Below please find the letter submitted to the press by Committee Chairman Kristin Thorp following the Committee's vote on 9/8 to recommend. This letter is also posted on the School Committee page of the melroseschools web site.
Melrose School Committee Support for Override September 14, 2015
On Tuesday, September 8th, the Melrose School
Committee overwhelmingly voted (six in favor and one against) to support the
City of Melrose Proposition 2 ½ Tax Override scheduled for placement on the
November 3rd ballot. This recommendation was not made lightly; it
was explored in the utmost detail and with meticulous review, supported by research
and recommendations from a variety of separate working groups and committees,
including the Budget Working Group, the Curriculum Materials Working Group, the
Technology Working Group, the Professional Development Committee, and
Department teams that review all elements of teaching and learning in a content
area (for example, Social Studies). As taxpayers ourselves, we recognize and
appreciate that we are recommending an action that requires sacrifice, but we
believe very strongly that it is an investment in educational quality that will
allow Melrose children greater opportunities that we can barely imagine today.
In our roles as an oversight board for the schools, we have
the privilege of hearing the community’s educational questions and concerns,
like:
·
How do we hire and retain excellent teachers?
·
How do we ensure that teachers can teach to
every student in a classroom, including those with learning differences and
limited knowledge of the English language, high achieving/gifted students, and
students who face unique and personal challenges that may compromise their
ability to adequately advance academically?
·
How do we ensure that students have recent,
relevant, and high-quality curriculum materials including textbooks and library
media resources; on-line learning tools; and laboratory, engineering and
design, art, and music supplies?
·
How do we ensure that students entering college,
the military, or the workforce, learn and use technology that they will be
expected to understand when they arrive?
·
How do we ensure that students, who in today’s
era are expected to become global citizens (whether by Internet access, formal
study, or travel), have the support and opportunities to do so?
·
How do we ensure that students have built a
solid foundation for their future lives with key skills valued by employers,
like critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity?
·
How do we ensure that yearly school funding
isn’t always at risk of being cut based on what the federal and state
governments can supply and/or whether the City has $700,000 in free cash each
October to put toward a school budget that law requires we approve by the
previous June?
Over the past three years, the Superintendent and her staff
have employed district budgets to address the above-mentioned challenges and
have made marked progress, including reorganizing staff positions and hiring
new staff in order to focus efforts on specific educational goals, implementing
union contracts that respect the professionalism and hard work of the staff
combined with meaningful accountability, developing a broad and deep training
system for teachers, raising rigor and expectations in all core subject areas
while expanding the breadth of course offerings at the middle and high schools,
and purchasing new and engaging curriculum materials that feature elements
designed to teach all students with an eye toward the student as a citizen of
the world. In addition, the City’s Board of Aldermen have voted to invest in building
improvements, like the high school’s HVAC overhaul, state-of-the-art science
labs, and the Learning Commons/Administrative Office renovation, along with the
Hoover entry/window revamp project; and they have supported the purchase of
curriculum materials that had been long neglected in the face of more pressing
needs. They have also voted each year to move free cash to the school budget in
October to cover the portion that was not in the general City budget. The
district has sought out federal, state, and independent grants, while parents,
community organizations have helped by raising money. Each and every school and
team/club/activity deeply is grateful for the support from the community. Have
these efforts resulted in improved academic results for students? While there
is always room for improvement, we think they have, and the district’s Data
Dashboard on the melroseschools.com web site details assessment results so you
can decide for yourself.
Superintendent Taymore spoke to addressing teaching and
learning challenges in her growth budget at the beginning of 2015 and we
believe that her recommendations, which have evolved into the override request
for the schools, puts the district in a position to achieve greater learning
growth and financial stability. Strategic staffing at all levels, including
both classroom teachers and support/coaching staff, will engage more students
in discrete subjects, while helping teachers to teach more effectively and
students to learn in ways that will better inform their post-secondary lives.
Curriculum materials will be implemented and then put into a viable review and
purchase cycle so we don’t have to play catch-up in the future. Teachers will
be trained to use these increasingly complex and diverse materials. The special
education budget can begin stabilization by setting aside money to cover the
potentially significant and expensive services a new student may by law require
when moving into Melrose. And we will remove the need to risk teachers’ jobs
and student services, every single year, because while we build an appropriate
budget, we have to keep our fingers crossed that some of the monies will become
available later in the year.
Why are we confident that these funds will be managed
responsibly and not just as a one-year investment that gets lost in future City
budgets? Because the Mayor and the Board of Aldermen have shown repeatedly over
the years that they value the schools, and that the public’s trust in them is
well founded. Quality leadership is key, and the collaboration between the City
and the district is strong and focused on the growth and improvement of the
Melrose Public Schools. We’ve watched the Superintendent and her staff develop
the district’s vision by way of a series of high-quality operating plans and
documents, including the Strategy Overview, that are reviewed by the Committee
on a consistent basis. We evaluate the Superintendent using an agreed-upon
process grounded in the state’s educator evaluation system and have found her
efforts, attitude, work, and collaboration to be effective and in the interest
of all students. The Superintendent’s philosophy of constant self-reflection
and continuous improvement is embedding itself in the school community, and the
Committee expects that to persist for many years to come.
The workplaces of all Americans are changing at a rapid
pace. The ways we apply for jobs and interview for them are different;
professional training has evolved (for example, employers cannot expect you to
change the way you work if they have not taught you how); the use of electronic
devices and tools complement relevant traditional print materials in workplace
research, creation, and collaboration; we interact with colleagues from around
the country and around the world; and we are always keeping a watchful eye on
the bottom line given fluctuating revenue pipelines and waves of political
change that affect how employers are funded. Equally, the classrooms of early
childhood and K-12 education are changing to meet the requirements set by
colleges and universities, the military, and ultimately, the evolving
workplace. Our students deserve the opportunity to reach their full academic
potential within the constraints of a responsible and accountable framework.
We believe that this override is necessary to continue the
educational progress that the citizens of Melrose have envisioned; and we
believe that our students deserve the best we can give them. Please stand with
us to support this override so we can give them our best.
Thank you,
Kristin Thorp
Chair
Melrose School Committee
