by Alex Brooks
At the School Board meeting last week, the Hoosick Falls Board of Education approved a Memorandum of Agreement with their administrators which will bring new job titles and new responsibilities to several of the school’s administrators but does not create any new positions.
[private]Driving the change is the enormous challenge of transitioning the school to the new Common Core curriculum and implementing the new teacher evaluation system known as APPR (Annual Professional Performance Review). Patrick Dailey, who has been until now the Elementary School Principal, will now be Director of K-12 Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment. This will allow him to unify curriculum development across grade levels as the faculty work toward adoption of the Common Core Curriculum. He will also take the lead on testing used to assess student learning, and on implementation of the new teacher evaluation system.
School Superintendent Ken Facin said the transition to a new curriculum platform and a new system of teacher evaluation is an enormous challenge for the teachers, and he feels that a dedicated administrator to manage that process over the entire K-12 District is the best way to support the teachers and ensure continued improvement in student academic outcomes.
Amy Netti, until now the Assistant Principal of the Elementary School, will be promoted to Principal to replace Dailey. Kristin Philpott will become the Assistant Principal of the Elementary School, in addition to continuing her duties as Director of the Special Education programs.
High School Principal Stacy Vadney and Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Brett Lamy will continue in their current positions.
It was agreed that this change would be undertaken on a one year trial basis, to be evaluated during that period as to whether it is working as expected.
NY State School Report Card.
The graduation rate for the class of 2011 was 89.5%, but Facin noted that it does not mean that 10.5% of the class dropped out and did not get a diploma. The figure given on the School Report Card does not count GED and IEP diplomas. “If GED and IEP diplomas were included, the graduation rate would be 99%,” said Facin. “We had one dropout in that class.”
Audit
The Board accepted an audit report from a recent audit conducted by the State Comptroller’s office focusing on procedures for electronic fund transfers. The audit recommended that authorizing, initiating and recording electronic transfers be done by different people and that a phone confirmation from the bank to the School Business Administrator be required for all electronic fund transfers. The District agreed to make minor changes in its procedures to adopt the best practices recommended by the auditors.
The District’s annual audit by a hired accounting firm will begin soon.
Universal Pre-K
The District awarded the contract to run a Universal Pre-K program next year to the Commission on Economic Opportunity for $60,896. The District has two sites for Universal Pre-K, one at its own facility and one at CEO. There are 38 slots altogether in both programs and more applicants than that. The slots are given out by lottery. Last year there were 55 children seeking a place in the program.
The Board abolished a school social worker position and created a position for a School Attendance Officer. Facin explained that a school social worker resigned this year and the administration felt that the District needed to confront issues of absenteeism, which is a major impediment to academic success for a certain segment of the student population, so they refocused the job on that. He said the Attendance Officer will work with families to improve attendance through home visits, counseling and disciplinary procedures. Facin noted that the school still has a social worker, two school psychologists and two guidance counselors, so the student support staff remains robust.
The Board recognized the PTA for its substantial support of the school, offering presents to the PTA officers. The PTA raised over $26,000 this year and has been distributing a good deal of money each month, making possible all kinds of educational amenities that would normally be casualties of an era of austerity such as the present. This month they gave $50 for art supplies, $150 for the purchase of percussion instruments for the band and $700 to sponsor a performance by the Dixieland Jazz Group. Board President Greg Laurin said, “Our PTA is the strongest one around.” Superintendent Ken Facin said the work the PTA does and the contribution it makes to the school is “beyond special.”
The Board approved Dr. Marcus Martinez as school physician for another year, accepting his bid of $9,600 for School Physician Services.
The Board of Education will hold its Re-Organization meeting on Thursday, July 5, at 7 pm in the high school library.[/private]