WATERBURY-DUXBURY SCHOOL DISTRICT
ANNUAL REPORT
Board
Members: Dale Smeltzer (Chair), Susan Flynn, Dawn Poitras, Scott Rathke, Sherry Ziemke
2009-2010 PROPOSED BUDGET
The Board started its budget process in August, and
has worked hard to consider student and school district needs, plus anticipate
current and future fiscal impacts.
For the first time, budget parameters were set in advance relating to
ÒPer Pupil SpendingÓ, which is what is most directly related to the property tax
rates. This meant considering the
joint impacts of the actual Budget expenditures increase, total estimated
Revenues, plus the slightly declining Number of (equalized) Pupils.
Waterbury-Duxbury School District ÒPer Pupil
SpendingÓ is currently the only one in WWSU that is below the state average, so
the two-vote requirements of Act 68 do not apply. However an important aspect of the BoardÕs budget process
was anticipating where we would fall relative to state average in the future,
especially taking into account what we expect to be much smaller fund balances
in future years. The parameters
set by the Board were ones that in the low and middle range would likely
continue to keep our Per Pupil Spending below state average over the next few
years.
It was clear early on that due to declining pupils,
a Òlevel serviceÓ budget would be needed as a base from which further
reductions would then be considered.
This meant that the only increases in the budget would be from already
negotiated staff salary increases, changes in special needs student services,
and increases relating to fuel, energy or the transportation contract. Our Administrators then provided
several levels of expenditure reductions to consider beyond that, within the
parameter range set.
The net result of our careful
process is this budget being proposed for voter approval, and it reflects the
lowest end of the parameter range that was set by the Board. It represents:
¬ An
increase of 2.5%
in Budget
expenditures, well under any previous budget increases.
¬ An
increase of 4.1%
in Spending
per Pupil, matching the inflationary increase provided by state statute,
resulting in an exactly level impact on the base tax rate.
¬ Equalized
tax rates are now reported separately for Waterbury-Duxbury and Harwood before
proportional consolidation based on equalized pupils to calculate the final
education tax rate for each town, and can be compared to the previous year. At
the currently recommended $0.01 drop in the base rate, Waterbury-DuxburyÕs equalized rate is
$1.173 compared to $1.186 last year, while HarwoodÕs equalized rate is $1.224
compared to $1.254 last year.
¬ Unfortunately,
this translates into estimated increases in the final Homestead Tax Rate of 7.3% for
Waterbury and 8.7% for Duxbury, at the currently recommended base tax rate (not
yet formally approved; it does not include any of the changes proposed by the
Governor or under discussion at the Legislature). This is due to higher than statewide average property value
increases in both communities, from the CLA (Common Level of Appraisal) that impacts
all tax rates.
Changes included in the proposed budget, compared
to last year, can be found later in this report in a table titled ÒChange in
FY2009 to FY2010 Budgeted ExpensesÓ and the main details are briefly summarized
below:
¬
Minor
shifts in staffing positions to reflect priorities identified by administrators
and the strategic plan, resulting in a net reduction of 0.3 Professional FTEÕs (reductions of
0.2 Preschool, 0.2 Music, 0.4 English Language Learning teachers; Addition of
0.5 PE/Health at TBPS) and a reduction of 0.35 FTE Support Staff (reduced 0.5
custodian, on school days only, at TBPS).
¬
Savings
in Special Education costs through a reduction of 2.0 FTE of Special Education
Instructional Assistants (aides), due to changes in student needs plus
modifications to service delivery through reduced reliance on aides.
¬
Due
to the unusually large fund balance a one-time extra amount ($55,000) was added again
this year to the Long Term Maintenance Reserve, on top of what was already
planned (total is $75,000). The
vast majority of the fund balance is serving as extra revenue that reduces our
tax rate, however, while putting some of this surplus aside for the future.
¬
A
change in accounting method for interest income and expenses is causing a
budget increase, but this is exactly offset by an identical increase in
revenues.
¬
Preschool
pupils have increased slightly at our private preschool partnership sites, but
these expenses are offset by the increase in our equalized pupils.
Note: For taxpayers paying based on income, the Income
Rate varies by town; see budget details. Note: A majority of households in both our
communities pay their education property taxes based on income. For information
on income sensitivity eligibility, please check with the VT Department of
Taxes.
OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT
– THE PAST YEAR:
School Board Highlights from 2007-08
This past year, the
Board continued to work toward its goals of furthering the Strategic Plan and
its implementation, plus ensuring that budget development is a comprehensive
process that thinks to the future in both the short and long term. Our Strategic Plan is now beginning to
guide efforts within our school district, and will soon be integrated with the
state mandated Action Plan. Our
administrators have established and prioritized the Strategies and Progress
Indicators that will further the three established goals (see school website
– www.wdsdvt.org – for
details of the Strategic Plan).
The Board wishes to
gratefully acknowledge the many years of dedicated service provided by retiring
Crossett Brook Middle School Principal, Ken Page, who has been with our school
district since the very beginning!
He was instrumental in bringing middle level education to our DistrictÕs
students. He oversaw the planning, construction, and leadership of our middle
school while also serving as the principal of Duxbury Elementary School.
A search is already in
progress for a new CBMS Principal who will now also serve as a PreK-8 District
Coordinator. The Board decided to
restructure district-wide responsibilities by delegating their oversight to one
principal who will also serve as the main liaison to work with the School
Board. This does not add new
responsibilities, but simply distributes the current ones more efficiently.
There will still be a principal at TBPS plus an assistant principal in each
school. In addition, the Director
of Curriculum at WWSU will be asked to exercise a more expansive leadership and
collaborative role with both building principals to identify needs, develop
programs, monitor progress, and evaluate success.
Lastly, the Board would
like to thank outgoing board member Susan Flynn, who has served for more than 7
years on the board and participated at the supervisory union level as
well.
Crossett Brook Middle School Highlights (by Ken Page)
Staff: Crossett Brook Middle
School is now in its 12th year of operation, and we continue to hum along
in spite of some challenges. The loss of our former Assistant Director of
Maintenance, Everett Boyce, was felt by all of us. Everett served us well for
nine years before he left due to illness. Six new teachers, six new
instructional assistants, one new food service director and two new support
staff have joined our ranks this year. Although it meant a lot of hiring, we
know that new people energize an organization, and that is precisely what has
happened this year.
Initiatives: We no longer offer separate
classes in computer applications, opting instead to integrate technology
instruction into the current subjects. Now, teachers work directly with the
technology coordinator to design units that embed technology within the unit or
project. The reduction of family
and consumer sciences to a 50% position caused us to revamp our offerings for
our 7th and 8th grade students. Monthly professional
development continues for our staff using the Wednesday early-release day
structure. Our staff has mainly concentrated on math, writing and service
learning. A revised master schedule, an electronic grading and reporting
system, and a school-wide effort to target students not making adequate yearly
progress were other efforts.
Other: Community and parent
involvement remains high, and the building is heavily used for school and
community events plus various sports programs. We are delighted that our facilities are used and enjoyed by
the community.
I have greatly enjoyed my 13 years in Waterbury and
Duxbury and will remember these as the most rewarding in my 36
year career. Although I plan to retire from the principalship,
I plan to still be involved in education in some capacity. I want to thank the
school board, the staff, the parents, the community and, most of all, the
students, for giving me the opportunity to create something new and special in
the Waterbury and Duxbury communities.
Thatcher Brook Primary School
Highlights (by Don Schneider)
Professional Development: On our eight early
release days, professional development is offered to collaborative groups of
teachers primarily in the two areas of math and writing. All of our 1-4 grade
level teachers are continuing to focus on writing and our Pre K-K teachers are
working in the area of mathematics.
Collaborative Teams: We continue in our efforts to help
all of our students to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Every week, teams
of teachers get together to analyze student work and plan intervention
strategies for those students not achieving the standard. Teachers group
students and plan instructional approaches according to their specific needs.
The purpose of these collaborative data groups is to move all students toward
meeting standards. For those already meeting the standard;
it is to extend their learning. Through a state grant, we have been fortunate
to be able to hire a .30 math teacher to help with students not meeting math
standards.
New Staff: We had an unusually
high number of new employees this year! We have a new third/fourth grade
teacher, school counselor, special educator, tech assistant, and food service
director. The positions of food service director and tech assistant are shared
with Crossett Brook Middle School. We also hired five instructional assistants
who replaced individuals who had moved to other places of employment. Through a state grant, we have hired a
part time health educator who is teaching the health curriculum to students in
grades 1-4.
***Please note***: The Waterbury Duxbury STAFF LIST has been omitted
from this report to save on printing costs. A complete staff list is available
at both town clerksÕ offices as well as both schoolsÕ offices and on either of
the schoolsÕ websites, tbps.org or cbmsonline.org.
Waterbury-Duxbury
School
and Student Data
for the
2008-09
School Year
General
Information
Average Class Size 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09
Kindergarten 13.0 12.8 15.4
Grades 1–
4 18.7 17.5 17.0
Grades 5 - 8 21.5 19.4 18.7
Total Enrollment 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09
Pre-K - gr.
4 404 394 388
Gr. 5 - gr.
8 322 291 281
Attendance Rate (2007-08)
TBPS 93.8% CBMS 96.1% Vermont 95.4% (2006-07)
Length of School Year Length
of School Day
Student Days 180 Kindergarten 3.5 hours
Teacher Days 190 Grades
1–8 6.5
hours
Special Services % of total enrollment
|
Students with
Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs) |
2006-07 |
2007-08 |
2008-09 |
|
TBPS |
14.9% |
15.9% |
15.5% |
|
CBMS |
14.0% |
19.4% |
16.0% |
Staff (by total FTE)*
|
|
2006-07 |
2007-08 |
2008-09 |
|
Professional
Teachers |
66.85 |
68.39 |
68.70 |
|
Instructional
Assistants |
24.65 |
23.63 |
27.52 |
|
Administrators |
4.0 |
4.0 |
4.0 |
|
Support Staff |
23.0 |
25.53 |
23.36 |
Data as of
October 1st of each year
* Full-Time Equivalent defined as 35
hrs/wk
Professional
TeachersÕ Salaries
|
|
2006-07 |
2007-08 |
2008-09 |
|
Waterbury-Duxbury
Average |
$43,279 |
$45,626 |
$46,425 |
|
Vermont Average |
$47,644 |
$49,521 |
N/A |
Students eligible for Free or Reduced Lunch
TBPS 17.5% CBMS 14.9% Vermont 29% (2007-08)
Other Washington
West Communities
Fayston 9.2% Waitsfield
16.1% Moretown
12.1% Warren 17.2%
STUDENT ASSESSMENT RESULTS
New England Common
Assessment Program (NECAP) – 2007 Results
The NECAP grade level assessments are based on the
Vermont Grade Level Expectations (GLE's). The NECAP
incorporates the principles of Òuniversal designÓ, which make this assessment
accessible to the greatest number of students and are given yearly.
The results of the 2007 New England Common
Assessment Program (NECAP) showed that Crossett Brook Middle School and
Thatcher Brook Primary School made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for the Òall studentsÓ
category. However, we did not make adequate yearly progress in the areas of
Math and Reading for
students with disabilities for a third year. This target area
specifically focuses on students with Individual Education Plans (IEP). The
NECAP results mean that both CBMS and TBPS are identified as schools in need of
improvement for students with disabilities. In addition, the schools did not
make AYP for students
considered to be of low Socio-Economic Status (SES) in the area of
Reading and Math.
In response to this identification, CBMS and TBPS
have received federal funding to help improve test scores for these two
identified categories. With this funding, CBMS has hired a .30 teacher to
provide direct, one-on-one services to targeted students who did not make AYP.
TBPS has hired a .30 math tutor to allow the current Title 1 teacher to focus
on providing service to specifically targeted students in the area of
literacy.
Teachers continue to analyze NECAP release task
information to focus in on specific teaching points. These release tasks allow
teachers to see the specific area where students had difficulty while taking
the NECAP. Teachers also continue to develop new teaching strategies using
differentiated instruction. Differentiated Instruction is a method of teaching
that enables a teacher to provide for all learning styles in the classroom and
results in higher student performance.
The Literacy Coordinator and the Math Coordinator
for the Waterbury/Duxbury school district provide embedded professional
development within classrooms. The results of these efforts both improve and
change teaching techniques. In addition, administrators from the district have
been attending monthly meetings sponsored by the State of Vermont. These
meetings are being used as a way for schools to share ideas and strategies that
they are using to improve student performance.
The results of the 2008 NECAP will be available in
late January 2009. These results
will help to direct the Waterbury/Duxbury School District in their
instructional practices in the coming school year.
The following assessments were given:
Grade 3 Reading
and Math
Grade
4 Reading
and Math
Grade
5 Reading,
Writing and Math
Grade
6 Reading
and Math
Grade
7 Reading
and Math
Grade
8 Reading,
Writing and Math
Please refer to the following levels of achievement
as you read the table showing the results for grades three through eight.
NOTE: Levels 3 and 4 are combined on the tables and graphs.
Level 4: Proficiency with Distinction
Level 3: Proficiency
ALSO: The standard assessment reporting format uses DISTRICT to refer to WWSU
|
New England Common Assessment
Program 2007 |
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Math % Proficient and Above
(Levels 3 & 4) |
|
Reading % Proficient and
Above
(Levels
3 & 4) |
|
Writing % Proficient and
Above
(Levels
3 & 4) |
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|
Grades |
School |
District |
State |
|
Grades |
School |
District |
State |
|
Grades |
School |
District |
State |
|
3rd
grade |
76% |
83% |
68% |
|
3rd
grade |
72% |
79% |
71% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
4th
grade |
57% |
69% |
62% |
|
4th
grade |
66% |
75% |
68% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
5th
grade |
66% |
73% |
64% |
|
5th
grade |
67% |
72% |
68% |
|
5th
grade |
49% |
68% |
48% |
|
6th
grade |
84% |
88% |
66% |
|
6th
grade |
84% |
85% |
72% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
7th
grade |
65% |
71% |
60% |
|
7th
grade |
73% |
75% |
71% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
8th
grade |
69% |
71% |
59% |
|
8th
grade |
70% |
77% |
69% |
|
8th
grade |
60% |
55% |
47% |
VERMONT
DEVELOPMENTAL READING ASSESSMENT (DRA)
The Vermont DRA is an individually administered
standards-based reading assessment given at the end of grade 2. It involves
students reading and re-telling selected short books. The graph below
illustrates the percentages of students meeting and exceeding the standard for
the Thatcher Brook Primary School, WWSU and the State. As the graph indicates,
ninety-one percent of second graders at Thatcher Brook met or exceeded the
standard. Ninety-one percent of second graders at WWSU and eighty-four percent
at the State level met or exceeded the standard for spring 2008. At the time of
this printing, the State of Vermont has decided to stop the mandatory testing
using the Developmental Reading Assessment at the end of second grade.
Schools have been encouraged to take this testing on themselves or use another
assessment for this grade level. Thatcher Brook has decided to continue with
the same DRA assessment for another year.
Assessment
of Student Performance
The results reported above are one way to look at
state performance data. For more information on student data, go to the state
website www.state.vt.us/educ.
There, you are given the opportunity to review data disaggregated by gender,
free and reduced lunch, etc.