Lots of good discussion at
last Wednesday’s Committee meeting. Here are some highlights:
In her announcements, Supt. Taymore explained:
1. “The Melrose Public Schools will be profiled by the
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as one of four
districts in the state that are leaders in ensuring that their educators have
access to high quality professional development through the thoughtful use of
Educator Evaluation data or the Massachusetts Standards for High-quality
Professional Development or both.”
2. The data dashboard is up! Find it here: (http://melroseschools.com/administration/districtdashboard/)
3. College/University partnerships (including UMass Boston,
Bunker Hill, and Salem State) with the Melrose Schools are growing and changing
to help support opportunities for student coursework, college students training
in Melrose, and professional development.
The SEEM Collaborative report was approved. SEEM rents two
Melrose school buildings (Ripley and Beebe) and is a school home to a number of
our special education students. Supt. Taymore sits on their board.
Campus Kids fees for this summer were approved with some small increases.
MHS is exploring enrolling a small number of foreign
students in FY16 with the intention of bringing more diversity and revenue to
the district. Administrators were granted initial approval to pursue this
opportunity and will return to the Committee with more information before final
approval is given.
The FY16 Budget Process and Timeline were approved. Budget
information can be found on the Budget page of the Committee section of the MPS
web site. A mid-year update of the FY15 budget was provided and we are expected
to finish the year on target.
Programs of Studies: Principal Conway indicated that he is
interested in producing a Middle School program of studies for the benefit of
students and families. The MHS program of studies will include a variety of new
courses this year, and also includes an important section on “Resources and
Supports” that identifies ways that students get needed help for a variety of
challenges.
Policies were approved in the areas of student attendance
and discipline, student activity accounts, and gifts and contributions to
schools. At the next meeting, we’ll take up field trips, bidding requirements,
and domestic violence leave (for staff) policies.
Later start times for secondary students was presented as a
topic for future discussion as the Committee has received a letter of
recommendation from the Board of Health. Supt. Taymore indicated that while the
evidence corroborating this recommendation is unquestioned, we must be cautious
about ensuring that anything that is implemented doesn’t have unintended
consequences, and that logistical issues are worked out to the best of our
ability.
Next meeting (with FY16 Budget presentation and
Superintendent Taymore’s Mid-Cycle Evaluation) scheduled for 2/24 at 7:00 in
the Aldermanic Chamber.
