Board Briefs

November 3 , 2005

 
The Committee of the Whole meeting on November 3, 2005, was called to order by President Sue Ramstedt at 7:30 p.m. Present for roll call: Rosemary Grier, Joann Harms, Ann Hull, Joe Leane, Brian McPartlin, and Sue Ramstedt. Absent: John Abrams.
 
Special Education Update
Superintendent Brown stated that Jyoti Achria would be presenting an update to the Board on the current condition of our special education programs and the various improvements and changes that have occurred in our educational offerings. The last time the Board received a report on the status of special education was in May 2004.
Jyoti began her presentation by saying that in 2002 the district hired a consultant at the request of the Board to review District 57’s special education programs. The consultant recommended that the district examine and expand the program options made available to students. The following programs were implemented to gap the services offered in-district and placement in a NSSEO program. A number of students did not need the intensity of services offered through the NSSEO programs, but they did need more intensive programs than were currently offered in the district. Staff who provide services in these newly created programs gave brief presentations on each of the areas.

• The Extended Support Program began in the 2003-04 school year to meet the needs of primary learners, expanded in 2004-05 to include intermediate students, and this year includes students at Lincoln Junior High. This program provides students with a balanced approach to integration. Students receive their core curriculum in special education classes, and then are integrated into general education classes for the second half of the day.
• The DLS Program (Discrete Trial, Social Language, Sensory-Motor Services) was created last year to address the needs of our preschool age autistic children. DLS services reinforce activities that are presented in the Early Childhood program. DLS services provide a combination of three interventions/strategies that educationally benefit children diagnosed with PDD/Autism.
• The ECDEC program is designed to prepare all children at risk for kindergarten. It creates an environment and experiences that facilitate a child’s development.

There was no new cost to the district for the Extended Support Program and the DLS Program due to realignment of District 57 and NSSEO positions. The district was fortunate to receive grant funds for 2004-05 ($45,000) and 2005-06 ($90,000) for the ECDEC program.

There was some discussion by the Board and the presenters about how the children were found, the numbers and the likely continuance of the grant money. The number of students needing these programs is increasing and the programs support long-term improvement within the schools.

District Planning Recap
Dr. Brown reviewed that the Board has spent the past several months reviewing options related to future district student housing configurations. Due to continued pressures, the district needs to move forward with a consensus regarding next steps on several decision points. Dr. Brown summarized six decision points for consideration:

◊ Class Size/Building Capacity/Staffing
◊ Future Facility Usage
◊ BDR Implementation
◊ Referendum
◊ Usage of Future Financing Opportunities
◊ Administration Building

A discussion followed by the Board regarding BDR, the use of reserve funds, reaching a balanced budget, the use of TIF money, a full-day kindergarten pilot, and whether or not to keep the mobiles. Work on some decision points has been completed. Several others were addressed in the recent financial presentations/projections. The long term planning work won’t be pursued until at least August 2006. The primary item now is the reopening of Westbrook. Now we need to focus on reopening Westbrook and next year focus on long-range planning.

Class Size Guidelines
Superintendent Brown reported on current class size principles and gave some background history. Smaller class sizes do help facilitate learning for younger children but there is no solid link between class size and student achievement until the numbers fall far below what is attainable in the district. It was recommended that class size principles be reviewed and adopted before February to assist in the 2006-07 staffing plan.

The Board discussed setting principles and targets and that this would be acted upon at the next business meeting.

New Business

◊ Two Board members will be meeting with an auditor from Bark Associates, the district’s auditing firm.
◊ The schools will contact the Board regarding activities for American Education Week, November 14-18.
◊ Triple I Conference is November 18-20.
◊ The Westbrook principal search has begun. Brochures have been mailed to surrounding districts.
◊ There is an ED-RED dinner January 30, 2006. More information will be coming.
◊ Artwork has been framed and is decorating the walls of the administration building.