Windsor Locks Board of Education MeetingSeptember 8, 2011
Communications
Michael Royston attended opening day of school at North Street; as well as the Boo Hoo Breakfast.
Margaret Byrne will be attending the Family Picnic at South School and the Parent Information Night on September 15.
Pat King visited the High School on the first day of school and walked around with the principal. She was impressed with the demeanor of the students.
Facilities - Lighting Proposal:
At the last board meeting DBS Energy discussed updating the exterior lighting at all the schools with more up to date lighting technology. Mr. Sweeney stated this would be a $0 to neutral revenue item to the budget and over time will have a net savings to the school system. The lighting will have a 100% warranty the first year and all material will be under a 10 year warranty. The lamps in the new lighting will have 50,000 hours of life compared to the current 10,000 hours. This item was approved by the Board.
End of Year Budget Report:
The budget for the 2010-2011 ended with an $87,774 surplus. The Board will be attending the next Finance meeting to inform them they will be using the surplus to purchase/lease 3 new trucks used for the school grounds. The current trucks are 1985 vehicles with rotted floor boards, heat, differential and seal issues. They will be purchasing two new trucks with plows for $68,000 and leasing the 1 additional truck with a plow for 3 years. The difference between the surplus and the purchase ($19,774) will be used to make two payments on the lease vehicle. This item was approved by the Board.
Professional Learning Communities (PLC)
Susan Bell, Assistant Principal at the Middle School and Sharon Cournoyer, Principal at the High School gave a presentation on PLC. PLC has been in the high school for several years, but has now been implemented school wide.
The presentation covered the main points of PLC:
Essential Questions:
• What do you want students to know
• How do you know that they know it
• How do you respond when they have not learned or when they need enrichment
• What growth do we expect to see in the areas we have identified as priorities
Every Teacher is a Leader:
• Subject area expertise
• Data analysis experience
• No more "independent contractors"
• Sharing the craft of teaching
Create Conditions to Empower Team Decision Making:
• Data teams focus on data analysis to drive instructional decisions
• Secure PLC time
• Arrange appropriate professional development
• Shared leadership structure
Data Analysis Process:
Step 1 - Prediction - What do you think the data will tell you
Step 2 - What does the data actually tell you
Step 3 - Brainstorm facts, trends and concerns
Step 4 - Pick fact, trend or concern of priority
From the data analysis
• What instructional groups will the teachers create
• What will the teachers do in the next 30 days to address the learning priority that has been identified
• Teachers will plan on a monthly basis utilizing the action plan template to chart progress each month and week.
The Key Points of PLC:
• Collaboration to increase student achievement levels takes concerted effort and shift in philosophy
• Understanding the human aspect of change is integral to the creation of a collaborative culture
• Reflection is necessary to effectively lead a team
• Setting the example of collaboration is paramount to encouraging others to do the same
• Flexibility in expectations, sensitivity to change process and its impact on individuals in the community
• Embracing the community philosophy - We Are All on the Same Team
The principals from each school then explained how well PLC was working in each of their schools and how the teachers were eager to receive the data analysis and put it to use.
Mr. Sweeney stated the first day of PLC will take place on Monday, September 12, so all schools will have a one hour early release. He stated approximately 45 students from South Street and 50 students from North Street are taking advantage of the 1 hour free after school care being offered.
Michael Royston asked what the difference is with this information compared to three years ago when Dr. Little was here? Pat King stated it is accountability. Ms. Bell stated it is continuity of services throughout the entire school system - Pre-K to High School. Michael Royston stated he has been hearing this for years, so what is going to make it work this time?
Mr. Sweeney explained we are not going to accept any excuses and that starts with himself, down to the principals and then the teachers. He explained they looked at data today that basically shows we have been flat as a school district for a lot of years, we have had the data, but have we created the conditions to which our teachers are expected to use the data to change adult behavior...he suggests that it has not happened until now. He stated if we are sitting here in three years, hearing the same presentation and our scores are still flat, then there are no excuses. Our kids deserve more and they deserve better; that is the principals’ job and it is his job to make sure they are doing their job. If that does not happen they can fire their superintendent and find someone new.
Michael Royston stated he has stated publicly that he has full faith that Mr. Sweeney is going to turn things around, but it is his frustration that we have been hearing this for many years. We have provided the tools, the professional development and the data, and it has not been used, that is where his frustration lies. He thinks we see this frustration, not just with himself, but when we saw the scores come out we saw more people here than we ever did before; when we added more PLC time we saw more people than we ever did before. The frustration is rampant across the board and it is very clear we have to take these tools and use them properly
Mr. Sweeney stated we have to let go of the old stuff, people are frustrated and upset, but it is time to be responsible and what we have put into place is very specific, highly researched based strategies and the Board has supported that direction....we will see results. We are doing this, we will do this, we will be successful and the children will be successful at rates higher than ever imagined.
Communications
Michael Royston attended opening day of school at North Street; as well as the Boo Hoo Breakfast.
Margaret Byrne will be attending the Family Picnic at South School and the Parent Information Night on September 15.
Pat King visited the High School on the first day of school and walked around with the principal. She was impressed with the demeanor of the students.
Facilities - Lighting Proposal:
At the last board meeting DBS Energy discussed updating the exterior lighting at all the schools with more up to date lighting technology. Mr. Sweeney stated this would be a $0 to neutral revenue item to the budget and over time will have a net savings to the school system. The lighting will have a 100% warranty the first year and all material will be under a 10 year warranty. The lamps in the new lighting will have 50,000 hours of life compared to the current 10,000 hours. This item was approved by the Board.
End of Year Budget Report:
The budget for the 2010-2011 ended with an $87,774 surplus. The Board will be attending the next Finance meeting to inform them they will be using the surplus to purchase/lease 3 new trucks used for the school grounds. The current trucks are 1985 vehicles with rotted floor boards, heat, differential and seal issues. They will be purchasing two new trucks with plows for $68,000 and leasing the 1 additional truck with a plow for 3 years. The difference between the surplus and the purchase ($19,774) will be used to make two payments on the lease vehicle. This item was approved by the Board.
Professional Learning Communities (PLC)
Susan Bell, Assistant Principal at the Middle School and Sharon Cournoyer, Principal at the High School gave a presentation on PLC. PLC has been in the high school for several years, but has now been implemented school wide.
The presentation covered the main points of PLC:
Essential Questions:
• What do you want students to know
• How do you know that they know it
• How do you respond when they have not learned or when they need enrichment
• What growth do we expect to see in the areas we have identified as priorities
Every Teacher is a Leader:
• Subject area expertise
• Data analysis experience
• No more "independent contractors"
• Sharing the craft of teaching
Create Conditions to Empower Team Decision Making:
• Data teams focus on data analysis to drive instructional decisions
• Secure PLC time
• Arrange appropriate professional development
• Shared leadership structure
Data Analysis Process:
Step 1 - Prediction - What do you think the data will tell you
Step 2 - What does the data actually tell you
Step 3 - Brainstorm facts, trends and concerns
Step 4 - Pick fact, trend or concern of priority
From the data analysis
• What instructional groups will the teachers create
• What will the teachers do in the next 30 days to address the learning priority that has been identified
• Teachers will plan on a monthly basis utilizing the action plan template to chart progress each month and week.
The Key Points of PLC:
• Collaboration to increase student achievement levels takes concerted effort and shift in philosophy
• Understanding the human aspect of change is integral to the creation of a collaborative culture
• Reflection is necessary to effectively lead a team
• Setting the example of collaboration is paramount to encouraging others to do the same
• Flexibility in expectations, sensitivity to change process and its impact on individuals in the community
• Embracing the community philosophy - We Are All on the Same Team
The principals from each school then explained how well PLC was working in each of their schools and how the teachers were eager to receive the data analysis and put it to use.
Mr. Sweeney stated the first day of PLC will take place on Monday, September 12, so all schools will have a one hour early release. He stated approximately 45 students from South Street and 50 students from North Street are taking advantage of the 1 hour free after school care being offered.
Michael Royston asked what the difference is with this information compared to three years ago when Dr. Little was here? Pat King stated it is accountability. Ms. Bell stated it is continuity of services throughout the entire school system - Pre-K to High School. Michael Royston stated he has been hearing this for years, so what is going to make it work this time?
Mr. Sweeney explained we are not going to accept any excuses and that starts with himself, down to the principals and then the teachers. He explained they looked at data today that basically shows we have been flat as a school district for a lot of years, we have had the data, but have we created the conditions to which our teachers are expected to use the data to change adult behavior...he suggests that it has not happened until now. He stated if we are sitting here in three years, hearing the same presentation and our scores are still flat, then there are no excuses. Our kids deserve more and they deserve better; that is the principals’ job and it is his job to make sure they are doing their job. If that does not happen they can fire their superintendent and find someone new.
Michael Royston stated he has stated publicly that he has full faith that Mr. Sweeney is going to turn things around, but it is his frustration that we have been hearing this for many years. We have provided the tools, the professional development and the data, and it has not been used, that is where his frustration lies. He thinks we see this frustration, not just with himself, but when we saw the scores come out we saw more people here than we ever did before; when we added more PLC time we saw more people than we ever did before. The frustration is rampant across the board and it is very clear we have to take these tools and use them properly
Mr. Sweeney stated we have to let go of the old stuff, people are frustrated and upset, but it is time to be responsible and what we have put into place is very specific, highly researched based strategies and the Board has supported that direction....we will see results. We are doing this, we will do this, we will be successful and the children will be successful at rates higher than ever imagined.
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