Transcript TPS Community Budget Workshop 1-20 / 1

TPS Community Budget
Workshop 1-20 / 1-21 / 2015
From the
January 15th
sharing out
of ideas,
questions
and costsaving
measures
Tonight’s Agenda
• 7:30 - Welcome
• 7:35 – 7:50 PM - Questions and Answers
• 7:50 – 8:05 PM – Short-term actions
• 8:05 – 8:20 PM – Long term explorations
• 8:20 – 8:30 PM – Anything else?
Questions that came up (and hopefully some
answers):
Would better teaching actually allow larger class sizes?
• Better training will allow teachers to more effectively provide an education for
the students in front of them. Think of putting better fuel in the car, the car will
run better, but that same fuel cannot run more cars. Better PD and materials
makes for a better education for all, and can improve teachers differentiation
strategies, but larger numbers will provide challenges regardless of how well a
teacher is trained.
• In general lower class sizes + better teacher training + appropriate material
support = impact student performance
• http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Organizing-aschool/Class-size-and-student-achievement-At-a-glance/Class-size-andstudent-achievement-Research-review.html
• http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2011/05/11-class-sizewhitehurst-chingos
Questions that came up (and hopefully some
answers):
• If we cut teachers but increase paraprofessionals, would that help solve the
problem?
•
While paraprofessionals provide valuable classroom support, most paraprofessionals do
not have as much subject area training (i.e. Math degrees), professional training (i.e.
Masters/6th years/CAGS in education), and are not required to pass assessments designed
to weed out weak teachers (previously BEST, now TEAM – state beginning educator
programs). Teachers cannot be replaced by paras, but paras can provide a valuable
resource with teacher and administrator direction.
Questions that came up (and hopefully some
answers):
Can the community write grant proposals?
• Yes, we would welcome any grant opportunities. I will work with anyone who wishes to do so.
Can Tolland become a provider of special education as opposed to expensive outsourcing, to
handle our own needs at lower expense plug make money from it (from other towns)?
• Special education outplacement is a specialized business. Exploring opportunities with entities like EASTCONN is a
good way of accomplishing this. Other relationships will be explored as well.
Correcting the ‘past sins’ does that all need to be done in one year, or could it (the impact) be
spread out? Or is it already a done deal? And is it a significant enough amount to make a real
difference?
• It is possible to reduce rather than eliminate pre-purchasing for next year, however, that would require the district to
have some money left over to pre-purchase with. At this time the district is at a deficit of $386,823.08. While we
expect some money from the state for “Excess Cost Sharing” – we are significantly more in the negative than we
were at this time last year. In addition, any pre-purchasing we do will “kick the can” of the problem into next year –
appearing to lower the actual budget amount so the next year’s percentage increase will appear higher.
Questions that came up (and hopefully some
answers):
Can we use prepurchase
dollars, or
money left over
at the end of
the year to
bring back a
teaching
position?
• A staff person has benefits and other financial
commitments that are ongoing, thus the
budgetary implication of doing so extends out
beyond one year. If the position was
unsustainable in a year, that may be true in the
future as well. In addition, this kind of thing can
bring up trust or accuracy issues positions
stated as having been “lost” suddenly return,
giving the impression things were exaggerated
for effect during the referendum process.
Questions that came up (and hopefully some
answers):
Could we go to Ellington for PD? If we paid Ellington, instead of
Teacher’s College, would such training be of equitable/acceptable
quality?
• Ellington’s teachers, and other districts who have some experience with
Writers Workshop, have many useful practices to share. They can certainly
serve as mentors to us in the process, but much like a mentor at work helps
you work through the intricacies of a workplace – the mentor is not a
surrogate for the training and materials. For instance, a college education
gives the foundation, and the mentor the refinement. It is a similar
arrangement. To enlist a mentor without the training foundation of a place
like Teachers College, would frustrate the mentor and the mentee as the
mentee would not have the vocabulary, experience, background knowledge,
or materials to benefit most from the support.
Questions that came up (and hopefully some
answers):
Big concern is that cuts to the high school will
degrade its desirability.
• Any cuts will be spread to all district schools. In the past more
have come from the upper elementary and middle levels. Losses
at any level impact education across the board as reductions in
the earlier grades reduces quality of education and student
performance at the higher levels. Non-teaching positions will be
explored in any consideration of reductions as well, in which case
need and ratios of staff to support staff would be utilized in an
effort to offset the impact on instruction.
Questions that came up (and hopefully some
answers):
Do we have a cap for # of students in classes, is it contractual?
• In some cases, yes (Article 31, page 34 of Teacher contract) – States also have
certain policies and recommendations that focus on class size reductions:
• http://www.classsizematters.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/8195.pdf
• State of Connecticut Average Class Sizes
• http://sdeportal.ct.gov/Cedar/WEB/ct_report/AverageClassSizeDTViewer.aspx
Questions that came up (and hopefully some
answers):
Can we
combine
part-time
paras?
• Doing so may, under the affordable care act,
mean we have to allocate insurance benefits
to more of these positions (over 30 hours). In
addition, have 2 adults in the school building
who are working as paras may provide more
scheduling flexibility.
Short-term actions/considerations
Create shared facilities management opportunities between the School and the Town.
Increase the use of Volunteer groups in the schools.
Continue to engage in school-university partnerships with Eastern Connecticut State University, the University of
Connecticut, University of New Haven, and others. They cannot provide surrogates for teachers, but they provide
additional adults in the classrooms who are there to help educate the children.
Sell our HS programs to students, giving Magnet schools more competition in “advertising” with the goal of
reducing attrition.
Reduce cost of substitute teachers by reducing compensation level.
Create TPS Grant Committee, and meet regularly (monthly). This group can include volunteers and staff who
find, and execute grant opportunities for the district.
Long term explorations
Continue to explore / court relationships with EASTCONN and other organizations to offset impact of
outplacements.
Review school schedules.
Review the DRA study and enrollments.
Explore retirement incentives.
Explore corporate sponsorships of Teacher PD training, and initiatives like the move of the central office
(providing additional space for corporate/town partnerships in the current Central Office building)
Rental of building space out to other educational entities. Even if these organizations do not offset
special education outplacement, they may provide additional revenue.
Distance and online learning opportunities.