Learning at ARPS
November 3, 2006
Dear Everyone Learning @ ARPS:
Well, we've held off as long as we could! The World Series is over. The leaves are off the trees. The temperature has fallen below freezing. And, the pumpkins have been carved. It can only mean one thing: It's budget season.
Over the next several months, we will provide the School Committees with background information and budget planning documents for their review and questions. The information will come in the form of reports on every district department's organization, plans, and progress as well as updates on specific topics. The budget documents begin with our "Data and Direction" packet of information and the "Revenue and Expenditure Assumptions to Build the Budget."
I will use this email list and our website, www.arps.org, to inform you of budget discussions and postings of budget documents, as well as for our usual updates and School Committee agendas.
On Tuesday, November 7, the Regional School Committee agenda includes: a discussion of information shared at the recent Amherst Budget Coordinating Group Meeting (sort of the A, B, Cs of the budgets), distribution of the time line for the budget process*, and reports on the Student Services department and Food Services. (See agenda below).
As in the past, we will publish as much information as possible about our budgets and finances online and in meetings.
*(I asterisked the budget process to point out right up front that we will follow a very tight and specific time line this year and to note the peculiarity of our building a budget that will be completed about the time the Commonwealth begins their process. And, with that... we begin)!
Thank you for your interest.
Jere Hochman
Superintendent
Agenda Abstracts
Adequate Yearly Progress Abstract: The ?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" >RegionalSchool District did quite well overall on MCAS tests last spring. In the aggregate, the schools and the district surpassed the state target on English Language Arts and Mathematics tests. In technical terms, we achieved Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). One of our “subgroups,” however, did not “make AYP” for successive years and, therefore, the district overall is cited as “needing improvement.” A comprehensive action plan related specifically to MCAS tests is being developed with input from faculty, school councils, administrators, and others.
Hampshire Educational Collaborative Abstract: As we do not find our membership in the Hampshire Educational Collaborative (HEC) to be cost effective, it is my recommendation that we either suspend participation or withdraw membership.
AGENDA for REGULAR Meeting of REGIONALSchool Committee
7:00 PM, TUESDAY—November 7, 2006
High School Library
1. Welcome—7:00 PM
· A. Call to Order
· B. Agenda Review
· C. Minutes—October 24 and 30, 2006
2. Announcements and Public Comment—7:10 PM
3. Superintendent’s Update—7:15 PM
4. Unfinished/Continuing Business—8:00 PM
· A. Policies for Approval
1) 410.03 Enrollment: School Admissions
2) 410.04 Non-Resident Students
3) 420.05 Interrogation and Searches
· A. Policies for First Read
1) 120.08 Public Complaints about curriculum and instructional materials
2) 120.09 Public Complaints about personnel
3) 600.04 Curriculum development and modification
4) 600.04 and 600.05 (To make clearer the School Committee’s role for different changes in curriculum. 600.05 Curriculum adjustment and modification (to be deleted)
5) 420.08 Physical Restraint Policy
· B. Budget Timeline
· C. Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)
5. New Business—8:30 PM
· A. Hampshire Educational Collaborative—Future Considerations
· B. Truck Donation
6. Reports—7:20 PM
· A. Student Services Annual Update
· B. Food Services Annual Update
7. Sub-committee reports—7:05 PM
· Budget Coordinating Group (BCG)
8. School Committee Planning—8:40 PM
· A. Calendar review
· B. Items for upcoming meetings
9. Adjourn—8:45 PM