Submitted by Jan Mitchell, LWV observer
Wendy Smith was absent.
The Summer Recreation Program was featured in a short celebratory presentation, with slides and testimonials from several families who had enjoyed the opportunities available this summer.
Dr. Richardson noted that about 40% of the students at the high school are involved in the co-curricular programs, and that the temporary occupancy permit is in hand for the new Middle School - two items of good news.
The Health & Safety projects, Phase 2, are addressing concerns about indoor air quality. The first phase came in under budget, with $745,000 to spare. Within the next couple of weeks, however, the board will need to decide if they want to provide the upgrades at Longfellow school, or to postpone the decision for a year when state funds may (or may not) be available again to supplement local sources of funds. Anticipated expenses for the Longfellow (and other buildings) upgrades may total $3,581,800, and the decision is complex. Should more money be invested in the high school instead of Longfellow? Will the district continue to use Longfellow? Would a tax levy approved for such projects? Tune in for further developments...Roger Jenni reported that we will find ourselves among the many districts which will be named later this week as needing improvement on the goals of the No Child Left Behind mandate. The complex system for scoring schools was explained, and the system itself is subject to criticism. Gary Lewis, in charge of the Special Education programs for the district, explained that once a student with Limited English Proficiency does attain the appropriate level of competence, he or she is pulled from that category, and new students who lack skills in English arrive and join the category. Therefore, this category is likely to show chronic failure - the successful students are no longer included. The special education students and the LEP students are especially likely to be included in several of the categories, and although individual students usually make significant progress, the testing system does not look at individuals. Many other districts will face the challenge of compliance with the mandate. Dr. Richardson made it clear that our district is committed to continual efforts to improve, but that the current system for measuring success is flawed.
A policy update was approved to comply with current requirements on Curriculum Improvement Process, and the involvement of staff and community members.
Among the items in the consent grouping was a gift agreement acknowledging the $18,000 provided by the Bridgewater PTO to underwrite expenses of field trips and equipment for Bridgewater students.
