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School
Committee Targets 2011 Launch of Full-day Kindergarten
No
department-head wage freeze. Non-union held to 1.5% increase
April 3, 2009 — The Hopkinton School Committee resolved to launch a
pilot full-day kindergarten program in fall 2011, heard presentations
about students' science fair projects and passed several new policies,
among other business, during a lengthy regular meeting on April 2, 2009.
There was a high level of public interest in the full-day kindergarten
agenda item. Early in the meeting, two parents gave prepared statements
supporting full-day kindergarten. Esther Driscoll, who has two students
attending Hopkinton Public Schools, presented a petition with the
signatures of 210 parents supporting full-day kindergarten. Another
parent, Laura Barry, who also has two children in Hopkinton schools,
pointed out that 265 communities in Massachusetts offer full-day
kindergarten, and many of those communities offer full-day to a minority
of kindergarten students.
The Committee addressed full-day kindergarten later on in the meeting.
Committee chair Nancy Alvarez Burdick (File photo) and Center School
Principal Jennifer Parson expressed support for launching a pilot
program in fall 2009, but Superintendent John Phelan
said "I would say it's not do-able" because of logistical concerns.
"If we want to do it, we want to do it right," Dr. Phelan said. The
Committee agreed to launch a limited pilot program in fall 2010, with
parents paying tuition, and to form a Full-Day Kindergarten
Implementation Committee to investigate the logistics of fully
implementing such a program the following school year.
The Committee also heard from students who competed in the Regional
Science Fair about their projects. Hopkinton students won first and
second place for individual projects in the fair this year. Courtney
Onofrio and John Hinkel, who placed first and second, respectively, are
two of 1,500 students worldwide who will participate in the Internationa l
Science and Engineering Fair in Reno, Nevada in May.
The Committee heard a report from Burdick on the ongoing fiscal year
2010 budget process. The budget reflects a $495,000 increase in funding
from the Board of Selectmen, as well as an increase of over $700,000
from spending the fiscal year 2009
end-of-year balance and federal stimulus money and savings from
facilities consolidation and a lower-than-predicted increase in
non-union salaries. Initially, the Board requested that the Committee
freeze all department heads' salaries, but then instead suggested an
across-the-board lowering in non-union salary increases to 1.5 percent,
which the Committee approved over the objection of member Phil
Totino (File photo). This will save $67,000, rather than the $60,000 the
wage freezes would have saved.
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"I don't want to get on my soapbox, but in this economy I don't think
anyone should be getting a raise," Totino said.
Committee member David Stoldt mentioned that the Hopkinton Teacher's
Association had not been asked for any givebacks in the budget process.
Contractually obligated increases in union members' salaries total
$1,159,000 out of a total budget increase of $1.2 million in the 2010
budget. He said the sacrifices made by the rest of the school system
should be noted when the district enters collective bargaining
negotiations for the 2011 fiscal year.
The Committee then heard a report from Dr. Phelan on the New England
Association of Schools and Colleges' report on Hopkinton Public Schools.
The NEASC completes this report once every ten years. The report
commends Hopkinton schools on the "engagement of parents and the
community as partners," "commitment to personalizing education" and
"focused professional development developed by faculty," among other
achievements. The report also recommends that Hopkinton schools "find a
way to measure the academic, social and civic expectations" and finishes
documenting its curriculum. The NEASC will hold Hopkinton Public Schools
as a model for New England if these steps are taken, Dr. Phelan said.
Dr. Phelan then provided an update on the ongoing work of the Strategic
Plan Working Group. The latest update included 20 specific goals for the
district to achieve in the next five years, which the Committee
commented on and made suggestions about.
The Committee also considered four different policies, all of which had
been considered in past meetings. With slight amendments, the Committee
revised its policies on Student Records and Weapons Possession.
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Mary Colombo, who has been drafting and
revising school committee policies, also obtained input from the
Committee on revisions to its policies regarding Curriculum Development
and Adoption, and Instructional Materials and Textbook Selection and
Adoption. These policies will be reconsidered at the April 30 regular
meeting.
The Committee then quickly approved minutes from two prior meetings and
adjourned at 11:10 p.m. The Committee meets next for a regular meeting
at 7:30 p.m. on April 16 in the Middle School library. |
