Second restructuring meeting: April 7, Burncoat High

Someone asked after the first meeting if anyone is taking notes. I am, 'though not in an administrative capacity. Here follow my notes of the meeting, to which I came in a bit late. As the meeting largely took the form of a series of exchanges between Chief Academic Officer Jeff Mulqueen and the audience, I've colored Mulqueen's comments in blue and those of the public in (Burncoat) green. My comments, as per usual, are in italics. While I did not get every word, I did get the jist of every exchange.

first page doesn't take into account "positive things going on"
outcompete every surrounding district
"coming to bring to bear partnerships" to lighten load
at graduation "I choose to this or that"
"work of School Committee has brought us to this point"
generating ideas over time: "timing is perfect"
"make sure that you are as anxiety-free as could be"
"I'm the last one to hear the rumor": "happy to respond to what the facts are"
heterogenous groupings question: answer that it's a school based question, nothing coming from the district on that
college-level mixed with honor-level classes: the same question
where did these ideas come from? whose ideas are these?
Standing Committee on Curriculum: ideas suggested over some years: finding out from public what they think of these ideas
Has there been any sorting of ideas?
"I know the ideas are good ones because they line up with ideas coming from the state department"
"and some are from the state and federal department...but I think it does represent some good thinking..." (protest "that doesn't mean it's necessarily a good idea" to which I can only add "Amen!")
"Is it safe to assume that someone is recording all of the questions and comments to bring back?" Pointed to form on the back: protest that isn't what she meant
ideas don't have to be publicly expressed: Mulqueen says he doesn't "want to multi-task" (I just want to note that this would be the equvilant of a teacher writing on a blackboard while leading the class. Or one might request a volunteer.)
what are all the grade patterns that could be used? Mostly K-6, 7&8, 9-12
others: "early literacy skills" at K-2 school (also financial benefits): if we did that, we could level the class sizes around 21 throughout the district (right now we go from 14-30)
it would save about $1 million
rumor that it would involve transporting children from one school to another: yes, K-2, 3-6, 7-12 "clear pathways as students aligned"were some shifts in neighborhoods, but not switching schools from Doherty to South quadrant (as per rumor)
what sort of reconfiguration would you see in this neighborhood?
savings only comes if you do it in the whole district:"draft map for the whole district..some of that...some of K-6"
asks feedback for whole district
question about children walking to school: "how does that [busing]save money?" saves $1 million across the district"
in the event the city says we have to make a big cut..."I'm trying to think about other sceanerios that would figure
out"
"trying to float some ideas"
is the 21 student class K-6, or would it increase as they get older?
It's across the whole system, K-6
tying back to marketing our district as other towns' class sizes go through the roof
does it eliminate school choice? No "need to have more options for kids, not fewer"
"increase number of choices..not any kid goes to any school, but trying to get" to more choices
wondering about the data shows for what works?
teachers have few partners at a particular grade level, "structure has to shift on data-driven"..more partners to do that work with
interruption: what does the data show? "I'm explaining it in pretty easy terms"Mulqueen
"what's good for children"
question"is there data showing that this is a good idea?"
"looking for sound data showing how this idea works"
Mulqueen: "What data do YOU have that neighborhood schools work?"
what shows that this works?
"data-driven improvement works..."
"so you're just looking at the numbers"
"get the sense that you're trying to pin me down...
"question regarding class sizes: if class sizes decrease, but we're going to be busing kids around the city..."it's not that we're busing kids all around the city"
talking about budget cuts, how can you maintain class size when teachers are being cut?
excess staff capacity: level class size across the city
"I'm not saying you get rid of them...saying that you use them in a different way"
for those schools that 13 or 14 gets kids from the school that 25 or 30
having 21 is not a huge burden
how do you get the K-2 teachers to talk to the 3-6 teachers?
"don't do all the problem solving right away...""if we think about all those barriers right away, we'll never get to it...it will just be barriers all the way"
"not new to education"what do we do with middle school?
Small learning communities..."personalization is a key component of successful
education"
parent involvement : am I going to sit on more PTO's? being able to focus my efforts on a single school"
"are still some possibilities for the K-6 model to be up and running...all the different configurations could be up and running...there might not be a change for you" ('though earlier it was pointed out that the cost savings and the smaller class sizes would only happen if it changed across the district)
multiple schools would be multiple PTO's
what about how teachers feel? are they embracing it as a saving grace?
"change is always difficult"
question: have you spoken to teachers?
principals are doing it school to school
talking today to principals about extending the school day..."we know that without ownership it's not gonna fly"
"lived in this neighborhood for half a century....just because I'm older doesn't mean I'm not very interested in the system...when you say, we, what do you mean? Who is we?"
he asks for an example: "which time?"
she asks if the school department has autonomy...no, he says
will these things that the school committee would have to vote on? "very likely" he says
forwarded to larger school committee for a vote
"you must understand the fears and the concerns" (from the woman who's lived here for half a century)
what's the timeline?
changing configuration of schools would have to happen over a long time
extending day could happen next year
what for middle and high? maybe 7-9
small learning communities to individualize instruction
idea generating stage: are there any ideas on the table now?
yes, for South
more cohesive ideas for middle and high
do we have a small academy model at Burncoat? would you mess with it? "Only to enhance it, only to enhance it"
"I hear what you're saying that this is a gradual approach. This doesn't feel gradual to me...I appreciate your sense of urgency...the questions raised seem completely appropriate to me...lose the vertical alignment. You're saying we need to make our decisions, but there is no data avaliable."
"Not prepared tonight to share data to defend any of those ideas"
"For us, what I want to know as a parent that these ideas that are being considered...that there is some darn good data"
"I can come back and we can have a conversation about the data"
"maybe you should say that for future meetings"
murmur that it wasn't clear from the letter, didn't understand the letter
"I don't know that people understand...I'll learn from that...I did my best even at the beginning of the meeting to say that I'm here to listen...if you have a low-tolerance for reconfiguration, let me know; I won't be offended."
"kids need more time to eat" and he exits to applause
what if the pairing is not schools at the same academic level? My kid goes to a good school, I don't want him to go to a school that's underperforming (this was not answered)
what about class sizes on high school level? You aren't going to send kids to other schools
"no draft work on middle and high school...students drive class size"
need to have more conversations about priorites"How do we get more classes if we are cutting teachers?"
"How are we going to offer more options?"
community resources: what sort of community resources?
question:what about stretching the day?
(it appalls me to type this, but this was said in a voice that mocked the question which was asked at Monday's meeting)"not sitting there from 7-4"
...not to require kids to come...opportunities to learn..some could enrichment, some could be credit-bearing"
"what are the wraparound supports we can bring in? We don't have the resources to do that."
Why can't a child go into a classroom and learn from a teacher? "I'm round enough"
Question posed by Mulqueen "can we do a Classical High for our kids?"
"Is international travel officially not sanctioned by the school district?" Hasn't been brought up this year
push to have that ban lifted to "take advantage of international travel...if we are global "
"when you are considering this...to me, that is just mechanics, it's not what the kids are going to get out of it...Consider them as if they...challenge them to be the best they can be" several sports analogies "parents can buy into and kids can achieve and people will come back...this is just merchandising, packaging.
"math program is "maddening" curriculum holding back kids
Maddening when we dumb down AP, honors..."then MCAS that's ...have the data that shows that one option is better than the other?
"I don't care about the MCAS quite frankly. It narrows them down and doesn't allow them to excel."
"treat their brains as if it's a physical gift"
(that last all from the same parent)
transition to gifted and talented by Mulqueen "we can't do it with the same lockstep structure"
"this isn't the convincing meeting" Mulqueen
"when you're fortunate enough to have a child that has some artistic strengths and some other strengths" would like to go abroad and get her credit: question to get her credit..."struggle about what you're going to give to her...I see my daughter going to have a full, rich life, but only if the school tells her [she can]..beyond the MCAS, and I know that's a lot to ask. All kids should have these opportunities."
Mulqueen "we're trying to make the system more flexible"
question: might we want to see about how NCLB changes before we make our changes?
"this is the direction it's going, that's the message we're getting" cites going to Washington "coming from several directions"
suggestion that we get in touch with federal legislators if we are concerned about it (yes, this suggestion was from me. It's the only time I spoke.)
question about scheduling conflicts and after school choices: putting it outside the school day so there can be another section of AP or something else
"if we adjust the sports teams a half hour, timing wise" it might give enough time for the course"
some of these things might not happen
"Is virtual high school already available? wouldn't that be a good idea for gifted and talented? Not like you can't be enriched now"
"expanded opportunites"
Conversation that parents don't know about these options
Our guidance counselors are overextended as they are; need additional guidance; need more, particularly with all of these new choices
"have to figure a way to make the job do-able"
"implementing them will be the problem-solving part"
"kids have to learn to advocate for themselves too"complacency from kids... kids "already know that it's okay to knock on a door and ask a question"
"awful lot of people in this building that are tripping over themselves to offer...not always a lot of people taking us up on those options"
"envision core courses that kids are required to take"
"If we're talking about the core, it's a lot of things"
"The way you see it, it's fully choice...so kids who do need remediation" could go after hours
"a way for principals to be instructional leaders" and not be outside the buildings
"before we go changing everything, let's look at the things we're doing that's good, and build on that"
talking with principals about "trying to do both"
"the system needs some changes in it..unless we do things differently, not getting there"
request to write down all those good ideas
rumors about elementary schools that have paired up sister schools; his draft document that nobody has seen (he swears)


I should also perhaps point out that Clive McFarlane, Telegram and Gazette columnist, attended. The meeting ended right at 7:30, 'though people stayed to fill out their forms, which Mulqueen said would be typed up and compiled by his secretary.