New Superintendent Finalists Chosen

Word from the School Committee is that finalists have been chosen for the new Superintendent interviews. The public can attend (but not speak at) the next sessions, which will be held Tuesday at 5:30pm and Thursday at 6:30pm at the Memorial Building. Your input was most valuable at the Focus Groups, and it will be essential to maintain vigilance over these final steps. Candidates will also be visiting our schools so keep an ear to the ground for a visit near you!

Hayes Challenges Mayor's Statement on Hiring

As we predicted in the previous post, Superintendent Hayes is taking issue with Mayor Scanlon's statement last week that "while the number of employees on the city side of the budget was reduced by 10 last year, the School Department added the equivalent of 23 full-time employees."

In a front-page story in today's Salem News, Hayes says "That number of 23 is so flawed,"

"When you just throw these numbers out there, there's the impression the school district is out of control," Hayes said yesterday.

In fact, Hayes said, many of the new positions were either paid for by grants, are self-sustaining or were existing jobs that were not counted in 2008 but were in 2009.

Hayes and Scanlon publicly batted over the employee count and other statistics throughout the 2008 budget cycle. With this year shaping up to be equally painful, it seems things are getting off to a similar start.

Scanlon: Tough Times Ahead

In his "State of the City" address last night, Mayor Scanlon said that with projections showing a $3.5 million gap for FY11, tough times are ahead.

"While we continue to move the city forward, we are struggling to adequately fund some of our most basic services, and sometimes we come up short," he said. "The money simply isn't there."

Scanlon said that "city and school officials can no longer 'shy away' from making the painful decisions that will be necessary as the city confronts a multimillion-dollar budget gap"

Today's Salem News has more details of the address.

In a statement reminiscent of some of the battles in 2008 over school personnel counts and other statistics, the Mayor claimed that "while the number of employees on the city side of the budget was reduced by 10 last year, the School Department added the equivalent of 23 full-time employees."

If 2008 is any guide, we would expect to hear that figure challenged by the Superintendent.

Other figures of note: 15% of the total city budget goes to health care, and the much discussed option of having city employees join the state group insurance plan (GIC), has still not become a reality.

Governor Patrick recently announced that local aid would not be cut for FY11 but, as the Mayor pointed out, even level funding amounts to $2.5 million dollars a year less than the city received a decade ago, and the budget still has to go through the state legislature, which could make further cuts.

On a positive note, the Mayor says that the high school is on budget and on schedule, and that the city was able to obtain a more favorable interest rate, so the ultimate cost of the project will be less than expected.

2/3 UPDATE: The city has posted the text of the Mayor's speech here. The Beverly Citizen also reports on the speech.

Scanlon Delivers State of the City Tonight

Mayor Scanlon will deliver the annual State of the City address tonight at City Hall. With the release last week of the Financial Forcasting Committee's report showing a $3.75 million budget gap for FY11, and Dr. Hayes announcement Thursday night that the schools are showing a $3 million gap for next year, fiscal issues should be the most pressing topic.

Today's Salem News has a report card on the Mayor's priorities as stated in last year's address.

The address will take place tonight at City Hall as part of the regular City Council meeting, which starts at 7:00 pm. It will be shown live on BevCam (Channel 10).

FY11 School Budget Shows $3 Million Gap

The Citywide PTO and school leaders went to great pains tonight to present some of the positive developments in the Beverly schools, going so far as rebranding tonight's presentation, An Evening of Accomplishments. Speakers, ranging from Superintendent Hayes to School Committee President Cesa, to representatives from each of the schools celebrated the successes of the past year, including a progress report on the high school.

Still, the stunning announcement that the preliminary school budget numbers show a $3 million shortfall will no doubt be tomorrow's Salem News headline, and the main topic of conversation in the school community. The graphic below tells the bleak story.

How do we find ourselves at this point again, after closing two schools in the past four years?

That is the question we will have to confront again over the next few months as we once again attempt to deal with the realities of the situation. As we did in 2008, we will again aim to make this site the go to place for information.

We have posted both of tonight's Powerpoint presentations. Dr. Hayes' presentation details the progress of the high school, explains how technology is being integrated into the education process, presents other relevant statistics, and talks about increased government mandates, and shrinking budgets. He praises the system's successes in the face of all these challenges, saying he is "Amazed with the progress we are making with such limited resources," before presenting what may be the biggest challenge yet.

The other presentation, which Asst. Superintendent Galinski gave tonight, is titled Accountability & Assessment. It explains in detail the MCAS rating system, what is meant by "Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP),” the challenges posed by the system, and where Beverly rates.

We invite other regular contributors and readers of this blog to add further details we may have missed in the comments section below this post, and always welcome any and all input into the site.


1/29 UPDATE: Here is the Salem News take on last night's presentation.

The presentation was filmed by BevCam. We are awaiting word as to when it will be shown.

Early Word on FY11 Budget Not Pretty

Today's Salem News details the city's Financial Forcasting Committee report, which was released last week, and shows a $3.75 million budget gap for the overall city budget for the next fiscal year. The report also shows projected deficits of $5.75 million by 2013.

The story doesn't mention the schools' share of this gap, but the report itself, which is available on the city's website (see page 18), suggests that a substantial part of the gap, and and resultant cuts we assume, may fall on the schools. The report shows the schools' forecast for FY11 at $2.6 million dollars, or 5.9%, over the appropriated budget.

According to the News' story:

"This forecast requires significant policy decisions to reduce spending," the report says. "In other words, a plan to allow for community input and participation to determine service reductions most likely in combination with new revenue decisions."

The report lists a variety of options to close the gaps, from cutting services to negotiating a reduction in employee raises to adopting the local option meals tax....

...Steve Cohen, one of the citizen representatives on the forecasting committee, said the city should focus "not just on cuts but on expanding revenue."

"It will take some guts and hard work, but it will pay off far more than impoverishing the community with cuts in education and services," he told the City Council.

None of this should come as a complete surprise to anyone who followed the 2008 budget crisis, high school project negotiations, or recent city elections; or read earlier forecasts which predicted numbers in this range more than two years ago.

While tomorrow night's State of the Schools (now titled An Evening of Accomplishments) has been rebranded to accentuate the positive, and not focus as much on preliminary budget numbers, Superintendent Hayes said he'll do his best to provide a preliminary financial outlook.

A story in yesterday's Salem News explains' the change in focus of the annual presentation.

... in today's economy, most people are aware of the decline in state funding each year, and the concrete numbers that determine program cuts and layoffs usually aren't available until March, said Paula Colahan, president of the Citywide Parent-Teacher Organization, which hosts the annual event.

"State of the Schools can give the impression we have some budget information," Colahan said, "and we never do. We haven't for the last five years."

However, Superintendent James Hayes said he'll do his best to provide a financial outlook anyway, in about 15 minutes.

"That still is my responsibility," he said. "I think I'll be able to characterize it."

The presentation will be held Thursday evening from 7:30- 9:00 at the Briscoe Middle School auditorium. Refreshments and coffee reception will be held from 6:30 to 7:30.

Race to the Top

Beverly has joined with over 250 other Massachustts district, regional and charter schools in support of the state's participation in President Obama's Race to the Top program.

"Race to the Top" is a competitive $4.35 billion grant program launched by the Obama Administration to assist states in implementing aggressive education reform strategies to turn around low performing schools and support world-class teaching and learning. Approximately 40 states are expected to apply for the funding. According to the U.S. Department of Education, Massachusetts is eligible for approximately $250 million.

To participate, districts were required to submit an MOU [Memorandums of Understanding] signed by the superintendent, school committee chair, and union leader. If the state is awarded the grant in April, participating districts will have 90 days to submit work plans detailing how they will use their funding to implement four required activities: (1) Improve teacher and principal effectiveness; (2) Ensure effective teachers and leaders in every classroom; (3) Turn around the lowest achieving schools (only for districts with Level 4 or 5 schools under the state's new accountability system); and (4) Use data to improve instruction. Participating districts may also choose to implement two additional activities: Roll out a statewide P-12 teaching and learning system and increase college and career readiness.

The state's Race to the Top application focuses on four key initiatives:

• Developing and retaining an effective, academically capable, diverse, and culturally competent educator workforce
• Providing curricular and instructional resources that support teacher effectiveness and success for all students
• Concentrating great instruction and supports for educators, students, and families in our lowest performing schools
• Increasing our focus on college and career readiness for all students

Superintendent Focus Group Report

The district has posted the results of the Superintendent search focus groups that were held last month. It's an interesting read on the immediate priorities of the school district, as seen by the community.

The report was prepared by Ken DeBenedictis, search consultant from NESCEC (The New England School Development Council) following last month’s focus group meetings. The information contained in the report is a presentation of the qualities and characteristics the community (school and city) seeks in our next superintendent as well as issues that they perceive need to be addressed by the new superintendent in the first six months.

The Salem News ran a summary of the report last week.

An Evening of Accomplishments

That's the new, more uplifting title of the annual State of the Schools presentation.

This year's presentation will feature Superintendent Jim Hayes, Assistant Superintendent Marie Galinski, School Committee President Annemarie Cesa, and speakers from all 7 city schools.

The program will take place on Thursday, January 28 at the Briscoe Auditorium. Refreshments will be served between 6:30 and 7:30, and the formal presentation will take place from 7:30-9:00

Snow date is February 5th.

School Committee and City Council Contacts

Below is updated School Committee and City Council contact information. The new term started last week. Changes include Kris Silverstein replacing Jim Latter on the School Commitee, and Latter, along with Paul Guanci and Mike Cahill new members of the City Council. Cahill is the new City Council President.

School Committee
Member Ex Officio
His Honor, Mayor Bill Scanlon
5 Whitman Place
978-922-9699
mayor@beverlyma.govThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

David Manzi, Ward 1
34 Roderick Avenue
978-921-0123
dmanzigoldcoast@aol.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Paul A. Manzo, Ward 2
89 Lovett Street
978-927-9912
p.manzo@comcast.netThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Kris Silverstein,Ward 3
44 Longmeadow Road
978-922-0879
ksilverstein@beverlyschools.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Karen Fogarty,Ward 4
169 E. Lothrop Street
978-927-4617
karenfogarty@comcast.netThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Annemarie Cesa, Ward 5
290 Essex Street
978-922-4052
acesa@beverlyschools.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Maria T. Decker, Ward 6
11 Wentworth Drive
978-927-1013
mtdecker@comcast.net


City Council
Micheal P. Cahill, At-Large, President
28 Foster Drive
978-927-7814
mcahill@beverlyma.gov

Paul M. Guanci, At-Large
54 Cross Lane
978-922-7620
pguanci@comcast.net

Patricia Grimes, At-Large
26 Old Town Road
978-927-6244
pgrimes@beverlyma.gov

Maureen Troubetaris, Ward 1
20-A Davis Road
978-927-5681
mtroubetaris@beverlyma.gov

Wesley Slate, Jr., Ward 2
26 Lothrop Street
978-927-4844
wslate@beverlyma.gov

James F. Latter, Ward 3
145 Park Street
978-921-8874
jlatter@beverlyma.gov

Kevin Hobin, Ward 4
6 Gardner Street
978-922-6498
khobin@beverlyma.gov

Donald Martin, Ward 5
27 Berrywood Lane
978-927-8888
donandmichelemartin@comcast.net

Judith Cronin, Ward 6
33 Middlebury Lane
978-921-5893
judithcronin@comcast.net

"State of the Schools" Scheduled

The annual “State of the Schools” presentation, sposored by the Citywide PTO will be held on Thursday, January 28th at 7:00 p.m. in the Briscoe auditorium. Snow date is February 5th. More details to follow.

High School Progressing

If you are interested in following the progess of the high school, the Superintendent's office is maintaining a great photo archive on Picasa that follows the progress of both the exterior and interior construction with monthly updates. Check it out.

Superintendent Search Focus Groups

The following notice is from School Commitee Vice-President Maria Decker:

The search for a new superintendent of schools is well underway. A very important part of the process is to solicit community input about the attributes, experiences, and desired goals for a new superintendent. This will be of valuable assistance to the School Committee and the Screening Committee as they select and interview the candidates.

Dr. Ken DeBenedictis, a search consultant with the New England School Development Council (NESDEC) will meet with interested staff, parents, and community members in focus groups. Participation in focus groups will require between 1 and 1 1/2 hours. The date and time is listed below. Everyone is welcome to attend and to participate in that meeting. No previous sign-up is required. Each person's contribution to the group is very important to the process.

Three Parent/Community Focus Groups will be held: on Thursday, December 3rd at 10:00am at the Senior Center on Colon Street; on Saturday, December 5th at 10 am in the Hannah School cafeteria; and on Saturday, December 5th at 2pm at the Hannah School cafeteria.

(Two Faculty/Staff Focus Groups will be held: on Tuesday, December 1st at 3:15pm in the Briscoe cafe and on Thursday, December 3rd at 2:30pm at the Senior Center on Colon Street.)

Focus groups are an important part of the search process because they are designed to obtain the input of teachers, support staff, administrators, parents and community members about the attributes, experience, and knowledge they believe the new superintendent should possess. The focus groups also provide an opportunity for participants to identify immediate tasks on which the new superintendent should concentrate.

The Beverly School Committee wants and values your opinions. We encourage you to attend and hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to participate.

11/19 UPDATE: The Schoo0l Committee is also looking for citizen volunteers to serve on the Finance and Facilities Committee and the Curriculum, Instruction and Student Life Committee.

Sweep!

It was a great night for SBS favored candidates, as our picks won every race across the city, and the field of candidates put up by Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility (CFR) went down to resounding defeat.

Mayor Scanlon soundly defeated challenger John Burke by a margin of 60% to 40% in what some expected to be a closer race.

Former State Rep. Mike Cahill won the City Council Presidency by 76 votes over runner-up Paul Guanci who, along with Pat Grimes, won at-large seats on the Council. CFR leader Elliot Margolis managed only 24% of the vote citywide.

In the Ward 4 School Committee race Karen Fogarty trounced challenger Gail Burke (the other leader of CFR) by a margin of 65% to 35%.

And in the three contested ward Council races, incumbents Kevin Hobin and Judith Cronin, along with former School Committee member James Latter all won their races.

Congratulations to all on their victories.

The Salem News has all the final numbers here.

11/4 UPDATE: Today's Salem News has a package of stories on the election, including Scanlon's win, Cahill's win, Burke's loss, and the other races.

Get Out and Vote

Today is the day. If you are undecided, there is plenty of information and links in the posts below to help you decide. This is expected to be a very close election, so every vote counts.

Here is a list of polling places.

4:30 UPDATE: The Salem News will be posting election results here, as they come in tonight.

Most Officials Support Scanlon

While most elected officials are off the record on their views in the Mayor's race, it seems that most unofficially support Mayor Scanlon's reelection. Excerpts of a few key endorsements, or near-endorsements follow:

School Committee President Annemarie Cesa, in an email to school advocates yesterday stated:

John Burke and I began our terms in office on the same day in 2004. In the ensuing six years I have attended a myriad number of City Council meetings to make sure that I have had accurate and necessary information so as to make informed decisions for the Beverly Public Schools. How many School Committee meetings has John Burke attended over that time? Not one. ... John Burke says that he supports education in Beverly. He has had 6 years to show any interest, and that hasn't happened. ... When you vote on November 3rd, vote smart and vote for Bill Scanlon.

Ward Two Councilor Wes Slate was the first City Councilor to publicly endorse Scanlon, saying

"Unlike his opponent whom I know well and have served with for these past two years, Mayor Scanlon is a proven leader, someone whose support is City-wide and not focused on pockets of voters in particular areas."

We take Bill Coughlin's A+ rating and Paul Guanci's A rating of the Mayor's performance as endorsements, as well as current City Council President Tim Flaherty's statement in today's Salem News that

voters who don't like Scanlon will have to decide if they want to risk turning over the city to "an inexperienced individual." "A lot will come down to, are people going to make their decision based on who will be the best mayor, or are they making a decision because they don't like Bill's personality?"

While it's easy to look at the archives of this site and find many statements from officials and school advocates critical of Scanlon's style of management, it doesn't seem like any of that is translating into support for Burke. In fact, we have not heard a single endorsement of Burke from any elected city official.

Still, his grassroots support is strong, as a survey of yard signs in the city will show, and as today's Salem News story reports, an upset is clearly possible.

Make sure you get out and vote tomorrow for the future of education in Beverly.

2:00 UPDATE: The Beverly Citizen has just posted its endorsement, also of Mayor Scanlon, saying:

...Scanlon has shown prowess in the financial sector. He has the dogged determination to get projects, such as the new Beverly High School, completed, and he’s not afraid to make less sexy tasks, like tackling the city’s drainage problems, a priority.

John Burke has demonstrated a deep commitment to his constituents and he has a vision for revitalizing the downtown and for preserving Beverly’s remaining open spaces. In addition, Burke is computer savvy and could bring his skills to bear in branding Beverly as a tourist destination to bring in much needed dollars.

We believe financial expertise, however, is the skill the city most needs at this moment, so we are endorsing Bill Scanlon for mayor.

Scanlon has said he wants to see the high school project through and we support him in that. He has shepherded the project along and should see its completion during the next term. ...

Let’s let Scanlon finish the high school. And, then let’s talk about how to build on what he has accomplished and take the city in some new directions.

Also,if you are still undecided, the Salem News has just posted videos of the interviews that BevCam held with both Mayoral candidates.