NORTH KINGSTOWN SCHOOL COMMITTEE

Wednesday, February 6, 2002

7:00 PM School Budget Hearing/Worksession Meeting

 

Central Administration Building                                                                                                                    100 Fairway Drive

“Challenging Student Excellence”

 

Budget Hearing/Worksession Minutes

           I.          Pledge of Allegiance

 

         II.          Call To Order                        The worksession was called to order at 7:21 PM.

                                                              

A.            Roll Call                 Present:  Chairperson Lynne Haft, Vice Chairperson Karin L. Forbes, Denise Coppa, Michael R. Northup (absent at 8:45 PM), Patricia E. Watkins, and Cathy Kaiser

                                                      Absent:  Dr. Janice DeFrances and Carol H. Hueston

 

                                                      Administration Present:  James M. Halley, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools, William J. Daly, Director of Human Resources, Joseph F. Quinn, Jr., Director of Administrative Services and Maureen Buck, Controller

                                                      Absent:  Daniel J. McGregor, Ph.D., Director of Pupil Personnel Services and Barbara A. Fitzsimmons, Curriculum Director

 

 

       III.          Open Forum

¨       Melissa Polom representing the PTO and parents of Wickford Elementary School supports the budget.

 

       IV.          Proclamation                         February 4-8 was proclaimed School Counseling Week in North Kingstown in honor of National School Counseling Week.  The designation is to recognize counselors and the great things they do.  A reception was held in their honor February 4.

 

         V.          New Business

 

A.                  2002-03 School Budget  (clock counter 3:43)

The Budget 2002 Point Paper was distributed to the audience.  Please note the bolded print as being specifically pointed out by Dr. Halley at the meeting.

 

thiNK – Taxes Help us Invest in North Kingstown

 

Budget 2002 Point Paper

 

North Kingstown per pupil expenditures are below the state average. (2000 In$ite data)

               

North Kingstown spends $8954 while the state average is $9047.

                Eighteen school districts spend more than North Kingstown including Narragansett ($12,025), West Warwick ($10,080), Warwick ($9763), Westerly ($9714), Exeter-West Greenwich ($9570), and CHARIHO ($9226).

                Our 2002-03 Budget increase of 4.6% compares well to surrounding communities.  The percentage of increase in the school budget over the past seven years has been below the increases experienced in surrounding communities and the state.

 

The 2002-03 budget for North Kingstown is a status quo request.

 

                Out of the $1,944,412 increase in the operational budget $1,934,457 are contractually required increases in salaries and benefits.  Less than $10,000 has been slated for new programs.  Monies have been reallocated to meet increased needs in technology and janitorial personnel as well as to support junior varsity lacrosse.

                In the development of this budget, necessary programs have already been eliminated or deferred in order to be fiscally responsible.  These programs include staff development and expansion of the SmART (SPECTRA) program to additional elementary and middle schools, piloting of a full day kindergarten program, full funding of technology, full funding of our furniture replacement program, block scheduling of the high school, reduction in class sizes, adding bleachers and lights at the district’s athletic facilities, as well as necessary renovation, preventive maintenance and improvement of school facilities.

                All except .12% of the increase in the budget is the result of external circumstances such as negotiated salaries, step increases, and health benefit cost increases.  This .12% includes a $100,000 increase in Special Education tuitions and a decrease in other accounts to compensate for this increase.

               

If the budget is reduced from its current level there will be a comparable reduction in personnel, programs (curricular and extra-curricular) and an increase in elementary class size through spot redistricting.

 

                A standards-based budgeting process is used to develop the budget; therefore, all expenses are directly related to the numbers and needs of students.

                Eighty one point three two percent of the budget is dedicated to personnel costs.  In terms of functional areas, Seventy point three seven percent is dedicated to school operations, ten point nine seven percent is dedicated to direct district support of school operations, four point seven eight percent is dedicated to transportation, five point one eight percent to operations and maintenance of plant, one point two one percent to athletics and three point six five percent to out of district tuitions. Any significant reduction in the school budget would require a reduction in personnel.

                               

Over the past six years school department monies have been spent wisely to build systems that result in continuous improvement of student performance.

 

A mission and belief statement that emphasized continuous improvement was adopted and implemented. 

A seven-year curriculum cycle has been established insuring that all curriculum areas are reviewed, evaluated, updated and renewed on an annual basis so that each student has access to current, standards-based knowledge and materials. This cycle establishes a process to review and update the things that students should know and be able to do. 

A common system for the improvement of instruction was implemented.  This system includes a construct for good instruction, a common language for evaluating and improving instruction.  The instruction improvement system is tied to staff development, the teacher evaluation program and the teacher induction program.

School improvement processes at each school are tied to increasing student achievement and supported by professional development and professional evaluation systems that stress continuous improvement. 

Our schools have networked with the University of Rhode Island and Brown University to establish best educational practices for instruction in every classroom.

The SmART (SPECTRA) program of integration of the arts throughout the curriculum has been implemented in elementary schools with training at the middle level.

Advisory councils have been established to involve parents and community members in decision-making. 

A state of the art technology system has been implemented to support instruction. 

A standards based budgeting process has been put into practice to insure that resources are distributed in an equitable manner. 

Systems have been established to improve the infrastructure of our schools – upgrade our current facilities, keep our buildings in good repair, replace furniture and equipment, keep track of student records and transport students. 

 

These systems for continuous improvement have had a significant impact on student achievement.

 

On the New Standards Performance Assessments administered throughout the state our students demonstrate a far higher percentage of proficiency than other districts in the state.  Over ninety percent of our fourth grade students are proficient or higher in basic reading.  In every area, the number of students in North Kingstown who demonstrate proficiency has exceeded the state average in every year the test has been given.  Moreover the numbers of students who demonstrate proficiency has been increasing each year.  Our students demonstrate proficiency at higher levels than expected when compared to comparable students.  Four of our schools on seven occasions have been designated as honor schools by the state because the students exceeded expectations in all assessment areas.  In terms of state reported school performance categories no schools were low performing.  Seven of nine schools were high performing.  Five schools were improving in a majority of the testing categories.  In terms of New Standards Performance proficiency our schools add value to the achievement of students.

A visit to any of our elementary schools demonstrates the high expectations and achievement of our students.  The work, the activities, the excitement, and the involvement of students are all indicative of high quality learning environments.  External monitoring teams that have visited three of our schools gave high praise to the educational programs offered to students.

At the middle level, our schools are cited as examples of good practice by schools throughout the state.  The faculties of schools from throughout New England visit our schools to improve their schools.  An external monitoring team that visited one of our middle schools gave high praise to the educational programs offered to students.

At the high school level, our students score above the state and national averages on the Scholastic Aptitude Test.  Last year, three of our students were recognized as National Merit Scholars.  North Kingstown High School consistently is in the top three high schools in terms of the number of students who earn scores high enough on the Advanced Placement Tests to get college credit.

Every week, students in the North Kingstown Schools are recognized by outside agencies for their achievement and contributions.  Two of our teachers have been selected as Rhode Island Teacher of the Year.  Our teachers have been recognized as Milken Fellows, Science and Math Fellows and numerous other honors.  One of our principals has just been selected as the National Distinguished Principal from Rhode Island.

The North Kingstown School District is a high achieving system in terms of students and educators. 

 

The investment of tax dollars by the citizens of North Kingstown has enabled the schools and the students to demonstrate these high levels of achievement. 

 

Tax dollars budgeted for the North Kingstown schools have been good investments that have yielded a high rate of return. 

These tax dollar investments have contributed to the quality of life in our town. 

Tax dollars invested in education make our town a more attractive place in which to live.

The value we have gotten out of our tax dollar investment is reflected in the increased resale value of homes and property in North Kingstown.

               

 

This past year the tax rate for the town of North Kingstown decreased by over two dollars per $1000 assessed valuation.  This decrease took place in spite of the introduction of debt payment for a $33 million high school.  There will be no further increase in the tax rate of North Kingstown as a result of debt payment for the high school.

 

thiNK – Taxes Help us Invest in North Kingstown

                                                                

Dr. Halley enumerated the estimated projected budget increases that may take place in the following towns.

                Town                                                      Percentage Increase

Westerly                                                                                8.8

Narragansett                                                                         7.19

Exeter/West Greenwich                                                       7.1

Chariho                                                                                  5.7

West Warwick                                                                      approx. 6.1

Cranston                                                                                8.5

Lincoln                                                                                   7.56

Cumberland                                                                           10.0

Jamestown                                                                            8.4

               

                                School Performance Results for North Kingstown schools were distributed to the audience and are as follows.

 

                                High Performing – Improving

                                Forest Park Elementary, Hamilton Elementary, Quidnessett Elementary, Wickford Elementary, and Davisville Middle

                                High Performing – Not Improving

                                Stony Lane Elementary, Wickford Middle

                                Moderately Performing – Not Improving

                                Davisville Elementary, North Kingstown High School

                               

                                With regard to “improving” and “not improving”, if the number of students that aren’t meeting the standard is not reduced, the school is classified as “not improving.”

 

                                Maureen Buck designed a graph to show a comparison of Operation and Maintenance Expenses from 1997-2001 which highlights the procedure that money spent at the school level comes from money budgeted at the district level.

 

                                Personnel standards have been revised. 

 

                                Town-wide open forums have been scheduled for April 15 and 17.

 

                                Budget Hearing comments:

 

¨                   Darlene Godin of Steamboat Avenue asked about administrative costs and custodial costs in terms of efficiency of operations.  Ms. Godin asked the school committee to keep senior citizens in mind and to please cut the budget without hurting the children.

¨                   Bill Mudge commented regarding school operation and maintenance expenses, substitute teacher expenses broken down into sick time and training time percentages, difficulty in following the budgetary process, and the procedure to approve over-expenditures in budgeted line items.

¨                   Teri Ohs asked about specific increases and decreases in the budget.

¨                   Ms. Grodin asked about Special Education Funding and the Bill regarding this topic in Congress.

 

Worksession comments:

 

¨                   Karin Forbes asked about outsourcing custodians, the number of custodians at the high school, lawn mowers that were purchased, the process of how money is disseminated at the school level and the process of how the high school was built.

¨                   Dr. Halley gave the history of how the high school came to be built during a process that began five to six years ago.  The superintendent said that we have a capital development fund.

 

       VI.          Comments  clock counter 1:35:20

 

¨                   Lynne Haft said that next Wednesday, February 13, a business meeting will be held after the worksession to adopt the budget.

¨                   Mr. Mudge had questions relating to operation and maintenance expenses and following the budget.

 

     VII.          Motion to Adjourn was made by Pat Watkins/Karin Forbes (4/0) at 9:12 PM, clock counter 1:37:47.

 

                                                                                                Respectfully submitted,

 

 

                                                                                                _______________________________________

                                                                                                Donna F. Keough

                                                                                                School Committee Secretary