Download - SUPERINTENDENT S REPORT - Westport Central School · WESTPORT CSD SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT FOR OCTOBER 2016 PAGE 2 OF 4 Tonight the Board of Education will receive the Final Report

WESTPORT CSD SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT FOR OCTOBER 2016 PAGE 1 OF 4

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT OCTOBER 13, 2016

TEACHABLEMOMENTSAteachablemomentisanunplannedopportunitythatarisesintheclassroomwhereateacherhasanidealchancetoofferinsightand/orenrichmenttohisorherstudents.Teachablemomentsarenotsomethingthatyoucanplanfor;rather,itisafleetingopportunitythatmustbesensedandseizedbytheteacher.Ateachablemoment‘sailed’intoWestportrecently!

SinceMay2014,theHokule’ahasbeentouringtheworldaspartoftheMālamaHonuaWorldwideVoyage,anefforttoraiseawarenessofoceanicstewardshipandsurveyhowlocalcommunitiesarecaringfortheenvironment.TheHokule’aarrivedattheWestportMarinainmid-Septemberasaresultofmechanicalissues.Whiletheshipandcrewwerestationedhere,WestportCentralSchoolwasabletovisitthevesselandengageina‘teachablemoment’tolearnmoreabouttheworldaroundus–whichfurtherenhancesourownsenseofplace.ThankstoPrincipalJoshMeyer,ourteachers,andallwhotookadvantageofthisuniqueopportunity!APPRPLANAPPROVEDFORWCSNYSCommissionerofEducationMaryEllenEliahasapprovedthesuccessorplanforteacherandprincipalevaluationatWestportCentralSchool.Theletterofapproval(right)isattachedtothisreport.WestportCentral’snewAnnualProfessionalPerformanceReviewplan(APPR)meetsthecriteriaoutlinedinEducationLaw§3012-dandSubpart30-3oftheCommissioner’sRegulations,andwassubsequentlyapprovedonOctober3rd.I’dliketosay‘thanks’totheteamofeducatorsthatworkedtoensureanew,compliantplanforWestportCSD:KarenKearns,CherylPhillips,HeatherOlson,JeffMarcotteandinterimSuperintendentCynthiaFord-Johnston.LaterthismonthI’llengagewithfacultymembersandadministratorsevaluatedwithinthedistrict’sAPPRplaninaroll-outmeeting,toensurethatourteachingprofessionalsandadministratorsareall‘onthesamepage’tomakethisevaluationsystembeneficialforteachersandadministrators–whichultimatelybenefitsstudents!FALLFOCUSONFISCALACCOUNTABILITYThemonthofOctoberisanimportantmonthforthepublicschoolsofNewYorkState,asmostSchoolBoardsarereceivingthefinalreport–andtheIndependentAuditor’sopinion–oftheirschooldistrict’sfinancialpositionasofJune30thoflastyear.

THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

Commissioner of Education E-mail: [email protected]

President of the University of the State of New York Twitter:@NYSEDNews

89 Washington Avenue, Room 111 Tel: (518) 474-5844

Albany, New York 12234 Fax: (518) 473-4909

October 3, 2016

Revised Scott Osborne, Superintendent Westport Central School District 25 Sisco Street Westport, NY 12993 Dear Superintendent Osborne: Congratulations. I am pleased to inform you that your Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) plan meets the criteria outlined in Education Law §3012-d and Subpart 30-3 of the Commissioner’s Regulations and has been approved. As a reminder, we are relying on the information you provided on your APPR form, including the certifications and assurances that are part of your approved APPR plan. If any material changes are made to your approved plan, your district/BOCES must submit such material changes to us for approval. Please see the attached notes for further information.

Please be advised that, pursuant to Education Law §3012-d, the Department will be analyzing data supplied by districts, BOCES, and/or schools and may order a corrective action plan if there are unacceptably low correlation results between the Student Performance category and the Teacher Observation or Principal School Visits category, and/or if the teachers’ or principals’ overall ratings and subcomponent scores show little differentiation across educators and/or the lack of differentiation is not justified by equivalently consistent student achievement results, and/or if schools or districts show a pattern of anomalous results in the Student Performance category and/or the Observation/School Visits category.

The New York State Education Department and I look forward to continuing our work together, with the goal of ensuring that every school has world-class educators in the classroom, every teacher has a world-class principal to support his or her professional growth, and every student achieves college and career readiness.

Thank you again for your hard work. Sincerely, MaryEllen Elia

Commissioner Attachment c: Mark Davey


TonighttheBoardofEducationwillreceivetheFinalReportofthedistrict’s2015-16FinancialStatements.AtWestportCentral,ourBoardofEducationalsoservesinthedual-capacityasthedistrict’sAuditCommittee.EarlierthiseveningtheBoardreviewedthefinalreportofourfinancialstatementswiththeauditor,andwillconsideracceptingthereportaspartoftonight’sagenda–onekeyactionthat,ineffect,servesastheprecursorto2017-18BudgetDevelopment.ProperlyandprofessionallyaccountingfortheuseofpublicfundsintheoperationofWestportCentralSchoolDistrictisthemostcriticalfunctionoftheschoolboard.That’swhythereareregulations,guidelinesandlawsinplacetoensuretheproperuseofschooldistrictfunds.AtWestport,soundfinancialmanagementhasbeenthetrend–andI’dofferthearticulationofa‘framework’(attached)toorganizethekeypersonnel,functionsandactionsthathelppromotethefiscalhealthandwell-beingofourorganization–particularlyinatimewhenschooldistrictsareheldtohigher,morerigorousstandardsjuxtaposedwithlimitedand/ordecliningresources.INDICATORSOFFINANCIALHEALTHThefiscalhealthandwell-beingoftheorganizationisacrucialaspectofschooldistrictleadershipforboththeSchoolBoardandtheGoverningTeam.Ensuringsustainabilityoftheorganization–longafterwenolongerservetheorganization–isconsidered‘goodstewardship’ofthecommunity’sinvestmentinitspublicschoolsystem.Whataretheindicatorsfinancialhealthforschooldistricts?Orrather–whataresomefact-baseddatasourceswecouldturntowhenconsideringtheoverallfinancialhealthandwell-beingoftheorganization?

ü AnnualIndependentAudit:Dotheannualfinancialstatementspresentfairly?ü SusceptibilityofFiscalStress:HastheOfficeofStateComptrolleridentifiedtheschooldistrictas

‘susceptible’tofiscalstressaccordingtothestate’sFiscalStressMonitoringSystem?ü SchoolBudgetVotes:Doesthecommunitysupporttheannualproposedbudget?ü Comptroller’sAudits:HastheNYSOfficeofComptrollerrenderedpositiveopinionsoftheschool

district’sfinancialpoliciesandpractices?ü CreditRating:DoestheDistrictreceiveafavorablecreditrating?ü HealthReserveFundswithCorrespondingPlans:Doestheschooldistricthaveappropriateand

‘healthy’reservefunds,withthecorrespondingplansfortheutilizationofthosereserves,alignedtothemission,visionsandgoals?

WestportCSDscoresverywellaccordingtotheindicatorsoutlinedabove–inthe‘bigpicture.’However,thelonger-termoutlookformostpublicschooldistricts–particularlythesmall,ruralschooldistrictsinupstateNewYork–continuestodeterioratebythepresentchallengesofthePropertyTaxCaplaw,decliningstateaid,increasingmandatorycosts,andunfundedstatemandates.We’renavigatingoneofthemostfinanciallydifficultenvironmentsformunicipalitiesinrecenthistory.Ourschool’soverallfinancialhealthissound,yetthisdoesnotequatetoanassumptionthateachannualspendingplanwillbeeasytoconstruct,duetothecurrentclimate.Nextmonthwe’lldiveintoBudgetDevelopmentfor2017-18,beginningwithaproposedTimetable.


WATERTESTINGRESULTSHAVEBEENRECEIVEDWestportCSDisinreceiptoftheresultsofourSeptember2016mandatoryleadtesting,inaccordancewithnewstateeducationandpublichealthmandatesforthetestingofdrinkingwater.Testresultsreceivedearliertoday,forthe77outletstested,showedthat8outletsinWestportCentralSchoolwereabovethemandatory15parts-per-billionactionlevel.Noneofthepositivetestswerefordrinkingfountains.Stateandcountyhealthdepartmentsareinreceiptofourresults,andwe’removingaheadtoreplacethefixturesassoonaspossible.Here’sasummaryofourresults:LOCATION CONCENTRATION ACTIONHomeEconomicsclassroombathroomsink 24ppb Sinkhasbeenlabeled“forhandwashingonly–donotdrink”;new

fixturesordered.

Room102(2ndgrade)sink 17ppb Sinkhasbeenlabeled“forhandwashingonly–donotdrink”;newfixturesordered.

MainFloorgirl’srestroomsink 17ppb Sinkhasbeenlabeled“forhandwashingonly–donotdrink”;newfixturesordered.

Room207(sciencelab):5outlets

16ppb;21ppb;17ppb;42ppb;52ppb

Outletslabeled“Notfordrinkingwater”;furtherinvestigationbeingconductedtodeterminefixtures.

AletterexplainingresultswillbetransmittedtoWCSfamilies,facultyandstafftomorrow.Theresultsofthetestingwillbepublishedonourwebsite,too.NYSPUBLISHESNEW*DRAFT*LEARNINGSTANDARDSTheStateEducationDepartmentreleasednewdraftNewYorkStateP-12EnglishLanguageArtsandMathematicsLearningStandardslastweek,seekingpubliccomment.Twocommitteescomprisedofmorethan130educatorsandparentsrecommendedchanging60percentoftheELAand55percentofthemathstandards.TheNYSEDisacceptingpubliccommentsonthedraftstandardsthroughNov.4.SowhyistheStaterevisingthestandards?Amidtheopt-outmovementandtheresistancetotheCommonCoreStandardsbeingimplementedasaresultofNY’sparticipationintheRacetotheTopgrantprogram,theLegislaturepasseda2015requirementthatthestandardsbereassessedwithstakeholderinput.TheStateEducationDepartmentparticipatedintheGovernor’sTaskForcetoreviewthestate’slearningstandards,whichmadeaseriesofrecommendationslastDecember.ManyoftheTaskForce’srecommendationsarereflectedintherecommendedchanges.Thisfall,SEDwillcarefullyreviewthepubliccommentsandmakefinalrevisionstotheELAandMathematicsLearningStandards.ThefinalrevisionswillbepresentedtotheBoardofRegentsforitsconsiderationinearly2017.IhaveencouragedourfacultytoexaminethedraftlearningstandardsandprovidefeedbacktoNYSED.SoitappearsthatNewYorkStatewillbeadjustingourlearningstandardsagain,hopefullythistime,forthebetter.Onceadopted,itwillbecriticalworktoalignourlearningwiththosenewstandards.


ACONVERSATIONABOUTTHE‘EVERYSTUDENTSUCCEEDSACT’(ESSA)OnDecember10,2015,theEveryStudentSucceedsAct(ESSA)wassignedintolawbyPresidentObama.Thisbipartisanmeasurereauthorizedthe50-year-oldElementaryandSecondaryEducationAct(ESEA),thenation’snationaleducationlaw.TheNewYorkStateEducationDepartmenthasestablishedanESSAThinkTankthatwillassisttheStateEducationDepartmentwithdevelopmentofNewYork’sESSAstateplan,submissionrequiredtoWashingtoninearly2017.ESSAretainsmanyofthecoreprovisionsofNoChildLeftBehind(thepreviousreauthorizationofESEA)relatedtostandards,assessments,accountability,anduseofFederalfunds.However,ESSAdoesprovidestateswithmuchgreaterflexibilityinmanyareas,includingthemethodologiesfordifferentiatingtheperformanceofschoolsandthesupportsandinterventionstoprovidewhenschoolsareinneedofimprovement.TheBoardPresidentandIhavebeeninvitedtorepresentElizabethtown-LewisCSDatanupcomingESSAForumatChamplainValleyEducationalServicesinPlattsburghonTuesdayEvening,October25,2016at6:30pm.Participationfromourschooldistrictisencouraged,inordertosharethoughts,insightsandfeedbackonthenewfederaleducationlegislation.Theforumisopentothepublic.BestwishesfortheremainderofOctober!Respectfullysubmitted-

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THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Commissioner of Education E-mail: [email protected] President of the University of the State of New York Twitter:@NYSEDNews 89 Washington Avenue, Room 111 Tel: (518) 474-5844 Albany, New York 12234 Fax: (518) 473-4909

October 3, 2016

Revised Scott Osborne, Superintendent Westport Central School District 25 Sisco Street Westport, NY 12993 Dear Superintendent Osborne: Congratulations. I am pleased to inform you that your Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) plan meets the criteria outlined in Education Law §3012-d and Subpart 30-3 of the Commissioner’s Regulations and has been approved. As a reminder, we are relying on the information you provided on your APPR form, including the certifications and assurances that are part of your approved APPR plan. If any material changes are made to your approved plan, your district/BOCES must submit such material changes to us for approval. Please see the attached notes for further information.

Please be advised that, pursuant to Education Law §3012-d, the Department will be analyzing data supplied by districts, BOCES, and/or schools and may order a corrective action plan if there are unacceptably low correlation results between the Student Performance category and the Teacher Observation or Principal School Visits category, and/or if the teachers’ or principals’ overall ratings and subcomponent scores show little differentiation across educators and/or the lack of differentiation is not justified by equivalently consistent student achievement results, and/or if schools or districts show a pattern of anomalous results in the Student Performance category and/or the Observation/School Visits category.

The New York State Education Department and I look forward to continuing our work together, with the goal of ensuring that every school has world-class educators in the classroom, every teacher has a world-class principal to support his or her professional growth, and every student achieves college and career readiness.

Thank you again for your hard work. Sincerely, MaryEllen Elia

Commissioner Attachment c: Mark Davey