April 27 School Board notes

Note: All notes published on this blog are a best effort to translate what is communicated at meetings. Any mistakes here are my own --- please point them out if you see any and I will try to rectify.
Kristin McNaron, GEPA Secretary

Public Comment

Sekou Shabaka spoke on behalf of the Goochland NAACP. He noted that they had been appearing in front of the Goochland School Board for 10 years, addressing the subjects of low test scores, discipline issues, and drop-outs amongst black students, particularly black males. In short, the group feels that no appreciable results have come of their requests in this time. They asked that a neutral entity be brought in to assess the situation and that the school board and administration work with parents and community to build a comprehensive plan on how to address and improve the issues. The NAACP has previously provided recommendations to the board and they have offered community support in execution of a plan. Chairman Cisne asked Mr. Shabaka for written copies of any talking points or recommendations from the NAACP, which Mr. Shabaka indicated that they would provide.

*Note: GEPA board members have requested a copy of the NAACP recommendations as well, along with permission to post them here. We’ll post them as soon as we can.


Karron Myrick’s comments: (this is the written version recapping her spoken statement/request):

I am following up in writing on the request I made at the April 27, 2010 School Board meeting. I asked the board to use consistently these three concepts in the funding decision-making process:

1. Core –What is the fundamental job and service that must be delivered by our public schools? The Virginia Department of Education tells us the most important or core job of the public schools is established by what is tested. The VA Department of Education tests the performance of our schools/students in Reading, Writing, Math, Science and Social Studies. All programs and instruction related services that support this core should be absolutely the very last thing touched in a budget crisis.

2. Research – Life is full of tradeoffs. Research-based decision- making helps everyone (administrators, teachers, and parents) to understand the risks and benefits of decisions made. I urge the administration and teachers of Goochland County Public Schools to base funding decisions on educational research. Outcomes per dollar are the most important thing. How many children does this program impact and how much per child does it cost. Next to that information should be a rating of how closely the item is tied to the essential core mission of schools.

3. Measurement – Measurement is essential in maintaining high standards and tracking progress. Although never perfect, it is a fundamental and an important tool.

I believe the school system is moving away from an efficient, best practice model for the identified gifted students in grades 3-5. I am saddened and baffled that the elementary center-based gifted program is not viewed as core since it is accelerating advanced students in Reading, Writing, Math, Science and Social Studies.
This program really should not be part of cuts. Since GCPS is abandoning a best practice model, I formally request that the school system measure the impact of this change. I ask the system to compile five years of SOL scores for identified gifted students in grades 3-5, and make these scores available to the Gifted Advisory Committee and available for all parents before the new school year. I would like the scores under the new "home school based" model to be compared to this historical data. I hope that the students in their individual schools can achieve scores at a similar level, as their predecessors did in the center-based model.


John Wright spoke on the subject of potential future savings by looking at how the school system obtains computers. Currently Goochland schools lease computers. Mr. Wright read an excerpt of an article about Henrico’s decision to switch to a Dell contract from an Apple contract and the substantial savings gained from the move. Mr. Wright would like the schools to consider this in future planning as existing leases expire.

Cindy Stansberry spoke about students on the ends of the bell curve in the schools. She noted that most instruction was geared toward the middle of the curve, but that students on both ends benefitted far less from that curriculum. She noted that instruction in the schools must address the special needs of the students on the ends.

Jane Christie’s comments: (this is her written recap of her statements/requests to the board)

1. From the School Board minutes, it appears that at least 11 teachers, a math specialist and a reading specialist have left the school system during the current budget cycle. Are there any plans to replace these positions to maintain the current pupil/teacher ratios in Goochland County schools?

2. Are there plans to refill the administrative position vacated by Mr. Brad Franklin, or will this non-teaching position now be eliminated in order to preserve teaching positions?

3. At the last School Board meeting, Dr. Underwood mentioned plans to hire a consultant to assess energy efficiency in our schools. I understand the comment was made that "you have to spend money, to save money". Dr. Adeeb Hamzey, who until recently worked for Dominion Virginia Power, has been offering for years to perform an energy efficiency evaluation of our schools, FREE of charge. Please can the School Board explain the current proposal to spend thousands of dollars to hire a consultant to perform this function in the current economic circumstances?

4. Earlier tonight, Karron Myrick mentioned the influence of peer pressure on gifted students. As a parent, I would like to affirm her comments based on our own experience. Goochland High School has no gifted program for gifted art students. The Blue Ridge program is geared towards Math and Science students and offers primarily Honors classes. Honors classes developed for the top 20% of students are NOT a gifted program! Our eldest daughter was in the first group of gifted students to complete grades 3-5 in the Goochland center-based gifted program, and benefited from continued gifted education during her middle school years. Literally the day she started 9th grade, problems began. Isolated from her intellectual group, and no longer challenged in her studies, she started losing her way academically, electing instead to apply her bright mind to modifying her appearance and behavior, to find social acceptance amongst her peers.

Our family is experiencing first hand the lack of academic motivation, the denial of giftedness, the negative impact of peer pressure and many of the other behavioral problems predicted by the research studies when a gifted child ceases to be academically challenged.

Rogers, K.B. (2007). Lessons learned about educating the gifted and talented: A synthesis of the research on educational practice. Gifted Child Quarterly, 51, 382-396. This synthesis of research over the past 120 years suggests that gifted need daily challenge in their areas of strength – not doing so is associated with stress, depression, and boredom; they need regular unique opportunities for independent work which results in strong academic growth – not doing so is associated with dependence, lowered motivation, and reticence and underachievement; they need subject and grade-based acceleration which has the strongest impact on academic growth and psychological health; they need to socialize with intellectual peers which also produces strong academic and moderate social affective effects; they need curriculum differentiated in pace, content, the amount of practice required and organization which produces significant gains in academic performance and subject specific skills and how much they like school.

Personnel items:

see the agenda packet http://www.glnd.k12.va.us/images/uploads/4:27:10_packet.pdf

Dr. Underwood added Amy Potter to the list, with a Leave of Absence for the remainder of the school year. Dr. Underwood noted that the other 3 LOAs were for the entirety of the coming school year.

Supplemental Appropriation
Dr. Underwood indicated that the final state budget appropriated an additional $162k in State Fiscal Stabilization Funds (part of the Federal ARRA funds) to the county. She clarified that this money would come out of our operating budget and move to grants fund. She has identified expenditures that will meet the criteria of this funding. (This item will be on the BoS agenda next Tuesday.)

2009-2010 School Calendar
This school year students missed 9 instructional days due to inclement weather. Only 6 days were built into the school calendar, with the note that any additional days would be made up by extending the school day. The administration, after consulting principals and teachers, feels that it is not necessary to extend school days. State code requires that students attend either 180 days or 990 hours of instructional time. With the make-up days we have, students will attend 177 days and 1062 hours, so we can meet the mandate using hours of instruction. The instructional calendars and testing schedules have been shifted to accommodate the missed days, and additional hours are not needed. The board voted and approved this recommendation.


2010-2011 School Calendar
There have been no changes and no negative feedback on the proposed calendar since the last meeting. The board voted and approved the proposed calendar. The approved calendar is here: http://www.glnd.k12.va.us/index/news/proposed_calendar_for_2010_11/


YMCA Memo of Understanding
See the entire memo in the agenda packet. http://www.glnd.k12.va.us/images/uploads/4:27:10_packet.pdf

The budget reductions in the 2010-2011 budget eliminated the Tender Tots and Virginia Preschool Initiative programs. Jan Kenney spoke on behalf of the YMCA. The YMCA is moving forward to fill the gap by taking over the Tender Tots program. They will use the same curriculum, and the program will be available to the entire community, including financial assistance to those who need it. The YMCA has requested the use of the same program space in the Specialty Center. The memo itself addresses the collaboration between the schools and the YMCA, including the 2nd grade swim lessons, after school care, and the use of school properties for certain programs.

*Note: GEPA board members requested more details on the Tender Tots program and permission to publish this information on this blog. Ms. Kenney indicated that they are currently working on informational flyers and will provide us with that information once it is complete.


Community Policy and Management Team
Dr. Underwood spoke about the fact that schools use funds from this program to provide services that address needs of students in their home schools (or least restrictive programs). Currently there is a policy conflict between Virginia Department of Education and CSA, and the schools do not know the impact of funding this will have. This conflict may force the schools to put the burden of these costs back into the school budget.


Budget Update
Dr. Underwood reviewed a comparison of last year’s budget (the all-time highest for the county schools), this year’s, and next year’s current proposed budget.

Next year’s budget is planned based on having $750k unspent at the end of this school year.

The schools need to make an additional $317k in cuts.

Dr. Underwood will make her proposals for the additional cuts at the May 11th School Board meeting, and will request approval at the May 25th meeting. The budget changes will be reported to the Board of Supervisors at the June 1st meeting.

Other Business
Dr. Underwood indicated that the drug dogs did visit the middle school/high school complex last week. There were 3 “hits” in the school parking lot and disciplinary measures are underway. When asked, she did indicate that the implicated persons were all students.

Mr. Mattox spoke about the Independent Studies and Internships program. This program has $50k in startup from the schools, and 103 students have taken part in the program since then. He requested that Dr. Underwood publish some information about the success of this program.

Mr. Miller asked the board to consider the suggestions that have been made to move meetings next year to better facilities – perhaps the Board of Supervisors room.