Public Comments and Response Notes:
Below are notes taken from the Public Comment portion of the BOE meeting. They are not verbatim. The time of each comment is provided for further review.
| -49:34 Speaker 1 Physical Education Teacher at Sargent spoke of her experience in the past with the BTA and how she felt it improved under the leadership of Ms. Pilla. As the changes with Common Core and during our constant turnover of superintendents Ms. Pilla was there collecting information and distributing among members. She has not heard a public statement of gratitude to Ms. Pilla and she would like to thank Ms. Pilla for her service tonight. | -1:32:18 Dr. Walkley: thanks speaker for her comments |
| -53:22 Speaker 2 talks about the petition that asks the Board to look into why the teachers were dissatisfied. The petition was made in response to the Union President's letter at the prior board meeting. Some signatures include the Mayor and several City Council Members and many others. She provides the Board of Education with the petition and urges them to look into the underlying cause for the current discontent. There are ethical concerns and we look to the BOE to provide leadership in this area. | -1:32:24 Dr. Walkley: acknowledges comment |
| -56:45 Speaker 3 reads comments from the petition and states that we need a culture shift and everyone is coming together to say that. Until we find a positive relationship between the teachers and the admin we are never going to be able to excel as a district. | -1:32:33 Dr. Walkley: acknowledges comment |
| -58:08 Speaker 4 shares some observations she had at one of the first meetings she attended. Dr. Walkley gave a sobering report on our high school and it's focus status and the areas where we need to show improvement. She states that Dr. Walkley spoke extensively about Rigor (she later learned that there is an educational definition of Rigor) involves creative thinking, complex problem solving, etc. At the same meeting she heard parents make comments of outrage involving teacher transfers asking for explanations. In subsequent meetings she has developed concern for low APPR rates and how that seems to have been mishandled, dismay over programming for the arts especially in relation to BAEF, lost or underutilized BOCES contracts, money being misspent or not spent when it could be going to increasing these programs, missing or late book orders, approval of expensive consultants, disparates between the elementary schools in art and music staff. Serious issues are being brought up at meetings sometimes they aren't even acknowledged in responses. With own research she has learned about status with the state. Learned about what other cities have done to get out of focus status. New Paltz BOE rejecting criteria, Haldane has given detailed explanation on their TOSAs, examples on how healthy districts operate and integral to this is leadership with vision and culture of outreach. Beacon has terrible reputation. Known as "the little District that could and then didn't" This is disheartening news. How are you on the Beacon City School Board going to apply the necessary "Rigor" to once and for all address the inherent dysfunction and lack of vision in our administration that is clearly keeping us from living up to our full potential. | -1:32:40 Dr. Walkley: acknowledges comment but doesn't see a question. Ms. Gadsden: There was one. How are you as the Beacon City School District going to address the obstacles preventing us from being a district that is not a focus district? Dr. Walkley So what makes us a focus district. Some of that data and information has been shared and Mr. Soltish shared some information this evening about other information he had that makes us a focus district. What makes us a focus district is that we either do not show enough adequate progress according to the state set by targets. In the past if we don’t test 95% of our students and or a district does not meet graduation rates. We also need to make improvements and not have a wide gap of achievement between different groups of students. So when you don’t have some of those things, all of those things, one of those things working for you become a focus district. It’s based on state formula whether we agree with it or not. What are we doing to address it? You’ve heard LAP plans you’ve heard about the high school plan and that we are doing a three year plan working with the State right now and the DCIP plan is posted and reviewed by the State. So those are things that we are doing and all of the programming that you’ve heard about those are things that we are doing to change our status from a focus district to a district in good standing. |
| 1:03:47 Speaker 5 reads comments from the petition | -1:35:15 Dr. Walkley acknowledges comment |
| 1:05:55 Speaker 6 at last meeting we learned about Glenham's STEM program that their librarian is implementing. While all is this is happening at Glenham, JVF and Sargent are sharing both a librarian and an art teacher. How is this fair? Why are Forrestal and Sargent (2nd largest elementary school) having to share teachers? Why is the curriculum not the same throughout the entire district? What is the district going to do to ensure that all elementary schools are afforded the same opportunities regardless of which school they go to? Also, what has been your experience with Bond Elections and please describe your specific responsibilities and results. | -1:35:31 Dr. Walkley states that the speaker asked about the difference in curriculum between schools. That’s the goal of any district, to articulate your curriculum, align your curriculum across the district. In this district that process has not taken place in the past. It has in some areas but not all areas. So there are areas still that there is an articulation need and an alignment need for curriculum. (audience calls out) Ms. Thompson: her concern about the teachers sharing between Forrestal and Sargent. Dr. Walkley: Somebody made the statement that at the elementary level there are shared teachers for several different subject matters. The amount of time that a teacher spends in a building is based upon the number of classes that are in that building and I have spoken to the Principals of the shared buildings and in this district there is a long history of this music and art situation where in some schools there is more music and in other schools there is more art. What is the District's plan to take care of that? In the past, for example for music, there has been one teacher that was dedicated to instruments at the elementary level and then another person that was dedicated to the choral part of music and that is the intent of the district to have a model like that. The other question is around art and making sure there is enough FTE enough art so that each of the schools look the same. What is the experience with bond elections. She asks Ms. Quartironi who is not sure what that question meant. Ms. Quartironi: Is that a capital project bond? The capital projects that we have put through in the last 10 years have been successful so we are continuing and finalizing our last capital project and we are hoping to come forward in the near future with another proposal. |
| -1:07::37 Speaker 7 BTA President is tremendously humbled by the support shown by the parent's group and on behalf of all the teachers that work in Beacon he wants to say thank you. He can no longer hear the Superintendent state how well she is working with the BTA when nothing can be further from the truth. There are still textbooks that heaven't been provided, The Superintendent has violated contract by not supplying mentors required by NY State in a timely fashion for our new teachers. He believes that they were intentionally put on the back burner to cement the TOSA positions. TOSAs are supposed to be voluntarily used by the teachers, but the Superintendent has threatened that if classrooms aren't opened to the TOSAs she will pull teachers from class for mandatory training. At a cost of $500,000 a year, the Superintendent has oversubscribed the number of TOSAs. Superintendent has failed to pay six school psychologists for 100's of hours of work they did last year on the committee for Special Ed. Work the Superintendent agreed to pay for. They school psychologists performed the work, submitted claims which were signed off by a supervisor, and they are not paid. Central Admin. will not respond to emails. Superintendent has failed to address critical shortage of substitutes. Substitutes leave district to go to higher paying districts. The Superintendent has said that the reason we don't have enough subs is because the teachers take too many sick days. When I asked which teachers there was no answers. Superintendent asked BTA to sign MOA to move a morning PE to the afternoon. I said send it to me and I'll sign it. For two weeks I sent emails and received the response we are waiting on the lawyers. I received the MOA and the Superintendent expected me to sign and return it in one day. This passive aggressive way of doing business is the same way she dealt with us on proposed APPR. Does Superintendent not understand that the teachers want a well vetted APPR especially in light of fact that once again the government has put forth a document heavily weighted against teachers? And is our hesitancy to sign proposed APPR a mystery to the Superintendent when it was she and the ex-BTA president that were the architects of the last APPR which resulted in approximately 70% of our teachers being rated ineffective? The list of transgressions is an exhaustive list. BTA is at a crucial junction in our relationship with the Superintendent. The BTA leadership asked to meet twice a month to try and work collaboratively and to improve the district. Superintendent said let's stay with once a month. I offered my cell # and said call anytime, the Superintendent replied you have my office #. We are at an impasse. The District is not performing well according to NY State. It will be a disaster for the district to go into receivership. (Interruption) You need us Mrs. Thompson and we want to work together. | -1:12:27 Ms. Thompson: comments on respect while at the podium. You pinpointed a person and we asked that that not happen any longer. She does not believe grandstanding deserves applause. She also wants the best teachers and again points out the lack of respect. To applause that is poor taste. -1:39:11 Dr. Walkley: she’s not going to get in a fighting match with Mr. Burns. All of your information has a twist to it, and I have emails where I have given you information you and Ms. Keough, things that you’ve thought were helpful. What I really said was let’s see if we have agenda items for twice a month or once a month. There’s information that I have been waiting on from you for six weeks and I still don’t have it and I could also go on, but I don’t think that is productive. I think what’s productive is working collaboratively and I think that that’s what needs to happen and so I invite you and Ms. Keough to continue to work with me and Mrs. Kellogg and anyone else in a collaborative manner. Certainly we can take a look at some of the things you brought up and take a look at the facts and information around those statements. |
| -1:13:52 Speaker 8 asks about Technology grant and the workshop that is supposed to happen. Do you have a date for the workshop? And with the approval for the waiver how does that change the APPR for this year and if that changes the role of the IST (Instsructional Support Teacher) in charge of educating on the 3012D | -1:41:11 Ms. Quartironi shares information on technology grant. She has been told that there's no final information so a Board workshop wouldn't be useful because they don't have enough information on how to move forward. The State is trying to complete the way we do the process. We did have to complete a survey and submit it to the State which has been accepted for 1st Phase of project. So the only way to continue is through committees to finalize technology plans and how we want to move forward. Dr. Walkley: The other thing about the technology grant is how the state has given or not given information. Can you say a little bit about that? Ms. Quartironi: We have gotten very little information on how to spend the money. I did mention last time that a lot of information that has come forward we have already in this district. So a lot of it has to do with the backend of the technology. So we are waiting for more clarification on how we can move forward and how we can utilize the money that's allocated. The two million allocated to Beacon is available and once we get the guidance part we will finalize it and bring it in front of Board. |
| -1:14:46 Speaker 9 Observes the Board is unable to act and follow through on certain things that they'd like to accomplish. Some of that is not understanding Robert's Rules of Order to move things forward in a meeting. She would love to see a meet and greet. It can happen in a 10 minute recess. Someone on board could motion for this to happen. Also, Ms. Galbo shared that she would like to reach out to teachers. She read the BTA contract and found a contractual agreement and stated she would like to invite BTA to come and meet with the board. She sees it noted in the minutes and I would like to know If that has made it onto the agenda? According to Roberts Rules of Order the President has discretion when moderating a meeting. Policy is put in place to provide for general framework, but the moderator may use discretion. She finds it highly disturbing the president of the teachers union, who was voted in by teachers, is not afforded a few more moments to speak. | -1:43:39 Dr. Walkley acknowledges comments but didn't see a question (audience comments that there was one) Ms. Thompson is going to answer those questions. -1:53:42 Ms. Thompson there have been policy meetings on public comment repeatedly and the #1 thought of the Board was respect. It has been brought to her attention that she is not tough enough. That she doesn't demand respect, that I let people speak to long, about to many topics and that I need to do a better job. This is her attempt to meet the needs of the Board. Regarding Ms. Galbo's comment at the last meeting about the teacher's contract that they can meet once per year (Mr. White: per semester). Twice per year. They have the opportunity to request at anytime to meet with the board of education to discuss whatever needs they might have or concerns they wish to address. The BOE has never denied a request. The BOE is not planning to invite that type of a meeting because that is part of their contract and they are entitled to it. AT this time the Board will not be taking an action on that point. Regarding the petition. She echoes many of the comments and she speaks more on value of teachers. She talks more on stopping the BTA president from continuing and agrees that we're all here for checks and balances. |
| -1:17:29 Speaker 10 at the last meeting you addressed the concerns she had about the consultants hired whether or not there was staff buy-in. You redirected my comment to Ms Kellogg wh responded that she had received emails about how helpful one consultant, Steph Harvey had been. Speaker did not mean to imply that consultants can not ever be helpful, but she is wondering if given some of the basic needs of the district, like textbooks that are missing ten weeks into the school year and the book orders have been placed, signed for and delivered to central office last school year. IEP’s are still out of compliance. A big concern is that there aren't enough, if any, substitute teachers in the district because this district still does not pay a competitive rate. Teaching assistants are being pulled out of their classrooms to sub leaving their teachers alone. Full-time teachers for art and library are not in place at all of the schools. Are these basic needs perhaps more deserving of the money spent on consultants than a few days of reading and writing workshops Which often pulled teachers out of the classroom and may not be very helpful teachers that have been teaching for years and already masters of their craft. Steph Harvey consulting for 31 days of reading workshops totaling $660 an hr. for total of $123,000. Doug Ricketts at $800 a day for 25 days is $20,000 and I understand that you are using grant money to pay for these consultants. Can you please explain if this grant money must be specifically used for Professional development or if this almost $150,000 could be potentially be used to meet some of basic needs in this district that I just mentioned. And if the money must be used for staff development are there alternative means that are perhaps less costly? Or alternative programs, like the calico ball for example, (it only cost of this district a measly $6000 in comparison). Who does the grant writing for the district? How much grant money has been received this year for specific programs like bullying prevention, and how has that money been spent? Do you know which bullying programs are in place at each of the schools? How much did Beacon receive in Race to the Top Funds? We are classified as a high needs District therefore we received extra funds from the Excel program. How much did we receive last year, and how are the funds allocated? Ms. Thompson can you please define what you feel the role of the BTA president is, or what it should be, if it is not to provide checks and balances on the district administration? | -1:43:59 Dr. Walkley: on ordering textbooks looks to Ms. Quartironi. Ms. Quartironi: The AP books were ordered and tomorrow someone will check the status but they were ordered the day after the board meeting. The Social Studies books at the Middleschool are in the process of trying to find the most recent edition. The proposal was put togehter and brought forward at the end of last school year so it was a time between one budget year and another. So, they are delayed a little bit but we are in the process of ordering those as well. Those are the only ones that I am aware of that are outstanding. Ms. Thompson: I thought the statement was made that the books were delivered and signed for but they don't have them? Ms. Quartironi: I don't know what that comment means. I can look into it but if we sign off on books at Central we would deliver them. I am not clear as to why that comment was made. Dr. Walkley regarding substitutes. States that she has been in contact with other districts in Dutchess County. In particular she talked to the one District that pays the most and they also have shortage of subs and teachers. They are warehousing students in the auditorium for study halls. After discussing a possible thought from the group is that four years ago the APPR came into play as well as tests that teachers need to take now to get a teacher liscense. Those tests are particularly rigorous and they are difficult to pass. Therefore for years ago, people who thought they were going into education did not continue. The assesments are quite costly and people can not continue to retake the tests. This may indicate why there is a shortage of substitutes and teachers in this area. We are bringing a proposal to the Board to change the pay for substitutes but even the district that pays over $100 a day has a shortage and it's a big problem. Regarding question on grant monies. Grant monies always have guidelines about what grant money can be spent for. So for example if you wanted to have a behavior program with one of the grant monies the one prgram that the State supports is PBIS. So there are guidelines about how that money can be spent the. The money in the grants that we are using for professional development can not be spent for the Calico Ball, or certain teachers. It must be used in certain ways. There are certain guidelines and there are quite a few. Regarding Race to the Top funds Ms. Quartironi Does not have money in front of her but can bring to next meeting Regarding Excel: being a high needs district we did receive Excel money several years ago and used it directly for capital projects. We do have some money available to us that if we were to go out for another capital project we could use the rest of it but it's only a couple of 100 thousand dollars left. We were able to utilize most to keep the tax levy less. |
| -1:21:56 Speaker 11 former educator hearing the same things at meetings about teacher transfers, TOSAs, and a lack of respect shown to teachers he cannot in good conscious sit by without commenting. We haven’t had the consistency to keep the district stable until now. He has talked about the need for leadership and that a permanent superintendent was needed. Believes that Dr. Walkley is the one to bring it all together even with the kicking and screaming that is going on. Most superintendents would not have even met with the teachers being moved. Principals should stand up and admit that they were involved with teacher transfers. The special education teachers in this district have been moved on a yearly basis but there has been no outcry on this either. TOSAs are also important to the continued professional development of teachers. To question the qualifications of one individual is horrendous. A parent has asked ‘how can a PE teacher help an English teacher when it’s not their area?” An experienced educator knows good teaching when it is taking place and there are administrators and teachers on this board, and they know I speak the truth. He continues by talking about respect. A parent was allowed to turn and talk to the audience where others were told that they could not do that. The rule must apply to all equally. | -1:50:15 Dr Walkley acknowledges comment |
| 1:26:22 Speaker 12 She asks Dr. Walkley about the DCIP (District Comprehensive Improvement Plan) which is featured on the homepage of the Beacon City School District website. That is the plan we are currently following. It was submitted to the state on July 31, 2015. She just wants to confirm that. She has seen something on Facebook that there isn’t anyone to help the Seniors do the yearbook. Can we get someone to do that? She has a question to the board members who are voting tonight about the various consultant agreements, Engineering by Design, Carlie’s Crusade. She wants to make sure that everybody is reading those agreements and that everyone knows how much money is going to each one of those things before they sign them. | -1:50:29 Dr. Walkley: question about DCIP and is it on the home page. I believe it is. (audience: asked if it was submitted to the state on July 31st and if accepted is it being implemented?) Dr. Walkley: it was sumbitted to the state. The state has given us some feedback on that particular DCIP that Ms. Kellogg is now taking a look at and that will be addressed. (audience: and shared with public as well) We don't have it in front of us today but we can certainly share information at another meeting. Mrs. Kellogg: I don't have that feedback in front of me. It is something she'd like to share and bring back to a committee to look at it. They just received the feedback. These are living documents. They have been shared with those implenting the plans and the schools and they will have opportunity for further feedback. With regard to the high school SCEP plan we are participating in the DTSDE Diagnostic tool for school district effectiveness, PLC (Professional Learning Committee) at the state level and as part of that association develping 3yr. plan which makes more sense to them so that they can build on work they are already doing. More information will be shared with the community |
| ,1:28:53 Speaker 13 feels that the idea of respect doesn’t always come forward in sort of a neat and tidy box when you are dealing with hard issues about which people are passionate. Her parents also taught her about respect but she was taught about engagement, expecting more, being pushed to reach your full potential, to talk about problems, care loudly at each other. What the BTA president was bringing forward was valuable feedback maybe it didn’t sound the way we wanted it to sound or maybe it was a little louder and harsher but it’s still important and it’s still an extremely important part of our education community. Whatever opinions you might have about the person the message is still there and you have to dispassionately absorb that. There is an irregularity about the first speaker went on at length mentioning names and paid tribute, and that was ok, but in his bringing up a name that was considered inappropriate and I just want to say nobody runs for a leadership position because they are seeking anonymity. You know your name is going to be put out there. People like and dislike your decisions. In the end we all want the same thing and we can’t keep discussing how we talk to each other anymore because it is exhausting. We can figure it out and we should try. | -1:53:26 Dr. Walkley acknowledges comment and that we can figure it out. |
RSS Feed