Worcester School Committee: opening of school

Opening of school report now posted (and posting as we go here)
Superintendent Boone
"we've had a very successful and very good school opening"
thanks to central admin...and everyone else (including bus monitors and cafeteria workers, IAs, teachers, principals...)

District level changes: Rodrigues as CAO, and some movement in special ed
New principals (as previously announced): "great recruiting class"
"can anticipate similar changes over the next several yaers"
Early enrollment data, as of Tuesday: 23,546 students not including pre-K and Head Start
Up 759 from last year's official count: "these data are not scrubbed yet"
"well above the last year increase...somewhere around that 500 range"
(good heavens, where are we putting them?)
"in some places, our enrollment is a lot higher than we anticipated"
high school enrollment: North up 8.5%, Claremont up 10%
middle schools up (except Burncoat)
across the district in elementary up 2.6%
"it's going to take a few weeks in our schools relative to larger class sizes"
and a chart that has the biggest swings
Also enrollment by grade level and comparing last year to this year (so how many kids stayed or were added or were lost)
Keep in mind on that chart (as with all with grade 6 or with middle school) that Goddard Scholars added sixth grade, so they're counting as middle school
Elementary has an average ratio (JUST COUNTING TEACHERS) of 21.5 to 1 (down from 21.7 from last year); addition of 11 teachers
16 to 1 student to adult ratio in grades 1-6 (including tutors as well as teachers)
14.5 to 1 kindergartner to adult (including teachers and IAs)
579 elementary classrooms: chart showing trend since FY10
class size distribution by grade (it's kindergartens that are greater than 30; there are two)
HR processing: new hires, including 109 new teachers, 13 new nurses, 23 IAs, and 4 new crossing guards, also 1782 payroll changes
3818 employees, the third largest employer in the city

3 additional innovation programs opened
Burncoat Prep had changes inside and out
3 SAIL preschool classes were sent over to South High (n hopes of gaining ch.74 approval for the early childhood ed)
Mandarin Chinese added at Doherty (to continue the language for those who took it at Forest Grove)
AP courses now up to 1912 students enrolled
Sheltered Early English Immersion pilot for the state through the state (you might remember a post on this due to DoJ settlement; link to follow)
year two of wraparound zone coordinators
32 AP courses either on site or online

81 different training programs over the summer provided 1404 hours of training to 2930 employees

health sciences at North approved for ch. 74
Clark working with Claremont Academy: "very positive comments from the faculty and staff" on the professional development

School nutrition! 10,000 Breakfasts and 15,800 lunches a day
73% free and reduced lunch
14 schools doing breakfast in the classroom
13 schools have the state fruit and vegetable grant
and ALL schools get farm-to-school fruit and vegetables (they were very excited that we were getting lettuce this week from the Pioneer Valley)

95 large buses and 110 special ed and out of district buses
10,968 students transported daily, covering 10,000 miles A DAY or 1.8 million miles a year

78 grants awarded last year totally $45.7 million dollars

more than 2000 supply requisitions processed before school
new trash contract including a new emphasis on recycling!

Facilities:
Tatnuck Magnet, Goddard, Burncoat Prep, Flagg Street, and Clark Street
ESCO: Jacob Hiatt roof, water conservation, steam trap replacement, fridge upgrades, attic installation, building infiltration improvements, distribution transformation, computer power management system
(some of these at all locations, some at all buildings)

Ongoing:
boiler/chiller replacments at Worcester Arts Magnet, Quinsigamond, Claremont/Woodland, Roosevelt, Norrback, Union Hill
Solar array at Tech and Sullivan
windows going in Sullivan solarium

Old North is DOWN! working on parking lots and athletic fields

environmental management: "no other school district is known to be doing the sort of proactive measures we are doing"
short term measures are complete; longer term management and maintenance, long term plans of window replacement
all light ballasts that needed it are replaced; windows weatherized; fresh air intake improved

various other facilities improvements over the summer

650 iPads across the elementary schools
online parent portal LAUNCHED!
Blackboard Connect 5 for school-to-home connection
wifi in 4 more schools (!)

public MCAS scores not yet available (we've been awaiting them for some time..it seems the state is still crunching numbers.)
based on preliminary data: increase in math in grades 4,6,7,10
increase in ELA in grades 3,4,10
increase in science in grades 8 and 10
based on preliminary data: 16 schools meet PPI targets, 22 on or above target in ELA, 17 on or above for math, 20 on or above target for science
"we'll talk more specifically...once we have" the full results
"how much progress is a student making during a year"