RTM Education Committee Budget Report FY 2020-21: Submitted June 5, 2020
Your Education Committee met to vote on Item 3: the FY 2020-21 Budget on Monday, June 1, 2020. The Education Committee considers and votes on operating and capital budgets for the Board of Education, the Libraries, the Bruce Museum and parts of the Departments of Public Works, Parks and Recreation, and Health as they relate to the schools. We also consider the school lunch revolving fund, budget resolutions related to the schools and libraries, and the borrowing authorization for capital projects, including those related to the BOE.
As in prior years, our coverage of the budget began in November as the Superintendent presented her proposed budget to the Board of Education. During our December, January, March, May and June meetings we heard presentations and updates from the BOE on the status of their budget. At our May meeting we had budget presentations from Greenwich Library and The Bruce Museum. Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, we gave departments the option of submitting budget information via email. The Perrot Library, DPW, Parks and Rec, and Department of Health (special clinical/hygienists) all submitted budget information to us via email. Members of our committee took on liaison roles with individual schools, the libraries, and The Bruce. Each liaison met with the school building or department leaders to prepare a more in-depth report on their budgets. These are appended at the end of this report. Please realize that most interviews were completed before the BET’s budget was finalized, and the information contained in them may have changed.
The budgets of all departments changed significantly from the time the BET budget committee voted in March to the time the full BET submitted a budget to the RTM in May. Due to the uncertainty surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic, the BET passed a budget in May that held all departments operating budgets flat for next year and cut many capital projects.
All departments but the Board of Education reported that they believe they will be able to manage to provide a similar level of services next year with a flat operating budget. The Board of Education, however, has said that a flat budget will require them to make significant cuts to programs. They are still developing a plan for how they will do this.
The BOE operating budget recommended to the RTM by the BET in May is $163.4 million. The budget proposed by the BOE and approved by the BET budget committee in March was $166.6 million. The proposed budget kept to the original BET guidelines of a 2% increase. Because their contractual salary obligations were estimated at a $2.4 million dollar increase, the BOE had already submitted a budget that involved cutting close to $1 million from its prior year’s budget. For at least the second year in a row, the BOE submitted a budget that did not maintain level services in order to meet BET guidelines. In addition, by March, when the BET budget committee passed the proposed budget, it became clear that the BOE also had a budget shortfall of approximately $1.5 million this year related to special education settlements and outplacements. This shortfall is expected to continue for the next budget year as well. As a result, the BOE budget approved by the BET is approximately $4.5 million less than would be required to deliver the already reduced services proposed by the BOE.
On the capital budget, many of the most controversial BOE items were removed from the budget by the BET. The BOE had proposed a capital budget of $35.8 million. The BET approved a capital budget of $16.4 million. Items removed or reduced include money for the Central Middle School fields; soil remediation at Western Middle School; the final phase of Cardinal Stadium, funds to continue A&E work for Julian Curtiss; and the installation of dishwashers at each school. The final capital budget includes $100k for a special education study; $1.4m for digital learning; $3.6m for Cardinal Stadium; $110k for feasibility work on renovations to Old Greenwich Elementary; and $250k to continue feasibility/A&E work on security-related changes to the GHS enrtryway. The capital budget also includes $875k in capital items for Greenwich Library, which is undergoing significant renovations, and $75k for ceiling tile replacement at Perrot Library. The Bruce Museum, which is also undergoing major renovation, will receive $125k for security upgrades.
We voted against approving the Schools/Board of Education Operating Budget with a vote of 4- 7-1 (D1, 2, 7 and 8 voted Yes; D5 abstained). As a point of clarification, there was no motion made to reduce this item (which is the only way to have a separate vote on a line item at the full RTM meeting).
Those voting Yes cited the following reasons: they felt the budget was adequate for our needs; they respect the judgment of the BET as our elected officials; they believe it's critical for the BOE to have a baseline budget in place now even if it isn't sufficient and are supportive of additional appropriations once the BOE has figured out what it needs; they believe that ongoing labor negotiations need to be progressed because it's irresponsible to support $2.7 million in salary increases when unemployment is at its highest levels in years; they don't like to use their vote simply as protest; they don't like the position the town would be in if we don't approve a budget.
Two members voted No because they believe that the budget is too high. One said they believe there is "No acknowledgement by the district of the abundance of excess K-5 capacity in our schools, improving facility usage planning, and preparing for an era of forecasted declining enrollment." The other disagrees with how the money is being spent, "The increase Dr. Jones asks for is mostly for wages and doesn’t go towards the students. Further, the principals and teachers have not been asked to come to the table to figure out how we can deliver a better educational product in the fall."
The other five No votes, oppose the budget because they believe it is too low. They feel that this budget doesn't represent the needs of schools or stated desires of constituents. Some wish that BOE and BET could meet in the middle and come together on this. They feel it's important to send a message to the BET that they should be listening to the people of the town and support the schools. They are upset that the BET changed the budget after the period of public comment, and would not open discussion up again even after receiving over 1,000 emails and a protest was held outside of town hall. They are concerned about putting BOE employees out of work and "want Greenwich to be the kind of town that shows some loyalty to their employees. All of this for savings in the neighborhood of $150 per family." They are concerned that " Funding for schools has been marginal for years. We’ve already cut teacher education programs, now we’re cutting media people during a time of distance learning. We've gone through a ridiculous number of Superintendents already. Don't do this to the new one."
The member who Abstained said that they are opposed to this budget but don't want to see the BET budget go into effect either and chose to abstain because they weren't sure how to voice this view.
We approved all remaining appropriations referred to the Education Committee with a vote of 12-0-0. These include:
Operating Appropriations:
• 315 DPW-- BOE Operating projects done by DPW (page 6) • 410 Health / Special Clinical (page 7) • 440 External Entities--Contribution to Bruce Museum (page 7) • 701 Greenwich Library (page 9) • 702 Peterson Wing (page 9) • 710 Perrot Memorial Library (page 9) • 801 Parks and Recreation Administration (page 9)
Capital Appropriations:
• 315 DPW – BOE Projects done by DPW (page 13) • 440 Bruce museum capital (page 14) • 680 Board of Education (page 14) • 701 Greenwich Library (page14) • 710 Perrot Memorial Library (page 14) • 822 Parks and Recreation--Pks/Play/Fields (pages 14-15)
Revolving Funds:
• 670 School Lunch Fund (page 18 )
Resolutions:
• 43-46 Board of Education (pages 32-33) • 47-48 Libraries (page 34) • Additional Borrowing Authorization (pages 38-39)
RTM Education Committee Liaison Budget Reports: May, 2020
D1, Robert Robins: NA D1, Andrea Anthony: Julian Curtiss D2, Erika Wilson: Central Middle School D2, Michele Klosson: Bruce Museum D3, Steven P. Rubin: Havemeyer, Hamilton Avenue D3 Louise Bavis: Hamilton Avenue D4, Alex Popp: New Lebanon D4, Ryan Smith: New Lebanon D5, Joan Thakor: Riverside D5, Hale McSharry: ISD D6, Barbara O’Neill: Old Greenwich D6, Janet McGuigan: Perrot Library D7, Kim Blank: Cos Cob, Havemeyer D7, Liz Perry: Eastern Middle School D8, Jennifer Freitag: Greenwich Library D8, Janet McMahon: North Street D8, Barbara Oxer: Bruce Museum D9, Abbe Large: Western Middle School D9, Seth Bacon: Glenville D10, Mareta Hamre: Western Middle School D10, Natalie Adee: Greenwich High School D11, Susan Fahey: Greenwich High School D11, Adam Leader: Parkway D12, Mary Flynn: North Mianus D12, Paula Mickley Legere: Central Middle School
Havemeyer—GPS Central Administration
• Steve Rubin (D3) and Kim Blank (D7) met with Superintendent, Dr. Toni Jones, and COO, Sean O’Keefe on Wednesday, March 4. • At the time of the meeting all were becoming concerned that the schools may need to close due to Covid, but no plans had yet been made • Since our meeting, we believe that Dr. Jones has looked at reducing these costs in particular as they may have less direct impact on next year’s classroom • In early May she announced the members of the cabinet will forego their contractual salary increases for the coming year • At our March meeting she talked about already planned ways to reduce costs at Havemeyer including two frozen positions; reducing HR dept from director and assistant to just a director of HR; moving positions from central office into schools (e.g., moving instructional coach from central office to EMS) • Was also looking at ways to reduce cost of summer school by consolidating at a single site, but these plans are likely in flux due to Covid
Greenwich High School
RTM Education Committee - Greenwich High School Liaison Report 2020-2021 Greenwich Public Schools Proposed Budget School: Greenwich High School - Meeting Tuesday February 24, 2020 10am. This report was written after the meeting and before the March 13, 2020 when schools closed due to COVID-19. No new information was submitted by BOE to GHS re: budget at this time. Reviewed By: Susan Fahey, Natalie Adee Attendees: GHS Headmaster Ralph Mayo, Assistant Headmaster Mr. Richard Piortrzkowski, GHS PTA Co-President Maureen Bonanno, and Terry Lamanti by phone GHS Facts: Building Sq ft Original Build Age Grades Greenwich High 454,500 1970 50 9-12
Greenwich High School is the town’s principle Greenwich High School Total % w/CC public high school and a diverse community with 2019-2020 Current 2752 approximately 2,752 students this 2019-2020 Students 21% school year. Enrollment is expected to increase by of which F/R 576 3.4% (~95 students) by next fall to 2,847. The 2020 of which SPED 344 12.5% graduation class is the largest senior class in ten of which ESL/ELL 83 3.3% years. Enrollment is expected to grow steadily 2020-2021 Projected 2847 over the next few years and reach ~3,000 by the 2022 – 2023 school-year. The student body speaks more than 29 languages and represents 57 countries. The students reflect the wider district with 71% identified as white, 23% Hispanic/Latino, 3% mixed, and 3% Black. Compared to last year, English Second Language is flat at about 3%, Special Education is up about .5% to 12.5%, and Free and/or Reduced Lunch students has by in large stayed the same at about 21%. Operating The BOE did not break out the opertaing budget for GHS on a standalone basis. The proposed 2020- Budget: 2021 Operating Budget for the district is $166,631,476 and represents a 2.0 % or $3,295,483 increase over the current year’s budget and adhered to the BET 2% budget guideline. Contractual salaries will add appproximately $2.4 million to the FY 19-20 budget and acounts for 63% increase of the districts year over year budget. The supplies budget is considered adequate at this time. Observations: There is again little flexibility in the teacher side of the operating budget as it is largely based on a formula of students to FTE, which has recently been adjusted from 15.6:1 to 16.0:1 just as enrollment is projected to increase. Greenwich has historically built out our capacity ahead of projected need; however, given the recently adjusted higher FTE:student ratio and higher increased enrollment projections, they are concerned that lagging resources could negatively inpact learning. This incoming freshman class has increased grad requirements and will have sections above the 24 guideline cap.
Capital The Greenwich BOE FY20-21 recommended Capital Improvement Plan totals $35.8M. For major Budget projects (GHS $22.5M) and ($11.6M) reflects the maintenance projects and approximately 1.7M for technology
• New – Design Study for the Greenwich High School Entryway ($250K). As prioritized by the Board of Education on June 14, 2018, the capital plan will include a design study for entry way at Greenwich High School. The concept reflects a new main entrance and includes a security vestibule. This does not include the media center section of this project.
• Ongoing – GHS Cardinal Field Improvements ($8.1 million). The District completed a Cardinal Field Feasibility Study during the FY17-18 academic year which culminated with the committee and town concurrence to pursue design work on Option B, a $21.3 project. This option included replacing the bleachers, improving field lighting and the speaker system, adding a through road, relocating the tennis courts and adding a building serving as the ticket gate and facilities complete with ADA accessible bathrooms, team rooms, a referee and medical care room. The board approved the continuation of the design phase on Option B on February 22, 2018. On January 16, 2020 the BOE took action on the redesign of Cardinal Stadium to amend Option B previously voted on in 2018 and brought the project down to $18.7M. The approved new design will require 8.1 M in funding in FY20-21 .
• Greenwich High School Environmental Analysis (250K)
The Window and Door project for GHS had originally been planned as a replacement project that would be completed in phases depending on availability of each separate wing during summer months. During design phase it was discovered that new caulk and sealant between the frames was needed. Due to PCBs in this area there will now need to be abatement in this area and the project will need to include those costs.
Greenwich Working in partnership with the Town’s Department of Public Works, environmental testing and High School remediation activities have occurred during school breaks (winter, spring, summer) to the extent Soil possible. This has resulted in a timeline that may be extended more than would be expected for a Remediation remediation project at a typical industrial or commercial site where work can be performed Project throughout the year. Throughout the environmental testing and remediation process, the Town of Update: Greenwich (the Town) has engaged the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CTDEEP), the Connecticut
Department of Public Health (CTDPH), as well as local boards and commissions to communicate ongoing testing activities and testing results. The Town with the State worked on additional site investigation, minor remediation and athletic field repairs, which occurred in August and October of 2019. A Radical Action Remediation Plan or RAD was prepared and submitted and the next phase of remediation is planned for summer of 2020. Phase 1 plan at GHS will focus on supporting renovation to athletic fields 6 and 7.
Areas of Other areas of concern are things relating to basic building repairs and safety as follows: Concern SAFETY It has been pointed out that our glass corridor creates a very unsafe environment to our Yielding students and staff especially while they are passing. The security desk is already inside the corridor Strongest allowing for entry prior to being approved to come into our building. Plans include extra glass box in Support front of that for security. This needs to be maintained in capital budget.
DEFERRED MAINTENANCE There is quite a bit of maintenance that needs to be done around the building. We will be revisiting our tools for schools teams to create a new punch list of items. Things such as hardware on doors and windows are all deteriorating.
PROACTIVE CONTROLS Given the costly water leaks the district has recently experienced, it seems appropriate to look into water sensors and service contracts for major systems to avoid or detect problems.
OPERATIG BUDGET - Concerns around the operating budget continue to be the reduction in the FTE from 15.6-1 to 16:0-1. It has already increased class sizes. With increased graduation requirements, coupled with the expected large enrollment increase it will push up against our GEA contract caps and not allow offerings in basic classes. The current school year has already seen students unable to fit electives and even language courses into their schedule due to reduction in course offerings and times because of new ratio.
STUDENT ENROLLMENT PROJECTED DATA DISTRICT WIDE
STUDENT ENROLLMENT PROJECTED DATA FOR HIGH SCHOOL
Student Academic Learning Outcomes 1a. GROWTH: The percentage of students in the Class of 2021 who meet or exceed projected academic growth scores based on the ECRISS Growth Model will increase by 3% (from 86.2% to 88.7%) over the percent of students in the Class of 2020 who met or exceeded growth scores. 1b. GROWTH:. 80% of identified low propensity students in the Class of 2021 who meet or exceed projected academic growth scores based on the ECRISS Growth Model will increase by at least 5%.
2. BENCHMARK: • The percentage of students in grade 11 who meet or exceed CT standards in EBRW as measured by the grade 11 CT School Day SAT will increase by 3% from 82.6 to 85.1%. • The percentage of students in grade 11 who meet or exceed CT standards in Math as measured by the grade 11 CT School Day SAT will increase by 3% from 64.9 to 66.8%
3. Advanced Placement Exams: The percentage of seniors who take and pass (with a score of 3 or higher) at least one AP test during their four years of high school will improve by 3% (from 60.2 % to 62.0%).
• AP Courses (29) • AP Students Tested: 874 ( 2nd highest in 5 years) • AP Exams: 2209 ( 15 year high) • AP Students w/scores of 3+: 805 (5 year high) • % of total AP students w/ 3+: 92.0 % (2nd highest in last 5 years ) • Mean AP Score: 3.82 ( 3rd highest in last 10 years) • Early College Experience UCONN • GHS offers 9 different ECE UCONN courses • Students enroll in over 175 ECE UCONN courses • National Merit Scholars • Commended (31) • Scholarship Qualified (14) • National Hispanic Recognition Program (9) • GHS MATH TEAM • 10 consecutive Fairfield County Math League championships 2020 SAT Results
Math All students Meets/Exceeds 66 % ELA All students Meets/Exceeds 83 % Math High Needs students Meets/Exceeds 25.2 % ELA High Needs students Meets/Exceeds 55.5 %
Points of Pride: from Natalie Adee
WELLNESS CENTER
The mission of the Greenwich High School Educational and Wellness Center (The Center) is to provide high quality comprehensive services to students in therapeutic and structured surroundings in order to support positive mental-health and academic outcomes.
The Center provides coordinated on-site services to GHS students including mental health, academic, behavioral, and social-emotional supports. The Center’s focus is to provide students who are currently experiencing social/emotional and academic difficulties the wrap around services needed to be successful learners. The Center’s wrap around services include direct academic interventions, social-emotional and behavioral supports, individual and group therapy, on-site community agency providers, parent workshops, and staff development.
ROOTS AND SHOOTS and COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS
This youth inspired program promotes the idea of making the world a better place for people, animals, and the environment.
UNIFIED SPORTS
Since starting the program in 2010, this academic year has attracted one the largest and most diverse groups of students with and without mild to profound disabilities with an average of 35- 40 participants attending on a weekly basis. We've expanded our means of social networking and advertising by creating an Instagram account as a way to communicate upcoming practice and tournament information as well as communal events that align with our program's philosophies, and to display some of our most memorable times together throughout the year such as taking part in the GHS homecoming parade, two charity events at Tod's Point, and a gratitude card collection that was recently delivered to the healthcare providers at Greenwich Hospital during COVID 19. We're currently in the process of putting together a "gratitude- video" to be sent to related service providers in our community.
As of mid March when GHS closed due to COVID 19, our program has continued to remain active and connected through weekly zoom chats with around a dozen participants attending regularly. I've also been using Google Classroom during COVID 19 as a way to keep players socially connected and also to provide them with strategies and ideas for maintaining active and healthy lifestyles during this difficult time.
SCIENCE RESEARCH LAB
Mr. Andrew Bramante and his talented students continue to churn out major accomplishments and awards year in and year out with very little money give by the school. Yet it is one of the top research labs of its kind in the US. One student has had great success and is a finalist in the Regeneron Scholar Project. His research is about saving the honey bees. He was selected as just of 40 finalists who will be attending a world wide event in DC, March 5-11.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE CLUB
A group of students dedicated to environmental protection and conservation in our community and beyond. Our purpose is to educate and empower students in environmental studies through active participation and action.
2020 SCHOLASTIC ART AND WRITING AWARD WINNERS - Greenwich High School
Greenwich had a total of 7 winners for the Scholastic writing awards
1. Athletics Program o ➢ 43 Sports ... Over 100 teams, over 120 coaches, 1,400 different players o ➢ 5 Conference Champions, 5 State Champions o ➢ 49 named to All State Teams, 3 CT Players of the Year o ➢ Over 180 student-athletes received some type of National,
State or Conference recognition o ➢ 20 Student-Athletes signed National Letters of Intent for D1 /IVY League schools
Central Middle School
Not Submitted Eastern Middle School
Not Submitted
Western Middle School
Western Middle School
To: RTM Education Committee
From: Abbe Large, Mareta Hamre, Western Middle School Liaisons
Re: WMS Report
Meeting Date: February 20, 2020
In attendance: Gordon Beinstein (Principal), Nancy Lu and Natalie Adee (PTA co-presidents), Abbe Large (RTM Education Committee)
Capital:
Field:
The major concern is that they have not been able to have access to the full field for four years. GHS will get approved soon and then WMS to follow suit. They are hoping to get a 2ft removal ($8mm). 4ft is 10mm. Currently, one of the best fields in town because of parking availability, size of draining. They also need sidewalks as part of the new field plan.
Facilities:
● Replacement of Bleachers is in the budget (July 1 replacement). They need time to strip the floor and paint. ● Music doors are trying to be replaced (budgeted for 20/21), curtains on the stage need to be replaced (30K item in next year’s budget). ● New generator is in the process of being replaced. ● The Air conditioning in the auditorium was in the budget but was removed. ● Carpets in the media center and the French room need to be tiled. This used to be a computer lab and now made into a classroom. ● Facilities completed the work on the window walls but put in the old air conditioning units rather than putting in new ones. They will spend 14k on caulking to fix windows that haven’t been replaced in the 6th grade wing (w) wing. The replacement was done two years ago (and replaced in the late 70’s maybe early 80’s). ● West wing is from the 70’s but they have central air (could be the reason why the windows are still there) West wing is 1972, building is 1963. ● Grounds keeper has been doing a wonderful job. ● Dust collection system for the wood shops was supposed to be installed in July for all three middle schools. ● There is no centralized vendor for any project (due to the bidding process and this often causes a lack of coordination with so many vendors regarding lights and sound systems). ● Currently, they are NOT ADA compliant. Students and staff cannot get to the main floors. They require two different lifts, a ram and an elevator. Currently nothing is budgeted for except funds for ADA architecture plans. Students requiring assistance will have to be redistricted to schools that can accommodate them. No disabled children can attend WMS because they can’t. The 446K line item budget isn’t enough for the ADA compliant allocation.
Operating:
The change of the ratio between student to teacher has affected them a great deal because of the demographic makeup of the school population. The change has taken out 1.5 teachers affecting this school quite a bit in terms of class size and their ability to team is affecting the staffing model. WMS has the highest percentage of high needs kids (as identified by ELL, SPED and F/R lunch) .
They used to staff WMS a little more generously due to their high needs population. they no longer do so.
Cost for 1.5 teacher is 100K
Lunch. Hired new people and now the lines are no longer an issue. There is still not a lot of time for lunch. They had snack windows, which used to be manned but now they have to wait in line to pay for the snacks. Good nutrition isn’t the issue, they just don’t eat it. The children are not eating the F&R breakfast. We don’t know if most are eating at home? Not sure they are not eating at all frankly. There is only one monitor at this school.
Magnet school:
The ratio given is based on the October 1st number from the previous year. They could have 25 magnet kids applied for next year and they wouldn’t know how to staff for that increase in population. This year, at the projection, 46 magnet children are enrolled for the 20/21 school year. 27 of which are new.. Two years ago there were a little over 30 magnet children enrolled. It will be a challenge to accommodate magnet students should this become too hard to manage the population with no extra teacher built into the program. The 15:1 staffing is based on October 1 (state number)
Points of Pride:
Recently, Western changed its magnet theme from an IB school, to AVID Schoolwide. When asked to explore possible new magnet themes, they looked deeply at what was working at Western and where they needed to focus their efforts. They delved into the data, spoke with staff, parents and students, and looked closely at student work. Their conclusion was that much of the growth they are enjoying - from a tremendous rise in test scores, to an increase in parent satisfaction, to a healthier school climate is, in good part, due to their investment and belief in AVID (Achievement Via Individual Determination): AVID is a National system designed to fill a students toolbox with executive functioning and student success skills to accelerate their academic achievement. It became evident to WMS that the best magnet theme was one they were already implementing, to a degree.
AVID Schoolwide incorporates; systems, leadership, culture and instructional strategies to build a child’s capacity to tackle rigorous curriculum. Western will still offer the elective class (as will CMS and GHS). But AVID Schoolwide is so much bigger and has the potential to transform a school. To date, Western has primarily focused their efforts on the instructional and executive functioning components of AVID. All students have been exposed to the following AVID strategies: the one binder system, focused note-taking and the AVID critical reading strategy. In addition to these schoolwide instructional tools, many of their teachers utilize other strategies from AVID such as Socratic seminars, philosophical chairs, creating a one-pager, jigsaws and a fishbowl activity to make content more engaging and meaningful. With AVID, the staff use a common language and promote high expectations for ALL students. Imagine what WMS school will look like and what they can do for children given the training, time and opportunity to fully AVIDize the school? They feel it is an exciting time to be a Wildcat!
In the end, they believe that, regardless of program, it is success that will draw students. That was evident as they will have over 45 magnet students next year at Western. the previous four years as an IB school, they had 14 magnet students. What AVID Schoolwide offers is good for ALL kids. I do hope that others in town not fortunate enough to feed into Western come and see what is currently energizing staff, engaging parents, and impacting kids so positively. The stated goal of the districts’ 2014 state-approved racial balance plan is to ‘accelerate achievement for all groups and close gaps in performance among our four subgroups’. This is exactly they we are doing….NOW!
Below is some data that speaks to the academic growth of their students. While it is impossible to attribute the growth at Western over these past several years to any single program, it is equally difficult to remove the positive impact that AVID has had on the building. Not charted, but equally impressive, are the parent and student survey results and anecdotal evidence that speak to a population of connected students and engaged parents.
School Growth Since the Inception of SBA:
● WMS is intop 4% of the 700+ Connecticut schools in SBA ELA Growth and the top 25% in Math for the whole school over the past three. (Edsight 2018) ● WMS has moved from the 147th Ranked Middle School in State, by standardized scores, in 2013 to 66th in 2018. Even more impressive is that not one of those 65 schools who outscored them mirrors their demographics. Western is the #1 Ranked true (no application process required for attendance) Public School in State, by SBA scores, with a low income population over 30%. (Schooldigger 2018) ● Despite the increase in their high needs population (SPED, ELL and F/R lunch) in the past four years, WMS has increased both the percentage of their students meeting the highest level on SBA, and decreased their percentage of students scoring at the lowest levels. (Edsight 2018)
Success of WMS Class of 2022:
● WMS 8th Grade class ranked 10th out of 288 Middle schools in ELA and 33rd in Math SBA Growth from 2017 to 2018. (Edsight 2018) ● # of WMS students who were proficient or better on the 2018 ELA SBA grew by 22% compared to State AVG of 3% from 2016 to 2018. (Edsight 2018) ● # of WMS students who were proficient or better on the 2018 Math SBA grew by 22% compared to State AVG of 6% from 2016 to 2018. (Edsight 2018)
Low Income Success:
● From 2015 to 2018, the WMS low-income population has grown from 35% to 42%. During this same span, the percent of low income students meeting the state standard on the SBA increased by 18% in Math (state average 11%) and by 17% in ELA (state average 3%). (Edsight 2018) ● Overall, WMS has an achievement gap that is significantly narrower than the state gap. Four years ago, our gap exceeded the state average. It is important to note that the only reason there is a gap at all is because their students who do not qualify for free lunch perform so well. With the most recent graduating class, their low income students exceeded the state average for all students in ELA and Math.
Greenwich Public Schools:
● First among all GPS schools in overall growth in 2016 and 2018, second in 2017. (ECRISS) ● First among all GPS schools in lowest percentage of students showing ‘low growth’ 2016, 2017 and 2018. (ECRISS) ● First among all GPS schools in the highest percentage of students showing ‘high growth’ in 2017, second in 2016 and 2018. (ECRISS)
Cos Cob School
RTM Education Committee
2020-2021 BOE Budget Review Discussion Notes
Date: April 24, 2020
Location: By Phone
Participants: Cos Cob Principal Gene Schmidt; RTM Education Committee member, Kim Blank;
School Overview:
• Cos Cob is projected to have 378 students for 2020-21—a decline from this year’s enrollment of 389 students. They will drop to 18 sections for next year, losing a section. Depending on grade level enrollment, they could gain a section in 2nd grade • The school has seen steady enrollment decline over past few years. It seems to have stabilized and they are now projected to have 3 sections in each grade (two of their older grades had been larger classes with 4 sections) • Cos Cob is a diverse community; while technically not a Title 1 school, Principal Schmidt said it shares many characteristics with the Title 1 schools. Of the current students, ~10% have a special learning need; ~10% are English language learners; and ~20% qualify for free or reduced lunch (this number has nearly doubled over past 3 years due to changes in how qualifications are calculated) • They are seeing increasing numbers of special education students and, particularly, an increase in the number of cases with significant/complex needs. • Fall of 2018 was very challenging for Cos Cob school. Right after they celebrated the 25th anniversary of their rebuilt school (after a fire in the ‘90s), they suffered a major flood and had to relocate half of the school for several months.
Operating Budget:
• Operating budget for 20-21 was projected to be $5.02 million in Superintendent’s proposed budget. Unclear how this will be affected by BET’s approved flat budget. • Principal Schmidt generally uses most of his per pupil allocation for substitutes to enable teachers to meet for planning and professional development, a math interventionist, consultants for professional development, and additional classroom supplies/flexible furnishings. He is hoping to use less of the allocation for a math interventionist as the district will provide a .5 math specialist for next year. • They are all scheduled to have an increase in an English teacher FTE from a .2 to a .5 • Their math scores have risen steadily over the past few year. Their language arts scores have mostly remained steady. Their goal for next year is to achieve greater growth in language arts scores. Capital Budget:
• The parking lot was not finished last year. He is not sure when that work is being done. • They are slated to get a new playground for $400k and a new fire alarm system for $250k • A large part of the school was completely renovated because of the flood in 2018 (floors, paint, ceilings, furniture, counter-tops, sinks, cubbies, etc). This includes the office, 7 classrooms, the art room and the media center. • Principal Schmidt has used PTA funds and his per pupil allocation to purchase flexible furniture for the classrooms and to move away from traditional desks. He has now completed nearly all of the classrooms, the media center and their maker space. He was also able to convert a classroom into a second band/orchestra practice room. • He uses PTA funds for an online dismissal manager. He would like the district to help with this expense. He also anticipates there may be additional needs for certain technology to facilitate better distance learning (e.g., more licenses for Smore)
Glenville School
RTM Education Committee
2020-2021 BOE Budget Review Summary
GLENVILLE SCHOOL Location: • First meeting: Glenville School; March 10, 2020 • Follow up meeting: video conference; May 14, 2020
Reviewed by: • First meeting: o Seth Bacon (D9 Education Committee Alternate) o Abbe Large (D9 Education Committee Delegate) • Follow up meeting: o Seth Bacon (D9 Education Committee Alternate)
Those Interviewed / • Marc D’Amico (Principal, Glenville School – in person and video Discussed conference) (all meetings/follow ups) • Barb Oxer (Assistant Principal, Glenville School – via email) • Kristen Hawreluk (Glenville PTA co-President – via email) • Erica Westfall (Glenville PTA co-President – via email)
Facts/Info About Glenville • Student body enrollment and staffing levels below in Appendix 1 School • Six-year enrollment trends, diversity statistics, and school performance trends below in Appendix 2 • Student body growth rate (projections pre-Covid): o 2019: 451 o 2020: 412 o 2021: 407 o Note: school is monitoring potential conversion of The Mill to apartments; this could impact the student body population in the future (ARTICLE)
• 20 total sections at Glenville School (2019-20) o Kindergarten: 4 sections o 1st grade: 3 sections o 2nd grade: 3 sections o 4thgrade: 4 sections o 5th grade: 4 sections o Note: Covid health/safety requirements and budget process could impact management of class sizes in 2020-21 school year
Key information and • School of Distinction three years in a row points of pride • Design lab is in year two; school is continuing to make enhancements to the lab • Always pushing staff/students for to achieve their best, always looking for growth • Principal judges success of the school by the amount of progress kids make each year • Point of pride is how well Glenville School students perform in fifth and sixth grade at Western Middle School o Principal D’Amico has a good working relationship with Principal Gordon Beinstein
Special Education • Number of students receiving Special Education services at Glenville School is on the rise o Glenville School is slightly below 10% of the student population • Glenville School experiencing same trend as rest of the district – more parents requesting testing and more kids getting placed into the program
Budget Operating and Capital • Submitted operating expense budget (pre-Covid) showed a Budgets (pre-Covid -1.38% decrease YOY o Detail can be found below interruption) in Appendix 3 • Submitted capital budget (pre-Covid) included $146K in proposed expenditures o $87K for interior upgrades o $59K for mechanical, engineer, and plumbing (MEP) o Detail can be found below in Appendix 4
Principal D’Amico POV on • Numerous unknown factors facing the school and district o budget (post-Covid Unsure when students will return interruption) • Working with district on plans for 2020-21 school year • Difficult to predict what will happen; uncharted waters for everyone
Additional Items Statement from Glenville To Whom it May Concern: School PTA co-Presidents (via e-mail on May 29) Glenville School is a welcoming community and a place that is home for much of our children’s’ lives. It is an environment that enables children to grow and discover skills for success. The hard working teachers and staff have high expectations and meet the needs of all students while doing it in a way where they are fostering the love for learning. The staff at Glenville has gone above and beyond for students during this uncertain time.
Cutting the budget would negatively impact the resources we currently have. Education is an investment in our children and the future. Budget cuts will hurt our kids, and this is about our kids!
Kristen Hawreluk & Erica Westfall Glenville School PTA Co-Presidents
Appendix 1 – Glenville School Enrollement and Staffing
Appendix 2 – Glenville School Performance Over Time
Appendix 3 – Glenville School 2020-21 Operating Expense Budget (pre-Covid)
Appendix 4 – Glenville School Capital Plan (pre-Covid)
Hamilton Avenue School
RTM EDUCATION COMMITTEE
2020-2021 BOE BUDGET REVIEW SUMMARY
February 28, 2020, Steven Rubin, District 3, met with Shana Smith, Principal of Hamilton Avenue School. This analysis is prepared by Steven Rubin.
Hamilton Avenue School is a unique school in the Greenwich School system. It is a STEM magnet school that draws from the most ethnically diverse demographics in Greenwich. Approximately 70% of the incoming students come from homes where English is not the primary language. As a magnet school, it has been extremely successful in attracting new students.
At the time of the interview, the budget was responsibly presented and with in the guidelines of the 2% increase. I had been carefully analyzed with careful attention to the needs of the students.
I feel that the now proposed 2% decrease in the budget combined addition to the 2% raise that the teachers will be receiving because of the new contract will be extremely detrimental to the student’s education.
International School at Dundee
Not Submitted
Julian Curtiss School
Not Submitted New Lebanon School RTM Education Committee 2020 Budget Report/New Lebanon School
Enrollment
Enrollment % Minority (K-5)
PreK K-5 PreK-5 NLS GPS
2015-2016 0 265 265 --- 35
2016-2017 0 255 255 79 36
2017-2018 0 258 258 80 36
2018-2019* 14 245 259 81 37
2019-2020 41 260 301 77 38
*Principal’s Report/Actual enrollment at new facility, opened February 2019.
306 total K-5 students live in the NL catchment zone.
18 students “magnet in” to NL from CC, GL, HA, and JC.
63 students “magnet out” of NL to HA, ISD, and JC.
71% Pre-K (72.5% K-5) receive Free/Reduced lunch.
There are 6 tuition students.
Capacity
PreK-5 Target Enrollment: 425 students*
Total PreK-5 classrooms: 21
Total PreK-5 sections: 16
Available/surplus classrooms: 5
*Soure: 2018 Facility Master Plan, GPS website/March 2020: New Leb Ed Specs.
Successes
“With our new building has come a state-of-the art facility that meets student learners where they are. Flexible seating, break out spaces, sound proof walls, learning commons/makers space, performing and gymnasium center, and much more allows students to learn in calm and quiet places and enhances small group learning - the best way to learn based on research.” (Alexandra Bartholomew, Principal)
Challenges
“Other than our Title 1 funding, which is federally and state mandated based on FRL numbers, we are currently being funded equally, not equitably, compared to the other schools in Greenwich. Our population certainly does not equal other buildings in our district. This is a challenge because we have learners with incredibly diverse needs who require more academically and social/emotionally to catch up to their peers.” (Alexandra Bartholomew, Principal)
“Despite the increase in diversity in the district and NL’s new facility, the school continues to be racially imbalanced, as defined by the State.” (2019 GPS Annual Enrollment Report Addendum)
North Mianus School
North Mianus School RTM/BOE report for 2020 – 2021
May 15, 2020
Participants:
Angela Schmidt, North Mianus principal, [email protected]
Aimee Muth, PTA co-president, [email protected]
Mary Flynn – RTM member, [email protected]
Meeting Dates
Saturday April 25 with Angela Schmidt via phone
Sunday April 26th with Aimee Muth via phone
Introduction:
Our interviews were conducted via telephone during the stay at home orders of the Covid-19 pandemic. I have chosen to organize information and opinions on the building and students first, followed by needs and then wants. I use “they” to refer to the Principal and PTA President.
Named a National Blue Ribbon School for 2019 for academic performance.
North Mianus has the largest number of students in the district, at 497.
of which F/R 15 3% of which SPED 47 9% of which ESL/ELL 30 6%
NGAI – 93.3 top school in Greenwich. For high performance language arts and math and high performance in students with needs. Riverside also awarded.
PBIS- positive behavioral intervention and support – 3rd in state. Providing support for children with problems.
Some things they were doing:
Open arts – town theater groups brought in by PTA.
Did 1st grade workshops, 2nd and 3rd grade little plays. Kids responded well to it.
The communication from the board of Ed has improved tremendously.
The new superintendent contacts them once a week. They feel Dr. Jones has the pulse of what’s going on.
The Basketball hoops got replaced – partnered with town – PTA covered paving of the blacktop
They got new fire alarm. There were some glitches, but overall it’s great.
Food Service:
Cafeteria – menu looks and seems much better.
Chef is excited about making better food. There’s good energy.
Time spent in line is still a problem and the cafeteria is too small.
Cafeteria still had long lines – 90 kids in 6 lunch periods.
PTA sent every teacher an amazon gift card for teacher appreciation week.
They feel fortunate- the parents are supportive, positive. It’s a Neighborhood school, most are within walking distance. The principal loves that each community has it’s own unique culture. The school is very parent friendly.
Currently they are experiencing distance learning, there is no live teaching in Greenwich.
The principal felt distance learning is going very well. During the first week she was fielding a lot of calls, from parents, teachers, and upset kids. There are substantially fewer now.
The principal zooms with teachers every week and feels the anxiety level has greatly improved. She’s encourages live teaching whenever possible. Some teachers are not comfortable with that. Some are doing live morning meetings, in an effort to connect with the kids.
They are using vimeo everyday where a guest teacher does the pledge, a moment of silence and birthdays.
Principal sends out daily parent and teacher messages.
Trying to keep the kids motivated and connected.
Trying to come up with weekly activities to help the kids stay connected, like showcase their work, dress up. For Earth day they all dressed up in 70’s garb.
Kindergarten did a drive around the car loop.
PTA would like more live teaching.
Ct science center is doing virtual science. Parents like it.
NM has many foreign students, some of whom have been recalled by their countries, and are distance learning from there. There are at least 2 or 3 in Japan and one in Turkey.
Some students are distance learning from other states.
They are all concerned about funding for next year as the POW WOW, their biggest fundraiser, has been cancelled due to the pandemic.
They are very upset with the $3M cut to education. We talked about how important it is to value our schools. People move here for the schools and the culture and demeanor that is framed around our good schools. Property values are directly related to the quality of the schools. The Principal does at least 20 building tours a year.
She feels it’s really important for parents to know about a school before they buy.
NEEDS
NEW LIGHTING.
It was in the capital budget for this year. They really need it to be done.
Principal feels it affects student learning. The type of lighting needs to be changed as a health and safety issue. New lighting needed for the whole building – quality/type of lighting is an issue.
Background: Building has non-friable Asbestos in the ceilings. It need to be addressed when any repairs or upgrades are made. They would like it addressed in conjunction with lighting needs if possible. Is this the abatement $311,631 in the 2020 budget? Is this for the ceilings?
SPACE
The Oil Tank in the basement was slated for removal last summer. The oil was drained but the tank was not removed, and the ancillary repairs to adjacent areas were not completed. If the tank is removed the basement could be used for some badly needed storage. The flooding was fixed when the playground was moved.
Background – have new gas heating system installed in 2018
They would like to be able to use the courtyard and the upper playground. There is fencing around the upper playground. Darren Wigglesworth has told them to leave the fencing there. This space was to be made ADA compliant. They talked about making a meditation garden.
Background: The upper playground was moved to the lower fields through a PTA/parks and rec collaboration.
They also need trees replanted in the newly moved kindergarten playground for shade.
Rooms are nice, the school is beautiful but space is one of their larger issues – it’s hard to accommodate the large band & orchestra.
The common space in the building is very limited. Small teachers area.
A SOCIAL WORKER As they said last year, the PTA believes they need a social worker in the school. Before the pandemic the kids were stressed from long hours. They need help with general development issues. They have one psychologist who only has time for IEP’s.
With almost 500 kids they need a Social Worker, at least 3 days a week, preferably full time. There is much they would like to have addressed, including bullying, mean girl phenomenon, racial undertones. It’s not a big problem but they would like the students to learn how to handle these issues before middle school. Also want them to learn basic skills - how kids talk to each other, group dynamics.
The PTA now supports social emotional learning. This program is not being funded by the town. 1st year of implementation of SEL at NM was this year – last year was training. Again worried about lack of POW WOW funds.
Many families have both parents working, and the curriculum is rigorous, expectations are high. They want to address/reduce/avoid anxiety in the kids, and provide emotional and informational support for parents whose plates are so full, especially now. A Social Worker to help make lives less confrontational. The thinking is that parents want help but don’t know how to get it.
AIR CONDITIONING IN THE GYM.
It gets too hot. The windows do not open and they are concerned – especially for asthmatic children. They said the temperatures has gone over 100 degrees.
Background - Air conditioning for the school was completed in October 2018. No A/C was put in the gym.
WANTS:
SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS ATTENTION:
They have really great teachers, and an amazing staff, but evaluations are delayed.
They did some fundraising for courtyard for sensory wall and paths.
FURNITURE:
Will Need to accommodate social distancing. Individual desks may be more practical.
Had been looking to have more flexible seating, tables not desks.
Looking for more Eclectic and thereby more inviting classrooms. K and 3rd grade were in a successful pilot of the more inviting set up promoting social emotional learning. 8 teachers put in through the Deputy Superintendent’s wish list – they got 12 tables in 2018. The rest of the classrooms would like to update as well. May have to wait.
North Street School
To: Kim Blank
From: Janet McMahon
Re: Visit to North Street School on March 5, 2020
Attending: Jill Flood, Principal and Marla Nedder and Dina Urso, PTA Co-Presidents
Key Elements:
North Street School (NSS) serves 371 students and has a projected enrollment of 350 students in 2020- 2021. The decrease in enrollment is expected to be temporary and is a result of a larger than usual graduating class of 5th graders and a smaller than usual incoming class of Kindergarteners. Since our meeting on March 5, however, Ms. Flood noted that 7 students have enrolled at NSS. These families have moved to Greenwich since the COVID-19 pandemic began and Ms. Flood expects additional enrollments before the new school year.
Test scores remain among the highest in Greenwich and in the state. For the third year in a row, NSS was designated a “School of Distinction” for “High Performance” based on results from the SBA (Grades 3-5). STAR test scores (K-5) are also historically strong and are currently on target for high achievement in the coming year. Outside of academics, NSS offers its students a well-rounded educational experience through its various Social Emotional Learning (SEL) initiatives and vast array of enrichment programs. Overall, there exists a strong sense of community at the school through its various community building events and fundraisers.
Operating Budget:
NSS has been allocated $89,137, or $265 per pupil for the 2020-2021 school year, down from $100,732, or $277 per pupil, for the 2019-2020 school year. This is a result of a $350,705 cut from its Operating budget, which is a net 6.48% cut to the operating budget from FY19-20.
NSS has run extremely efficiently on its allocated budget and any overages not covered by budget appropriations are absorbed by the fundraising efforts of the PTA. Some programs not funded by the Town and 100% funded by the PTA include, but are not limited to, STEM Fair, annual musical theater performance, author residencies, cultural events and performances, educational enrichment programs, supplies and much more. Due to the pandemic, the PTA was unable to host its spring fundraiser and incurred other losses due to event cancellations and has therefore lost over $15,000 in potential donations and revenue.
Capital Budget:
As the fifth oldest school in the District built in 1953, NSS requests very little in the area of capital improvements and upgrades. In fact, NSS currently has no significant capital projects identified through FY24-25. It is therefore my opinion that the overall budget is reasonable and I recommend that the RTM accept this portion of the budget as submitted. Old Greenwich School RTM EDUCATION COMMITTEE Old Greenwich School Budget Review District 6
School: Old Greenwich Liaison: Barbara O’Neill Date February 28, 2020 Reviewed by Barbara O’Neill District 6 Participants Principal Jennifer Bencivengo and Assistant Principal Caitlin Keane
Old Greenwich School was built in 1902 with an addition in1995. It has a capacity of 400 students. Over 90% of the pre-K through fifth graders students walk to school. One hundred percent of the incoming kindergarten students have preschool experience.
There are currently 395 students the projected enrollment was 390. The student population fluctuates throughout the year. Over, 50% of the current fifth grade students did not start school as kindergarteners at Old Greenwich. Over a two-year period 28% of the student population changes as students arrive from and return to countries overseas. The student body comprise students from 26 countries.
There are 27 IEP students with several currently being tested and sixteen students who receive free or reduced priced lunch. The budget shows a reduction of 12.1% this is due to preschool teachers no longer being budgeted based on school assignment.
Building Facility -Lighting, central air an elevator and a generator are needed. Since flooding still occurs although less frequently after the work done last summer a generator is still needed. A portable generator which is sometime employed is expensive as it requires someone to monitor it 24/7 because it runs on propane. The twenty-seven classrooms are currently cooled with window air conditioners which are sufficiently noisy to interfere with instruction and the dripping water erodes the masonry and the wooden trim. The gym lacks any active ventilation never mind air conditioning. The attic space is not properly ventilated and so the roof of the school should degrade at a faster rate than the typical 20-year life. The building is not ADA compliant and therefore a child in a wheelchair cannot go from one end of the building to another as the building is on different levels. Cameras are being installed due to vandalism after school hours. There is a request for $110K is in the budget for Design Renovation/Expansion of Old Greenwich Elementary School.
Ms. Bencivengo said there were so many Points of Pride but limited herself to mentioning three: 1) the outstanding student science notebooks, 2) music and art productions in every grade, and 3) an after-school music production club for fourth and fifth graders.
The PTA is very involved in supporting teacher initiative by providing grants to teachers who wish to research or start new projects it also supports an outstanding literacy room. The Learning Commons exceeds the state average with over 40 volumes per student and one computer for every three students. It is also home to an innovation lab where students can foster their curiosity about a variety of topics in the state-of-the-art computer lab. All of the classrooms are outfitted with Smart Boards.
Effective FY21 the per pupil allocation will be reduced by $12.50 in an effort to implement a district- wide technology procurement program to allow for bulk purchasing for increased efficiency.
Jennifer Bencivengo an educator for over twenty years, Ms. Bencivengo began her career as the Director of the Sylvan Learning Center in Wallingford, Connecticut in 1997. Ms. Bencivengo began teaching with the Greenwich Public Schools in 1998 at Central Middle School as a language arts and special education teacher. In March 2007, she was appointed interim assistant principal for Old Greenwich School through June 2007, after which, she was appointed assistant principal for North Mianus School. In addition, she successfully ran the Greenwich Public Schools Summer School program from 2011 to 2016, closing gaps in achievement and increasing enrollment by 43% over six years. Ms. Bencivengo received a bachelor of arts degree with a triple major in elementary education, secondary education and English from Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA in 1997; a master of arts degree with a major in humanities from Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT in 2000; and a sixth year certificate in administration from the University of Connecticut, Stamford, CT .
Parkway School
RTM Education Committee 2020-2021 BOE Budget Review Summary
Location Parkway School, February 27th, 2020; video followup May 28, 2020 Reviewed by Adam Leader, District 11 Interview subject Mary Grandville, Principal Key Elements About ● Everybody knows your name. Smallest elementary school in GPS. This Location K-5 population = 212 (NL is next smallest with 260). 12 of GPS’s 200 K-5 sections ● Year-in, year-out ○ Nearly all students bussed or parent drop-off/pick-up (no sidewalks) ○ Parkway is GPS’s only school on well water ○ Parkway abuts GEMS in the old Art Barn and Whitby School (Parkway’s Safe School partner) ● Last year ○ School of Distinction in two categories: “High Performing” and “High Growth in All Students -- Math” based on Next Generation Accountability Index (NGAI) for the 2018-2019 school year ○ Two of six District-Wide 2018-2019 Distinguished Teacher Awards (Katharine Miserocchi for ALP and Karrie Vale 5th grade ○ Mindfulnesss school: all classroom teachers have been trained. 4 4th graders are Mindfulness Ambassadors. ● Next year ○ Pre-K will move out of Parkway in 2020-2021 (one section eliminated; second section moved to NS) ○ Two sets of triplets incoming into K!
Operating Budget Strongest Support for ● Principal’s discretionary funds: mostly essential classroom spends (books, supplies, etc.) and very challenging when frozen mid-year (2nd year in a row; “Sorry Ms. B you can’t buy $22 of sand” for a project) ● Fulltime headcount for support roles; parttime heads shared between schools are a considerable logistical challenge for core functions (ie, parttime Assistant Principal is very challenging whereas partime music teacher or Spanish teacher is manageable) Areas of Concern ● Pre-K move out feeds negative perception about school (shrinking) and teacher morale (pipeline and morale impact of 2 teachers, 6 paras, 1 SLP, and 30 students departing). ● Potential for some fulltime heads to shift to parttime. Especially challenges Parkway because of disproportionately higher SPED population with intensive needs. E.g., Parkway number of SLP is fixed by district ratio, but Parkway student needs are higher than district average ● Bus challenges (1 of 6 bussed dropped this year; longer rides; unruliness; disruptions; increases parent drop offs & pickups, which sometimes obstruct Lower Cross RD; bus emergencies when road is obstructed or closed, a back country specific issue) ● Parents say: SPED and intervention staffing levels are too low and gaps (time to fill) are too long ○ Admin says: interventions are constantly changing and reported on weekly with coordinators; important to get right person for role long-term (e.g., can candidate handle split-school model vs. assignment to a single building) ● Second consecutive year of frozen principal discretionary spending ● Given Parkway size, movement of a single student enrollment, class size, etc has disproportionate impact on statistics. ● Continued water quality violations from Connecticut Department of Health; no capital or operating improvements planned ● High % of SPED students. Low number of ESL and FRL students Capital Requests Maintenance ● Tired common area and cafe furniture (discards from other schools that upgraded) New Projects ● Ceiling and hallway lighting (inconsistent odds and ends from other district projects). Expect progress this summer; several electrician visits have happened. Former ● 2019-2020 Maintenance/Projects ● Hot water heater (erroneously on list; this was completed in 2015) ● Tank removal (some progress, hope to be removed during summer break) ● Millwork/cubby reconfiguration for safety (needs a plan; was budgeted last year but rolled forward and might be again) ● Gym wall padding (not yet needed) ● Paint touch ups (summer work, usually pick 2-3 worst rooms) ● Unplanned/unbudgeted parking lot lighting tweaks helped (there are still dark areas & tripping hazards)
Additional Items Principal/PTA ● Master plan capital project to realign and move main office to be Viewpoints closer to front door is important for security/access control. Small school works in office’s favor: easier to recognize all parents.
Riverside School On March 3, 2020, I [Joan Thakor] met with Chris Weiss, Principal and Heyoon Chang Slater and Kristin Duda, PTA Co-Chairs of Riverside School.
Overview:
The school has approximately 460 students. It has been a School of Distinction since the designation began. Riverside’s designation always pertains to an academic area. It was more recently recognized for its gains in reading and math scores. It currently holds the #1 science ranking in the distinct. Its scores have increased over the past eight years. It has a #3 ranking in the state, according to one agency, and is usually in the top 10.
Riverside is very proud of its “green” status. It is a “Green Leaf -Banner” school and is applying for “Ribbon” status. Riverside has a full composting program, with a composting center in the cafe, a garden and a rain garden. Being green is embedded in the school culture. The student council manages the program --picks up the compost, etc. They even have provisions to recycle chip bags.
Current Sections:
Grade: Sections: K 3 (lower # prob reflects preschools offering 5-yr-old progs) 1 5 2 3 3 4 4 3 5 3
Likely adding one section of K.
The school’s special education population is slowly increasing as students are being identified earlier than before, and parents are actively seeking the designation for their child. Currently, there are roughly 35 students while six years ago there were 20-23.
This results in more PPT meeting time (Planning & Placement Team Meeting) and an increase in 504 meetings.
Operating Budget: The main concern here is with professional development-it is not sufficient (they stressed). It is very challenging now. Teachers are not attending conferences. There is no money for travel or to hire subs while the teachers are at training.
They need more master teachers and other consultants working with the teachers side by side, but the budget doesn’t allow for this. Particularly need more training in reading, writing and math.
There is also a need for more tutoring help in math for the upper grades.
Capital Budget:
The fire escape needs repairing or replacing. Is that covered in the 2022 budget for exterior ramps and stairs? Mr. Weiss is not sure. Also not addressed but in desperate need is for a new stage curtain. The curtain one is disintegrating each time it is touched. In the budget is money to redo the blacktop outdoors now that the playground has been done. All lighting has been redone with the exception of the upstairs hallway. (Future plans include an expansion/renovation for 2023 in the amount of $462,000, and $3,353,000 in 2024. This will add two more halls of classrooms on the1st and 2nd floors and an elevator (it is currently not ADA compliant)).
Items that were addressed in the recent past are the drainage in the front of the school (a chronic problem but now it is better) and a new fence around the playground was put in and jointly paid for by the BOE and Parks and Rec.
PTA Funding:
PTA funding has covered enrichment in the arts and sciences, field trips (for the first time they will fund all field trips so parents don’t have to pay), its high -touch- high tech program and visiting scientists. They are looking at funding furniture requests for flexible seating. They have funded an innovation space, nurse’s exam bed, and the cleaning of the gym mats in the past. They did ask--why isn’t the district covering the cleaning of gym mats?!
NEW BOE CUTS:
A great deal of concern was expressed with these cuts, particularly in the following areas:
-Removing ALP for 2nd graders, (Riverside’s ALP program is a point of pride); -Moving a media assistant from full time to part time (this will drastically decrease the media specialist’s ability to supervise and teach students); -Eliminating the Spanish program for third graders- will probably result in the elimination of the native Spanish program, and in any event, the one Spanish teacher will have to teach both, with likely reduced hours; -PE is currently two hours per week but could go as low as one hour per week, and there would likely be reduced hours for the second PE teacher.
Greenwich Library
• Jennifer Freitag (D8) met with Library on March 9. Report forthcoming. Perrot Library
2020 Perrot Library Budget Report for the RTM Education Committee
Janet Stone McGuigan met with Director Kevin McCarthy on March 2, 2020
The Perrot Memorial Library first came into existence in 1905, as a privately funded library, located in a room in the newly constructed Old Greenwich School. The Perrot moved to its current location in 1930. The Town of Greenwich started providing financial support during WWII, when the library served as a war ration coupon distribution center.
The library is a 501(c)3 with a restricted fund and general fund that is in part supported by the Town budget. Other sources of funding include the State of Connecticut and private donations and bequests.
The library operates as a neighborhood library with a total of 500,000 transactions annually. Integrated with but independent from the other libraries in town, Perrot is known for its focus on children and popular materials. In particular:
• Early literacy programs for infants, preschoolers and their caregivers to promote school readiness; • Programs for grades K-3 to build on skills learned in school and promote reading; • Book groups for grades 4-8 to promote reading and develop critical thinking skills; • Summer reading program for grades K-8 to promote literacy and encourage students to maintain or improve reading over the summer; • Youth Services department providing advisory and reference service on a daily basis; • Visits by the Youth Services Librarian to the elementary schools feeding into EMS every May to discuss new titles and promote summer reading, and meet with GPS Media Specialists for their staff development; and • Serving as a year-round hub for tutoring in Eastern Greenwich. Beginning in July, a new addition to the services provided will be member access to online international newspapers, as well as magazines (which are currently accessible).
During a tour of the library, Director Kevin McCarthy noted that the library offers “concierge service” – individual, on-demand instruction on using new devices and apps. He also noted that the library is following trends by gradually removing material displays and creating more “people” space. This is especially illustrated in the Children’s Wing, where “creative play” space will replace some of the shelving.
Operating Budget
The lion’s share of the operating budget is the cost of salaries for the employees (75%). There are approximately 25 employees (10 full-time and 15 part-time). The total amount requested is an increase of 1.7% from 2019-20 (the BET guideline). Even with contractual salary increases above 1.7 %, services have not diminished because of continued efforts to find efficiencies and join with the other libraries in town to leverage purchasing power.
Capital Budget The $75k generator line item in the 2019-20 capital budget has been completed and will soon be closed out. $10k remains unspent. There was a $15k cost overrun, which was covered by unused operating funds (a mild winter meant less spent on plowing).
As noted in past year budgets, there is a 2020-21 capital budget line item for $200k for parking lot resurfacing and drainage improvements. However, it is suggested that this line item be pushed to 2021- 22, in order to allow a line item for the replacement of skylights, which are at the end of their expected lifetime (22 years) to move up. $75k has been inserted as a placeholder, to be refined once estimates come in.
Anticipated capital expenditures for 2021-22 also include carpet replacement.
Anticipated capital expenditures for 2022-23 will include $50k for a natural gas boiler, but if these expenses can be brought below $25k, these expenses can be covered by the operating budget.
Community Issues
At the BET budget presentation on February 7, 2020, it was asked why the Perrot hired an outside lawyer to represent its interests when a propose redesign of the traffic circle in front of the Perrot was being considered. It was explained that the Perrot’s land and buildings do not belong to the Town, but to its donors, obliging the library’s Board to protect those assets. The Board is particularly concerned about possible flooding risks any future road work may pose. There is a current proposal to replace the culvert in front of the Perrot, which the Town has said will not require an MI. The library will therefore continue to follow this issue and stay in close communication with DPW.
Bruce Museum
RTM Education Committee 2020-2021 BOE Budget Review Summary
Location: Bruce Museum February 13, 2020 Reviewed by: Michele Klosson Those Interviewed: Suzanne Lio, Managing director Bill Ference, Director of Finance Uniqueness: Robert Moffat Bruce deeded the house and grounds to the Town of Greenwich In 1908 with the stipulation that the house be used for history, science, and art for the benefit of the public. Until the 1970s the museum was staffed with Town employees The Friends of the Bruce Museum organized and it now Operates under a 501 C3. The Bruce owns over 15,000 pieces of art The museum has over 70,000 visitors a year The museum installs at least 12 new exhibits a year
Budget: The building itself is managed together with the Town. The Museum will Receive $865,801 from the Town for operating expenses which is 12%Museum's Budget. Additionally this year the museum is requesting funding for several Capital expenditures. Capital Requests: $125,000 to upgrade the security in the existing space, which has not been Reviewed since the 1990s. $30,000 to renovate the 2 nd floor bathrooms $125,000 for new lighting upgrade and motion detectors. The current lighting fixtures are overhead florescent
New projects: $45,000,000 renovation and expansion of a new art wing, lobby, café and lecture area. The funds for this renovation were donated or by increasing the endowment. The museum is looking for an additional $5.8 million so that they will be able to break ground this summer.