In a three-hour meeting with a full agenda Thursday, March 16, the School Committee discussed and voted on the additions to the fiscal 2018 budget (funded by part of the circuit-breaker money), put off a job description for the principal for a new Gibbs School and took various positions on a number of warrant articles to be presented at Town Meeting beginning April 24.
The School Committee voted, 5-1, to approve next year’s budget with the superintendent’s recommended additions. Bill Hayner said he voted no budget because of the lack of full-time kindergarten teaching assistants (TAs). Member Cindy Starks was absent. Total revenue for fiscal ’18 is $66,336,733, not including $300,000 added from circuit breaker. See the March 20 presentation to the Finance Committee here >> (The Fincom approived.)
Superintendent Kathleen Bodie presented and commented on her recommendations for the use of the additional $300,000 allocated for the fiscal ’18 budget. She would like one more elementary reserve teacher added to the two already in the budget. Reserve teachers are not hired for a specific class, but as enrollment grows over the summer and vacancies or leaves occur, they are assigned classes. A new math interventionist would work directly with students.
Bodie urges support, including reserves
The superintendent also requested adding four reserve TAs to bring the number for next year to five. She reassured parents who called her last week that all kindergartens would continue to have half-time TAs. For all kindergarten classes to have full-time TAs, she warned, the added cost would be $200,000.
FY18 Anticipated Revenues
Total revenues: $66,336,733 (not including $300,000 added from circuit breaker)
– Town appropriation: $60,928,485
– Grants: $2,234,659
– Revolving: $3,173,589
Total 5% increase in revenue: $3,168,997 (source: school administration)
For greater detail, see fiscal ’18 superintendent’s proposed budget, scroll down to section 3 funding summary
For the high school, Bodie recommended a full-time-equivalent teaching position, 40 percent of which could be allocated for administrative duties. Bodie informed the committee that the high school will have 60 to 70 more students next year. For that reason, she wants to restore building sub positions in the high school and middle school.
One noninstructional item was added to the budget: a weeklong summer workshop for elementary school teachers. The Responsive Classroom Workshop was in high demand among the elementary school teachers, and the superintendent would like to continue it despite its cost of $20,000.
Bodie announced one adjustment to the original fiscal ’18 budget. Teachers requested an additional literacy coach, so the line item for two learning coaches was changed to one learning coach and one literacy coach. This change, she said, was cost-neutral.
Committee members Hayner and Len Kardon addressed the lack of full-time TAs in the kindergartens. Hayner pointed out that in this first year of schooling, children must be closely evaluated for any potential learning or behavioral difficulties. Such evaluation, he continued, would lead to early intervention and, additionally, be “financially beneficial” because of the expense of special education. Full-time TAs would free up a teacher’s time to more closely attend to these evaluations.
Kardon noted that “it was the administration that made the choice to go with principal support rather than full-time TAs in the kindergartens.” Consequently, he advised parents to discuss with their principals “why those decisions were made.”
In support of more principal assistance, member Paul Schlichtman reminded the committee that enrollment has risen by “over 500 students in the last three years” and, coupled with new state requirements for teacher evaluations, the work of the principal has increased significantly. He warned the committee that “if principals do not receive sufficient support, they may well look for jobs elsewhere.”
More time for Gibbs principal job description
Bodie opened the discussion by explaining that the position for the all-sixth grade Gibbs School is a new position, because Arlington has never had an all-sixth-grade school and thus requires School Committee approval. Robert Spiegel, director of human resources, explained to the committee that the proposed job was “based on the Ottoson principal’s description, revised to be more specific to the sixth grade.” The position would officially begin July 2018, he continued, and “an appointment for 2017-18 on stipend to be part of the planning.”
Working from a draft — which you can read here >> — committee members voiced numerous concerns. Hayner objected to the phrase in No. 10, “other qualifications suitable to the superintendent” as being broad and open-ended, concluding it, in his opinion, “was written specifically with someone in mind.” Committee member Paul Schlichtman commented, “it really should not be in there” and Chair Jennifer Susse concurred.
Other concerns were directed to the passage that required both elementary and middle school experience. Several members worried that this requirement would narrow the search. Assistant Superintendent Laura Chasson argued that because the school was a transitional one, a principal who had both experience with elementary and middle school students could better understand the transition from elementary to middle school and therefore would be preferred. Schlichtman pointed out that the term “preferred experience” was not in the job description.
Second, Schlichtman pointed out the benefits of delaying the Gibbs principal search until the Ottoson principal had been hired. Describing the ideal relationship between the Gibbs principal and the Ottoson principal as a partnership, with one complementing the other in terms of strengths. Thus, he suggested that the search for the Ottoson principal be concluded before the search for the Gibbs principal.
Committee member Kirsi Allison-Ampe disagreed. She stated that she was concerned about the timeline. She reminded the committee, “We are creating a whole new school out of nothing,” and therefore need a Gibbs principal in place as soon as possible.
The committee finally decided that another meeting was needed for the discussion of the Gibbs job description. The motion to approve was withdrawn and the job description was moved to the agenda of the March 30 meeting. Bodie and Spiegel agreed that would still be time to conclude the search by late Spring. Hayner brought to the attention of the committee that the search was an internal search and would not require time-consuming professional advertising.
Articles 19, 27, 40 supported; 19 and 59 delayed
After an extended discussion of the possible language of the final Town Meeting articles, the committee voted to support having a least one member appointed by the School Committee to the purposed Pride Commission (Article 15) and to support creating a special-education reserve fund as a revolving account (Article 27). This special account, committee members argued, would give the School Committee much more flexibility in the budgeting process.
The committee also unanimously approved Article 40 and Special Town Meeting Article 3; both would fund the additional classrooms at the Hardy School.
Committee members discussed the advantages and disadvantages of supporting Article 19, which seeks to convert the town treasurer from an elected to an appointed position. Earlier, during public comment, Precinct 9 meeting member Michael Ruderman urged the committee to oppose the measure, citing the danger of the School Committee losing its autonomy.
Schlichtman and Jeff Thielman argued that an appointed position would allow for a much larger applicant pool, increasing diversity and professionalism. The committee decided to take no position on this article at this time.
During public comment, residents Pam Hallett, executive director of the Housing Corporation of Arlington; Elizabeth Drey, Teosinte Sister City Project, and Deborah Goldsmith urged the committee to support Article 59, which would establish Arlington as a Sanctuary City. The committee delayed voting, planning to seek a fuller discussion of this article at the next meeting.
Building projects, union memo vote
In other business, the superintendent reported that all building projects were moving forward on time, except for Thompson, though it is still expected to open next September.
The committee had voted in a previous executive session to unanimously approve an AEA memorandum of agreement about kindergarten teachers, and it confirmed its approval in a public vote.
March 20, 2017, budget presentation to Finance Committee
Feb. 22, 2017: Bodie’s budget allots $1M for special-ed costs, seeks several half-time principals
Feb. 2, 2017: Bodie deals with $880K current shortfall; committee seeks way forward in new budget
Dec. 21, 2016: Schools urged to add staff to address growing enrollment, emotional issues
Dec. 15, 2016: 7 elementary principals seek assistants in new budget
Superintendent’s fiscal 2018 budget proposal
This news summary by Jo Anne Preston, a YourArlington freelance writer who reports about the School Committee, was published Wednesday, March 22, 2017.
