TOWN COUNCIL
AD HOC STRATEGIC INNOVATION FOR FINANCING TEACHING
TELECONFERENCE MEETING
WINDHAM TOWN HALL AUDITORIUM
THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2011 7:00 PM
Agenda
In attendance: Kevin Donohue, Erika Haynes, Chuck Pennewill, Murphy Sewall
Absent: Mark Doyle, Jeff Smith
Dr. Richard Bloomer arrived at 7:35
1. Meeting was called to order at 7:25 pm.
2. Presentations and Special Reports
a. Alex Johnston, of ConnCan spoke:
Johnston began by noting that policy at the state level impacts local education, and public education is fundamental to society and to a democracy. In Hartford, 2.5% more children reached goal this year than last year (goal being grade level equivalent). Hartford and New Haven are moving tow times faster than state average, and three times faster than Windham. Windham was last in a number of achievement categories in the state.
Hartford’s Reform Strategy: Systemic approach; All choice – any public school in the district (90% of parents are participating in the process); they have closed some schools and opened some thematic schools. Hartford’s Board of Education is appointed by the Mayor. The impact of these reforms is that Hartford has exceeded the state average improvement rate for the last 4 years, with a graduation rate of 41%, up from 29% in 2006.
New Haven’s Reform Strategy: New Haven’s Board of Education is appointed by the Mayor. Similar approach to Hartford with respect to school choice, but not in full. There is an innovative teacher contract, connecting the evaluation process with teacher retention – a teacher who is evaluated as in need of improvement must improve within that school year or they will be terminated at the end of the school year. They do school tiering – schools that are doing well are maintained the way they are currently running while schools that are struggling receive radical intervention. The impact of these reforms is that math and reading scores are growing at three times the state average (although these reforms have not been in place as long as Hartford’s.
ConnCan believes we (the entire state) must: 1) spend smart and 2) staff smart.
Spend Smart
The financial challenge in Connecticut is historic: $3.5 billion in debt, $271 million ARRA dollars at risk in the ECS formula. Rhode Island is leading the nation in changing the funding formula to fund students’ specific learning needs and for the ability of districts to fun education. If we look at towns in Connecticut with less than 20% poverty, we see that some of those towns receive more state aid to education than towns with 70% poverty rates.
If we look at an equalized net grand list scaled to median household income, Hartford is at approximately 10% of the state median, Windham is at approximately 20%, and Greenwich is at 1,000%. Communities that are barely below the median are getting more state aid than Windham.
The ECS has been legislatively modified approximately 31 times. This no longer ensures an accurate distribution of resources. The formula was also never fully funded. If the state fully funded the ECS, Windham would get $8 million more, approximately 20% of current budget. Currently the state is not using the formula – the ECS is flat funded regardless of tax base changes.
ConnCan is proposing a Student Based Funding Formula in Connecticut. There would be a foundation amount, and then student success factors would be added in – attach weights to students based on their learning needs. The state’s share ratio would be connected to the town’s ability to pay. There would be a minimum amount of state aid per pupil, and the phase in for the proposal would be 10 years. ConnCan is not proposing moving any money in the next two years.
Greenwich currently has $8 million of taxable wealth for every student. In comparison, Hartford, New Haven and Windham have approximately $100,000 of taxable wealth for every student. Disparate wealth in the state and a big challenge in designing a system that works better.
If education funding in the state is cut by 14% (the piece of funding in the ECS that is federal ARRA dollars), the loss in Windham would be approximately $1,000 per child. If we shifted to a student based model and lost the ARRA funding, Windham funding would still go up. While this is not a viable political model, money follows the child creates a dynamic education system.
Staff Smart
Grant districts more flexibility from mandates that limit their ability to reallocate resources effectively. In 2010, Connecticut lost 1,5000, determined by seniority. The current policy will cause districts to eliminate the newest teachers, while there is no direct correlation between time on the job and student performance after the first year. New Haven is now allowed to conduct layoffs based on seniority and to terminate based on competency connected to student achievement. Seniority only policies for layoffs impacts performance in the school system. State statute does allow the state to intervene in assignment of staff in layoffs.
Murphy Sewall noted that Windham used selective layoffs and retirement incentives. Windham currently lacks database measures of teacher effectiveness. Additionally, most data is qualitative, and the data that is quantitative we do not have a long enough period tracked for.
Johnston explained how the current system of binding arbitration works. He noted that precedent is a critical piece in binding arbitration, and the New Haven contract would not make it through the binding arbitration process. ConnCan proposes appointing arbitrators independently for a finite period of time. In the state takeover in Hartford, binding arbitration was required to keep the interests of children in mind.
How does Windham survive in the next two years? Look at the existing governance structure, and the role of the state in guiding the town to find a better structure. The statute allows the state to intervene. Charter change may be an option – for example, Hartford has some elected and some appointed members of the board of education.
3. Future Agenda Items
a. Tuesday, January 25, 2011 – Chris Barbic, founder of Houston’s YES Prep schools, via phone
4. Citizens and delegations
Brian Anderson, the Democratic State Central Committee Member for the 29th State Senate District, said he disagreed with Johnston and ConnCan. He believes ConnCan is an ideologically driven conservative think tank. We have seen one side of a complex issue, and we should hear both. ConnCan’s Board of Directors has Wall Street representatives, no educators. He is glad to see ConnCan getting involved in the unfairness of state funding. Johnston ended his presentation with what is most important – getting rid of binding arbitration and teacher tenure. States without unions do not do as well as we do. Poverty impacts learning, and we should not blame tenure and arbitration but rather take measures to alleviate poverty. The real solution is a progressive income tax.
Elizabeth Espitia from Willimantic: And employee of Windham Middle School and a board member of the Windham Parent Network, Espitia works in the community. Johnston’s presentation helped her see how our community compares to others. In Hartford she has seen how a community comes together and creates momentum. We need to work together. CMTs do not measure the total success of kids and schools (eg., the progress of ELLs). Good things happen in our school system. The system is trying to use any resources possible. We need to work together.
Johnston responded to both speakers:
ConnCan is an advocacy effort. Look at the donor list. ConnCan has perspective, but it is not necessarily ideological. He encourages all to make the arguments public and join the debate.
New Haven is looking at a richer assessment.
5. Adjournment – meeting was adjourned at 9: 20.
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