TELL US: How well are we communicating the District’s news?

By Lynn K. McMullin


Several times over the past year, I’ve had the chance to mention the BOE’s Strategic Planning document -- the plan that has become the cornerstone of changes, when we initiate them, and so much of what we regularly do day-to-day.


Communications is one of the five goal categories in the plan: it became a goal when members of the strategic planning committee focused on the need to improve the quality of communication at all levels of the school system.  The committee members felt that leadership in a highly communicative environment should be more about orchestrating conversations, than dominating them.  In other words, our communications should be more responsive and collaborative.  Rather than ‘share information,’ communication should build confidence and trust.


We're over a full year into the Strategic Plan, and it's time to measure how we’re doing with this particular communications goal.   So, we’re putting out a survey today, January 7th, and one of our key questions is specifically about trust: How confident are you with the information you receive? We sincerely want to know more about the quality of our communications and their impact on our relationships with you and our wider community.


Thus, I'm hoping that you’ll take the time you would normally spend reading this blog to go to the on-line survey and weigh in.   Click here… and tell us what’s working and what isn’t.   (Or, type or copy and paste http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/boecommunicationssurvey in your browser's address bar.)  The survey, which takes less than 5 minutes to complete, will remain open through Friday, January 21st.


In the end, every communication avenue we try is always aimed at finding the most effective means of connecting you to what is going on across the school system.

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A follow-up to the December BLOG on our students kind hearts....
This fall, 18 students came to Walter Lowell’s home in Avon to help with fall clean-up
The students donated the money they were paid by the Lowell's to the Canton Food Bank located at the Trinity Church in Canton. Another way our students give back to their Community.

Improvement and Maintenance of Our Facilities

By
Kevin D. Case

A major responsibility of the Board of Education is the oversight and maintenance of Canton’s school facilities. The Canton Public School System is comprised of three school buildings: Cherry Brook Primary School, housing Grades Pre-K through 3; Canton Intermediate School, housing Grades 4 through 6; and Canton Middle School and Canton High School, located in one campus facility, housing Grades 7 through 12.

To address ongoing facilities needs, a Facilities Subcommittee of the Board of Education was formed comprised of representatives of the Board of Education, the district’s Business Manager, and me, the Superintendent of Schools. This subcommittee has the responsibility to ensure that our students and the Canton community are provided with safe and modern facilities and equipment that support the extraordinary educational opportunities our students are engaged in.

As we prepare our District Budget for the 2011-2012 school year, one of the areas we look at is the improvement and maintenance of our facilities. Throughout this process, we identify Capital Improvement Projects, which are long range and long term in nature. These projects range from roof replacement to comprehensive renovation or replacement and are normally above the $50,000 threshold. We also identify Current Operating Projects, which are projects that are preventative-based and can be accomplished during the fiscal year to prevent further deterioration of the facility. These projects can range up to $50,000.

During the 2009-2010 fiscal year, due to effective management of the district’s budget, the Board of Education was able to purchase equipment and furniture and accomplish projects to improve our schools. Examples include: new cafeteria tables for Canton High School; new performance risers for the stage at Canton Middle and High School; new lockers for the Canton High School locker room; refurbishment of bleachers in the gym at Canton Middle and High School; renovation of the locker room and weight room/wrestling room at Canton High School; and the replacement of the back windows at Cherry Brook Primary School which will result in energy cost savings to the District.

It is at this time of the year that we solicit input from the public as to what projects you feel are necessary to upgrade our school facilities. The Board of Education and I look forward to working with all members of the Canton community throughout the budget process as we look to continuously improve our school system.

Please send me your thoughts or questions at kcase@cantonschools.org.

I wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

Who Selects our Textbooks?

By Lynn K. McMullin

Following a recent article in the Canton News and Foothills Trader, in which the reporter mentioned the Board of Education’s decision to purchase new textbooks for the French program, a resident asked me, “Who chooses our textbooks? Is there a process?” I’m happy to tell you, yes, there is!

Any time we purchase a new textbook, we usually spend at least several months reviewing a variety of texts and the support materials, such as teacher's editions, workbooks, technology links and applications, and so on. In the final analysis, the Board of Education policy requires that a minimum of three texts be overtly compared.

The teachers and principal then select one text and present a report to the BOE in which they provide specific and detailed answers to questions about the reading level and content level appropriateness for the grade; the attention to format and organization of the material; whether or not there are quality charts, maps, diagrams, and illustrations; whether or not the text presents any potential controversies and is free of gender bias and stereotypes… and, in today’s world, are there a variety of technology resources and applications. The BOE even wants to know about the textbook’s physical features, including the size of print and weight of the book, as well as the quality of its binding and paper.

The Board of Education also keeps a watch on our publication dates.  The new French text, Bon Voyage: Levels 1, 2, and 3, published in 2008 by McGraw Hill, replaced a 1995 text, Abord. Not only is the new text less Eurocentric and more global, it is more up-to-date.  Chapter 2 in  Abord taught students the vocabulary for making a call from a pay phone in Paris.  It included learning the phrases for asking Parisians on what street the nearest pay phone was located.  The new text includes the vocabulary of electronic communications; contemporary clothing (such as sport sandals); transportation; contemporary occupations, and so on.  Its travel chapters include asking for bottled water, salads with dressing on the side, and vitamin supplements.

Modern textbooks are expensive. The Bon Voyage texts we just purchased for the French program cost $72 each.  People suggest that we simply buy e-copies of the text and forego the printed copy.  But, as of now, you can only buy the e-copy if you buy the hard copy.  In other words, if we purchase 50 French textbooks, we get 50 e-copy licenses to the same text.  Students can then keep their hard cover book in school and view their on-line book at home.  But, it is still a one-for-one proposition.  Most e-copies are actually simple PDF’s of the printed text, with some additional links and Internet features.  Book publishing is a business, and while schools are trying to save money, the publishers are trying to make money. Someday, students will carry around electronic readers, not textbooks; but that day just isn’t here yet.

We do try to save money on textbooks, however.  When a text is in its third year or older, and we need to purchase copies for new students or to replace lost or damaged copies, we have had good luck lately finding “used excellent” or “used very good” textbooks on amazon.com for quite a savings.  The used text comes in 'matching' the used texts we have in our classrooms.  In the past, we have also sold off copies of texts to used textbook companies, such as Budget Text, but generally not for a lot of money.  By the way, when texts are lost or damaged, we do expect students to pay for them.

Background Information and Survey Results for the World Language Question

by Lynn K. McMullin

As many of you know, we are facing a significant crossroads in World Language.  Of major concern is this question: What World Language offering, in addition to Spanish, is of most interest to the community? 

In Canton, French has seen a significant decline similar to the nation's.  Next year at the high school, the senior class will have 12 French students and the junior class will have 10.  The students in these two classes began French in 7th grade with 37 and 34 students respectively.  This year's 7th grade enrollment for French was only 17 students, half the number that enrolled four years ago.  At out current attrition rate in French (based on 6 years of data), we could expect those 17 students to decrease to 5 or 6 students by their junior and senior year.   That is why, for 2010 - 2011, we did not offer French in grade 7.   By the way, attrition in Spanish parallels the attrrition in French, but the Spanish program begins with a significantly larger population of students.

Thus, two questions arise: First, what can we do to improve attrition rates?  Second, are we offering the right program?  It is my responsibility to be aware of trends and provide the Board and the school community with the facts.  I have been wrestling with this issue for several years now, and recently I presented the Board of Education with the following:

"The recommendation below is made after three years of various data collections, many conversations with the Middle and High School administrators, in-house and state and national research, and meetings with parents and world language teachers. The key factors considered when making this proposal are:
1. Budget implications for the future
2. Attrition rates in French
3. Educational trends for a 21st century education

RECOMMENDATION:
1. Phase out French beginning in 2010 – 2011, but continuing the program for all current students
2. Teach only Spanish in the Middle School
3. Reintroduce a second language study in Grade 9; possibly Chinese, but also consider French, Latin, Russian, and others
4. Develop a plan to introduce Spanish in Grade 4 enabling students to study Spanish grades 4 - 8.

RATIONALE:
First, research shows that the acquisition of a second language:
a. Enhances higher order, abstract and creative thinking
b. Fosters a thinking process that benefits academic progress in other content areas
c. Develops basic skills, such as listening, speaking, etc.
d. Promotes cultural awareness and competency
e. Improves college acceptance, college achievement, and attainment of future jobs
f. Benefits understanding of and a sense of security in own and other communities

However, while the research supports the benefits of second language study, it does not support the acquisition of one World Language over another, i.e. there are no research reports which distinguish the acquisition of French is more beneficial than the acquisition of Spanish, Italian, German, and vice versa.

Second, current World Language trends show that Spanish study has increased steadily since 1991; 68% of all World Language students take Spanish.  At the same time, French has decreased, but not at a rate as high as Canton's, and it still remains the second most commonly taught language.  Nationally, 16% of WL students take French.  In Canton, 21% of WL students take French.

Third, Chinese language study is very different from the study of French and Spanish, which in terms of skills development are more similar than they are dissimilar.  Chinese has no verb conjugations, no gender, no noun-adjective agreement, no articles (the, a, an), no number agreement (i.e. one book / three books), and has 1000 commonly used characters which make up 90% of the characters in a Chinese newspaper.  Chinese offers a different skill set and the study of an Asian culture.  But, it is difficult.

Additional Factors:
1.  Currently there is no WL in grades 4 - 6.
2.  Currently, students have one opportunity to choose a WL, at the end of grade 6.  They choose between two similar romance languages as has been done for at least the past 25 years. 
3.  No other WL choice is offered, except to begin Spanish I in Grade 9.  Past attempts to offer French I in Grade 9 attracted fewer than 5 students.
4.  If Canton offered Spanish grades 4 - 8, students who wanted to change from Spanish another WL could do so in 9th grade.
5.  An increased level of fluency in Spanish is possible with a stronger foundation which could begin in Intermediate School.
6.   A stronger foundation in one language [grades 4 – 8], makes the possibility of students successfully taking two languages much greater.

CLICK HERE to view the WL survey results. 
There were 244 respondents to our survey between May 18th and June 2nd.  The survey was publicized through AlertNow's email server, backpack notices, and on our webpages.  Thank you very much if you participated.

Since the comments are not included with the survey summary linked above, and since they total 10 pages of text, I collated and shortened the comments that were offered by 4 or more respondents below:

2. If no program change is made, which WL would your children be more likely to take?
(62 comments)
Don’t limit our choices - 4
Teach WL earlier - 4
Depends on the teacher - 7
Want to continue with French - 6
Spanish is more useful today - 11
Make Spanish mandatory - 5

3.  When you think about a 21st Century education, which is 1st (most important) to 5th (least important)?
Arabic - 7
Japanese - 6
Chinese – 4 (wrote a comment supporting Chinese as a choice within the question)

4.  Thinking of the future which of the following is important to you?
French should not be eliminated – 7
Start both French and Spanish earlier - 7
Offer Spanish earlier - 30
Offer Spanish from CBPS on - 10
Offer both Spanish and Chinese earlier - 9
Offer Latin in HS - 4

We also took a survey in the high school in which students included their names (i.e. not a count of hands) with these results:
Would you take Chinese if it was offered next year?
Yes  -- 39
Maybe  -- 65
No  -- 186
If you answered yes to taking Chinese, would you continue in your current WL in addition to Chinese?
Yes  -- 15
No  -- 21

Among the Middle Schoolers
7th grade   -- 40 would like to take Chinese; 108 would not
8th grade -- 45 would like to take Chinese; 96 would not

What Do We Do?

by Lynn K. McMullin

I decided to use the BLOG this week to introduce our new Business Manager, Ed Hoyt, but also to let you know what jobs happen in the district’s Central Services Office.  Superintendent Kevin Case’s role is prominent and public, so you’re probably very familiar with his presence; but that’s not true for Ed or me. We’re not in the least offended that sometimes people ask us, “What exactly is it you do?”

Superintendent Kevin Case divides his time among three key roles:
1. Educational Leadership: Working with the Board of Education, school community, and staff to define a comprehensive vision for the district; creating a culture that nurtures and capitalizes on the talents and skills of the staff; setting high performance expectations; sustaining and improving high-quality research-based programs to enhance teaching and learning.

2. Organizational Management: Overseeing the daily operation of the school district and its programs; planning and organizing; hiring, evaluating, and supervising staff; evaluating the district’s operations and programs; reporting regularly to the Board of Education and implementing Board Policy; preparing and managing the District's Budget; ensuring the health and safety of students and staff

3. Community and Board of Education Relations: Working with the Board of Education and the community to establish a vision and set goals; representing the District by attending school and community events; communicating regularly with all members; preparing meeting agendas and providing data and information to the Board; maintaining positive working relationships with local, regional, and state organizations and agencies

As Assistant Superintendent, I (Lynn McMullin) also wear many hats, but key among them are my responsibilities for:
1. Improving Teaching and Learning: Developing programs, curriculum, instructional strategies, and assessment tools with teachers; researching and implementing new technology products; writing grants to support programs and new initiatives; researching and providing current resources to teachers and conducting professional development; analyzing and communicating the District’s standardized assessment data for CMT, CAPT, SAT, and AP to the Board and community; conducting program pilots; proposing new courses, textbooks, and programs; chairing district-wide committees.

2. District-wide Communications: Writing communications for the webpage, Friday Blog, newsletters, and area newspapers; preparing reports for the Board about curriculum, test results, and initiatives; completing state reports, such as for new teacher induction, technology planning, and grant spending; managing the AlertNow Early Notification System; liaising with the EAC (teacher’s union) on new initiatives; conducting surveys and analyzing results; writing and communicating policies, such as Acceptable Use Policy for Technology, Sexual Harassment and Title IX, and Annex O Emergency Procedures; representing the District at school, state, and community events.

3. Program Management: Supervising CMT and CAPT testing; writing mandated State plans, such as the 2009 – 2012 Technology Plan; developing the District’s program for TEAM (new teacher induction and support); designing and implementing the new Teacher Evaluation and Growth Plan; implementing SRBI (Tier 1, 2, and 3 interventions for students not meeting grade level expectations); setting a vision for 21st century learning, including Virtual High School and Odyssey; working with the Board, Superintendent, and Administrators to develop the annual budget.

Business Manager, Edward Hoyt joined us from the Orange School District in late January of 2010, just as we entered the most difficult stages of the budget preparation. He was quickly absorbed into the Canton Public Schools’ community as a valued member of the Central Office team. Ed is responsible for:
1. Operational Management: Overseeing the school district’s operations such as transportation, food services, and facilities, assuring the full compliance with State and Federal requirements, as well as assuring both cost effectiveness and efficiency; negotiating the terms for these contracted services; evaluating these operations for quality of service; reporting regularly to the Board of Education; and ensuring the health and safety of students and staff while in the District’s jurisdiction. Within transportation, specifically, Ed is responsible for: ensuring the safety of students on buses; establishing bus routes; and addressing parent concerns in cooperation with the principals and the bus contractor.

2. Human Resource Coordination: Overseeing all non-certified staff from recruitment to hiring to evaluating their performance; maintaining all current personnel records; assuring accurate and fiscally sound payroll processing; participating as the primary liaison for the Board and Superintendent in negotiations with all collective bargaining groups.

3. Facilities Maintenance and Planning: Coordinating building repairs and maintenance; conducting regular inspections of school buildings and contracting for repairs and/or replacement of facilities and equipment; developing specifications for contract bids and evaluating all bids and/or cost estimates for facilities maintenance.

4. Fiscal Management: Overseeing all the fiscal operations of the school district -- payroll, purchasing, and internal accounting; overseeing funds received under federal and state grants; reporting monthly to the Superintendent and the Board of Education on expenditures, allocations, balances, and anticipated over or under expenditures; working with the Board, Superintendent, and Administrators to develop the annual budget; establishing standards and procedures for accounting; working with appropriate town committees and employees regarding facilities, maintenance, and business; representing the District at school, state, and community events.

BOE’s 2010-2011 Budget

by Lynn K. McMullin

The Board of Education met last evening at the Community Center to adopt its 2010-2011 Budget. This is the budget they will now present to the Board of Finance on paper March 8th and in a presentation on April 5th. The opportunity to address the Board of Finance comes at its April 7th Public Budget Hearing.

The meeting was attended by about 30 people; about a third of the attendees addressed the Board with comments. Each person who spoke acknowledged the difficult financial times, but also asked the Board to bring forward the Superintendent’s 1.94% budget without further reductions. Concern for the future of the Canton Schools was a common theme.

Mr. Case and the Board Chair Beth Kandrysawtz thanked all of the attendees for coming and expressed their appreciation for those who spoke. They both reiterated what everyone was, and is, thinking and saying: “This is an extremely difficult budget.”

Next, as Chair of the Board of Education’s Finance Committee, Carlene Rhea outlined additional cost savings and reductions in the budget. Prior to last night’s meeting, the Board’s Finance Sub-Committee had met seven times to examine every line item of Superintendent Case’s proposed budget. They had discussed options, made suggestions, and considered the educational impact of reductions in the various lines. There is always a great deal of give and take in the ongoing communications between the Superintendent and the Board.

At the end of last night's meeting, the proposed final budget number was fixed at a 0% increase or $22,283,809. The Board of Education had already asked the Superintendent for an additional $432,912 in reductions to his proposed budget to arrive at that 0% increase over last year’s spending. With teachers’ contractual salaries, employee benefits, Special Education costs, and utilities relatively fixed, there were not a lot of places to go for reductions.

Key reductions will now come in these areas:
Eliminate ½ library media specialist position at CIS
Eliminate ½ custodian position through attrition
Eliminate the Director of Physical Plant position
Eliminate 4 paraprofessional positions

Reduce workman’s compensation
Reduce transportation fuel
Reduce property liability insurance
Reduce utilities
Reduce by two the number of workdays for all paraprofessionals and tutors
Reduce purchases of new technology equipment
Reduce classroom teachers at CMS/CHS through reallocation of staff to teach “experientials” (I’ll provide more detailed information about this staff reallocation in next week’s blog)
Reduce professional development Reduce stipends for timekeepers and officials, Esteem, and athletics at CHS/CMS
Reduce secretarial support

A two-day furlough concession from custodians and non-union staff
Concessions from the secretarial union and administrative union are pending (or an additional reduction)

Please use the comments space below to ask any questions and I will do my best to provide answers.

Making the Right Choices: CABE / CAPSS Convention

by Lynn K. McMullin

The Friday blog was posted on Friday evening this week so that I could share some of our enthusiasm for today’s convention hosted jointly by the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education and the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents. It’s held annually and features speakers, exhibits, vendors, and a variety of workshops. This year Canton won first place awards for both the district webpage and the “Brick-by-Brick Report,” but that’s not why we were there. The convention offers an expedient way to get new ideas and resources to bring back to Canton.

This morning’s keynote speaker was inspirational; Salome Thomas-El is the author of two books and his story will be the subject of an upcoming movie with Will Smith. Thomas-El spoke of the difference a community of teachers and parents have made in Vaux Middle School in Philadelphia where learning to play chess has changed the lives of hundreds of students. His students have won world recognition as eight-time National Chess Champions. They accomplished this feat despite growing up in a world where “people everywhere waited in the wings to kill the dream.”  Thomas-El said ‘the Hollywood message’ tends to turn school success movies into stories of the lone hero teacher who rides in to save the day. That’s not how it really works; and he has negotiated for 11 months to secure the thematic concept that it takes twenty to thirty committed individuals, all with the same vision and belief, all working tirelessly, for lasting change to happen.

Canton's Board of Education members Leslee Hill, Beth Kandrysawtz, Sue Saidel, and newly-elected Mark Lange attended the convention along with Superintendent Kevin Case and me. After the keynote, we divided up the many workshops among us, so that we would come away with as much information as possible. In the morning we covered “Navigating Connecticut’s Freedom of Information,” “What it Will Take for Connecticut’s Students to be Prepared for the 21st Century,” “Trends,” Legal and Legislative Issues,” “Policy Implications of Recent Legislation,” and “Negotiations.” During the afternoon session we covered workshops in the common mistakes superintendents and boards make, communications, tapping parent leadership, restructuring schools to control costs, and quality education in difficult times. The evening’s keynote speaker provided a humorous, but eye-opening look at “the modern student’s technology.” Did you know voice mail and email are already “so three weeks ago!”?

I can’t predict right now the impact of this year’s convention because we haven’t had a chance to ‘debrief,’ but I can tell you we listened, took notes, asked questions, collected resources, and networked.  This blog is the result of last year’s convention at which Dr. David Title, Bloomfield’s Superintendent, urged the use of a weekly blog as an open communication tool.  This year, coincidentally, Dr. Title was named Connecticut's "Superintendent of the Year."  In the past, the convention has given us policy revision and negotiation ideas, newsletter and communications formats, and appreciations for the do’s and don’ts that translate into effective practices. When school leaders work together and share information about what works, it keeps us all from reinventing the wheel.

Approved Budget

by Lynn K. McMullin

On Monday, May 11th, at the Town Budget Meeting the town voters passed the proposed town budget; 106 voted in support, 13 opposed. The mill rate was set at 25.64

The school budget passed with a 1.19% increase, as follows: (decreases in the budget are in red and in parentheses.)

Salaries $273,055
Employee Benefits $227,917
Out-of-District Tuition $107,908
Other Operational ($ 33,494)
Dues and Fees $ 2,133
Capital Improvement Projects $ 70,262
Equipment and Furniture ($ 24,750)Heat Energy ($ 61,203)Supplies ($ 10,094)Technology ($ 93,946)
Board of Finance additional Reduction to Budget ($195,000)
2008-2009 Approved Budget $22,021,023
Total Operating Budget Increase 1.19% $ 262,788

Total Budget $22,283,811

This proposed budget:
Ø Reflects an additional decrease of $195,000 as directed by the Board of Finance. Specific line-item reductions will be determined by the Board of Education.
Ø Reflects services to 1,811 students, an increase of 46 students from the district’s actual enrollment in 2008-2009.
Ø Maintains appropriate class sizes in Grades K-8. All projected class sizes, K-12, for 2009-2010 are within the established guidelines as set by the Board of Education.
Ø Includes the implementation of a Participation Fee for athletics to fund the cost of the athletic trainer and other associated athletic costs.
Ø Does not fund the replacement of computers, laser printers, and other hardware to replace aging equipment per our district’s technology plan or fund any new technology.
Ø Provides services for 18 students placed out of the district. These tuition and transportation costs represent a 25.54% increase over this year’s budget.
Ø Includes funding for an additional Grade 2 Teacher at Cherry Brook Primary School to meet growing enrollment needs.
Ø Reflects a .5 reduction in the ACT Program at Canton Intermediate School.
Ø Reflects the decrease of 7 special education paraprofessionals at Canton Intermediate School and 3 special education paraprofessionals at Canton Middle School based upon the projected needs of the students and a different model for delivering support services.
Ø Reflects the reduction of a .5 Special Education Teacher at Cherry Brook Primary School based upon student needs.
Ø Reflects the equivalent of a decrease of 1.0 FTE position in the maintenance/custodial areas.
Ø Reflects the decrease of the Director of Physical Plant position from .7 to .5 FTE.

Feel free to ask questions or comment on the school budget. Your input is valued.

Current Proposed School Budget

by Lynn K. McMullin

The current proposed school budget is now a 2.08% increase or an increase of
$457,788. Since just two line items - salaries and benefits - total $501, 000, it's obvious there have been many decreases. Furthermore, the 2.08% increase includes Capital Improvements and $195,000 for a down-payment and architect for two or three much needed modular classrooms at Cherry Brook Primary School. Most area school districts fund Capital Improvements separately from the education budget.

Please view the budget presentation on Nutmeg TV on Tuesday, April 14th at 5:30 p.m. or Wednesday, April 15th at 9:30 p.m.
Please attend the Board of Finance's Public hearing on Thursday, April 16 at 7:00 at the Canton Community center and their Budget Workshop on Tuesday, April 21st, at 4:00 p.m. also at the Community Center.
Please read the most recent newsletter, visit and read the on-line 2009 Brick-by-Brick report and the 10 Questions feature.

Please post any questions you have -- we're here to answer.