WARE SCHOOL COMMITTEE NOTEBOOK

By Melissa Fales
Reporter

District waits for release of Gov. Patrick’s budget

At the Jan. 19 Ware School Committee meeting, Budget Subcommittee Chair Aaron Sawabi said it was too early to offer any firm numbers on the district’s budget. He said the subcommittee will have a better handle on the figures after Jan. 26 when Gov. Deval Patrick releases the state’s budget. “It’s not roses and sunshine,” warned Superintendent Mary-Elizabeth Beach.
Subcommittee member Brian Winslow cautioned that the budget would be tighter than last year because the district would not be receiving any stimulus money. Andy Paquette of the Management Solution said that over the past two years, the district received approximately $484,000 in stimulus money for additional special education, early education and Title 1 programs. “That’s not going to be around for fiscal year 2012,” Paquette said.
Sawabi said the committee would once again hold budget review sessions for interested community members to participate in and offer their input.

SMK School Council report

Keon Ruiter, a third grade teacher at Stanley M. Koziol Elementary School, gave a report on the SMK School Council. Ruiter said the council has met twice during the school year to review the school improvement plan, with a third meeting planned for February. He said they are working on adding goals to the improvement plan, including the adoption of an SMK school pledge, the development of a math assessment program to help track students’ progress in math, and increased communication between SMK and families by encouraging use of the “Post It” website where teachers can post messages for parents and homework assignments.

WMS School Council report

The committee heard a report on the Ware Middle School Council from parent representative Maura Balicki. Balicki said the council has discussed the MCAS testing calendar and ways that English Language Arts (ELA) can be incorporated into other subject matters. The WMS council has also discussed ways to motivate students for the MCAS, including holding a pep rally, a skit performed by faculty members and a math competition. They’ve also brainstormed about new ways to reward students for their accomplishments, including giving them more recess or computer time.
Balicki spoke not only as a WMS School Council member, but also as a parent. “From what I’ve seen through my daughter’s eyes as a student, we should be proud of what Principal Warren and Assistant Principal Jordan are doing,” said Balicki. “They are empowering the faculty to do such important work.”

New trash removal contract to save district $7,000 annually

Paquette said the Ware and Ludlow school districts have successfully teamed up for a joint trash removal contract. The specifications of the contract attracted only one bidder, Allied Waste, which is the Ware district’s current trash vendor. “The idea of more bang for our buck worked in our favor,” said Paquette, who noted the two districts negotiated a contract that will save Ware approximately $7,000 each year of the two-year contract. Paquette said there would be no change to the current service, with the same schedule for trash and recycling pick-up.

Beach, other superintendents looking into virtual school collaboration

Beach announced her collaboration with superintendents from Belchertown, Granby, Easthampton and Ludlow to apply for a planning grant for an innovative school. She said the districts are working with the state’s Executive Office of Education to look into the possibility of collaborating to create a virtual school, tentatively titled Valley Virtual School. A virtual school would be a potential revenue source for the districts, and might be an option for students who are currently home-schooled or unable to attend a bricks and mortar school for a variety of reasons. Beach noted that Greenfield currently offers a virtual high school and a student from Ware is currently taking classes there, at the district’s expense. Beach said it might also allow the district to offer some special programs that are not currently available, such as a foreign language at the elementary school level. She will keep the committee posted on any new developments with the application for the grant.

WARE SCHOOL COMMITTEE NOTEBOOK

By Melissa Fales
Reporter

Report by Junior/Senior High School Council parent representative
Junior/Senior High School Council parent representative Kevin O’Regan was at the Jan. 5 school committee meeting to present a report on the council’s activity. O’Regan noted this was the eighth time he had delivered a report and that it would be his last, as his daughter, Sarah, will be graduating in June and he will be stepping down from the council.
O’Regan said the council had met with Principal Lucille Brindisi on several topics, including the MCAS results, the introduction of more AP classes to the curriculum and the school’s anti-bullying program.
Reflecting on the eight years he has served on the council, O’Regan said he was impressed with the advances the school has made and how far it has come. “It’s been wonderful to see the evolution of the school,” he said. He noted that he and his wife had chosen to send an older daughter to a different high school, but made the decision to send Sarah to Ware High School because they saw positive changes happening. “We’ve been very pleased with how it’s gone,” he said, crediting Superintendent Mary-Elizabeth Beach and Brindisi for the many improvements made. O’Regan said the whole team of educators in the school deserves recognition for their hard work. School Committee Chairman Christopher Desjardins thanked O’Regan for his service. “The school was very lucky to have someone like you on board,” he said.

Mail delivery follow-up
The committee continued discussion on how to eliminate the paid mail carrier position while still ensuring proper mail delivery between the three schools and Central Office. Beach said she looked into the possibility of having four outside locked mailboxes at one district location, but the post office said since the district only has three addresses, it could only have three outside mailboxes. (Central Office is located within Ware Middle School).
Beach said she is currently looking into whether workers from the Franklin/Hampshire County Senior AIDES program might be able to assume the duties of mail delivery. These seniors already serve various roles in district schools and Beach said they might be redirected to perform mail duties.

Review of draft school bus bid specifications
The committee also continued its review of a draft of school bus bid specifications, making several recommendations for the final draft which will, in effect, become a contract. Committee member Brian Winslow suggested the contract should specifically state that if a bus driver is caught smoking, drinking or using drugs on a school bus, they will no longer be allowed to work in the Ware School district. He reminded the committee of an incident when a bus driver was found smoking a cigarette and received a two-day unpaid suspension from the bus company. Winslow said at the time, school counsel told the committee that if they wanted to take a stronger stand against such actions, they should include it in their next bus contract.
“There should be no gray area,” said Winslow. “There is no smoking, drinking or using drugs on a school bus. If the students aren’t allowed to do it, the bus drivers shouldn’t be able to do it either. What kind of example are we setting?”
Beach said the bus company’s disciplinary action was similar to one she took against a school employee in a similar situation in the past. “I would not fire a teacher on the first offense,” she said.
Committee member Aaron Sawabi suggested the contract was not the proper place to list specific penalties for violations. “That should be in a policy,” he said. Desjardins said he thought the committee should have flexibility to tailor disciplinary action to individual circumstances and situations. He said he saw “a huge difference” between a bus driver smoking on the job and one drinking on the job. “Drinking is doing something that impairs your ability to provide safe transportation for the kids,” he said. Winslow disagreed. “I don’t think there should be any flexibility when it comes to smoking, drinking and drugs,” he said. “To me, it’s got to be cut and dry.”
Andrew Paquette of The Management Solution suggested the contract could state that if there was a violation, the school district reserves the right via the superintendent to remove a driver from driving in the town of Ware. The community also unanimously agreed to forbid smoking, drinking and using drugs not just on buses, but also anywhere on school grounds or at any functions. At Beach’s suggestion, the committee also agreed to add “carrying weapons” to the list of forbidden actions.
Winslow recommended that the committee add a clause allowing them to impose a $100 penalty when the bus company is not able to provide a VHS or DVD copy of the bus surveillance tape as requested by the district in the case of a discipline issue. The committee unanimously agreed.
The committee will have a chance to review a final draft before it is sent out to bid.