committee meeting on Thursday, March 31,  will start with a public comment section, so parents can make statements to the SC regarding the proposed cuts at the high schools.  It will take place at the Education Center in Newtonville.

Both NNHS and NSHS principals presented their proposed changes in order to reduce their staff by 9.8 FTEs (full-time equivalent).  Newton South has greater reductions than North, in order to adjust staffing resources to meet the population shift toward Newton North.    The principals presented:

What is preserved:

Þ   Breadth of program (although at reduced levels)

Þ   Counseling departments

Þ   Library staffing

Þ   Physical Education, Health and Wellness (PEHW) staffing [NOTE:  This was actually increased at South and maintained at North, in order to meet state mandates]

Context for decisions:

Þ   The numbers are still fluid, as some 8^th grade information is still being received and the number of students who arrive over the summer and from private schools is unknown.

Þ   Course requests drive the process—some classes are cut because of low enrollment, as in previous years.

Þ   Decisions may change.

Þ   Collaborative decision-making

Þ   Creative problem solving

Trends:

Þ   Increasing number of classes greater than 25

Þ   Reduced elective options, including some 1^st choices

Þ   Challenges at both ends—both beginning and ending of courses in a sequence (specific mention was made of certain language programs)

Þ   Some class sizes will be capped

Þ   Some class sizes greater than 30

Þ   Curriculum I class sizes are concerning

NOTE:  NNHS will also cut .8 FTE in aides, mainly in the language labs and in other areas.

While much of what these cuts mean was discussed at such a quick pace I couldn’t catch it, there was discussion about the proposed cut of Latin 1 from Newton South, and what that means for the program in light of the cuts at the middle schools next year.  Enrollment was low this year—only 9 students—and while this will create a gap in the program, it is possible that Latin 1 would be offered in future years if there is the demand.

Overall, class sizes will be quite large, with many in the upper 20s.

Click here to learn more about this interesting and important week of activities at Newton North and Newton South High Schools:  Just Think!

School Committee Budget Meeting

March 24, 2011

Next meeting:  Monday, March 28^th:  Public Hearing, 7:30 p.m. at Day Middle School Auditorium; speakers can speak for 3 minutes

Info from Superintendent:

High school principals are looking at course registrations.  Monday night, prior to public hearing, the high school principals will present their expected staffing for next year—they need this time for analysis and to share with faculty first.

FAQs:

Elementary:

1. If the district charged a fee for 3^rd grade recorder what would fee be?  NPS can’t charge a fee, because the class is part of instructional time and given to all 3^rd graders.
2. If recorder is eliminated, would that time be added to the teachers load?  Yes, but no cost to this.
3. What is the actual amount of time for the recorder if there is no separate section?  The curriculum coordinator is still considering options, and involving discussion with music teachers.
4. That about these questions regarding 4^th grade chorus?  Same answers above apply.
5. Are any of elementary schools outliers in resource and equity model?  Resources are proposed to be added to Countryside, M-S in terms of literacy; adding math coach helps with equity across all the elementary schools.
6. What is the cost to increase art from 45 minutes to 50?  1 FTE

Middle School

1. If Latin is cut at the middle schools, what happens to Latin students in 7^th grade?  The 8^th grade program costs  .8 FTE if it were to continue for 7^th graders.
2. Are there options to provide online courses for Latin?  It depends on numbers—could cost the same as hiring staff.  The real issue is quality—what kind of quality program is available.  It is worth considering, and is a great role for EDCO, if there were to be courses with peer districts, shared resources.
3. If Newton cuts MS Latin, where will students go?  Will they end up in study Hall?  We don’t want study halls in the middle schools—Latin is offered during extension when electives are taught.  The students would be absorbed into other classes, increasing class size for electives.
4. What is the relationship between the in-school drama program (grades 6-8) and after school drama opportunities?  There is no formal relationship.  A student can still be in show even if they do not have drama during school day.

High School:

1. Newton South Parking Fee:  revenue is expected to remain constant with a price decrease because NPS is hoping to get more students.  The price was raised this year, but NPS got less money because students didn’t buy as many.  $56-$58K in past, collected only $50K this year.  Therefore the prices will go back to $180 per semester, $360 per year.
2. What is the impact on the high school of reduction in Latin at the middle schools?  The numbers at high school are going to drop off; expected to lose roughly between 50 – 75% of students who would take Latin in the middle schools.
3. What is the impact on drama program from changes at the middle schools?  Not much is expected.
4. Can the school building rental be reorganized for FY12?  It is possible, but needs attention in order to make it happen.
5. What is the cost of the supercap?  This year, 6 or fewer requests received about the supercap—an estimated loss of $1000 to $1500
6. Transportation:  If NPS were to keep to option 4 (K- 6 only greater than 1 miles), it would save 7 buses. Under Option 5, the minimum required by law, NPS would save 22 buses and only provide service to those greater that 2 miles from school in Grades K – 6.
7. Medicaid reimbursement services:  there are some reimbursements—but the whole process is very complicated and contains personal information; NPS will pursue if there are dollars available.

Budget Discussion: SC members asked several questions, and the discussions included:

Þ   How much confidence the staff had that the Student Services plan was realistic and wouldn’t result in the need for cost overruns:  the staff did a great deal of analysis and used realistic and accurate figures from this year.  If they had the chance, the staff  would have a reserve of 10 – 15 aides, in case new structures and arrangements do not work.

Þ   How to think about the balance between class size and breadth of programming.  The Superintendent said this was a real challenge and to remember that a class size problem affects a whole grade at a school, rather than just one class.  So far it looks like next year’s class size will be about the same as this year.  At the March 31^st budget meeting, the staff will present a list of priorities in case more money is found.  A brief mention listed librarians first, followed by art and music.

Þ   What cuts in Latin at the middle schools means for other classes.   Latin happens during extension periods and would have usual class size.  Currently that is often under 20 due to Latin, art, and music electives at this time.  Cutting Latin means adding the students back into these other classes.   In the end, this cut would have no effect on class size and doesn’t affect the whole grade–this makes it an easier choice to cut.

Þ   What the effect of the supercap will be.  While the supercap might not apply to many families this year, with the increase in fees next year, has there been analysis of how many more families will be affected?  In theory, the supercap is intended to cover 2 children who take the bus and take three sports.  There are individual caps on bus and athletic fees.  One of the most important things to do next year is do evaluate the data regarding these changes.

Þ   What areas of the budget are concerning.  These areas include ISS—support for teachers and the school during the day.  If this is too small, NPS will have to use the budget for substitute teachers to supplement.  Also the area of tuition for students who are placed outside the district is concerning, because those costs have been growing lately.

Þ   How to adjust Use of School Building (USB) fees.  The special Class C permits that relate to organizations that use several NPS middle schools on weekends is being adjusted to more accurately reflect the costs of cleaning the schools after their weekend use.  Also, the work on NNSH fees and ability to book the space is being considered.

Straw Vote: This is a vote taken to determine where the members of the SC are in their thinking.  This can change given public input, more information from the staff, or an increase in available revenue.   The vote was 8 to 1 in favor of the proposed budget.

Overall, everyone spoke about the dedication and effort that the NPS staff gave to this budget.  There was creative thinking and an openness to explore new ways to achieve their goals.  While no one is happy with the cuts that need to be made, many SC members felt that they needed to rely on the expertise and best judgement of the staff in determining educational priorities.

One SC member dissented, and felt that some of the proposed project expansion should be pulled back to preserve current programming.

Special Education:

Goals of the program:

• maintain and improve the current program across the district to provide an inclusive education
• continue to offer a broad array of services in least restrictive manner as a mandate per the federal and state regulations
• remain committed to collaboration with regular educators

Overall, there are 2407 special education students, based on October 2010 numbers.  This is a growth of 71 students over the October 2009 figures.  In January 2010, autism, communication, health and neurological disabilities were identified as areas of growth; all except communications disabilities are still areas of growth in January 2011.  Finally, the financial figures for Out-Of-District placements represent the costs for 144 students, just 1.2% of the total NPS student population.

Author’s Note:  The theme running through the following list is that there are beneficial structural changes taking place within the Student Services department, though staffing levels are low.  While the department will aim high, in some cases there might be significant staffing challenges.  Overall, the Assistant Superintendent of Student Services reported the process to be complicated, thoughtful, evolving and collaborative.

Elementary Special Education:

What is preserved:

• inclusion facilitators
• co-taught classrooms
• social workers and school psychologists [This was a significant area for principals, who feel that one of the biggest needs in the schools is mental health support.]

What is the new initiative:

• new co-taught classrooms at schools that currently already have at least one
• new co-taught classrooms at 3 additional schools

Principals at schools with these classrooms saw success this year and are enthusiastic about expanding the program where it makes sense.  It maximizes the ratio of highly qualified teachers to students, but student groupings are carefully and thoughtfully considered.  The classes are made up of 30% special needs children and 70% typical children.

What is not preserved:

• 5 FTE (Full-time equivalent) Special Education Aides
• 2 FTE Behavioral Therapists

The School Committee asks to hear from parents on these changes, and in particular about their experiences in the co-taught classes.  Are parents as satisfied with the classes as NPS staff?  The SC also expressed concern about coverage to help with students in the class and at lunch, since ISS and the number of aides are both being cut.  There was also a discussion about the possibility of turning the pre-school program into a revenue-generating program, and what it would take to make that happen.  This is quite complicated but may be worth looking at in the future.

Middle Schools:

What is preserved:

• learning disabilities teacher/aide at Day
• programs to meet wide range of student needs

What is the initiative:

• restructure Day Middle School’s 3 special education programs (integration/neighborhood inclusion/Bridge):   This will preserve the three different programs, but allow “cross-pollination of students and staff” to provide a more comprehensive approach to meeting students’ needs.  Small group instruction across these programs is expected to improve.  This is an example of a change that the Ed Center would want to do regardless of the budget situation.

What is not preserved:

• 1.5 FTE Special education teacher staff
• 3.3 FTE special education aides
• .6 FTE behavior therapist

While the main initiative is at Day, the other three middle schools will see only small reductions in aides.

High Schools:

What is preserved:

• Central High School (CHS)
• .8 FTE Reading specialist at Newton North High School (NNHS)
• Programs to meet the wide range of student needs

What is the initiative:

• .5 FTE Reading specialist at NNHS
• .6 FTE Reading specialist at NSHS
• Addition of the ABA program at NSHS
• Tuition in students to CHS from outside Newton [The legality of this initiative is still being determined by City lawyers.  However, there has been a lot of interest from outside Newton in this program and, if legal, could present a revenue-creating opportunity.  Increasing the size of this program, though, should be done cautiously and thoughtfully.]

What is not preserved:

• 4.2 FTE Special education teaching staff
• 3.8 FTE Special education aides
• current caseload sizes, which will be a challenge

Much of the staff reductions will take place at NSHS, as both high schools shared ideas and found that many efficiencies can be made at South.  These changes work to “break down the silos” between programs and adjust their structure at NSHS to be more beneficial to students.

District-Wide:

What is preserved:

• .6 FTE Assistive technology specialist
• 1 FTE Transition specialist
• .9 FTE Job developer
• Elementary stabilization program
• Adaptive PE teacher
• Assistive technologies and supplies

What is the initiative:

• 1 FTE BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Therapist)
• .4 FTE Music therapist [This new in-house position will replace 4 different contractors.]

What is not preserved:

• District-wide intern program with Lesley College [This program is being reduced, and will reshaped into a smaller program.]
• .5 FTE Speech/language therapy services
• .5 FTE Speech/language and occupational therapy services in the Early Childhood Program

The SC expressed concern about the cuts to the Early Childhood Program support, and heard about the advantage to adding one more BCBA position

ELL Program: This will be an increase in staff related to the increasing ELL population in the Newton Public Schools–over 100 more students this year than last.  The summer school program for ELL students was discussed, with the idea of expanding it to incoming students.

Curriculum & Instruction/Professional Development (PD): This area will see the loss of a .5 FTE secretary.  Otherwise, ongoing initiatives will continue to be funded, as well as new work on the common core standards.  Over the years, the type of PD has shifted, with more coming from “in-house.”

Career & Tech Ed: This department is included in the changes at the high schools–the reduction of FTEs will be considered along with NSHS and NNHS over the next few weeks.  Until registration is complete, the changes to this program are unknown.  They will try to maintain what they have now, as the Career & Tech Ed classes are growing, but have taken cuts in recent years.  Breadth of programming will be protected as much as possible, with the possibility of a rise in class size where possible.

The next meeting on the budget is Monday night, starting at 7 p.m. at the Ed Center.  The topics will be in the non-instructional areas:  School Committee, Central Staff, Human Resources, Operations, Transportation, Food Services, Business, Finance & Planning, as well as fees.

The School Committee has added another public comment time before the budget is voted on:  before the March 21st meeting, there will be the traditional 30 minutes available for 3-minute statements by the public.  I’m not sure if there will be time at the end of the meeting as well, if there are still speakers.  The School Committee is expecting not only public statements, but also emails to their address, schoolcommittee@newton.k12.ma.us.

Tonight’s meeting focused on proposed changes at the elementary, middle and high schools, as well as technology.

Elementary Schools:

What is preserved:

• average class size
• opportunities for small group instruction for literacy
• support for math differentiation and intervention
• 4th and 5th grade instrumental music
• library classes for all students

What is improved:

• support for math differentiation and intervention
• increased literacy support at the 2 largest elementary schools (Countryside and Memorial-Spaulding)

What is not preserved:

• 4th grade chorus
• 3rd grade recorder [The curriculum coordinator is working with music teachers to find a way to work the recorder into the music curriculum.  This is currently the only opportunity to use an instrument and to learn to read music available for free for all students.]
• 60 minutes of art time (now reduced to 45 minutes)
• current level of library coverage [Classes will still be held for K – 5, but other support functions provided by the librarians will be reduced.  Countryside will have a full-time librarian, but other schools will have librarians three or four days.]
• coverage for meetings, professional development and lunchtime  [This cut provides the largest savings.]

The SC discussed these changes, and asked for clarification on a variety of points, including the current class time for art and music, how class size will be affected, how the reduced coverage will affect the school day and the staff, and what the changes mean for planning time and collaboration between the teachers.

Middle Schools:  [A 121-student increase in enrollment is predicted, with about 70 of that number predicted for Day alone]

What is preserved:

• middle school model and schedule
• 4-person teams [This means that every teacher will teach in their area of expertise.]
• music/art/technology/wellness/6th grade drama
• guidance ratios

What is improved:

• support for literacy instruction

What is not preserved:

• Latin  [This subject does not affect all students and the change will not impact class sizes.  It will have a negative effect on the high school Latin program, however.]
• 7th and 8th grade drama [Further cuts into the middle school arts program would greatly affect class sizes and require study halls to deal with this problem.  This cut is not predicted to affect afterschool drama productions.]
• FY11 team size [Some team sizes will be slightly greater than 100.]
• class size in special area subjects
• office support at Bigelow and Oak Hill [This will primarily effect part-time employees in the morning who work on attendance and other support.  It will require a shuffling of responsibilities, and the schools will not be able to meet needs as well as in the past.]

SC comments and discussion included the proposal to phase out Latin more gradually, so that the current Latin students continue their studies in this area, but there would be no new students next year; the number of additional teachers needed to bring class size to an acceptable level; and what a 3-teacher team would look like in the middle schools.

High Schools:

What is preserved:

• student choice on course selection
• ability to take 2 classes in a subject
• electives:  art/media art/theatre/music [These areas will most likely see some cuts, but both high schools will still have a rich program.]
• guidance ratio
• libraries [This area was cut recently and so was kept as it is.]
• career and tech ed

What is not preserved:

• current class size [An increase in the number of courses with more than 25 students is expected to increase.]
• reduced breadth and depth of course offerings

The SC discussion focused on how the high schools are trying to equalize the student-to-teacher ratios in both schools and how they determine the class schedule, balancing the different curricula.  The principals will try to process the student course selections as soon as possible so that the SC will have an idea where the staff cuts will be.  The effect of staff cuts were also discussed in a general way, including the idea that part of the cuts will mean larger class sizes and the other part will affect the variety of courses offered and the possibility of limits in certain classes.  Finally, the use of online courses as a less expensive way to provide breadth of programming was discussed and challenged.

Technology:

Technology is level funded this year.  The discussion underscored the reduced technology support from the cuts in librarian FTEs, but also addressed the improvements in the networks at the middle and high schools to support the possibility of one-to-one computing.

If I’ve missed anything or gotten anything wrong, please let me know.  Otherwise, the next meeting is Thursday night at 7 p.m. at the Ed Center, and will focus on Special Education, ELL, Curriculum & Instruction, Professional Development, and Career & Tech Ed.

Tonight the Superintendent presented his proposed budget to the School Committee.  Sometime tomorrow, the budget should be available online on the SC website, and each PTO should be receiving one copy through the PONY–the interoffice mail.  While I tried to write down as much of the information presented as possible, it will take a bit of time to go through all the details once they are available.  In the meantime, I can give you an outline of the proposal.

First, there is a $4.4 million budget shortfall if the SC were to maintain all levels of programming and staffing the same as this year. This is based on the assumption of $650,000 in revenue from the state for the schools.  The proposed number is currently $1.3 million, but is expected to change as the state goes through their budget process.  So the budget is based on a conservative figure, and can be adjusted upwards if a larger number becomes a reality.

The Superintendent identified 4 areas to help close the gap and meet the SC budget guidelines:  efficiencies and administrative savings; instructional reductions; new and increased fees; and program initiatives.  First, he identified a list of efficiencies including those from food services, changes in purchasing, energy savings, and administrative reorganization.

In terms of instructional reductions, here is a list of some of the changes:

At the elementary level, which is expected to see an overall increase of 24 students and the following changes:

-1.5 FTE (full-time equivalents) teachers

+1 FTE reserve teacher

-.3 FTE in art, music and PE based on the lower number of classrooms

-1.6 FTE from the elimination of the 3rd grade recorder program

-1.3 FTE from the elimination of the 4th grade chorus

-2.7 FTE from reducing art classes to 45 minutes from 60 minutes

-2.5 FTE from reductions in librarians

savings from a reduction in ISS, which includes substitute teachers and other supports

+1 FTE from the addition of a math coach

+2 FTE from the addition of two literacy specialists, one each for Countryside and Memorial-Spaulding

Change in the Early Morning Program free to $12 per hour from $8

Addition of a 5th grade instrumental music fee

Addition of an All-City Music fee

There will also be an increase in the number of co-taught classrooms, meaning that there will be fewer Special Education aides, but more Special Education teachers working with Regular Ed teachers.  In addition, there will be more interns and other Special Education reductions.  I’m afraid I didn’t quite catch all those numbers in a very thorough way, so I would rather wait to see the details tomorrow than report them inaccurately.

At the middle school level, the number of students will increase by 121 students.  The average team size will be 92, with both the 7th and 8th grades at Oak Hill having team sizes of over 100.  These changes include:

-1.3 FTE from a reduction in drama to just the 6th grade

-1.6 FTE from the elimination of middle school Latin

-1.1 FTE from secretarial staff

-5.5 FTE from Student Services reductions

-.5 FTE from Student Service reductions at Day

+2 FTE teachers to help with the increased enrollment

+1 FTE reserve teacher

+2 FTE literacy specialists

Increase in athletics fees

Addition of a student activity fee

At the high schools, which will see an enrollment increase of 22, there will be the following changes:

-9.8 FTE in teaching staff [NOTE:  there is no detail on where the cuts will be as yet–much depends on student course selections]

-6.6 FTE in student services reductions

+1 FTE reserve teacher

Increase in athletics fees

Addition of a student activity fee

Addition of a drama fee

Regarding fees, there will be more details in the budget, but there will be changes in the transportation fees, from $260 per year to $310, with the expansion of fees to the elementary level.

Again there are a number of details I couldn’t write down fast enough–and they will all be in the proposed budget.  The Special Education changes were a bit confusing, but I expect this will be cleared up when we see them in writing.  But this list above should give you a general idea of the proposed changes.  Please let me know if I got anything wrong…otherwise I’ll send another update after Wednesday’s 7 p.m. Ed Center meeting.  This will focus on “regular instruction” which includes all the elementary, middle and high school changes, as well as technology and other program adjustments.  If you would like to make a comment to the SC, you can either send an email to schoolcommittee@newton.k12.ma.us or wait until March 28th for the public comment evening.