School board hears first sample of new focus on key areas
NORWICH – During the Norwich City School District Board of Education meeting on Sept. 12, Superintendent Gerard O’Sullivan presented board members with a preliminary draft focusing on three key areas: academics, finance and students. Last night’s meeting, held in the district office conference room, found board members hearing and discussing the new format for the first time.
Norwich High School seniors Ian Weaver and Patrick Taylor’s presentation on the Student Government’s Leadership Project kicked-off the new discussion agenda. Their approximately 15-minute presentation included information on last year’s trip, which featured stops at Lake Placid and Giant Mountain.
Weaver said there are “not many other experiences you can have in life” that compare with the annual leadership trip, which he called “a great success.”
This year, Student Government is hoping to add to the success of the project, implementing the popular Purple Pride Picnic, peer mediation and a year-long trivia challenge for all students, which will help to “promote personal growth and leadership skills,” according to NHS teacher and Student Government advisor Richard Turnbull.
Director of Instruction and Staff Development Iraina Gerchman’s academic summary – focused on the district’s Advanced Placement scores, Regents results, grades 3-8 testing and LINKS Plan – presented board members with in-depth information on testing trends, annual data and the district’s accountability standards. Last year, the district had 11 AP scholars, she reported, four at the scholar level, two with honors and five with distinction. In total, 37 students sent out their AP scores to over 30 colleges when they sat for the test, she added, proof that students are “already thinking about furthering their education.”
Gerchman went on to report that – while Regents scores are improving steadily in many areas – there’s also been a downslide in others. As for grades 3-8 testing, some statistics show grades “bottoming out,” due to the fact that “what was considered passing five years ago is no longer passing now.”
Wightman’s financial overview, focused on operations and maintenance of the district’s schools and grounds, provided board members with a general consensus of the various crews who maintain both. They are, he said, the “folks that really make it happen after hours,” keeping each and every school ready to go on a day-to-day basis. There is, he reported, over 500,000 square feet of building space – not to mention the acreage around each school – to maintain. Over the past ten years, there’s been an increase in costs, in regards to operations and maintenance, of approximately 2.48 percent, said Wightman.
O’Sullivan, who was not present at last night’s meeting, previously stated that the new focus on academics, finances and students will help the board to see the district’s budget and its various parts “much earlier in the cycle, which will give them a good understanding of what goes into a $35 million budget.”
The next NCSD Board of Education meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 11 in the district office conference room.
Norwich High School seniors Ian Weaver and Patrick Taylor’s presentation on the Student Government’s Leadership Project kicked-off the new discussion agenda. Their approximately 15-minute presentation included information on last year’s trip, which featured stops at Lake Placid and Giant Mountain.
Weaver said there are “not many other experiences you can have in life” that compare with the annual leadership trip, which he called “a great success.”
This year, Student Government is hoping to add to the success of the project, implementing the popular Purple Pride Picnic, peer mediation and a year-long trivia challenge for all students, which will help to “promote personal growth and leadership skills,” according to NHS teacher and Student Government advisor Richard Turnbull.
Director of Instruction and Staff Development Iraina Gerchman’s academic summary – focused on the district’s Advanced Placement scores, Regents results, grades 3-8 testing and LINKS Plan – presented board members with in-depth information on testing trends, annual data and the district’s accountability standards. Last year, the district had 11 AP scholars, she reported, four at the scholar level, two with honors and five with distinction. In total, 37 students sent out their AP scores to over 30 colleges when they sat for the test, she added, proof that students are “already thinking about furthering their education.”
Gerchman went on to report that – while Regents scores are improving steadily in many areas – there’s also been a downslide in others. As for grades 3-8 testing, some statistics show grades “bottoming out,” due to the fact that “what was considered passing five years ago is no longer passing now.”
Wightman’s financial overview, focused on operations and maintenance of the district’s schools and grounds, provided board members with a general consensus of the various crews who maintain both. They are, he said, the “folks that really make it happen after hours,” keeping each and every school ready to go on a day-to-day basis. There is, he reported, over 500,000 square feet of building space – not to mention the acreage around each school – to maintain. Over the past ten years, there’s been an increase in costs, in regards to operations and maintenance, of approximately 2.48 percent, said Wightman.
O’Sullivan, who was not present at last night’s meeting, previously stated that the new focus on academics, finances and students will help the board to see the district’s budget and its various parts “much earlier in the cycle, which will give them a good understanding of what goes into a $35 million budget.”
The next NCSD Board of Education meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 11 in the district office conference room.
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