Time Flies

They say time flies when you're having fun...It's hard to believe that we are coming up on the Christmas/Holiday break in just a few weeks. From an administrative perspective, the Fall has been busy with preparing and presenting the budget, continuing negotiations with the Teachers and Support Staff, program evaluation, and staff observation and evaluation in addition to the daily operations in the district. I applaud the hard work and dedication of the entire leadership team as they not only "keep the trains running on time", but work to secure continued success as we move toward our goal.

As many of you know, we have also implemented a great deal of technology this year, moving to a new Student Information System and Gradebook called Pinnacle as well as a new professional development tracking system called MyLearningPlan. The implementation process has not been without struggles. I know it has not been an easy process. The change process is never easy, but the entire staff continues to work through the issues, knowing that the systems represent best practices and will benefit everyone in the long run. Software "glitches" and customization have contributed to the implementation struggles. The staff are to be commended for their persistence and dedication in making this transition. As I write this, the finishing touches are being put on the first trimester report cards for the elementary and middle schools. The high school report cards went out successfully several weeks ago.

The first trimester has been packed with plenty of activities in the schools, from sporting events and awards ceremonies to band and choral concerts, homecoming, and theatrical productions. I hope that you have been able to witness at least some of these wonderful displays of student talent.

During the past two months, I have had the opportunity to participate in two of the Theatrical productions, "Our Town" produced by the High School, and "A Christmas Carol", produced by the Middle School. It was a wonderful opportunity to interact with the students and staff in a different environment and witness first hand the dedication and mutual respect between the students and staff. Participation in the shows also allowed me to share my theatrical experience with the students. I found it to be a rewarding opportunity. Many people commented that it was great to see the Superintendent and the teachers interacting with the students and participating in the culture of the school community. A special Thank You to these dedicated students and staff for putting in many evening and weekend hours.

As we move toward the holidays, visit our District website to see the calendar of events for holiday concerts and other activities in each of the schools. As always your comments and feedback are welcome.

Calendar/February Vacation

Over the past week, I asked parents about their thoughts on changing the February vacation in 2011 to match the surrounding schools. So far, I have received feedback on both sides of the issue, with some parents happy that the vacation is the same as Mass. while others are upset with the change. The reason we are in this position is that our calendar was developed and approved before the calendar for other schools, particularly Exeter and the SST program.

Feel free to weigh in on this issue with a response to this post. I will be discussing the issue with the Sanborn Regional School Board at the meeting tomorrow night and making a final decision. Your feedback is appreciated.

Have a great day!

-Brian

Strategic Plan Rolled Out!

The Sanborn Regional School District recently rolled out the strategic plan that has been developed for the next five years. Copies of the plan were mailed to the residents of the district during the last week.

The plan was developed by a group of about 40 community members, staff, students and board members. A steering committee developed the following focus areas to fill out the plan: Curriculum, Technology, Culture, Physical Assets, Staffing, Communications and Funding. Within each of these focus area, subcommittees developed a list of action plans to move us toward our goal of becoming a top 10% school district.

As you read the Strategic Plan, you will notice some items that, on the surface seem to be definitive, are points that will require additional research and conversations within and between Kingston and Newton. Subcommittees will be formed as we move forward to address some of these areas, particularly in the area of Physical Assets. I encourage members of both communities to participate in the discussion help to determine the future of our district.

I would like to publicly thank the many members of the Sanborn community who participated in the development of the Strategic Plan and I look forward to working with the communities to implement the Plan.

If you have any questions regarding the strategic plan, please contact my office at 642-3688. We will also be scheduling a public forum in the near future to discuss the plan and take input from the community.

Welcome Back!

It’s that time of year again... Time to return to the classroom for another school year. I hope that you were able to take advantage of the beautiful weather this summer. As an administrator, the summer has been filled with planning and preparations for this coming year (along with some vacation time!). We have also completed a great deal of work in the schools. We have replaced old, worn out carpeting with new tile, painted many of the classrooms, and made some needed renovations at the elementary schools. We also removed a modular classroom at the Middle School that had “outlived” its’ usefulness.

In addition to the facilities, the professional staff has been busy attending the wide variety of development opportunities over the summer to enhance their teaching. As I write this, the schools are bustling with activities as teachers and staff make the final preparations before welcoming the students.

The teachers have been in this week to participate in extensive planning workshops in order to prepare for the year. I will be formally welcoming new teachers on Wednesday, August 25, 2010 and our “official” opening for teachers is on Thursday, August 26, 2010. Friday, August 27, 2010, the building principals will work with their staff to review goals for the year and set expectations. Monday, August 30, 2010 is the first day of school for students. (At the High School, only Freshmen report on this day. All HS students report on Tuesday, August 31.)

I am looking forward to an exciting year, working with the staff to ensure a successful school year to all of our students. If you have any questions regarding the beginning of school, please contact my office at 642-3688. Also, you can follow all of the schools on Facebook and be on the look out for the launch of our new Website.

Teacher Turnover

My pen has been silent for some time....crazy time of year. The last 3 months have been a whirlwind. This post is a copy of an article I sent to the Carriage Town this week.

Where has the year gone? It seems that we blinked in March and the school year is coming to a close. It has been a busy few months in the district as this year draws to a close and we begin planning for next year.

One of the big challenges facing the district this coming year is the recruitment and hiring of new teachers. We have a significant amount of turnover, particularly of our teachers. This is largely due to the failure of the teacher contract for the third year. We are finding that we are losing some of our youngest, best, and brightest teachers to other districts, and in some cases, other careers. This year we are facing the realization that we have at least 27 teachers leaving the district. These are people whom have worked for the district for several years and whom we have invested a considerable amount of time and financial resources. On average, it costs about $6,000. in the first two years to train a teacher new to the district in the programs in Sanborn. This will equate to about $162,000.00 to fully train these new staff members over the next two years.

While we will surely miss our colleagues as they pursue their careers, my focus remains on the wonderful staff members we still have in the district, how to attract, and retain new teachers, and how we can continue our march toward becoming a top 10% school district in the State. I continue to work with the Administrative leadership, the Sanborn Regional Education Association, and the School Board to ensure that the students are getting the best education we can offer them.

During the coming months, the school district will be sponsoring several public forums and “coffee houses” to provide the opportunities for the public to discuss the importance of passing a teacher contract next March and retaining the quality teachers that we have in the district. We will provide information on the Evergreen Clause and what it actually means to the community as well as our teachers and paraprofessional staff. We will also be accepting feedback on how to gain community support as we move into next year.

As always, I welcome your feedback. I can be reached at bblake@sau17.org.

Oh the Weather!

Just a quick note this morning regarding the weather. The rain this past weekend has caused flooding in some areas. In Kingston, there are several roads blocked off especially in the area of Ball Road, Rockrimmon (sp), and Great Pond Road. We decided to have a delayed opening so that parents and bus drivers would be able to see the roads and flooding in the daylight. I didn't see the need to cancel school completely, but there may be limited bus service due to the flooded roads. Please be careful. I know that there are significant issues in Fremont and the Fremont schools have closed for the day.

Stay dry!

-Brian

VOTE!

Just a quick reminder that tomorrow is voting day in the Sanborn Regional School District. As I have indicated in previous letters and blog entries, we have several critical articles on the warrant tomorrow. The proposed budget, up a mere 2.1%, a teachers contract, and a support staff contract are all critical components to moving the district toward our goal of becoming one of the top school districts in the State.
Please come out to the polls and have your voice heard tomorrow. EVERY vote counts. The decisions made at the polls tomorrow will help define the future direction of the Sanborn Regional School District. Voting takes place from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. in both Kingston and in Newton. Voting in Kingston will be at the Swasey Gym and in Newton the polls will be open in the Newton Town Hall.
I look forward to seeing you at the polls!

For the Kids,

-Brian

Gotta Love the Weather!

What a wild week it's been! I came home from a vacation to find most of the people in our communities without power. Actually, I was notified on Friday morning by our business administrator, Carol Coppola. I arrived home on Saturday night and headed down to Kingston on Sunday morning. The power in my own house came on some time during the day on Saturday.
Driving into town on Sunday, the damage didn't look that bad...Until I saw the road closures, downed trees and telephone poles ripped in pieces. I quickly learned that even by that point, Kingston had about 75% with power, Newton was about 70% without power, and Fremont was almost completely without power. That was two and a half days after the storm. People were commenting that it was worse than the ice storm last year, and I suppose by some standards, it was.
Acting on a request by the Emergency Operations Directors in the towns of Newton and Kingston on Friday, the Sanborn Regional High School was once again opened as a shelter. The difference this year, was that it was not staffed by the Red Cross. It was staffed almost entirely by the leadership team, board members, nurse, custodians, and food service personnel of the Sanborn Regional School District. Thanks to the tremendous efforts of Carol Coppola, the High School was transformed into a shelter in a matter of hours. The shelter was staffed around the clock by volunteers from the school district as well as several members of the community at large. In the days following the storm, the shelter served the people our towns as well as Danville, Brentwood, Plaistow and several other surrounding communities. We provided a place to sleep, to stay warm, to take a hot shower, and watch TV. We even provided meals to those in need.
To say that I am proud of Carol and the rest of the staff and volunteers is an understatement. We are fortunate to have people with as much compassion working and living in our system. Thank you to all those who offered a hand during this crisis.

For the kids (and the greater community!),

-Brian

The “Art and Science” of the Snow Day

Greetings! In this post, I want to explain how the snow day or delayed opening is determined. While it is true that the Superintendent shoulders the responsibility for determining whether to close school or not, he is not alone in the process. Others involved typically include paid weather services, local road agents, the bus companies, police departments and other superintendents. Let me explain.
The day before a storm approaches, superintendents begin watching the weather and formulating thoughts about the following morning. When will storm hit: late night or early morning? Will it stop during the day and if so, around what time? Will it snow throughout the day? How much will it accumulate, and will it be mixed with sleet and freezing rain? Each of these questions must be answered in order to make an informed decision.
The morning of the storm, superintendents are usually up at the computer and/or watching the Weather Channel around 4:45 a.m. Those who contract with weather services are in contact with them early. Others watch the weather and the computer models to make determinations. At about the same time, the phone lines heat up with calls to or from the bus companies, road agents, and sometimes police departments. The same questions are reviewed from the night before, with special attention to current and anticipated road conditions. Superintendents in neighboring districts also talk to compare notes, taking into account the geographical differences of the districts. Based on the answers to the questions, the superintendent makes the determination as to whether or not it is safe to put busses and staff on the roads. Busses in particular, do not fare well in the snow because of their size and weight.
In the event that roads are dangerous and not likely to improve by 10:00 a.m., a snow day is typically called. If it appears that conditions will be improving, a two-hour delay is called. The toughest calls come when it appears to be raining, but the roads are icy. Looking outside it looks like simply rain until you step outside to find everything a sheet of ice. The other tough call is when the storm moves in during the day. Do we bring the students in? Will we be able to get them home? The timing of the storm is critical in the decision process.
Once the decision is made, typically between 5 and 5:30 a.m., the phone calls to notify radio and television stations are made. The AlertNow phone system is used to notify the entire staff, including the administrators. At the same time, the parents are notified of the decision as well. The radio and television stations post the notice on their websites and on the air.
For superintendents, the “snow day” call is a source of great anxiety. School time is valuable, but the safety of our students and staff is paramount. A wrong decision could mean injury or death to someone needlessly being on the roads in bad weather. School districts throughout the State are required to have 180 days of school, with 10 additional days built into their calendar for snow days. With these built-in days, schools are typically scheduled to end in mid-to-late June.
The snow day on Tuesday threw everyone for a loop. All of our contracts and computer maps had the storm starting early morning and snowing throughout the day. In hindsight, we could have gotten in at least a half day of school. The issue with that is that parents then have the added stress of finding childcare for students during the early release time. The fact that most of the southern tier of the State was also out made me feel somewhat better. My wife and kids loved having the day off. I spent the day in the office...
A funny thing happened to me years ago during my first year as a superintendent. It was to be my first “snow day” call. A storm moved in during the night, but conditions were improving in the morning. After speaking with the road agent and the bus company, I called the radio stations, Channel 9, and the principals, proudly announcing that we would have a two-hour delay. Little did I realize at the time that according to the school calendar, we had an early release scheduled for that day. I brought the students in, fed them lunch, had a few shortened classes, and sent them home again. I still get ribbed by my colleagues. Needless to say, I watch the school calendar closely now as well.

For the kids,

-Brian

The deliberative session for the school district warrant was held on February 4, 2009.

In this post, I would like to review the warrant taking into consideration the impact of the major articles on the estimated tax rate in each town. The first two articles deal with the election of officers for the ensuing terms while the second article asks the voters to accept the reports of the various agents of the school.

Article 3 is the Operating budget for the 2010-2011 school year. The proposed budget is $30,495,649. This represents an increase of 2.1% over the current operating budget. During the deliberative session, Mary Marshall , chair of the Budget Committee, made a presentation and walked those in attendance through the budget process. I also presented an explanation of each of the requested budget increases. There was very little discussion on the budget warrant article and the article will appear on the ballot as presented. The estimated tax rate resulting from this article is $16.95 in Kingston and $16.58 in Newton.

Article 4 is the warrant article for the teacher contract. As you recall, the voters have turned down the teacher’s contract for the past two years. Listening to the voters, the negotiators on both sides of the table were able to reach a tentative agreement that we believe will meet the demands of the taxpayers while providing our teachers with a contract. The two-year agreement reached with the Professional Staff includes a step increase for teachers without a cost of living allowance (COLA). Teachers at the top of the salary schedule will receive a flat payment of $1,100. in year one and $1,500. in year 2. Health care, which reportedly was an area of concern for voters last year, has changed significantly. Teachers will now pay a higher co-pay as well as contributing more to their share of the health insurance costs. We will also be offering a health savings account medical plan that will potentially save the district and employees significant money. The estimated tax rate impact of this article is 53 cents per thousand in Kingston and 56 cents per thousand in Newton in the first year of the contract. In the second year, the rate is estimated to be 42 and 44 cents per thousand respectively. That translates to approximately $53.00 on a home valued at $100,000.

Article 5 is the Support Staff contract article. Negotiators reached a 3-year agreement with the Support Staff. This agreement calls for a 2% Cost of Living increase and a step in each year of the contract and a 3% increase for each year for members at the top step. The 64 members of the bargaining unit will also be increasing their contribution to health care and have the option of participating in the Health Care Savings account at a cost savings to the district and the employee. The estimated tax rate impact of this agreement is 11 cents per thousand in Kingston and 12 cents per thousand in Newton for the first year. In years two and three, the rate is estimated to be 13 and 14 cents per thousand in each town. This translates to approximately $11.00 on a home valued at $100,000.

Following a presentation of the articles and explanation by School Board Chair Kurt Baitz and Vice Chair Nancy Ross, there were a few clarifying questions and the articles will all appear on the warrant as presented. One of the concerns raised was the notion of the “Evergreen Clause”. I would like to take a moment here to explain what this means to the voters.

The evergreen clause is a clause that is now part of negotiated contracts as a result of State legislation passed two years ago. The language of the law indicates that in the event that a new contract is not passed in the future, bargaining unit members continue to receive their step raises. Opponents of the evergreen clause suggest that bargaining unit members have no need to negotiate in the future since they will get pay raises anyway. True, bargaining unit members will receive step increases, but they will not receive any type of Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) tied to their contract. There are also many other reasons why bargaining units WANT to negotiate new contracts (working conditions, other benefits, time, etc.). As a Superintendent, I do not see this as a “deal breaker” for voters. While bargaining unit members will receive a step increase, it is not the only reason for negotiation. I encourage voters to support both the teacher and support staff contracts.

The final article on the warrant is the Drugs are Dangerous article. The warrant article asks voters to raise $2500.00 for the Drugs are Dangerous program. This article results in less than 1 cent on the tax rate.

I want to thank the voters and members of the community who came out to the deliberative session last week. I look forward to seeing everyone at the polls.

Important, exciting week!

Greetings,
Thank you for checking in on this blog. It has been an exciting first six months in the district In addition to getting my feet on the ground, meeting everyone, and learning about the various "systems" in Sanborn, I worked with the School Board to develop a single goal for the District: Strive to become one of the top 10% of school districts in the State as measured by a number of indicators. We also negotiated two bargaining unit contracts (teachers and support staff), launched a strategic planning effort, and prepared a budget that is fiscally responsible while meeting the needs of the system as we strive toward our goal.

This week, several of these measures will take significant steps forward. Tonight, at 6:30 in the High School Library, I am meeting with the volunteers to kick off the strategic planning process. A steering committee has spent several months developing a mission, identifying areas of focus, and preparing purpose statements for each area. Tonight, I will provide an overview of the process to the volunteers, and break them up into subcommittees to begin the work of developing the strategic goals for the next five years.

On Thursday, we have the all important Deliberative Session. Since we are an SB2 community, we don't have the opportunity to discuss things at a town or school district meeting. Thursday night is our first shot at educating the voters about the needs of the District and our staff. I am looking forward to sharing with the public our budget requests for next year and our negotiated agreements.

I strongly encourage everyone to come out to the Deliberative Session on Thursday night at the High School and gain an understanding of the proposed budget and bargaining unit contracts. Your participation in the process is critical in order to make informed, educated decisions. We are scheduled to begin at 7:00 in the auditorium. I look forward to seeing you there!

Should you have any questions or comments regarding this post, please feel free to contact me.

For the kids,

-Brian

Welcome

Greetings,
I set up this blog in order to open up another communication channel with both the teachers and the community. I hope to post both useful information about events in the district as well as my thoughts around issues facing the school district. I anticipate writing or "blogging" as it were, on a periodic basis rather than on a set schedule. I appreciate and welcome any feedback, but all comments will be moderated prior to posting. If you would like to email me separately, please feel free to do so at bblake@sau17.org. I look forward to hearing from you and hope that this sight is helpful to you as well!