At a recent meeting of the Board of Education, the Board approved goals for the 2010-11 school year. These goals were developed during our Board Retreat on August 30, and discussed and refined in subsequent meetings. (Goals are followed by specific action plan items in italics.)
District Goals
1. Meet identified student achievement goals at each school.
a. Develop school-based student achievement goals and action plans and monitor implementation.
b. Survey other districts regarding gifted and talented programs.
2. Implement new online student information tools for families, staff and students.
a. Develop formal plan with timeline expectations for implementation of entire system.
b. Develop plan to integrate and/or discontinue current redundant software.
3. Realign and maintain professional development opportunities across the district.
a. Align with school goals and action plans.
b. Investigate consortia for professional development.
4. Manage and complete referendum building projects within budget.
Board Goals
1. Conduct a community planning process.
a. Involve community.
b. Develop administrator's action plans.
2. Advocate regarding specific educational issues affecting Ridgewood on a state level.
a. Involve the community in this effort.
3. Negotiate in good faith with the REA by evaluating, among other things, the financial and educational effect on the district of any potential contract settlements.
4. Focus on timely communication with the public as we evaluate the current financial planning process.
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
On the agenda for Monday’s meeting of the BOE.
Tomorrow night is our first BOE meeting since mid-July. There are several business items on the agenda, as well as our annual “Board Retreat” where we discuss our self-evaluation of the Board and discuss goals for the 2010-11 school year.
Please note: unlike what is stated in the agenda, we will begin at 6:00 with Board business FIRST, and then move on to the Board Retreat items after 7:30 p.m. (Our representative from the New Jersey School Boards Association will be facilitating the Retreat section, and he cannot be here until 7:30.)
Agenda highlights (click here for full agenda on RPS website):
Update on referendum projects, including status and estimated completion dates for the various projects currently underway.
Approval of new curriculum, which was worked on over the summer. Some of the new curriculum is for Math in grades K-2. (Remember, we previously started with grades 3-5 with EnVision Math. Now it’s time to phase in Grades 3-5.) There is also new curriculum for several new courses added at the high school. Whenever new textbooks are purchased, there is a need to review and make sure the curriculum guide matches up. You can see the list of new curriculum guides at the end of the agenda on the website.
Approval of several appointments of new staff, including our new Supervisor of Wellness/Athletic Director, several new teachers, many changes in staff assignment, co-curricular stipends, new substitutes, etc.
Acceptance of donations for the athletic field lighting.
Approval of change orders for various referendum projects. The agenda includes descriptions of each change, along with the status of the bid and what the change order means to the project’s total budget. All of the change orders are for unforeseen construction issues, such as discovering the wrong (not per current code) type of wiring inside the Ridge ceiling, discovering the water main under Stevens Field, discovering rotted wood inside Willard’s roof, etc. This is why there were contingency funds included in every project’s budget – because we knew that when we opened up some of these buildings, we would undoubtedly find things we didn’t expect, but that need to be fixed.
Discussion of the revised policy for School & Facility Naming Rights. The Board believes there is a potential for raising some funds with naming rights for facilities such as fields, etc. We have been approached by some interested parties. This new policy spells out how it would work. We’ll talk about it tomorrow night.
As always, you are invited to attend our Public Meeting, which begins tomorrow at 6:00 PM at the Ed Center, 3rd floor. It will also be broadcast on Channel 77 and webcast on our website (click here). You can also watch the archived webcast later.
Any questions, comment here or email me lauriegood@mac.com
Please note: unlike what is stated in the agenda, we will begin at 6:00 with Board business FIRST, and then move on to the Board Retreat items after 7:30 p.m. (Our representative from the New Jersey School Boards Association will be facilitating the Retreat section, and he cannot be here until 7:30.)
Agenda highlights (click here for full agenda on RPS website):
Update on referendum projects, including status and estimated completion dates for the various projects currently underway.
Approval of new curriculum, which was worked on over the summer. Some of the new curriculum is for Math in grades K-2. (Remember, we previously started with grades 3-5 with EnVision Math. Now it’s time to phase in Grades 3-5.) There is also new curriculum for several new courses added at the high school. Whenever new textbooks are purchased, there is a need to review and make sure the curriculum guide matches up. You can see the list of new curriculum guides at the end of the agenda on the website.
Approval of several appointments of new staff, including our new Supervisor of Wellness/Athletic Director, several new teachers, many changes in staff assignment, co-curricular stipends, new substitutes, etc.
Acceptance of donations for the athletic field lighting.
Approval of change orders for various referendum projects. The agenda includes descriptions of each change, along with the status of the bid and what the change order means to the project’s total budget. All of the change orders are for unforeseen construction issues, such as discovering the wrong (not per current code) type of wiring inside the Ridge ceiling, discovering the water main under Stevens Field, discovering rotted wood inside Willard’s roof, etc. This is why there were contingency funds included in every project’s budget – because we knew that when we opened up some of these buildings, we would undoubtedly find things we didn’t expect, but that need to be fixed.
Discussion of the revised policy for School & Facility Naming Rights. The Board believes there is a potential for raising some funds with naming rights for facilities such as fields, etc. We have been approached by some interested parties. This new policy spells out how it would work. We’ll talk about it tomorrow night.
As always, you are invited to attend our Public Meeting, which begins tomorrow at 6:00 PM at the Ed Center, 3rd floor. It will also be broadcast on Channel 77 and webcast on our website (click here). You can also watch the archived webcast later.
Any questions, comment here or email me lauriegood@mac.com
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Goal-setting.
The Board of Education next meets on August 30. Aside from some regular BOE business, this is slated to be the Board's annual "Retreat." If you've been reading my blog from the beginning, you'll know that for the previous two years, I have bristled a little at that characterization. In the normal definition of a corporate retreat, a company's management goes off-site to take a big picture view of operations and discuss things like the mission and goals for the coming year. The retreat format allows for deeper, more philosophical discussions -- and participants are removed from the day-to-day minutia that normally interferes with this type of conceptual thinking.
The Board of Education "retreat" is substantially different.
#1 We don't go anywhere. We're required to meet in public, so we need to stay here in Ridgewood for public access.
#2 We can't spend any money, so we can't pay to use any other facility like a hotel conference room or something like that.
#3 We hold it as part of a regularly scheduled meeting, so the time we can spend is limited.
#4 The meeting is public, which does have an impact on the "frankness" of the discussions. Participants may be hesitant to discuss certain feelings or be critical of one's self or others, in a public forum. That's human nature.
#5 A representative from the New Jersey School Boards Association comes to "facilitate" our self-evaluation and goal-setting session.
I complain about this every year. I'm going to do so again this year.
I think the idea of a Board retreat is good one. I think we could benefit from some soul-searching and conceptual thinking about what we do and how we do it. I think removing ourselves physically from the Ed Center would help re-focus the conversation. Isn't there some way we could get more from the Retreat process? Isn't there anyplace else in Ridgewood or vicinity where we could meet? What about Village Hall? The Library? Maybe at one of our schools? Maybe there's some empty office space that a local landlord would loan for a day? And when I say "a day" I mean an entire day. Sure, the meeting could still be public...if anyone wants to sit around and watch us talk for a day, they would be welcome to do so...
These are my thoughts, once again, as we approach our annual retreat/meeting. In the meantime, I'm thinking about goals for the 2010 school year. The format is usually for the Board and administration to come up with a list of goals for the District, and a list of goals for the Board.
What do you think our goals should be for this new school year?
The Board of Education "retreat" is substantially different.
#1 We don't go anywhere. We're required to meet in public, so we need to stay here in Ridgewood for public access.
#2 We can't spend any money, so we can't pay to use any other facility like a hotel conference room or something like that.
#3 We hold it as part of a regularly scheduled meeting, so the time we can spend is limited.
#4 The meeting is public, which does have an impact on the "frankness" of the discussions. Participants may be hesitant to discuss certain feelings or be critical of one's self or others, in a public forum. That's human nature.
#5 A representative from the New Jersey School Boards Association comes to "facilitate" our self-evaluation and goal-setting session.
I complain about this every year. I'm going to do so again this year.
I think the idea of a Board retreat is good one. I think we could benefit from some soul-searching and conceptual thinking about what we do and how we do it. I think removing ourselves physically from the Ed Center would help re-focus the conversation. Isn't there some way we could get more from the Retreat process? Isn't there anyplace else in Ridgewood or vicinity where we could meet? What about Village Hall? The Library? Maybe at one of our schools? Maybe there's some empty office space that a local landlord would loan for a day? And when I say "a day" I mean an entire day. Sure, the meeting could still be public...if anyone wants to sit around and watch us talk for a day, they would be welcome to do so...
These are my thoughts, once again, as we approach our annual retreat/meeting. In the meantime, I'm thinking about goals for the 2010 school year. The format is usually for the Board and administration to come up with a list of goals for the District, and a list of goals for the Board.
What do you think our goals should be for this new school year?
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
We have goals!
At last night's Board meeting, we approved the following as the Board of Education's goals for the 2008-2009 school year. (Normally this would happen sooner, but this year we waited to have our Board retreat until Dr. Fishbein had started as superintendent).
Student Learning
Promote academic achievement for all students. Develop a set of metrics to collect baseline data that measures and demonstrates individualized student success in curricular and co-curricular opportunities.
What this means: We want to define the things that are important to us as a district...how do we measure student success in ways other than test scores? Is there a Ridgewood definition of "success" that encompasses academics, extracurriculars, that measures effort in addition to achievement? This year we want to answer these questions, figure out what we want to prioritize, and then we'll proceed to use those metrics to evaluate the district and ourselves.
Communications
Conduct an audit of the two-way flow of information between the district and the community. Identify effective components and areas in need of improvement. Design a community survey instrument to be used in the 2009-2010 school year. Identify the procedures/standards, personnel and budget resources needed to create a highly effective communication system.
What this means: We want to evaluate our communications, both from the Board to the public and from the public to the Board. As part of this evaluation, we will create an annual survey or "report card" or feedback device where parents can tell us how the District and schools are doing. We'll determine where and how our communications can be improved.
Ridgewood Board of Education Policies and Regulations
Review and revise the district's Policy and Procedure Manual, aligning it with state law and code so that it becomes an effective reference and public information tool. Develop new policies that reflect legal mandates and local priorities. Develop a process that ensures ongoing review and updating of the policies and procedures.
What this means: Our Policy Manual needs to be updated, both to incorporate legal requirements and also to make it more user-friendly and more relevant to real, day-to-day life in the District. Updating the policy manual is routine every district must undertake -- it's time to do ours and we want to do it well.
2009-10 Budget and Bond Referendum
Develop a budget that meets the educational needs of all our students and is mindful of the state's budgeting parameters as well as the economic climate in the community. Design a bond referendum that would allow funding for construction of new and improved instructional space, building repairs and capital improvements as identified in our Long Range Facilities Plan and Ridgewood High School Building Evaluation, and possible improvements to athletic facilities.
What this means: Pretty self-explanatory, isn't it? It's going to be a tough budget year, and we're going to have to create a budget AND come up with a smart, comprehensive, fair, efficient and forward-thinking referendum to meet our pressing needs.
Let me know if you have any questions...
Student Learning
Promote academic achievement for all students. Develop a set of metrics to collect baseline data that measures and demonstrates individualized student success in curricular and co-curricular opportunities.
What this means: We want to define the things that are important to us as a district...how do we measure student success in ways other than test scores? Is there a Ridgewood definition of "success" that encompasses academics, extracurriculars, that measures effort in addition to achievement? This year we want to answer these questions, figure out what we want to prioritize, and then we'll proceed to use those metrics to evaluate the district and ourselves.
Communications
Conduct an audit of the two-way flow of information between the district and the community. Identify effective components and areas in need of improvement. Design a community survey instrument to be used in the 2009-2010 school year. Identify the procedures/standards, personnel and budget resources needed to create a highly effective communication system.
What this means: We want to evaluate our communications, both from the Board to the public and from the public to the Board. As part of this evaluation, we will create an annual survey or "report card" or feedback device where parents can tell us how the District and schools are doing. We'll determine where and how our communications can be improved.
Ridgewood Board of Education Policies and Regulations
Review and revise the district's Policy and Procedure Manual, aligning it with state law and code so that it becomes an effective reference and public information tool. Develop new policies that reflect legal mandates and local priorities. Develop a process that ensures ongoing review and updating of the policies and procedures.
What this means: Our Policy Manual needs to be updated, both to incorporate legal requirements and also to make it more user-friendly and more relevant to real, day-to-day life in the District. Updating the policy manual is routine every district must undertake -- it's time to do ours and we want to do it well.
2009-10 Budget and Bond Referendum
Develop a budget that meets the educational needs of all our students and is mindful of the state's budgeting parameters as well as the economic climate in the community. Design a bond referendum that would allow funding for construction of new and improved instructional space, building repairs and capital improvements as identified in our Long Range Facilities Plan and Ridgewood High School Building Evaluation, and possible improvements to athletic facilities.
What this means: Pretty self-explanatory, isn't it? It's going to be a tough budget year, and we're going to have to create a budget AND come up with a smart, comprehensive, fair, efficient and forward-thinking referendum to meet our pressing needs.
Let me know if you have any questions...
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