Post by Chris_Wendt on Dec 5, 2014 13:30:39 GMT -5
When I was a member of the Board of Education, the New Course Proposals meeting was perennially one of my favorite events of the school year. I took the opportunity to attend last night's New Course Proposals meeting, and was not disappointed.
Before any new course is added to Wantagh's Course Offering catalog, there is a rigorous process of vetting, peer review, and winnowing from the time a new course is first conceived, then through a committee, which included department chairs, building administrators, and the senior administrative team, who bring forward those proposals deemed worthy for the Board of Education to consider and (hopefully) approve. Each such course has to a satisfy federal and state requirement (efficacy), and each must have a cost proposal as well resource requirements, and a marketing plan (my words) describing its target audience, along with any potential effects on existing courses, and the approval process and prerequisite for student enrollment in the course should it be approved.
In deference to this well-oiled process, I am going to refrain from plugging any particular course proposal, and let the final step in the process--Board Approval--play out according to plan.
Overall I was very impressed with the courses submitted, but especially by the initiative and professional workmanship of the sponsoring teachers for each of them. In addition to the initial ground work, each presenter was well prepared for the questions that followed their presentations. More specifically, and for the benefit of my friends out in the community, there was a palpable and stated concern about the cost for each proposal, which I would describe almost as an aversion to adding staff (full time or part-time) in order to teach the proposed courses.
I want to thank the Board and the presenters for according me the opportunity to ask questions or comment about the course presentations. There were a couple of presentations that were so well done that I had no questions to ask or comments to contribute; The presenters wondered aloud to me after the meeting if there was anything wrong with their proposals that left me silent about them during the program; no, everything was very well covered!
Our students and parents should have renewed and continued confidence in our faculty at all levels based on the creative new ideas that were brought to the floor last night. I know that, as a taxpayer, I got a real sense of value received for my tax dollars from having attended this meeting.
Two take-aways:
These STEM magnet schools do not represent "thinking outside the box"; they do represent thinking as though there is no box!
Regards,
Chris Wendt
Before any new course is added to Wantagh's Course Offering catalog, there is a rigorous process of vetting, peer review, and winnowing from the time a new course is first conceived, then through a committee, which included department chairs, building administrators, and the senior administrative team, who bring forward those proposals deemed worthy for the Board of Education to consider and (hopefully) approve. Each such course has to a satisfy federal and state requirement (efficacy), and each must have a cost proposal as well resource requirements, and a marketing plan (my words) describing its target audience, along with any potential effects on existing courses, and the approval process and prerequisite for student enrollment in the course should it be approved.
In deference to this well-oiled process, I am going to refrain from plugging any particular course proposal, and let the final step in the process--Board Approval--play out according to plan.
Overall I was very impressed with the courses submitted, but especially by the initiative and professional workmanship of the sponsoring teachers for each of them. In addition to the initial ground work, each presenter was well prepared for the questions that followed their presentations. More specifically, and for the benefit of my friends out in the community, there was a palpable and stated concern about the cost for each proposal, which I would describe almost as an aversion to adding staff (full time or part-time) in order to teach the proposed courses.
I want to thank the Board and the presenters for according me the opportunity to ask questions or comment about the course presentations. There were a couple of presentations that were so well done that I had no questions to ask or comments to contribute; The presenters wondered aloud to me after the meeting if there was anything wrong with their proposals that left me silent about them during the program; no, everything was very well covered!
Our students and parents should have renewed and continued confidence in our faculty at all levels based on the creative new ideas that were brought to the floor last night. I know that, as a taxpayer, I got a real sense of value received for my tax dollars from having attended this meeting.
Two take-aways:
- As one board member pointed out, on the issue of adding staff, etc. "The district is not against spending money..." (on new courses)(paraphrasing). But the reality remains that the district is operating under a Tax Cap, and there is a level of distress in the community about over-taxation and the accumulation of prior reserves as a result. Both of those situations certainly weigh on the sensitivities that impinge upon new coursework, all the way back to the inception point with the teachers, and all the way ahead to the final approval vote by the Board. Fear of spending money is not the issue as much as having money available for the purpose. To me, this certainly points up one of the most significant limiting factors facing a small school districts like Wantagh: the ability to unilaterally attempt to make any major groundbreaking or trailblazing decisions for a revamped curriculum or bold course offerings, without the participation of other districts is severely constrained.
- Next year's (2015) NY State Tax Rebate program will require school districts to consolidate something with some other entity in order to reduce costs and become eligible for tax rebate checks. I asked a pointed but rhetorical question of both the Administration and Board: who is responsible, or who has the authority to initiate discussions with other school districts about such things as joint course offerings? The forthcoming answer was that would be a joint responsibility.... I embellished this discussion topic by interjecting examples of STEM Magnet Schools, including the Downingtown Area STEM Academy (PA) and the Fairchild Wheeler Multi-District Magnet School (CT).[ /li]
These STEM magnet schools do not represent "thinking outside the box"; they do represent thinking as though there is no box!
Regards,
Chris Wendt