BOARD HIGHLIGHTS

SUMMARY OF THE BATAVIA PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT 101

BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING

January 10, 2012

Prepared by JoAnne Walker

Administrative Assistant

 

 

A Special Meeting of the Board of Education entitled the Listening Post was held at Louise White School.  The meeting began at 7:00 p.m.

 

Listening Post

Associate Superintendent Romaneck facilitated the second Listening Post in which audience members were asked to respond to three questions.  This is a chance for Board Members to hear from the community.  They will listen but not engage in a dialog.  Audience members responded to the following questions:

 

1. What are the greatest challenges or issues this school district has to address over the next five years in order to provide a quality education for all students?

 

• Elimination of Building Trades program; could consolidate with area schools.  Putting too much towards Honors and A.P.
• All challenges stem from finances; district has to stretch dollars and do more with less.
• Not enough equality between full day and half day kindergarten.  Some students need more time.
• Too many days off; need more classroom time
• Get back to a more moderate class size at every grade level.
• Why is the high school and middle school on early warning academic status?
• Too many students in classrooms and no aides; reduce class size – each class has 10 too many students
• Classrooms too crowded, affects holiday parties, curriculum and too much noise
• School calendar – too many days off and 4 day weeks.  Possible year around school?
• Block scheduling is not good.
• At Risk and Early Childhood programs, the earlier the intervention the better
• Retirements – many good teachers will be lost, hire mix of new and experienced teachers
• Challenge students “on the bubble” at their level.
• Not consistent in grading homework and make-up assignments at BHS.
• Raise fees for activities but don’t eliminate
• Report cards hard to understand
• Curriculum is available online as well as textbooks, resources, quizzes.  Make sure the technology we are paying for is successful
• Consistent use of Power School and Google Docs
• Have to work together to come up with solutions.

 

1. What evidence do you use to evaluate the quality of education in our schools?
   • Dollars per student – are we spending enough on the right things? Other districts spend a lot less with better outcomes.  What are they doing that we are not?
   • Maintain older buildings like J. B. Nelson.
   • Be proactive with services for At-Risk and Early Childhood students.
   • How do test scores affect home values, foreclosures, potential new residents?
   • Feel the quality of instruction is reduced in kindergarten; so crowded teachers can’t get around the room.  Half day kindergartners are getting gypped.
   • More recognition of student achievement.  Hard to do with 30 kids in a classroom.
   • Hire aides/parapros to assist in classrooms.
   • How and when should we assess students?  Should we move to trimesters at elementary level?
   • Comprehensive programming for the arts, Building Trades, ELL, etc.
   •  All kids should have same opportunities in half and full day kindergarten.

 

1. How do you receive information about Batavia Public School District 101?
   • Like Backpack Mail,  Power School, Messenger, and emails from principals
   • Transparency and ease of access on website.  Location of approved minutes may be hard to find as well as the calendar of Board meetings.
   • Use parents to test whether website is user friendly.
   • Need induction for new families and kindergarten parents in the district
   • Need for fewer, more consistent communication tools
   • Like the Listening Posts, BIC meetings and high school daily announcements
   • What to do with parents who don’t have access to Messenger, etc.  Unhappy that they did not receive  printed copy of student’s report card
   • Follow-up or forum on Race To Nowhere

 

 

 

The Board of Education adjourned at 8:33 p.m.