As per usual, the Worcester School Committee will consider the accounts in an order that is not that of the actual budget book. It can be hard to follow...
...unless you have the "budget road map."
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Worcester school buildings before the state tomorrow!
We've recently gotten word that ALL FOUR of our proposed Accelerated repair projects are before the Mass School Building Authority board tomorrow at 10 am!
As a reminder, those projects are:
As a reminder, those projects are:
- Columbus Park: windows and boiler
- Tatnuck Magnet: windows
- Worcester Arts Magnet: windows
- Worcester East Middle: windows, roof, boiler
This is great news! Remember, this means we're up for 80% reimbursement on these fixes!
I will be there and will liveblog the meeting.
New principal announced at Elm Park
We just this afternoon received an email from the Superintendent, announcing the appointment of a new principal at Elm Park Community School.
Her name is Joany Santa, and she currently serves as the HR director in the Fall River School District, where that hiring was part of the district's recovery plan. She was most recently a principal in Southbridge in 2010; previously she worked in Rhode Island, and began, from what I can tell, in central office.
I am reminded that her joining the district as a principal brings to two the number of principals Worcester now has that were on the board of the proposed (but never taken up) "Leaders of Tomorrow Charter School" back in 2009, the other being Jason Falco, the principal at Sullivan Middle School.
Her name is Joany Santa, and she currently serves as the HR director in the Fall River School District, where that hiring was part of the district's recovery plan. She was most recently a principal in Southbridge in 2010; previously she worked in Rhode Island, and began, from what I can tell, in central office.
I am reminded that her joining the district as a principal brings to two the number of principals Worcester now has that were on the board of the proposed (but never taken up) "Leaders of Tomorrow Charter School" back in 2009, the other being Jason Falco, the principal at Sullivan Middle School.
Worcester Public Schools round 2
publishing as we go
Superintendent is speaking from these notes.
Bit of back and forth here as the back up is in the Council agenda (which the Councilors didn't have out on the their desks because the Council agenda is what they do at 7)
Superintendent is speaking from these notes.
Bit of back and forth here as the back up is in the Council agenda (which the Councilors didn't have out on the their desks because the Council agenda is what they do at 7)
At Worcester City Council on the budget
The Council begins hearing the Worcester Public Schools budget at 4 pm. I imagine that we will be starting with the answers from last week.
City Council hears the budget at 4!
Tonight is round two of the City Council hearing of the Worcester Public Schools budget. The meeting starts at 4 at City Hall!
Monday, June 3, 2013
Lots going on this week!
There is a LOT going on this week in and around the Worcester Public Schools!
First up, it is GRADUATION WEEK:
Tomorrow, the Worcester City Council again takes up the Worcester Public Schools budget. As both the mayor and the superintendent have to be at North's graduation at 6, that will be happening right at 4 pm tomorrow. Please join us!
On Wednesday, there are two subcommittee meetings: at 3* pm, there is a Finance and Operations meeting. You can find the agenda here.We're getting the third quarter report, along with the updates on accounts. We've got the report from the Collaborative coming in, a report coming back on the Open Space and Recreation plan (with no backup...hmmm), a claiming review of the Medicaid reimbursements, and AUDITS! Here, here, and here. We also have to consider raising the school lunch price (not that we really have a choice, as it's a federal requirement) to $1.65 for next year
The second subcommittee, meeting at 5 pm, is Teaching, Learning, and Student Supports; you can find the agenda here. There's a review of middle and high school report cards, a request for a middle school ad-hoc committee, a summer program review, a report on admission to middle school honors, and a report on summer reading.
Also, the following courses are being considered for next year:
All of that will be carried over into Thursday's meeting of the Worcester School Committee, for which you can find the agenda here. PLEASE NOTE: the budget hearing begins at 4 pm. We do not yet have the order of accounts (we usually get that at about 2 pm on the day; I'll post it when I have it). We will go to the REGULAR agenda at 7 pm, after executive session at 6.
On that agenda: we are recognizing the Worcester Tech robotics team for their national victory, and Eftalia Economou who was a prize winner in the statewide "My Ideal School" contest with MSBA. We're also getting all of the above subcommittee reports. We have an alleged Open Meeting Law violation.**
We've gotten back our proposals for changes in the policy handbook. We've got a few recognitions going out. A few of my colleagues are asking that Councilor O'Brien's white paper on city schools be considered. I'm making my annual "who is at Worcester charter schools?" request. We're being asked (as we are every year) to a) set the annual grant rate and b) give the superintendent authority to allocate funds internally to close the fiscal year. There's also a boatload of things going off for consideration in various directions, including an updated policy manual, and the exam school report (yes, really! Though not up online yet).
I'll be liveblogging most of the above (well, not the graduations!), so plenty of posts to come. As always, please consider attending the public meetings, and get in touch with comments.
*Yes, that's much earlier than usual. Due to graduations in particular, it's been nearly impossible to get a meeting scheduled. Apologies for those who can't do an afternoon.
**The doors were locked at City Hall during our last meeting. If you follow City Council agendas, you may have seen that this is an ongoing problem; we're told that it's being dealt with.
First up, it is GRADUATION WEEK:
- Burncoat graduates TONIGHT
- North graduates Tuesday
- Doherty graduates Wednesday
- South graduates Friday
- Tech graduates a week from tonight
Tomorrow, the Worcester City Council again takes up the Worcester Public Schools budget. As both the mayor and the superintendent have to be at North's graduation at 6, that will be happening right at 4 pm tomorrow. Please join us!
On Wednesday, there are two subcommittee meetings: at 3* pm, there is a Finance and Operations meeting. You can find the agenda here.We're getting the third quarter report, along with the updates on accounts. We've got the report from the Collaborative coming in, a report coming back on the Open Space and Recreation plan (with no backup...hmmm), a claiming review of the Medicaid reimbursements, and AUDITS! Here, here, and here. We also have to consider raising the school lunch price (not that we really have a choice, as it's a federal requirement) to $1.65 for next year
The second subcommittee, meeting at 5 pm, is Teaching, Learning, and Student Supports; you can find the agenda here. There's a review of middle and high school report cards, a request for a middle school ad-hoc committee, a summer program review, a report on admission to middle school honors, and a report on summer reading.
Also, the following courses are being considered for next year:
- Three Dimensional Design
- Advanced Three Dimensional Design
- Photography
- Digital Media Research
- African American Studies
- Financial Literacy
- Forensics
- Arts Appreciation & Critique
- Class Guitar
- Community Arts Internship
- Dance for Fitness
- Introduction of Music Theory
- Introduction of Music History
- Introduction to Theatre
- Percussion Ensemble
- SongwritingAll of that will be carried over into Thursday's meeting of the Worcester School Committee, for which you can find the agenda here. PLEASE NOTE: the budget hearing begins at 4 pm. We do not yet have the order of accounts (we usually get that at about 2 pm on the day; I'll post it when I have it). We will go to the REGULAR agenda at 7 pm, after executive session at 6.
On that agenda: we are recognizing the Worcester Tech robotics team for their national victory, and Eftalia Economou who was a prize winner in the statewide "My Ideal School" contest with MSBA. We're also getting all of the above subcommittee reports. We have an alleged Open Meeting Law violation.**
We've gotten back our proposals for changes in the policy handbook. We've got a few recognitions going out. A few of my colleagues are asking that Councilor O'Brien's white paper on city schools be considered. I'm making my annual "who is at Worcester charter schools?" request. We're being asked (as we are every year) to a) set the annual grant rate and b) give the superintendent authority to allocate funds internally to close the fiscal year. There's also a boatload of things going off for consideration in various directions, including an updated policy manual, and the exam school report (yes, really! Though not up online yet).
I'll be liveblogging most of the above (well, not the graduations!), so plenty of posts to come. As always, please consider attending the public meetings, and get in touch with comments.
*Yes, that's much earlier than usual. Due to graduations in particular, it's been nearly impossible to get a meeting scheduled. Apologies for those who can't do an afternoon.
**The doors were locked at City Hall during our last meeting. If you follow City Council agendas, you may have seen that this is an ongoing problem; we're told that it's being dealt with.
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