Budget Statements on High School, Middle School at the Board of Ed Public Hearing: PART 2

Here are three statements from Thursday’s Darien Board of Education public hearing on the 2017-2018 proposed school district budget, from parent teacher organizations at Darien High School and Middlesex Middle School.

Darien High School (First Statement)

These are excerpts from a statement as read by Peter Orphanos (Darienite.com did not receive his full statement from the Council of Darien School Parents):

[…] We wish to support Principal Dunn and her team at Darien High School for their work enhancing and enriching the learning experience within the framework of a responsible and well-planned budget. Program growth in areas such as technology and guidance counselors affirm Darien High School as a flagship high school […]

A cafeteria is more than a place to eat, it is where our students gather with peers, and it creates an important sense of community. Principal Dunn has spoken of having the cafeteria evolve into more of a student center — a central gathering place for academic collaboration and social community.

Darien High School students need this. I am troubled that we are even having this debate now. This project was approved last year by the Board of Education and the Board of Finance and was held in abeyance as a good-faith accommodation to the unpredictable financial situation in Hartford.

While Hartford’s support for Darien was in question then, the definite need for the cafeteria expansion was not. I could not understand delaying the project when the need for it would only become more acute, and when it could only become perhaps more expensive.

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See also:

• Board of Education Cooking Up Plans for Expanding High School Cafeteria (Dec. 13, 2016)
• More quotes about the cafeteria proposal: Topics at Education Budget Hearing: DHS Cafeteria, Dept Chairs, Guidance Counselors (Feb. 6)

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The fact is undisputed that Darien High School needs to expand its cafeteria. The cafeteria issue is not new. It seems to have been forgotten that the school was designed with two cafeterias to meet the enrollment when it opened. Today’s cafeteria dysfunction originated with the repurposing of the second cafeteria space some years ago.

The problem has only become more acute with the surge in enrollment, which itself is getting worse. It is time to fix the problem which has been there for years. The need for expansion existed last year. The need exists this year. The need will continue to exist in years to come. […]

Only with the approval of this project as a part of this budget can we reasonably expect to have the project completed prior to anticipated 2018 enrollment.

FULL COVERAGE of the Board of Education public hearing:

Topics at Education Budget Hearing: DHS Cafeteria, Dept Chairs, Guidance Counselors

Council of Darien School Parents: Budget Statements at the Board of Ed Public Hearing: PART 1

Budget Statements on High School, Middle School at the Board of Ed Public Hearing: PART 2

Elementary School PTO Statements on the Budget at the Board of Ed Public Hearing: PART 3

Special Education Parents Statements at the Public Hearing on the Schools Budget: PART 4

There have been suggestions that expansion is not necessary, and that alternatives have not been explored. The fact that there are some lunch waves that are larger than others does not, in fact, support this assertion.

Rebalancing lunch shifts beyond that which currently exists — which we do not concede is practical — would require that enrollment in certain classes be capped, and that students may not be able to take classes of their choice, where their required curriculum would be put off due to class size limitation, all because of lunch scheduling, based on the fact that the cafeteria’s too small.

I ask rhetorically: Does Darien want to tell students that their curricular needs are subordinate to the restrictions of the cafeteria? I think not. This proves our point that maintaining the current capacity, by definition, fails to meet the education needs of Darien High School students.

Expansion is the only solution, and offers our town solid value, as long as it’s done right. […]

In sum, we believe that the targeted investments in the proposed budget, most especially the Darien High School cafeteria expansion, will allow Darien to maintain the excellence which it demands from our schools.

We caution against the delusion of short-term savings that ultimately result in higher costs, wasting taxpayer dollars, and the compromise of long-term goals and objectives.

Darien High School (Second Statement)

Good evening, my name is Ann Dickson.  I have an 11th grader at DHS and a college freshman who graduated last year.  I am speaking tonight on behalf of the parents of Darien High School students. There are two issues of particular concern to us and we hope that by addressing these issues we will create a more equitable and supportive environment for our children.

For years we have been hearing parents complain about inconsistency among classes and a lack of attention to the sometimes problematic transition between 8th grade and 9th grade. We are encouraged that the administration and Board have heard these concerns.  We firmly support the recommendation to provide additional curriculum supervision and evaluative support with the creation of the department chair position.

Our reasons for supporting this change are to provide both a better educational experience for our children and to  allay some of the administrative burden which currently falls to the building principals.  The parents see real value in subject experts providing support, coaching, and evaluation to teachers in their subject.

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See also:

• Superintendent: Hire 6 Middle/High School Dept Chairs for $265,000 (Jan. 9)

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Under the current curriculum monitor model, students in different sections of the same course may experience varying consistency of content, testing and marking, and assignment deadlines.

We would like to see a model, under which one subject expert would be responsible for overseeing classroom teaching and course content, and would give students the same experiences and opportunities across all sections.

The benefits of consistency are many, not the least of which will be insuring that all students receive the same preparation in one grade that will provide for their success as they advance to the next.

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Other articles of interest to teens and their parents:

• Superintendent: Hire 6 Middle/High School Dept Chairs for $265,000 (Jan. 9)
• Darien YMCA Offers Lifeguard Training Program, Feb 16 to 21 (Feb. 5)
• The First ‘Dash’ in the New ‘Darien Dash’ Scavenger Hunt May Be Registering on Feb 27 (Feb. 5)
• Wednesday night event: ‘Truth & Consequences’ Panel Discussion on Teen Drinking at DHS Auditorium, Feb 7

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We see many of our children struggle with the transition from 8th to 9th grade so we would value a system that better integrates the curriculums and requirements of middle and high school.

Similarly, we endorse the addition of a Special Education Department Chairperson working at the secondary level. Much in the same way curriculum department chairs will be supporting teachers, this person would have the ability to make sure that best special education teaching practices are followed when it comes to making accommodations and modifications, so that children with special education needs can access the academic curriculum.

Board of Education – Budget Public Hearing 2-2-17 from Darien TV79 on Vimeo.

In the same way that all students should have the same experience across different sections of the same course, students with special education needs should have access to the same high quality instructional practices no matter who their teacher is.

There is also a need for a Special Education Department chairperson to establish a seamless transition process that prepares students who are entering Darien High School and provides them with the skills necessary to access the high school curriculum.

We ask that the administration consider the scope of work that this position entails.  We believe that one Special Education Department chairperson for Grades 6 to 12 may not be enough, due to the student caseload, the different environments in middle and high school, and the fact that these individuals will also need to work closely with department chairs and regular education teachers as well.

In addition, the current budget proposal requests an additional guidance counselor whose time would be evenly divided between Middlesex and the high school.  The unique needs of the student population at DHS cannot be met by only a part-time counselor so we strongly believe that an additional full time guidance counselor at the high school is necessary.

The academic demands and social pressures for our students at the high school are great.  We entrust our guidance counselors with providing the support our children require to navigate the complexities of the teenage years.

One of the roles of the guidance counselor is to be the front line of defense of our children’s well being and we believe it is important to invest money into our children’s mental health.

Not only are the high school guidance counselors serving in a supportive, problem solving capacity for our children, they are also overseeing the college application process for most.

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Over the past several years, the college application process has been more complex with the increased number of early decision and early action options along with an increased number of applications overall per student.

Each guidance counselor is responsible for writing recommendations for each of their students.  With responsibility for more and more students, it becomes more difficult for the guidance counselors to get to know each of these students as individuals.

DHS guidance counselors are also supporting our children with the Advisory program which is in its second year.  Students and parents alike have found this program to be instrumental in providing information and developing a tighter relationship between students and counselors.

Certainly, our guidance counselors have put considerable time and effort into the development and implementation of the Advisory program.

As parents, we firmly support Department Chairs and a full time guidance counselor at the high school.  We hope that these initiatives will address our concerns and deliver the excellent education we want for our children.

Middlesex Middle School

Good evening, my name is Theresa Vogt.  I am the CDSP Rep for Middlesex.  I have two children in our schools: my daughter is a freshman at DHS and my son is a 7th grader at Middlesex.

I am here tonight to voice the Middlesex parent community’s strong support for the addition of a full-time guidance counselor at Middlesex, as well as the addition of department chairs for Grades 6 to 12.

Recognizing that our guidance departments are very much used, yet under-staffed (three of the five guidance counselors at Middlesex have over 240 students assigned to them, with one 7th grade counselor having 275 students), the current proposed budget currently asks for one additional guidance counselor to be shared between the high school and middle school.

While we appreciate the financial reasons behind only asking for one shared guidance counselor, we believe the best use of our dollars would be to invest in one person for each school.

There is so much more to the role of a Guidance Counselor than helping families navigate the college process.  The Guidance Counselors at Middlesex and DHS are the constant in our students’ lives as they navigate everyday life; and the lives and challenges of a middle schooler are very different than those of a high schooler.

This is my third year standing up here to advocate for the middle school and in all those years, the administration of Middlesex has asked for additional resources to support the wellbeing of  our students.

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Other articles of interest to middle school students and their parents:

• Meeting, Thursday, Feb. 9: Preparing Special Ed Students for Transition to Darien High School
• Register Now for Darien YMCA February School Break Vacation Camp (Feb 16 to 21) (Feb. 5)
• Darien YMCA Summer Camp Registration Begins Tuesday, Feb 7 (Feb. 5)
• Win Glory and a Cash Prize in the Pic Darien Smartphone Photo Contest (Feb. 1)
• Meeting Thursday, Feb. 9: Preparing Special Ed Students for Transition to Darien High School

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I looked at the first speech I made two years ago and my words then still resonate today: the three years in middle school are the three toughest years for most students, developmentally and emotionally.

These  are the years when our kids are trying to figure out who they are and where they fit in.  Under the best of circumstances, these are difficult years.  Some students have learning differences to contend with, some have less than ideal situations at home, and for most, middle school is their first introduction to social media.

As for that last one, there may be no group that understands the pitfalls of the social media learning curve on the lives of our kids than the Middlesex administration and Guidance department because whether we like it or not, what our kids experience outside of school still follows them to school.

Our new Principal, Shelley Somers, believes the addition of the counselor is critical to the school. During her first year here, she has already made changes in the work of this department, giving the guidance counselors even more of a front-line role with parents and, hopefully, next year rolling out an advisory program modeled after the highly successful program at DHS.  These changes will continue to tax an already highly stretched department.

Walk into the Guidance Department at Middlesex and I can assure you that you will find students in the offices of their counselors either seeking advice or a place where they can feel safe while they work through a moment of anxiety.  It is a testament to our middle school guidance department that our kids consider them a go-to.

That said, no child can time their crisis, nor should we expect them to have to turn to another guidance counselor because they were assigned to one who is shared with DHS.

As a parent who has personal experience working closely with the guidance department, I can tell you that there were days when I felt better knowing that my child’s guidance counselor was simply in the building.  Adding only one counselor to split their time between DHS and Middlesex is not fair to our students or our families.

Our support for department chairs is another investment in our students.  How many times have we discussed ways to ease the transition from 5th to 6th grade and then from 8th to 9th grade, and yet despite our best efforts, we continue to hear parents complain about 6th grade math and 9th grade reading comprehension and writing skills.

Between Middlesex and DHS, 12 teachers coordinate six different academic departments. At Middlesex, those Curriculum Monitors (as they are called there) carry a full course load and have no release time.

They are not certified to assess their fellow teachers, so while they all do an excellent job of putting forth a curriculum that meets our high standards and one that should for all intents and purposes flow from one grade to the next with ease, they cannot determine if every teacher is implementing the curriculum equally.

Teacher reviews are conducted by an administration that in addition to not being deeply proficient in all subject areas, must deal with unexpected crises, while overseeing the everyday of their buildings.  What falls by the wayside in that?  Teacher reviews.

As a result, you will hear parents and students complain that there is no parity among the teams.  Grading is inconsistent, homework loads different, testing on the same content can happen weeks apart depending on the teacher.

You will hear some kids say they were better prepared for the next grade because they were on a tough team or you will hear others boast that they don’t get a lot of homework.

This all matters.  As much as we don’t like to admit it, middle school matters as grades in 7th and 8th grade impact placement heading into 9th, and in some cases, 10th grade.

The Department Chair role, as we understand it, will fix these gaps and inconsistencies and in turn make the transition into and out of Middlesex as fluid as we all want and expect it to be.

The special education chairperson will support children with special education needs in a similar way.  Many parents feel that there is disparity between their child’s education plan and the implementation of that plan.

Consistent professional development, coaching and evaluations will provide our teachers with the tools they need to fully implement each student’s individual educational plans and ensure that they have access to the curriculum.

The Special Education Department chairperson should also have the ability to enhance the transition process, to both middle school and high school, to ensure that each student’s services and accommodations are appropriate to achieve success in each learning environment.

Thank you.