D41 Board Highlights

Following is a summary of the Board of Education (BOE) highlights from the April 28 meeting. Minutes are posted on www.d41.org once approved.

HADLEY HOSTS BOARD OF EDUCATION
The Board of Education (BOE) held its April 28 meeting in Hadley’s Library. Principal Dr. Chris Dransoff described Hadley as an entity unto itself, a bridge to high school, and a time when children change a great deal physically, intellectually, socially and emotionally. Dr. Dransoff said Hadley is poised to do great things and described the Hadley New Horizons project as a way to build on the school’s strengths and create new opportunities for students. He noted that Hadley has made progress in fostering respectful relationships, which are essential in an environment that promotes academic progress. Hadley teachers Stephanie Julison and Cheryl Fitch gave an overview of a grading system that was introduced this year to do a better job of communicating academic progress and to be more supportive of learning. As part of its continuous improvement effort, and consistent with the research into best practices in assessment, Hadley gave students both an academic and an effort grade. The academic grade reflects student mastery of the curriculum and homework is part of the effort grade—both grades are important. Overall, teachers have been positive about the grading system’s impact on student learning.

NEXT MEETING:
Board meetings are held at Central Services, 793 N. Main St., unless otherwise noted. The public is encouraged to attend meetings. The next BOE meeting will be held Monday, May 19. A special workshop related to the upcoming Vision process will be held Wednesday, May 14, 6:00 p.m. at Forest Glen.

MORE HADLEY PORTABLES REQUESTED
The administration recommended that the BOE approve leasing six portable classrooms for placement at Hadley, bringing the number of portable classrooms at Hadley to 10, and the total across D41 to 32. Superintendent Dr. Ann Riebock explained that the additional portables will not solve all Hadley’s space issues, but will allow the school to better meet instructional goals, among them delivery of the Literacy Block in the same room by the same teacher, and incorporation of Hadley New Horizons recommendations for academic support and core extensions in place of Large Group. The request for portable classrooms is consistent with the BrainSpaces space utilization report, which recommended adding 6-8 classrooms at Hadley. One-time all-inclusive costs for installation, furnishings, electrical hookups, landscaping, stairs, ramps and fees will be $525,000; the annual lease-renewal cost is $54,950. Board members asked for more information on how the portables would be used and a cost-analysis of leasing versus purchasing the units outright. The BOE expects to take action on the matter at its May 19 meeting after a 7:15 p.m. public hearing. If approved, the unit will be placed north of the existing portables.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
A number of residents asked about the implications of the Hadley New Horizons work on the instrumental music programs. Chief among their concerns were that there would be a continued focus on excellence, the impact of changing the delivery of instruction, a desire for continued ability-based programming, and the opportunity for participants to have the same choice options that non-instrumental students will have.