Nov 14 2011

School Board News November 9, 2011

 Highlights from the November 9, 2011 School Board Meeting

  • Salary and Benefits contract provisions to be opened with APT – public input requested prior to January 5 – see details on input timeline
  • State funding of $6-8 million to finish Beach construction may show up soon!
  • completion of Beach prior to 2012-13 school year is “probable”
  • The School Calendar is being negotiated now – may be approved at December 14 Board meeting – parent survey from February being used as input
  • Filing deadline for school board candidates is November 14, 2011

and more . . . see the full report by June Monach, Board Member

District Pilots New Teacher Evaluation System – Thanks to the generosity of the Piedmont Educational Foundation, and the leadership of a 16 member PUSD Evaluation Committee comprised of teachers, administrators, and counselor/teacher librarian support staff, tremendous progress has been made in piloting the new teacher evaluation system this year. The work of the committee has been supported by consultant Carol Boyd. Through the negotiations process, the charge of the committee includes the following:

  1.  Teacher-developed measures of student growth that can measure how students are progressing;
  2. Standardized testing results that can measure student progress;
  3.  Feedback from the administrator;
  4.  Peer, parent and student input;
  5.  Clear identification structure for delineating specific areas for improvement or growth;
  6.  Develop evaluation systems that recognize different jobs and that apply differently and separately to different professional assignments covered under the Association of Piedmont Teachers’ contract, e.g. counselors, librarians, school psychologists. In the first year, approximately 90% of the teachers are piloting at least one part of the 10 component system: Self-assessment, Classroom Visitation, Action Research, Goal Setting, Pre-Observation Conference, Post Observation Conference, Assessing for Learning, Peer Observation, Student Feedback, and Parent Feedback. The pilot requires a major time commitment on the part of all teachers and administrators, as well as an investment of time and resources in a software system (Data Director) to compile and analyze student performance data.

The Board expressed huge thanks to the committee and teachers throughout the District for working together to create a meaningful and effective evaluation system that supports student success. Board President Roy Tolles commended Superintendent Constance Hubbard for her leadership in advancing the effort.

APT President Harlan Mohagen shared with the Board that at a recent state leadership conference, many are interested in learning more about our teacher evaluation pilot. PowerPoint Presentation: http://www.piedmont.k12.ca.us/board-of-education/meeting-materials.  To view the presentation on KCOM – Go to the School Board Meeting on November 9, 2011 Agenda Item VI. A. District Evaluation Committee: http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/video/index.shtml

Elementary School Plans for Student Achievement Approved – School Site Councils, comprised of parents, teachers, administrators support staff, and students are a great place in our school district for delving into curriculum and school climate issues.

Each year the Site Councils are responsible for developing goals and action plans to support every student’s academic and social development growth in our schools. The three elementary schools have taken a Tri-school approach and developed plans for 2011-12 that focus on two common areas: 1) Fostering a practice of inclusiveness by piloting 2 lessons per grade level from the Welcoming Schools curriculum, conducting an evaluation of their success, and developing recommendations for next steps at year-end; and 2) Continuing to develop a comprehensive Tri-School English Language Arts Program. The Board expressed support for continuing to take a Tri-school approach towards program review, evaluation, and continuous improvement in practices that support every student.

Also noted on each of the plans were the following topics for discussion in the upcoming year: 1) PUSD World Languages Review and 2) Review of the K-5 music program with an emphasis on the new components for 4th and 5th grades. An update on the music program was given at the Tri-school Site Council meeting on November 8th. All three plans were unanimously approved by the Board.

Beach: http://www.piedmont.k12.ca.us/aboutpusd/agenda.minutes/SPSA_Beach_2011.pdf
Havens: http://www.piedmont.k12.ca.us/aboutpusd/agenda.minutes/SPSA_Havens_2011.pdf
Wildwood: http://www.piedmont.k12.ca.us/aboutpusd/agenda.minutes/SPSA_WW_2011.pdf

Spotlight on Student Learning – The PUSD Curriculum Forum is a group of school site council appointed parents and students and teachers, administrators, and board members who work to engage the broad educational community in
understanding and reflecting upon the District’s K-12 curriculum and programs. The group meets to inquire about current programs and practices and to reflect on issues related to the scope and sequence of the District’s curriculum, textbook
adoptions, assessment practices, interventions, and other issues related to the District’s curriculum and programs. Assistant Superintendent Randall Booker explained that a two-year district-wide review of the World Language Program will begin at the kick-off meeting of the Curriculum Forum on November 10, 2011.

“The Magnolia” a New PUSD e-Magazine will be released shortly after the Thanksgiving holiday. According to Assistant Superintendent Booker, the interactive magazine is intended to “bring the classroom experiences of our students into your home.” The publication promises to highlight student success and a variety of educational programs in an interactive format.  Stay tuned! To learn more, go to the School Board Meeting of November 9, 2011 and click on agenda item IX. A. Educational Services Report at: http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/video/index.shtml

Negotiations Timeline & Process Announced Between the District & APT – The District and Association of Piedmont Teachers (APT) have a contract agreement that is effective through June 30, 2014. Every year, two articles of the
contract, ‘Benefits’ and ‘Salary’ are re-opened for negotiation. In addition, up to two articles of choice by APT and up to two articles of choice by the District may be re-opened for negotiation. In Piedmont, the instructional calendar for the next school year is negotiated separately and in advance of the rest of the contract in order to help families and staff plan ahead for the subsequent school year. Before negotiations begin, the public has an opportunity to provide input on the ‘Salary’ and ‘Benefits’ articles as well as suggesting other articles for consideration to be included in the upcoming negotiations process. The timeline for public input is as follows:

Dec 14, 2011 Regular Board Meeting Article XVI (Benefits) & Article XVII (Salaries), and other recommended articles

Jan 11, 2012 Regular Board Meeting 1st Public Hearing of proposed re-openers by the District and APT

Jan 24, 2012 Regular Board Meeting 2nd Public Hearing of proposed re-openers, with Board approval of re-openers

The best time to provide input on which two additional articles should be re-opened, is between now and January 5th. Specific input about the ‘Benefits’ and ‘Salary’ articles will be accepted through January 24th. After January 24th, the District and APT begin the negotiations process which is confidential.

Superintendent Hubbard noted that “staff recommends that in addition to the ‘Benefits’ and ‘Salary’ articles, the additional two articles to re-open be: 1) Article VI. Hours and Professional Responsibility; and 2) Article XIX. Employee Evaluation, in order to continue the work of the Evaluation Committee in progress and the review of the school site bell schedules.”
Go to pp 2-3 at: http://www.piedmont.k12.ca.us/aboutpusd/agenda.minutes/110911packet.pdf

Negotiations of the 2012-13 Instructional Calendar – Many are not aware that the school calendar is a negotiated item between the school district and the Association of Piedmont Teachers (APT). As noted above, Piedmont has enjoyed a tradition of negotiating the calendar separately from the rest of the contract to facilitate the needs of families who want to learn as far enough in advance as possible when school will start and what the holiday vacation schedule will be.
Superintendent Hubbard explained that the District and APT are in the process of negotiating the 2012-13 Instructional Calendar. The calendar is determined taking into consideration its impact on student learning, the need to account for
state mandates, conference and collaboration time, the importance of optimizing classroom learning and maximizing daily attendance/minimizing absences. Parent preferences are weighed along with the aforementioned factors. Feedback from the parent survey administered by the Association of Parent Clubs of Piedmont in February this year also is being used by the negotiations team.

According to Superintendent Hubbard, “It is anticipated that the proposed calendar will include the identification of student and staff furlough days that, if budget constraints allowed, could be reinstated.” Any reinstatement of days to the 2012-13 instructional calendar would need to be approved by the Board no later than June 2012 and would not involve changes in the start or end date of the school year for students. The negotiating team has set a goal to bring the proposed calendar to the Board for adoption at the December 14, 2011 regular Board meeting.

Seismic Safety Construction Program Updates – Superintendent Constance Hubbard confirmed what was reported at the last Board Meeting that because of the recent $1.8 billion bond issuance by the state treasurer’s office, PUSD anticipates receiving funds for construction projects that have been state approved but not yet funded. The State Allocation Board will meet in December to make formal allocations, and PUSD expects to receive at least $6.2 million and possibly as much as $8.3 million from this allocation. According to Superintendent Hubbard, this money will make it probable for our District to complete the Beach project before the start of the 2012/13 school year.
Go to pp 5-7 at: http://www.piedmont.k12.ca.us/aboutpusd/agenda.minutes/110911packet.pdf

February 7, 2012 Municipal Election – Superintendent Hubbard shared the election timeline for any community member interested in becoming a member of the Board of Education. The filing deadline for citizens interested in running for office is Monday, November 14, 2011. See pp 8-10 at: http://www.piedmont.k12.ca.us/aboutpusd/agenda.minutes/110911packet.pdf

February 29, 2012 Special Board Meeting – A special meeting has been scheduled from 4 to 5 pm in the District Administration Office Conference Room for the swearing-in of new Board Members and the re-organization of the new Board.

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