FY14 Budget Highlights

A public hearing on the FY14 will be held Tuesday night at 7pm in the auditorium at Beverly High School.  The draft budget can be viewed here. Today's Salem News has a brief summary.

The administration list the following changes in staffing, operating budgets, programs and revenues. The changes in staffing result in a total increase of 8.9 full-time equivalents.

A. Positions/Adjustments

1. At the district level (effective FTE changes = +1.0)
• Add .5 nurse at Memorial to oversee the preschool classes. ($22,000) This is actually a full time position shared with Recovery High School.
• Add a .5 K/PreK position due to increase in enrollment ($25,000)
• Health Insurance increase due to loss of grant funding ($100,000). No increase in premium cost for FY14.
2. At the elementary level (effective FTE additions = +4)
• At Ayers Elementary School
• Increase 1FTE in Grade 1 due to projected enrollment
• At Centerville Elementary
• Increase 1 FTE in Grade 1 due to projected enrollment.
• Decrease 1FTE in Grade 2 due to projected enrollment
• Decrease 1FTE in Grade 4 due to projected enrollment
• Increase 1 FTE in SSP classroom (position repurposed)
• At Cove Elementary School
• Increase 1FTE in Grade 1 due to projected enrollment
• Decrease 1 FTE in Grade 3 due to projected enrollment
• Increase 1 FTE in Grade 4 due to projected enrollment
• Increase 1 FTE in Full Day K due to projected enrollment
• At Hannah Elementary School
• Increase 1 FTE in Grade 4 projected enrollment
• Increase 1 FTE in Grade 1 projected enrollment
• Increase in 1 FTE Literacy Coach (parity with other schools)
• Decrease 1 FTE in Full Day Kindergarten (to North Beverly)
• At North Beverly Elementary School
• Increase 1 FTE in Full Day Kindergarten (from Hannah)
3. At the middle school: (effective FTE additions = +.5 FTE)
   • Add a teaching 6th for Foreign Language to reduce class size in Reading ($8,500)
   • Add .5 School Adjustment Counselor to support transition of student from grade 8 to 9.
4. At the high school: (effective FTE additions = +3.4 FTE)
   • Increase .4 FTE Nurse at BHS for 3 hours a day to cover medication administration ($18,900)
   • Increases 1 FTE in Science (Physics) to align with Common Core for labs ($50,000)
   • Increase 1 FTE PE/Wellness Teacher to reduce class size ($50,000)
   • Increase .5 FTE Music Teacher to reduce class size ($25,000)
   • Add .5 FTE School Adjustment Counselor to support transition of students from grade 8 to 9.

B. Operating Budgets

• Operating budgets are level funded for FY14.
• Project a 4% increase in utilities.
• Project a 3% increase in special education collaborative tuitions.
• Health Insurance rates are level funded.
• Loss of $100,000 from Edujobs grant in FY13; grant ended.
• Provides for a 1.5% salary increase for union contracts.
• Provides for an average salary increase of 3% for Principals and Central Office Administration.

C. Program

• Upgrade of the Briscoe and Elementary School Networks to support more one to one learning
• Movement of 3.5 preschool classes to Memorial Building
• Added funding for social emotional support for Middle and High School students with social/emotional needs.
• Tuition and fees increased by 2.5 % except: Transportation, Athletics, Kindergarten.
• HS parking reduced to $100.

D. Revenue

• Plan for an increase in the General Fund Revenue from the City to $1,100,000 (an increase of 1% over FY13)
• Project a 70% level of reimbursements for the Circuit Breaker program This will result in an increase of about $211,355
• Increase in school choice revenue by $4,976
• Increase in Chapter 70 Funding ($108,375) 

Elementary class size concerns appear less of an issue, and slightly more uniform than in past years.  Highest class size projections are in the 4th grade at Centerville and Ayers (27.5 and 28 respectively).

The only controversy we have heard about centers around the issue of school security at the elementary schools, which is being pushed by a group of parents at North Beverly and Hannah.  They have circulated an email to parents saying that security at the schools is less than it should be, and asking the school committee to "include funds for more security at our five elementary schools."

BevCam will televise the hearing live on Channel 8.

5/15 UPDATE: Today's Salem News has a report on the public hearing.

Former Somerville Super Picked for Interim Job

The School Committee voted  6-1 Friday evening to offer the job of assistant superintendent to retired Somerville superintendent Albert Argenziano. Committee members detailed overwhelmingly positive reports each had personally received from a variety of former colleagues who had worked with or observed Argenziano over the years. The list even included a U.S. Congressmen, former Somerville mayor Michael Capuano, who served as mayor during much of Argenziano's 12-year tenure.

Saturday's Salem News has further details on the appointment:

Without exception, the reports paint Argenziano in glowing terms, calling him an extremely effective leader, even "a superstar." Argenziano was so respected in Somerville, in fact, that he has a school named after him. 

After hearing the reviews, there seemed to be few reservations among those on the committee that Argenziano was well-qualified for the position, and would be an asset to the district in helping to select a new permanent superintendent, which appears to be the primary role at least some on the Committee see for this position.

But there was still quite a bit of discord on the committee over the manner by which Assistant Superintendent Duffy was passed over for the interim position, and whether the proper role of an interim superintendent should be to guide the search process, or to maintain continuity.  Annemarie Cesa, who has been the leading champion for Duffy, and had been pushing for her to be named the interim Super from the onset, again brought up the subject of Duffy before the committee could get to the business of discussing Argenziano.

Today's Salem News details the dispute this way:

The vote was not without controversy, however. Two committee members, Annemarie Cesa and Kris Silverstein, favored hiring Assistant Superintendent Maryellen Duffy as interim superintendent.

Duffy did not apply for the job, but Cesa said she should not have been required to go through the interview process. Several school administrators called her expressing support for Duffy, Cesa said.

“She can step into the job seamlessly,” Cesa said. “I think it’s being silly inviting someone we interviewed for three minutes when she’s been doing it for three years.”

Mayor Bill Scanlon, who is a member of the School Committee, said the committee wanted an interim superintendent who can help with the search for a permanent superintendent.

“It didn’t appear that (Duffy) could help us (in the search),” Scanlon said.

At a Committee of the Whole meeting last month [viewable on BevCam's streaming archive], Committee President Maria Decker maintained that Duffy would need to formally apply for the position and compete against the other outside interim candidates if she was interested in the position, a view supported by at least some of the other members.  While they agreed that she has performed well in her current role, they considered one of the primary responsibilities of an interim superintendent as helping to lead the search for a permanent leader. These were skills they didn't believe that Duffy brought to the table.

But Duffy never officially applied for the position, and the next week announced that she would also retire effective at the end of June.

Cesa said Duffy would maintain a sense of continuity while the district searched for a permanent leader, and viewed that as the most important role of an interim superintendent.  This view was echoed by several members of the district staff we have spoken with, and others with close contact to the day-to-day functioning of the schools. In fact, many seemed more concerned with the vacancy in the assistant's role that they were with the top job, especially since only the superintendent can legally hire a new assistant.  The assistant superintendent writes grants, and has more of a day-to-day direct interaction with administrators and teachers on curriculum issues across the district.

In this role, Duffy has strong support, and to those who see continuity in this area as the most important issue during this transition, keeping her in place and focusing on those duties while the School Committee managed the search process was preferable to hiring someone in the superintendent's role to guide the search.

Cesa said she was convinced that Duffy would have accepted the position if it were offered to her, and maintained that it is "fiscally irresponsible" to pay for a seasoned executive whose primary purpose is to conduct the search.

Member Matthew Kavanagh, submitted two motions that were intended to bridge the divide, and show the community that the district intends to maintain continuity during the transition by mandating that the new superintendent form a transition team, and consult with the current leadership, or possibly create some type of interim associate position as well, one that perhaps Duffy could fill. But most members felt the motions were unnecessary, since that type of continuity would be a normal part of any transfer of leadership.

In the end, members on both sides of the debate conceded that the process had gotten messier than it should have, and many in the community worry about what appears to be a fractured (some say "toxic") dynamic on the school committee, and what affect that may have had on the decision of the two top leaders to leave.

But in Dr. Argenziano, the district will for the first time in at least a dozen years, have an experienced leader from outside the district to assess where we are from a fresh perspective, and begin what committee member Paul Manzo called, "the next version of the Beverly Public Schools."

Committee Moves Toward Decision on Interim Super

The Beverly Citizen has posted a summary of Tuesday's interim superintendent interviews, and reports that retired Somerville superintendent Dr. Albert Argenziano has emerged as the leading contender. This view was confirmed by several community members who attended both the afternoon interviews and a meeting later in the evening at which the committee discussed the interviews.

The majority of the committee moved quickly past the other two candidates, and settled on Argenziano as the best choice of the three. Mayor Scanlon reportedly was so enthuthiastic in his for support for Argenziano that he initially made a motion to vote on his selection on the spot, pending a positive reference check. The motion was later tabled until the next meeting, which will be held on Friday evening.

But while it seemed to be the consensus that Argenziano was the strongest of the three, not all members were sold on whether he possessed all the skills they were looking for. According to the Citizen:

After the interviews were concluded, some members of the committee were not ready to make a choice on the three, the consensus among the committee being that Dr. Argenziano was the strongest candidate in leading the search for a permanent superintendent but not for taking care of the day-to-day operations of the district.

The fact that this person also needs to immediately hire an assistant superintendent is also a major consideration. 

Community members who attended Tuesday's meetings report some frustration with what they see as a hasty, and less than inclusive process into an important decision for the district. The three contenders were chosen in just over a week's time, and the first public report of their identity was in Tuesday's Salem News. They were interviewed in short half-hour sessions that were attended by principals and administrators, but only a handful of members of the public. There appear to be no plans to conduct a follow-up interview, or consider other candidates.

Some were also troubled that the later evening discussion meeting was not announced to the public or most staff at all, except at the joint School Committee/City Council meeting that preceded it, which itself was so poorly publicized that only four members of the community attended.

As it stands now, the committee is checking the references of Dr. Argenziano, looking into the possibility of retaining Assistant Superintendent Duffy on a per diem basis, and planning to meet again Friday at 5pm in the library of the high school.  It appears likely that they will take up Mayor Scanlon's motion to vote on the hiring of Argenziano, but it is unclear how the full committee will vote.

Given the importance of this decision to the continuing progress of the district, and the swiftness at which this process is moving, its important that interested members of the school community attend Friday's meeting, and pay close attention to the process by which this and other decisions within the district are being made.

Decker: "We’re not looking for a change agent”

Today's Salem News reports the identity of the three candidates for Interim Superintendent that will be interviewed today at the high school. The candidates, all retired former Supers from locals districts include former Somerville Superintendent Albert Argenziano, former Swampscott interim Superintendent Maureen Bingham and former Rockport Superintendent Joseph Lisi.

School Committee President Maria Decker, who, as evidenced at the recent State of the Schools presentation, is very bullish on the direction of the school district, tells the News that "We’re not looking for a change agent. We’re looking for someone who can stay the course as we move through this transition process.”

An advertisement for the position stated that the district was seeking a candidate with "extensive experience as a superintendent and building administrator, strong interpersonal and communication skills, familiarity with the new teacher evaluation process, and a history of successful team building."

The interviews will be held today at 4 pm in the library at Beverly High School, and the sessions are open to the public.

The News also confirms our report in the previous post that Assistant Superintendent Maryellen Duffy will also leave the district at the end of the school year.

There is also an unrelated joint City Council/School Committee meeting tonight at 7pm, in the high school auditorium. On the agenda for the school side is ROTC, city/schools consolidation committee, PILOT/SILOT and an update on the middle school statement of interest.

Duffy Out Too; Committee to Interview Interim Super Candidates

We have learned from multiple sources today that Assistant Superintendent Maryellen Duffy has announced her intention to retire when her contract is up this June. This announcement comes on the heals of Superintendent Galinski's announcement that she would also retire this June, a year before her contact is up, and leaves the district without its two top administrators.

The subject of a succession plan was debated at last week's Committee of the Whole meeting [which can be viewed on BevCam's streaming archive], and the committee decided to opt for an interim Superintendent.  The debate was somewhat contentious between the members, particularly on the subject of whether Duffy should be given the first opportunity to interview for the interim job.

At the meeting, which was held before Duffy announced her intentions, committee member Annemarie Cesa made a strong case for Duffy to be considered as an interim candidate, saying that she has strong support from administrators within the district. Cesa also pointed out that Duffy's contract expired this June also, and worried about the district being without its two top leaders if Duffy decided to leave also.

"My biggest concern is that we're going to end up on June 30th with two people gone from our administration, and have to hire two people who don't know our district...That scares the hell out of me." said Cesa.

Some members, especially Cesa,  also seemed annoyed that School Committee President Maria Decker had already reached out to potential interim candidates before discussing the process with the rest of the Committee.

"I'm a little concerned that you have called people, when we haven't even had a conversation about it."

The district has a long history of appointing new Superintendents from within the district, and there is a feeling by many within the community that it's time for an outside perspective.  That sentiment was summed up at the meeting by Mayor Scanlon, who stated:

"The community probably wants us to do a broad consideration, regardless of what we ultimately choose."

The School Committee plans to  interview several interim candidates on Tuesday at 4pm at the High School.  The meeting is a open to any interested members of the public.  There is also a joint School Committee/City Council meeting that evening at 7:00, also at the high school.

Superintendent Galinski to Retire in June

The Salem News is reporting today that Superintendent Galinski has announced her plans to retire effective this June, a year before her contract was set to expire. 

Galinski, who has served as superintendent for three years, and before that as assistantant super for six years recently surprised the school committee by announcing that she was a candidate for superintendent in another community, only months after the committee gave her raise and contact extension.  She later withdrew from consideration for that position.

In a press release Galinski stated "After nine years in the district, I feel it is the appropriate time for me to pass the torch to another superintendent, one who will lead the district to the next level"

The report was posted early this morning on the newspapers website, but does not appear in today's print edition.

3/13 UPDATE: Wednesday's Salem News has more details on Galinski's announcement.

"Severe Overcrowding" Cited in Middle School Pitch

Monday's Salem News reports that the city's revised Statement of Interest to the MSBA (Massachusetts School Building Authority) for a new middle school cite's "severe overcrowding" as one reason for the need.  The original statement of interest, filed a year ago, listed only the deteriorating condition of Briscoe, which resulted in a priority 7 judgement from the state. Adding the overcrowding issue could bump up the city's ranking on the priority list to a number 2.

According to the News:

An influx of more than 200 students has prompted officials to cite “severe overcrowding” as a reason the city needs state funding to build a new middle school.

Total enrollment in all of the district’s public schools was up to 4,506 students as of October, an increase of 214 students, or 5 percent, over the previous school year, according to officials.

This year, the district has had to rent outside space for preschool classes, and total enrollment is expected to grow by another 100 or more next year.

School Committee President Maria Decker tells the News that the distict has seen an increase in students at all levels in recent years, a result of what she says is the improved reputatation of the city's schools, particularly the high school, and some innovative new programs:

"Our numbers are growing steadily at all levels,” Decker said.

Decker said Beverly has seen an increase in school choice students from other communities, in special education students from Beverly moving back from out-of-district placements, in Beverly students choosing the high school over private or parochial schools, and in preschool and kindergarten students. The high school enrollment is up 35 over last year.

Decker said the district is becoming more attractive due to its innovative programs, including laptops for all high school students and science specialists in the elementary schools, and the newly built high school. Beverly High was recently accorded Level 1 status, the top status granted by the state, for the first time since 2007.

“That reputation catches up with you,” Decker said. “You’re doing cutting-edge things. I love that people are choosing the Beverly schools, but at the same time we’re so in need for a new middle school in order to house all of our children up and down the spectrum.”

The district closed the nearly-new McKeown school in 2008 as a cost-cutting move only three years after closing the city's other middle school and combining all middle school students at Briscoe. Since that time, space has been at a premium across the district.

The city's improved reputation—much of which is based on the new high school building, as well as the innovative programs cited by Decker—has caused many students who may have choiced out, or attended private schools in the past, to remain in Beverly. It also has made the district attractive to students from other area cities as a school choice option.

While most community members we have spoken to acknowledge the improved reputation of the city's schools, large class sizes remain a frustration for many parents, and many also continue to wonder why the district seeks and accepts out-of-district students (who are mandated to remain in Beverly throughout their high-school years once they are accepted), when simultaneously claiming a space crunch.

2/13 UPDATE: Today's Salem News has details on yesterday's tour of Briscoe by State Treasurer Steve Grossman.

Galinski May be Heading Out as Superintendent

Today's Salem News reports that Superintendent Marie Galinski is one of three finalist for the Superintendent job in a central Massachusetts school district.  Galinski has held the top job in Beverly since July of 2010, and was Beverly's Assistant Superintendent for 6 years before that.

According to the News:

Galinski was named one of three finalists for superintendent of the Groton-Dunstable Regional School District on Wednesday night. She is scheduled to be interviewed by the district’s School Committee on Tuesday.

Beverly School Committee President Maria Decker said she was “surprised” when Galinski informed the School Committee before the holiday break that she was an applicant for the job in Groton.

The School Committee gave Galinski a $6,000 raise last June, boosting her salary to $151,000. Decker said Galinski then asked for a contract extension over the summer, and the committee agreed to a one-year extension to June 2014.

The current superintendent in Groton-Dunstable oversees just over half as many students as Beverly (2,600 compared to Beverly's 4,600), and his salary is $157,000 ($6,000 more than Galinski is currently paid).

Whether the salary was part of Galinski's decision is speculation, but administrative salaries in Beverly have been raised as an issue in the past. A chart in the Salem News last Spring listed Galinski's salary dead last among Superintendents' salaries on the north shore, and lower than the state average. Even with her recent increase she would rank last. (Danvers, the one lower than Galinski in the list raised the salary of their Superintendent to $157,000 in October.)

Galinski's tenure has been somewhat smoother than that of her predessesor, James Hayes, who oversaw the closing of two schools, and the threatened closure of two others.  She oversaw the opening of the new high school, and the community seems to be much more content with the state of the schools than it was during Hayes' tenure.

School Committee President Maria Decker said of Galinski's announcement:

“She’s been here nine years, and she’s done a lot of good in the city and the school district,” Decker said. “We’ve got some wonderful building superintendents and administrators, and we can continue all the great things we’re doing should she be selected. We’ve got 4,600 children in the Beverly public schools that are always in the forefront of my mind and the rest of the School Committee’s minds. The superintendent is doing what’s best for her, and we have to respect that.”

Galinski says that if she doesn't get the position in Groton, she would stay in Beverly at least until the end of her contract in 2014.

1/22 UPDATE: Saturday's Salem News reports that Galinski has withdrawn from the running for the Groton-Dunstable job, but the whole episode doesn't seem to be sitting well with some members of the School Committee, which had recently extended her contract, and upped her salary.

School Committee president Maria Decker, told the News that "dozens of administrators, teachers, parents and students from the Beverly public schools spent time last week with members of the Groton-Dunstable search committee who came to Beverly for a day to inquire about Galinski":

“It’s unfortunate given that lots of people made an investment on her behalf that she did not see this process through to completion,” Decker said.

Further details on what went wrong were reported in Saturday's Lowell Sun, which also reported that not just Galinski, but one of the other two finalists had withdrawn:

[Groton-Dunstable] School Committee Chairman Allison Manugian told committee members that Bradshaw and Galinski had asked that their names be withdrawn. When pressed, Manugian said that the specific reason given was too frank discussion among School Committee members at a meeting Wednesday at which members indicated that there was a general lack of enthusiasm for any of the finalists, despite a search process that had yielded 26 applications. 

In the Salem News report, Decker stated that "Galinski will remain superintendent until her contract expires in June 2014," but it seems that this episode has begun the public conversation of what Beverly wants in its next school leader.

BHS Honored for Innovation

Saturday's Salem News detailed a new honor for Beverly High School, which has been receiving considerable notice recently for both it's 1-1 laptop program, as well as its Smaller Communities Learning Grant.

The school recently received notice that it was among a select group of schools in the nation invited to present at a Washington DC conference on innovative public schools to be hosted by the National Association of Secondary School Principals

"We're aware of schools all across the country and most of them have tried different things, but they haven't been as effective as Beverly has," said Joe DiMartino, president of the Center for Secondary School Redesign, which helps select schools for the conference. "They're doing a lot of innovative things with good results, not just innovation for innovation's sake."

Beverly High came to the attention of conference organizers through the school's implementation of a $1.2 million, five-year federal grant that it was awarded in 2010. Beverly was one of 28 schools in the country to be awarded the Smaller Learning Communities grant, which is designed to improve academic achievement in public schools with enrollments of more than 1,000.

Beverly High Principal Sean Gallagher said the grant has been used to "take a big high school and personalize the learning." The school established a freshman academy that groups ninth-graders in teams, and created an advisory program that assigns 10 students to a staff member, who meets with the group twice a month. ...

... Gallagher said preliminary data show a drop in the failure rate and disciplinary incidents among freshmen and an increase in the daily attendance rate. He said teachers have made a point to call and write to parents when their students are succeeding, not just when they're in trouble academically.

"What's made us unique is that the program is really utilizing our upperclassmen as role models for the freshmen throughout the summer," Gallagher said. "Their impact on the school, especially the senior class, has been really great in the sense of developing a positive school culture."

Beverly is the only school from Massachusetts invited to participate in the conference, which will be held on February 28th of next year.

Hannah Class Sizes Main Topic at Hearing

The quietest budget season in many years also featured a very quiet public hearing last night at the high school. About 50 people listened as Dr. Galinski presented an overview of the budget, which included no major cuts, and a net gain of staff positions despite the loss of some revenue. Most fees will rise by 2.5%, and administrators will receive their first raise in three years. The budget also contains a reserve line for union negotiations, which are still in progress.

Today's Salem News has the full story, as does the Beverly Citizen. You can also view the full hearing on BevCam's website.

After the presentation, about eight audience members spoke, mostly Hannah School parents (including myself) who are upset about the large class size projections for grades 4-5 and the inequity in class sizes across the district. Our primary point was not simply the size of next year's classes, but the fact that this is the third year in a row that Hannah's upper grades have occupied two of the top three spots in terms of class size across the district, and to point out the burden the repeatedly overloaded classes is putting on Hannah teachers, staff and students.

We also pointed to Hannah's sudden drop in MCAS scores and failure to make AYP (Adequite Yearly Progress) for the first time ever (see accompanying graphic) as one indicator of the result of the district's class size policies. 2011 was the first year of testing after the district compressed Hannah's 3rd and 4th grades from 3 sections to 2 resulting in class sizes between 27-29 in both grades. It has since done the same to the 5th grade, and many parents whose children were in those classes see a connection.

Other speakers spoke about class size concerns in grades 1-2 at North Beverly, and the need for an additional adjustment counselor, and improved technology infrastructure at Briscoe.

As is the norm, the evening ended without any comment or answers from the Committee.

UPDATE: A revised class size projection Galinski presented at the hearing (see below) that includes "pushback" of open-enrolled students to their "home school" shows Hannah's numbers slightly improved, and Ayers 4th grade edging ahead in terms of largest class size. Little change is noted to the grade 1 & 2 numbers at North Beverly and Ayers that were also of concern. But Galinski warns that the numbers regularly fluctuate up until the start of school, and beyond. Numbers in blue indicate sizes that the administration considers in danger of going over guidelines or in need of additional classroom support, and is monitoring closely.  Apparently the Hannah and Ayers 4th and 5th grade numbers no longer fall into that category by district standards. We doubt most parents and teachers would agree.

Class Size Projections Show Wide Disparity

A close look at the class size projections contained in the just released  FY13 Budget Draft  [see post below for full summary of budget] shows a slight improvement overall on elementary class sizes with fewer classes in the 25+ range that most troubles parents. But there is also a wider fluctuation between the schools than in past years. The district maintains an official class size limit of 25 in grades 1 and 2, and 30 in grades 3-5.

Hannah has the two largest class size projections with 28.5 projected for the 4th grade and 27 for 5th. Ayers also shows a projection of 26.7 for 4th grade. These 4th grade numbers contrast sharply with Centerville, which shows 19.7 students per section next year.

Last year, Centerville parents made a strong showing at the public hearing to speak out against their large 3rd grade class.  The class, which was compressed from 3 sections to 2 last year, will return to 3 sections in 4th grade. In addition, the district is adding a section for next year's 3rd grade class.

The Centerville numbers overall stand out as—by far—the lowest in the district [see update below]. In addition to grade 4, the numbers range from an almost unheard of (at least by Beverly standards) 15.5 in 1st grade to 20 in grade 2, 20.3 in grade 3, and 21.7 in grade 5.

In the lower grades, North Beverly's 1st and 2nd grades are both bumping up against the district's maximum 25 with projected sizes of 24 and 24.7 respectively. Ayers also has a projected 24.3 first grade, a far cry from Centerville's 15.5.

Below are the full class size projections for all the elementary schools:

Class size is generally the most discussed issue at the annual budget hearing, which will be held Tuesday night at 7pm at Beverly High School. Please make an effort to attend.

Disclosure: This blogger's daughter will be a Hannah 4th grader next year, the class with the district's highest projected class size.

5/5 UPDATE: School Committee President Maria Decker has provided some more insight into the projections. She says that the current numbers reflect existing placements, and that school choice students (students from outside of Beverly), as well as open-enrolled students (students from Beverly who choose to attend a school other than their home school) may be moved to produce more balanced class sizes across the district.

She also says the additional sections at Centerville were created in part to accommodate more students expected from the new housing development in Gloucester Crossing that will attend Centerville.

FY13 Draft Budget Posted; Hearing Next Tuesday

The proposed FY13 district budget is now available to view on the district website. This is the first view many of us will have of the document, which the school committee has developed through one of the quietest budget seasons in quite some time.

The district again this year will utilize fellows from both Merrimack and Endicott Colleges to supplement classroom and special education teachers.

The Northshore Education Consortium's [NEC] Recovery High School program, which had been renting space in the Memorial Building for the past 5 years will be relocating in FY13 which results in a reduction of $125,000 in rental income for the District. The District continues to rent the McKeown School to the NEC, and also plans to move 4 sections of full-day Pre-K to the NEC building on Sohier Road to free up space in the elementary schools.

The FY13 Budget contains changes in staffing, operating budgets, programs and revenues. These changes are reflected below. The changes in staffing result in a total increase of 3.8 full-time equivalents (FTE).

Here are other highlights, as stated in the document:

A. Positions/Adjustments
1. At the district level (effective FTE changes = -2)

• Addition of clerical support for Business/Personnel ($20,000). 
• Add salary increases for individually contracted employees. These employees have not received raises for three years. 
• Add $50,000 back into the budget to pay a salary that was previously covered under the revolving account. 
• Remove $2500 from revenues due to loss of sales from beverage agreements. We no longer have vending machines in schools due to nutritional guidelines. 
• Cut the position of Academic Division Leader due to retirement. 
• Cut a Title I teaching position due to retirement and replaced with tutors. 

2. At the elementary level (effective FTE additions = +2.2)
 Ayers Elementary School

• Increase 1FTE in Grade 3 due to projected enrollment. 
• Decrease 1 FTE in Grade 1 due to projected enrollment. 
• Add .2 TLC teacher to support social/emotional learning. 

Centerville Elementary

• Decrease 1 FTE in Grade 1 due to projected enrollment. 
• Increase 1 FTE TLC teacher to support social/emotional learning. 
• Increase 1 FTE teacher in Grade 3 due to projected enrollment. 
• Increase 1 FTE in Full Day Kindergarten due to projected enrollment (moved from Ayers). 
• Increase 1 paraprofessional in additional Full Day Kindergarten class (Moved from Ayers). 

Cove Elementary School

• Decrease 1 FTE in Grade 2 due to projected enrollment. 
• Increase 1 FTE in Grade 3 due to projected enrollment. 
• Increase 1 FTE in Grade 5 due to projected enrollment. 
• Increase 1 FTE TLC teacher to support social/emotional learning. 
• Decrease 1 FTE paraprofessional for TLC support no longer needed. 

Hannah Elementary School

• Increase 1 FTE in Grade 3 due to projected enrollment. 
• Increase 1 FTE TLC teacher to support social/emotional learning. 
• Decreased 1 FTE paraprofessional for TLC support no longer needed. 
• Increase 1 FTE Full Day Kindergarten teacher due to projected enrollment (moved from North Beverly). 
• Increase 1 paraprofessional for additional Full Day Kindergarten class (Moved from North Beverly). 

North Beverly Elementary School

• Increase 1 FTE for TLC to support social/emotional learning. 
• Decreased 1 FTE paraprofessional for TLC support no longer needed. 
• Increase 2 Fellows to help support large class size in Grades 1 and 2. 

3. At Briscoe Middle School: (effective FTE additions = +.6 FTE)

• Decrease of .4 Reading teacher due to decrease in class size for Grade 6 Reading program.
• Increase in 1 FTE for Special Education to support social/emotional learning. 
• Decrease in Fine Arts Facilitator due to retirement and consolidation with other departments. 
• Increase a Math and Science Facilitator due to the retirement of the Academic Division Leader for Math and Science. 
• Add a special education facilitator to help address oversight of programs at the middle school. 
• Add additional teaching 6th for the SBI program due to large class size in Grade 7. 
• Increase expressive arts rotation for technology to prepare students for high school and reduce class size in expressive arts. 

4. At Beverly High School: (effective FTE additions 3 FTE)

• Increase custodial overtime to support maintaining new high school building.
• Replace the Certified Medical Assistant with an LPN due to medication administration.
• Increase 1 FTE in English to reduce class size from 30+ to 25.
• Increase 1 FTE in PE/Wellness to reduce class size from 30+ to 25.
• Increase 1 FTE in Foreign Language to add ASL to electives to support Mass Common Core requirements for all students.
• Increase teaching 6th to reduce class size.

B. Operating Budgets

• Operating budgets are based on enrollment figures for FY12.

C. Program

• Restore the TLC program at the elementary level to retain students from out-of-district placements.
• Project a 3% increase in special education collaborative tuitions.
• Increase technology expressive arts opportunities at the middle school to prepare students for high school one-to-one.
• Enhance the Foreign Language program at the high school to provide for students to choose another option to complete the Mass Common Core requirement.
• Relocate 4 Full Day Pre-K classes from Cove to Northshore Education Consortium.
• Relocate 4 sessions of Half Day Pre-K from Hannah to Cove.

D. Revenue

• Plan for an increase in General Fund Revenue from the City of $1,140,000 (2.5% increase of FY12).
• Project a 60% level of reimbursements for the Circuit Breaker program. This will result in a loss of about $100,000 in revenue due to the increase in the foundation amount upon which the reimbursement is based.
• Plan for a decrease in revenue from the Northshore Education Consortium (NEC) due to the relocation of Recovery High School ($125,000).
• Plan for an increase in revenue due to the plan design of health insurance ($100,000).
• Decrease in health insurance liability due to drop in enrollment numbers ($165,000).

The public hearing on the budget will be held next Tuesday, May 8th at 7:00 at the high school.  

Trash vs. Teachers, Redux?

What does trash pickup have to do with class size?

If you are new to the budget debate in Beverly, you probably didn't immediately think about the schools when you read last week's Salem News story on Mayor Scanlon's efforts to raise the trash fee by 40%.

But those of us who lived through the budget drama of 2008 know the connection well.  When the Mayor came up with his last minute plan that year to spare Cove School, he did it by diverting money that would normally go toward trash collection to the schools. 

A Beverly Citizen story from June 2008 does a good job of outlining how the plan worked.  As the story explained then "Technically, the money isn’t coming from the trash fee. Instead, the money will stay in the general fund [rather than being transferred to the sanitation fund]. The schools would instead use that money."

At the time, the sanitation fund was $1.34 million in the black, and Scanlon's plan was to use the excess in that account, along with the annual proceeds from the trash fee, to fund trash pickup while diverting $680,000 a year to the schools instead of the maintaining the sanitation fund. Essentially the trash fee would be covering a larger amount (but not all) of the cost of trash collection.

But, as the article clearly states, the plan was only sustainable for 5 years.

So that's where the city now finds itself in 2012. The money in the sanitation savings fund is nearly gone, and the city must either raise the trash fee to cover a greater amount of the actual trash services, or start diverting that money from the general fund (much of which still goes to the schools) back to trash collection. 

As school supporters who watch state aid continually cut at the same time that the schools are burdened with ever more unfunded mandates, we feel the city needs to fund the schools to the maximum amount possible, and know that any cut from the current levels could have major consequences.

But as objective observers, its hard to dismiss the case made by trash fee opponents, chief among them Ward 5 councilor Don Martin, who question how the citizens of Beverly can be asked to pay more out of their pockets for trash collection, when costs are actually going down due to the citizens' efforts on recycling. Scanlon himself says the amount of money the city spends on trash collection is down $400,000 since 2006 due to recycling.

At this point in the budget cycle, School Committee President Maria Decker tells us that the Mayor has pledged his usual commitment of a 2.5% increase in funding over last year. But should the trash fee increase not pass, that figure could be in jeopardy, and that is a prospect that concerns Decker.

With the trash fee always controversial among a certain segment of the population, there is sure to be an outcry on efforts to raise it, and at least some pushback from the City Council.  A public hearing on the matter will be held on Tuesday, April 17, at 7:20 p.m. at City Hall, and we expect a packed house.

A vote by the City Council will take place after that, and if the Mayor's request does not pass, then other city departments, including the schools, may feel the crunch.

Whatever your view on the merits of the trash fee, as school supporters we must continue to demand necessary—and transparent—school funding from the city.

Quiet Budget Season Otherwise

Other than the potential for trouble here, the FY13 budget season has been very quiet.  Decker says there have been no major flashpoints, and there has been no press coverage on the budget whatsoever.

As always, parents of children in large classes continue to press the school committee to give more attention to reducing the size of classes. But the committee generally abides by its official limits of 25 in grades K-2 and 30 in grades 3-5. Decker says that there are a few classes with projections approaching those limits that they are watching closely, but otherwise its unlikely we will see any reduction across the board.

Decker also tells us that the committee is in the midst of contract negotiations with the unions, the settlement of which will have an effect on the FY13 budget.  She also says the district would like to be able to reinstate several of the positions that have been cut in the previous years including:

• A fully staffed TLC program to address the increasing social/emotional issues at the elementary schools.
• More teachers at the high school to address an increase in enrollment, as well as support the school's effort to eliminate study halls.

At Briscoe, the district also hopes to address the need for more instruction and continuity in computer technology by including it as part of the expressive arts rotation in 6th grade.

These wishes, of course, are all dependent on final funding figures from the state and city, which often are uncertain until later in the budget cycle.

A public hearing on the school budget is scheduled for Tuesday, May 8th, at 7:00 pm at the high school.  A draft budget will be available for the public to view sometime before that.

4/9 UPDATE: Today's Salem News editorializes against the trash fee increase, and Ward 6 Councilor Brett Schetzsle has submitted a letter outlining his recommendations on the matter to the Finance Committee.

New SPED Boss Pick Same as the Old

After an "exhaustive" three-week search process, Dr Galinski today announced her pick for Director of Pupil Personnel Services (Special Education Director).  And the new new boss is the same as the old new boss: Cove Principal Stacy Bucyk.

The announcement was made to all parents through another rather vague Connect-Ed message, and a more complete explanation on the district website.

Earlier this month, Galinski's original selection of Bucyk ran into some controversy due mainly to her selection without the knowledge of many in the SPED community, and without any search process.

This time, according to Galinski's note to parents, a committee of 19 interviewed Bucyk and recommended her as one of three potential candidates for the position, which is one of the top jobs in the district :

After an exhaustive search with a committee of 19 (representing administration, educators, school committee, and parents), the search committee for the Director of Pupil Personnel Services completed their work on Thursday, March 22, 2012 and recommended to me three finalists for the position. 

After conducting interviews and completing background checks, it was clear that our in-district candidate was the best choice for the position. It gives me great pleasure to announce that Ms. Stacy Bucyk will be the district’s Director of Pupil Personnel Services. Ms. Bucyk has long been recognized as possessing strong leadership skills as part of our district team and I am so glad that the search committee selected her as a finalist for this position. Ms. Bucyk understands the needs of the district well. We are so fortunate to be able to give Ms. Bucyk the opportunity to advance her career here in Beverly!

Galinski also posted Bucyk's resume for the public to view.

The selection still needs to be approved by the School Committee, which will take up the matter tomorrow night.  The committee was reportedly divided on the original selection of Bucyk, but never had the opportunity to vote, as the appointment was withdrawn in order to conduct a more thorough search.

It remains to be seen whether the committee and the community will support what still seems to many to be a rather abbreviated exhaustive search with a predetermined result.

3/29 UPDATE: The School Committee last night unanimously approved Bucyk as the district's new Director of Pupil Personnel Services.  Today's Salem News has more on the search process, and says that Busyk apparently has the support of those in the SPED community who initially opposed her selection:

The search committee recommended three finalists — Bucyk; Jeanne Saunders, director of special education services in Hollis and Brookline, N.H.; and Donna Straight, director of special education in Battle Creek, Mich. 

Galinski interviewed the three finalists. She said Bucyk was the most qualified because of her experience as a teacher and principal, and her familiarity with Beverly and with Massachusetts law, including the new state teacher evaluation program. 

The other finalists have no experience in Massachusetts or as a principal, Galinski said. 

"That would be a big learning curve," she said. "Stacy was the most qualified and the best fit for the position. She really has a passion for Beverly and what she needs to do with the special education department."... 

... Amy Donovan, co-chairwoman of the Beverly Special Education Parent Advisory Council, said she was pleased that a search was ultimately conducted and that parents were included. Donovan was among the parents who served on the search committee. 

"It's healthy to do a search process," she said. "And I think it's good for Stacy to come into the position knowing that different people from the community were involved."

The district will now begin a search to find a new principal for the Cove School.