January 2010 Minutes
Last Updated (Monday, 29 November 1999 19:00) Written by Nancy Rhoads Monday, 08 March 2010 10:30
School Council Minutes, 1/19/10
Present: Alan Feinstein, Nicole Feroleto, Christie Getto Young, Fern LaRocca, Nancy Rhoads, Stephanie Zerchykov and David Good
Absent: Roly Chaput
1) David Good updated us on the technology planning for the district. Currently the district is at the end of a 5-year plan and is developing a new 5-year plan. A committee will be formed to evaluate the efficacy of the curriculum, evaluate student preparedness, and look at what other school systems are doing. The goal is to present to the School Committee in the Fall.
Brackett is getting a laptop with LCD projector and cart. This is being funded by the PTO.
The computer lab will be put back together over the summer. David will try to increase the number of computers by six in order to accommodate a full class.
David recommended that he attend School council meetings once or twice a year in order to stay current with Brackett’s needs.
2) The minutes for December were approved unanimously.
3) Math game night was a tremendous success. Approximately 100 families attended. Alan will use this as a steppingstone to reach out to teachers and offer support to them, helping to extend the math curriculum.
4) Stephanie summarized Kathy Bodie’s evaluation of the effects of the budget deficit.
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- 10% decrease in school revenue
- 12% decrease in grants
- no stimulus money
- IDEA funding reduced or eliminated
- Circuit Breaker funding reduced or eliminated ($1.3 million in 2010)
- Class sizes will average 30 students throughout the system
- 40-45 full-time positions will be eliminated at the elementary level
- 10-12 full-time special education positions will be eliminated
5) A safety audit was performed at Brackett. The evaluating team was very impressed with the system in place and there were no issues needing to be addressed.
6) The handbook was typed up. Stephanie will email copies for members to edit and bring to the next meeting
7) The kindergarten is undergoing its accreditation process. NAEYC will be performing its evaluation next month.
