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Override vote will have long lasting impact on schools By Kevin O'Neil/ Guest Columnist Friday, March 31, 2006 The School Department's fiscal 2007 proposed budget was developed after four months of planning between the superintendent, principals, coordinators, department heads and School Committee. It is designed to bring Norton's educational services to a level competitive with other similar communities and to address deficiencies that have accumulated over several years of under funded needs. Sound budget planning is critical to ensure educational services are not only maintained, but that we have the funds to implement our improvement plans to address deficiencies and ensure future success of our students. Norton has not kept pace with spending on our regular education students, and adjusted for inflation our spending has actually declined each year during the past five years. As a result of this, we have reached a point where our instructional supplies are inadequate, technology upgrades have been delayed, services have not been maintained, and our student performance has reached levels well below that of the state average. Our expenditures per pupil rank in the bottom five in the Commonwealth among all K-12 school districts. We have MCAS concerns, and schools that are on the No Child Left Behind watch list. We are using outdated textbooks that do not align to the state curriculum frameworks, and lack programs and course offerings which students in other school systems benefit from. It has been recently noted by the NEASC (New England
Association of Schools and Colleges) accreditation review committee that
adequate funding is a major concern for Norton High School. Many areas
noted for improvement require additional funds to address. The visiting
committee believes that based on income and property value, that Norton
has the ability to provide the funding resources needed to meet the
needs of the students. They require notification of any reductions to
programs, staffing, services or funding within 60 days of such
occurrence. A detailed list of probable cuts has been developed in the event the school budget is not approved. This information is posted on www.nortonschoolcommittee.org, under "FY07 Budget. Cuts" will likely involve elimination of all services and programs re-instituted this past year (elementary school time on special subjects such as art/music/computer/gym, gifted/talented programs, MS/Freshman sports, HS course electives, MS-HS after school clubs/activities), reduction in 18 classroom teaching positions resulting in a 20 percent increase in class sizes (28 students per class on average), freeze on implementing our technology plan and computer upgrades, freeze on upgrading our curriculum/textbooks/supplies, no incremental positions or programs, and the inability to implement our improvement plans. The high school accreditation will most likely be affected since funding was a major concern in the NEASC visiting team's assessment, and adequate funding is clearly required to address the deficiencies and concerns noted in their evaluation report. A funding source working against us is the new state aid formula for school funding. This will reduce long-term state aid for Norton by about $1.5 million, resulting in cuts for multiple years if the passage of an operational override does not occur. This revised formula shifts about 6 percent of the burden from state aid (Chapter 70) to the town of Norton local aid (real estate taxes). This aid formula in effect is sending the message that based on the current (2004) total real estate valuation of Norton coupled with the average household income, that Norton should be expected to raise and appropriate this money in addition to any incremental monies to address our accumulated shortfalls going forward. Our ability to pay as a town is greater than our current contribution to our schools. The decision made at the upcoming Town Meeting on May 8th will have lasting effects on the educational system in Norton. This is clearly a defining moment in our history. The decision on whether or not your school budget is approved will reflect the values, priorities and the level of passion that the town in general has for our educational services. And, as such, it will surely dictate the direction that the school system takes in the foreseeable future. As a member of the School Committee I have the obligation to advocate for the financial support that will provide for competitive educational services for our students. As citizens of Norton you have the right and duty, as a collective democratic group, to decide the future of your school system by voting on your school budget. Before closing this newspaper, schedule in your calendar the date of May 8, 7 p.m. to attend Town Meeting and take an active role in the future of our school system. Kevin O'Neil is chairman of the Norton School Committee. This is one in a series of columns being provided by Support Our Schools regarding the proposed Prop. 2 1/2 operational override.
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Happy to see new Science textbooks Hooray! My third grader has a new Science textbook that is exciting to read! That’s how I felt the other week when the long awaited Science textbooks for the Elementary schools arrived. At the beginning of the year I was very disappointed when my son brought home an outdated textbook to use to study for a test. They copyright was 1985, however, I am sure the information and pictures published in it was taken in the late 1970’s early 80’s. The pictures were “old fashioned” to him and obviously some information was not even correct anymore. I had asked my son’s teacher, Mr. Bielawa, about the books. He said they were making the final decisions about ordering an updated text. Textbooks have often been put on the backburner because of their expense. Given our school budgets over the past 6 years or so it seems to come down to choosing between personnel or textbooks and supplies. No one wants a class of 35 kids so they choose to cut from other areas. Luckily when the Science Curriculum had to be revamped enough money was set aside for these textbooks and some manipulatives which are tools used for hands-on learning. Do many businesses use textbooks that are 20 years old? Teachers often weren’t using any science book because they were outdated. They supplemented with other materials many of which they purchased themselves. I have been told one of the French books used in the upper schools is over 30 years old! Mr. Bielawa mentioned to me how excited the children in the class were when they first saw the new books. They poured over the information; excitement is crucial to learning. I remember how I loved pouring thru a new book with great graphics or pictures. This helps us to be more interested to learn. Textbooks are expensive, that is for sure; but they are a tool necessary for learning. Amy Berdos, our Curriculum Coordinator, chooses what she will buy carefully and strives to get a good deal since the money is a precious commodity. Soon we will be deciding on new Math textbooks which will be another big but essential expense. This is all just part of our education system. We have to keep up with standards. We cannot afford to get behind the eight ball too far. Other schools in our area opted for a different math program years ago and put out the money knowing in the end it would payoff. This costs a lot of money but their math performances have improved because of it. We must support our Educators at the helm. They have great experience and usually know what is best for our children. Give them the tools they need to give our children the best education that they deserve which always affects the entire community. Gretchen Stalters Norton |
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WE WANT TO BE PROUD OF NORTON By Gretchen Stalters March 16, 2005 The 2005 National Education Summit on High Schools recently convened in Washington D.C. and it brought to light that things in our country have to change to keep up to the Standards of Education. Low high school graduation rates and growing awareness of the convergence of skills necessary for college and the workplace have helped build national momentum high school reform. Nearly one-third of all high school students fail to graduate. Of those who do graduate, close to half will not have the knowledge or skills they need for success in college, according to a Manhattan Institute report released earlier this month. In our own Town of Norton, only 57% of high school seniors went on to a 4 year college last year, our retention rate is double that of the state average and the dropout rate is not glowing. This needs to be improved. The past several years each school has had to eliminate or reduce programs, staff and supplies. When you don’t provide quality educational services when children are young you guarantee their future will be filled with struggle. The struggle may be in college if they are fortunate enough to get in or it may be from the two jobs these children will have to work because they didn’t finish higher education and cannot support themselves or their loved ones. What quality of life does this provide our children with or us as we approach our senior years? We should think Pro-active rather than Re-active. Our bright children should have an opportunity to be challenged with a Gifted/Talented class. A parent should not have to give school money to buy books that will be challenging enough for his/her own child. Set high standards for more students to better themselves. A gifted artist in school who is exploring different avenues of art should not have to be told there is no Clay to work with since there was not enough money to buy supplies and the after school Art Club can only meet once a month now since the club was eliminated and the teacher has to foot the bill for art supplies. We have been bombarded by all the news on childhood obesity, teen violence, sex, alcohol and drugs. Yet our Health and Physical Education classes are also some of the first to go. Several parents say the Health class was important for the Sophomore class which was eliminated last year and expected to be again next year. It provided our teen-agers the opportunity for open discussion, for other students to be exposed to real life situations that their peers have experienced, and to get positive feedback regarding the situation from a respected adult. The teacher would brainstorm how certain situations could have been handled, or explained that they were lucky and another outcome could have been life threatening. It also provides parents the opportunity to discuss these issues with their children. One mother told me her son came home on several occasions and mentioned the topic they discussed in health class. It allowed her son to be in control of these conversations and discuss them when he chose to, instead of mom bringing them up at an inconvenient time (which is always, with teen-agers and these discussions!). She was able to give him her opinions of the situation, moral and ethical feedback, and discuss real life experiences she saw growing up. With 1000 computers in the school system there are only 3 people who order/install and fix all of them. The Technology Dept. is asking for another Technician to be able to provide the best support possible to our teachers and staff to enable them to use the technology tools required in their jobs. In this day and age Technology has to be addressed. A good company would not be investing this little in Technology, why should our schools? How about having 26-28 second graders in a classroom with 1 teacher? No parent wants their child in this class. Maybe this was fine 25 years ago but not today. How can a teacher teach appropriately in this very important foundation year grade? The Superintendent should not have to hold off requesting another teacher be planned for next year because he knows he will be forced to cut many items he is requesting. Over the next couple of months you will read or hear about the money requested by the School Department for the 2006 budget. At this point all that every Principal is doing is just trying to make up for what was lost over the past 4 years! No brand new emerging programs or supplies. Where will the money come from? We may forget that growing Health Care costs for the Town have severely cramped our budget year after year. There is nothing we can do about this unless the Town Manager works with the Unions to help defray the cost to the Town. It is not just the schools who need more money to keep up with the times. Our Fire and Police Departments will be asking for what they feel they really need too which will be more than the town can afford. It is time to start thinking about financing our Town’s future. Town officials need to support some type of operational override or debt exclusion to alleviate the ever growing Town budget. Please become more involved in our Towns issues and voting. Gretchen Stalters NEED (Norton Embracing Educational Development) member
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Norton Mirror November 12, 2004 by Julie Lach This article is the last part of a series of editorials giving an overview of the Norton Public Schools. This particular article focuses on the Norton High School. You have heard over the last year how the budget for the town has been impacted by a decrease in funds from the state. Since the schools account for two thirds of the town budget the schools have actually been hit the hardest in terms of services that have been cut. Although the school department did receive an increase in money over last year’s budget, this was not enough to keep up with the increase in expenditures. Teacher salaries, electricity, heating and other fixed building costs increase each year. Transportation costs have risen along with the price of gas. The increases are numerous. Yet, the school budget was not increased sufficiently to cover these increases in costs. Therefore, each school within the system was required to cut services to stay within their given budget. The following is an outline of services that have been cut at Norton High School, which are now impacting our children: Service Cut: An MCAS remedial course had existed in order to aid those students whose scores were falling below the passing level. This course was cut last year due to the fact that staffing levels did not increase along with the increase in student population. Impact: Youngsters who haven’t passed the MCAS at lower grade levels will no longer have this support program in place to aid them in passing this test. Service Cut: A Writing Assistance Program was previously offered to high school students. This program was cut last year due to budget constraints. Impact: Students who might otherwise get the help they needed one on one, now have to work harder to develop their writing skills. Service Cut: An Alternative Learning Program existed at the high school to aid students whose educational needs required a different style of learning. With this program in place, students who might normally fail in the classroom received services to achieve passing grades. The Alternative Learning Program has been cut. Impact: Some children are falling through the cracks and are not learning in the regular classroom without this support. Teachers are now dealing with many more behavior problems in their classrooms. Service Cut: In the last few years, teacher positions have not been added along with the increase in student population. Impact: The class sizes at the high school are larger than recommended. Most educators agree that class size at the high school level should be in the low to mid twenties. Fifty-seven classes at the high school have twenty-five students or more. Service Cut: Custodial position. Impact: Norton High School cannot be well maintained with less staff. Service Cut: Athletic programs, such as Freshmen Football and Freshmen Basketball have been cut. The Grid Iron Club has raised funds to reinstate football. Parents and their sons are currently fundraising for Basketball. Impact: High school students are offered fewer opportunities for engaging in physical activity and practicing social skills with peers. Learning opportunities are limited when there are reduced social opportunities. Working with a group of kids puts what kids learn in the classroom in context with what they experience in their lives. We lose students to private schools which have more attractive athletic facilities and offer more options for sports. A lack of extracurricular activities on a student’s college application may also impact college admission. This article has focused on one school within the system. As you have read over the last several weeks, all the schools within Norton have been hit hard by budget constraints. The cuts in services are having a negative impact on the quality of the education that is being offered at the Norton High School. Norton has been blessed with a multitude of talented, dedicated teachers. Despite this asset, the bottom line is our high school students are falling behind in their ability to compete with other towns and other students striving to earn a college education. I am proud to be a member if this community, and have lived here for over twelve years. As a member of Norton Embracing Educational Development, I implore every citizen of this town to support your school department by staying informed of the school’s status, and the climate of education in this community. Let’s band together as a community and strive to provide an excellent learning environment for our students. Our children are the future of Norton.
Cuts at Yelle mean larger classes By Sheila Mackie Friday, September 10, 2004 The H.A.Yelle School is the focus of this article in a series featuring each of the Norton public schools and their needs. These articles are written by a newly founded group called Norton Embracing Educational Development (NEED). The group was formed to help update the community regarding the status and the essentials of the Norton school system. The Yelle School is the upper elementary school in the center of town where the L.G. Nourse students meet the J.C. Solmonese students for their fourth- and fifth-grade years together. This school had a $425,000 worth of cuts made from next year's budget alone, and the changes discussed below are a result of this, and do not include the reductions from previous two years. Janice Pomerleau, the principal of the Yelle, told of how difficult it has been finding places to reduce the budget for the third year in a row. In some of the schools, the reductions in the past two years have been made a bit easier by retirements, which substitute a new teacher's salary for that of a retiring one, saving money, but not reducing the quantity of staff. Since the Yelle had no retiring teachers, the cuts came primarily from staffing and supplies. Staffing cuts have raised the class size at the school to 24-25 students over the past couple of years from the target of 22. These numbers come as quite a blow, as teachers are expected to manage increased social and societal issues while dealing with large class sizes and continually diminishing resources. Reductions involving staffing are a complex puzzle where contracts and budgets collide, resulting in gym teachers teaching grade 4 and computer teachers teaching gym. Some of the staffing cuts brought teachers from full-time to part-time (four days, or even two days per week). Many specials (art, music, computer, and gym) teacher's hours were cut substantially. For this reason, art and computer will now be offered for one hour every other week instead of once a week These circumstances left Miss Pomerleau with some difficult decisions. One of these was to keep gym two days a week for the children and cut the health class altogether. It was reported that 50 percent of the children in her school are considered overweight. "I felt it was important to have one day of gym where they are playing sports and games and one day for calisthenics." noted Pomerleau. She added she would try to have the school nurse, Karen Duross, cover some of the important health concerns missed from the cut of health classes that were previously taught by the physical education teacher. Complicating these tough choices, as Miss Pomerleau creatively juggled schedules for the coming year, the teacher's union filed a grievance. Their contract states that each teacher should have seven 30-minute prep periods per week. The new and only workable schedule had art and music one hour every other week, allowing those teachers only six prep periods. Both the teachers and the union are sympathetic to the situation, and the union offered to find a solution This school year's budget will continue to be challenged by reductions in previous years. Last year a learning disabilities teacher was cut, bringing the case load of the current LD teacher to 56, doubling her class size. JCS and the Yelle School will share a school psychologist.The schools only guidance councilor, already managing 556 students, will be given further responsibilities as the chairperson for IEP (individual education plan) meetings. Another staff cut last year led to the termination of the gifted and talented program. This program enabled academically advanced fourth- and fifth-graders to work together in an environment where they were engaged in work challenging their abilities. Miss Pomerleau was only able to group one math class together for the high ability students last year, but students who have exceptional language abilities have not been able to be accommodated in a similar way. Miss Pomerleau can not cut SPED (special education) which is mandated by the state. Utilities and other expenses are at the minimum fixed, or in most cases increasing each year, leaving no other option but to cut supplies severely. Last year, teacher's supplies were cut to $7,000 and this year they were cut to $3,000. Art supplies were cut to $2,000 this year from the $10,000 needed. AV supplies were cut altogether again this year and office supplies were reduced from $11,000 to $3,800. Cumulatively, all these cuts dramatically affect the quality of education received by students. An indirect, but no less important effect is the impact on the morale of staff and parents trying to ensure a quality education for every student. Despite the austere budget, the Yelle will continue to strive toward academic excellence. One educational highlight of the school for which Miss Pomerleau has great pride is the anti-bullying curriculum she brought to the Yelle. This will be integrated into the middle school this year and third-grade teachers will begin anti-bullying workshops, further extending this program. Also, the Yelle School will continue aggressive efforts to raise MCAS scores next year. One strategy to accomplish this goal will be the incorporation of MCAS practice questions into weekly curriculums. Another strategy to improve MCAS performance will be analyzing individual questions where Yelle students had a 60 percent or greater failure rate. This analysis will help teachers know what kinds of questions in need of more practice for future MCAS success. Miss Pomerleau credits the success of her school to the extraordinarily dedicated teachers who volunteer their time before and after school working with children who seek extra help in daily work as well as MCAS preparation. Although the school has been fortunate to keep most teachers despite the current budget woes, one wonders how long even the most dedicated professionals can withstand the demoralizing budget cuts. Education is expensive. Education is also an outstanding value. Money invested in well educated children who grow into responsible adults are the foundation of a safe and healthy society. Education is like preventative medicine. Investing in it now it will ultimately mean savings in the future. Sheila Mackie is a member of Norton Embracing Educational Development (NEED). This is one in a series of guest columns contributed by NEED about the Norton Public Schools.
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INCREASING CLASS SIZE AND PROGRAM CUTS SHORT CHANGE OUR CHILDREN Students at the L.G. Nourse Elementary school are taught 3 basic rules: Always try your hardest. Remember to use the good manners you have learned at home. Have a good time! Mr. K Gerald Smith, principal of the LGN has developed this lesson plan over his 35 years in school administration. We recently had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Smith about the changes he has witnessed. “There is no question that kids in school are better off today than they were when I first became a principal. Thirty-five years ago there were 35-45 kids in a class. Now we aim to keep class size in the low 20’s. All research shows small class sizes produce better results.” What we do in the classroom has a tremendous impact on these kids’ future. “The job market today is complex and ever changing. In previous generations kids finished school, and got a job where they worked until retirement. Now average workers will have 6-8 jobs over the course of their life time.” This societal change impacts the way we need to teach and the skills kids need to learn. In the past, school curriculum was geared toward the average student. This often meant that 1/3 of the class was at grade level, 1/3 of the class was left behind and another 1/3 frequently wasn’t challenged. All kids are now taught in small groups, at their own level. The need for individualized attention in turn, limits how big we can let classes get. Previous generations learned through rote memorization. The focus was on acquiring facts. Now the focus has shifted. “Knowing how to gain knowledge is more necessary than knowing how to parrot it back” says Mr. Smith. He gave an example of a boy learning geography. When asked to name the capital of Minnesota he said. “I don’t know the capital, but I can go on the internet and find the capital, major industry, the population and anything else you want to know!” Mr. Smith smiled, saying “that kid is ready for anything the future may bring.” He added “We are preparing children for jobs that don’t even exist yet and want them to be able to adapt to the changes in society.” While kids are better off today, Mr. Smith is concerned that our schools have lost ground over the last few years. He noted that both federal and state education funding have been reduced and the town has not chosen yet to make up the difference. “It’s like the perfect storm-all funding sources have been reduced.” Budget constraints are compromising LGN’s commitment to what is considered appropriate class size. Last year the average third grade class had 19 kids. This year that number is up to 25. Six extra students per class, an increase of 33%, make it very hard for teachers to provide individualized attention. The emphasis in third grade is on learning writing skills. The teacher must meet with students frequently to edit their work and this is harder to do with one-third more students. Mr. Smith is worried that long lines at the teacher’s desk will send the wrong message to kids; waiting that long must mean that the task can’t be that important. MCAS testing is now required under the Federal No Child Left Behind Law. While Mr. Smith emphasized that LGN does not “teach to the test”, he pointed out that the MCAS may be used to detect any weaknesses in the curriculum. For example, last year, he found that many questions answered incorrectly by LGN 3rd graders were related to non-fiction reading skills. One of Mr. Smith’s goals for this year is to increase exposure to technical reading. At Town Meeting, the School Committee will request $3000 to purchase non-fiction material. Mr. Smith pointed out that “The MCAS was designed to set a level playing field for all Massachusetts students. Norton has always been on that field, yet the field is starting to tilt due to the low per pupil expenditure.” In fact, Norton ranks lowest in the state of Massachusetts in per pupil spending. This shift is affecting the afternoon kindergarten, which contains 25-26 students per class. Contrary to the experience of their older siblings, these youngsters will not have music, art or gym. This is troubling since music reinforces listening skills, a vital part of language acquisition. Art is another approach to fine motor development, which aids in learning to write. Loss of gym is worrisome in the face of the epidemic of childhood obesity. Parents are understandably worried about the impact of these changes. Mr. Smith is worried too but due to the dedication of his team, he still feels that the LGN succeeds in educating kids. He is strikingly proud of the LGN teachers, administrators and the entire staff. “My teachers are advocates for their students and are savvy at finding needed resources and maintaining a positive work environment. He has fostered that environment and teacher stability by encouraging professional development and such innovations as job-sharing, reducing the need for substitute teachers. “The most important house in a town is the school house. We need the whole community supporting the schools. No matter what, the yellow bus will roll, but you can’t undo substandard education.” Dedication alone can’t make –up for the changes in class size and cuts in programs. We all value children. Giving them a solid education is the best investment our community can make. The principal and teachers at LGN are stretching to do their part. Now it is time for our community to take responsibility for providing the resources our schools need. Only quality education will keep the children of Norton competitive with those in the rest of the Commonwealth.
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This article is based on a series of editorials written for the Norton Public Schools. This article will detail information regarding the Norton Middle School. It’s no surprise to anyone in town that the budget is tight. This fact not only applies to the schools but for the town government as well. With the school budget representing approximately 2/3 of the entire town budget it becomes the largest resource to squeeze during the tough times. To maintain services for the schools a 5% increase from last years budget would be necessary. The School Department actually received 3% over last year’s budget. One would think this would be great considering the condition of state funding. However, the previous year’s budget (02’-03’) had even a worse budget receiving only 1.9%. The downward spiral had started in the previous year. The Middle School had to shave $400,000 off its budget for this year. The Middle School like the other schools had a litany of programs, buses and supplies reduced. These reductions actually happened last year and some are carrying over to this year. Foreign language for 6th & 7th grades, MCAS tutoring and the gifted programs were all cut. All extra-curricula such as: Basketball, art club, robotics, spelling team, math team, media, computer, drama, chimes, and intramurals were eliminated. The child that does not excel in academics will no longer have an opportunity to participate in a school activity that may bring some form of achievement. With the thanks of many dedicated parents some of these programs have returned. Last year sponsors supported the basketball team so that this sport was resurrected outside the school funding umbrella. The parents are hoping to fund the basketball team this year as well. Some extra-curricula such a drama and intramurals have been reinstated but many other programs remain in the past. Some would argue that the children are still learning and do not need these programs anyway. The truth is that the children are being affected academically. The Middle School is on the State Warning list for MCAS in math. The school did not meet its annual yearly progress (AYP) for two years in a row. The principal, Roger Parent, worked very hard to adjust the Math program last year to accommodate some changes in the curriculum to improve the scores. Unfortunately this did not accomplish the task. MCAS tutoring has been eliminated and the results are showing. The state mandates the schools to adhere to the “No Child Left Behind” act and does not provide additional funding to aid the system. With the lack of funds from the state and a town budget that cannot support the system, we as a community will have to choose our battles. Obviously, we cannot expect that the schools will capture all that they want. Yet, let’s not get complacent. Norton still remains, in my mind anyway, a great little town with people that care. Please stay informed and attend Town Meeting on October 25th. Don’t look at the budget as town government verses the school. We must look at the town as a whole and decide what direction Norton is going in. Angel Doyle
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