Boone takes questions

are you also looking at APs (in the accountability system)?

Yes

"we may find a school that is still making AYP but has pockets of children who are not performing up to the bar"

"as part of our data dashboard..how do we close some gaps around content exposure?"

question on capital improvements: making buildings more accessible: can we please make sure that the improvements we're making will make the buildings more accessible?
item last week on School Committee on just that, looking at our compliance with the accessibility

are there plans for adding programs for advanced learners?
looking at how we address gifted learners, how do we identify gifted learners
NCLB looked at it from a deficit model: who isn't making it? social/emotional needs of gifted learners, dropout rates of gifted learners "is staggering"
budget items to support such programs? Not in FY12
engineering pipeline, arts magnet...enrich programs
any progress on libraries being open? concern had been with elementary librarians..."conversation that principals engage in on a regular basis..a number of suggestions and a number of ways that parents ensure that students have access to books"

what parents should expect the next step in the conversation around restructuring?
"we're still collating the volumes of information that we got"
"very clear message around restructuring of elementary grades...I don't anticipate us coming back and addressing the K-2, 3-6...but I do have to say that at some point we've got to talk about our facility needs in terms of space...still start this year with at least 4 schools with large class sizes because they had no more physical space in their buildings...where are the pressure points and how can we relieve those pressure points? Elementary enrollment is increasing and physical spaces are stretched...definitive proposals coming back in the later fall..continuing conversations around innovation schools in the South quadrant"

question wisdom of placing programs (preschool at a school that's at capacity): what as a parent group could we do going forward to advocate for my schools in my community? How could we help?
"how do we begin to frontload success...preschool is a long term investment..slightly different funding stream"
enrollment increases in elementary..don't translate into dollars today
"recognizing that the FY11 funding stream represents the floor for me as superintendent...to go below, will begin to significantly impact quality...enrollment, difficult to see any way to close any doors, nearly 100 percent at capacity plus...FY11 funding stream is exactly what we have to do..stimulus dollars did exactly what it was supposed to do..economy not going to be enough to make up for the 8.2 million dollars...negative inflation factor...net school spending level for the city is just above minimun...study to examine the foundation formula (that's the adequacy study)...the will to address...we don't need another study on the shelf, we need the action"
(as a total aside, one might also note that Worcester contributes no more than minimally required to education)