To: The Murch Community
From: The Murch Development Team (MDT)
Re: Update from February 27, 2007 MDT meeting
Date: 3/8/07
The 2007-2008 school budget process has begun. DCPS uses site-based management, so it is up to the principal under the advisement of the Murch Development Team to determine how our local school’s funds are allocated, as long as compliance and other limited requirements are met. The preliminary budget allocations are based on enrollment projections, as amended by each principal and approved by the appropriate regional superintendent, for the upcoming school year.
The budget and staffing process occurs in lock step with the local school plan development. Based on student data, budgets and staffing should support the goals laid out in the local school plan. The staffing plan is set to deliver the programming outlined in our local school plan.
At the February 27, 2007 MDT discussion of the 2007-08 school budget, the principal indicated that the nature of the school’s technology needs are currently different than those supported by the current position, opening up a resource position that is more aligned to our school plan for the 2007-08 school year.
The MDT discussed how best to use that position to meet the school’s most pressing needs. We bring this to the community in particular because we acknowledge that the recommendation of the MDT – to hire a full time school counselor – was not previously discussed among the options for next year. Therefore, we feel it is particularly important to hear community feedback.
It should be acknowledged up front that this resource position – which we have attempted to fill in recent years with a language instructor, then an enrichment teacher, and this year a technology coordinator, has eluded us despite exhaustive recruitment efforts, largely because of very stringent DCPS and federal hiring requirements. The MDT believes that, after reading the following rationale for the counselor, and our deliberation about other options, the community will agree with the MDT’s conclusion.
Please share your responses, comments, other feedback with us within the next few days, as the principal goes to her ‘budget roundtable’ on March 13 with her final request for next year. Thank you to those parents who have provided input into this process already; your participation sustains our school.
Following is a summary of the MDT’s recommendation, and other options discussed.
Proposal to Hire a Full-time Counselor
The proposal of the Principal and the full MDT is to use the resource position to hire a full-time school counselor.
Rationale: The MDT has identified the full-time counselor as a critical need for the school to ensure that classrooms run as smoothly and productively as possible. The principal has received a significant number of calls from parents about bullying, poor student behavior, lack of assemblies, etc. Yet the time of the half-time counselor, currently on staff, is largely taken up with responsibilities for both special education and the DCPS Student Support Team process which addresses the needs of general education students who are struggling academically or socially. These duties leave her little time to devote to classroom interventions, implementation of ‘responsive classroom’ or work with individual students and families.
The time of the proposed additional full-time counselor would be used to work with the general population, teachers and parents. The number one priority for the new counselor would be to manage the full implementation of the ‘responsive classroom’ model.
Several Murch teachers recently visited a school in Fairfax and were very impressed with what the two counselors there had been able to do to manage the school-wide responsive classroom initiative. The principal plans to use the $75,000 Murch will receive in ‘incentive money’ for the full implementation of the responsive classroom, but will need a counselor to manage the program day-to-day.
In addition, having a full-time counselor available to assist with students who may distract from the flow of the classroom will improve the overall classroom experience for everyone, help staff and students from being diverted from their core learning, and therefore support our collective focus on reading, math, science and other curriculum. It is integrally linked to overall learning.
A detailed description of the role of the proposed full-time counselor may be found at the end of these notes, including the position’s day-to-day responsibilities, and how they would help the school as a whole.
The MDT also considered the following options for the resource position, and discussed how the needs they represented can be addressed.
Technology
It was noted that while the technology position has not turned out to be what we had anticipated, it remains critically important to ensure that the technology equipment we have – printers, computers, internet connections -- remains functional. The MDT decided that this maintenance function could be carried out by an intermittent consultant such as ‘Geeks Squad’ that could be paid for by HSA with a modest sum, and the HSA co-chair agreed to bring this proposal to the next HSA board meeting. We still believe that it would be optimal to have a technology person who could integrate technology into the curriculum in a nuanced and productive manner. We simply have not been able to find that person under the current DCPS constraints.
Science
Several parents at the January MDT Open Forum, and through email and note submissions, raised the suggestion of a science instructor/resource that could work with teachers to enhance science instruction. However, many of the teachers on the MDT felt that this kind of position is not needed at Murch, and that in fact there is considerable science instruction going on in the school.
It was noted that while teachers are implementing new DCPS science standards this year, the new textbooks will not arrive in schools until May—exacerbating the community perception that science is not as full a part of the curriculum as it is. The principal felt that the school is not doing a good job of communicating with parents about all the science that is going on the classroom. Since science is more hands on, there is often no homework and no evidence that it is happening.
MDT agreed that renewing our connection with the Carnegie Institute and National Geographic could help teachers enrich their curriculum. In addition, it was decided that funds raised for the ‘Principal’s Choice’ item at the auction would be used to develop a comprehensive, grade-specific science curriculum to support the new DCPS standards, including teacher training, purchasing materials, and possibly field trips or on-site special programs focusing on science. The MDT agreed that these several enhancements in the science area would meet the current needs of the school in this area.
Foreign Language
Since the Spanish instruction program ended at Murch two years ago, there has been considerable parent interest in seeing foreign language instruction reinstated as a part of the school’s curriculum. Therefore, MDT discussed using the open resource position for a foreign language instructor.
However, for the past two years we have not been successful in recruiting a foreign language teacher because of the increased qualifications required under the federal No Child Left Behind law (NCLB). Compounding the problem, most qualified foreign language teaches are no longer interested in teaching the traditional Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools or ‘FLES’ model-- in which students receive only 45 minutes of instruction a week --with so many bilingual and language immersion programs available in the area.
It was noted that when Murch did have a Spanish program two years ago, parents raised concerns that their children were not receiving adequate exposure to learn the language. Cinzia Roveta, who currently oversees Murch’s after-school foreign language program agrees that once-a-week 45-minute language instruction in a large class group is not the way to really learn a foreign language.
In sum, questions were raised about the efficacy of the FLES model, and the very high risk that we would not find a qualified teacher to fill the position – thus jeopardizing the resource slot altogether. Therefore, the MDT agreed that we will need to continue to offer foreign language through the after-school program that meets in small groups with the option of twice-weekly instruction.
Enrichment
Last year we tried to fill the resource position with an ‘enrichment teacher’. The idea had been that an enrichment teacher would work with groups of children to provide a more challenging experience for students who were ready for in-depth or advanced work on certain topics, as well as intensively with students who are catching up.
Both parents and teachers were excited about a model of this working effectively at some other schools. We recruited aggressively to fill this position, but were unable to do so. To gauge whether the market has opened up, the job description for an ‘enrichment position’ has been posted since January 2007 at several universities and professional websites, but to date no applications have come in.
Therefore, while it does not appear that we will be able to hire a resource enrichment teacher, the school has begun to address this need in other ways. Enrichment materials have been ordered and a consultant is preparing 15-20 center-based activities that will be presented to staff members on March 14. Parents are also welcome to come to that meeting and the consultant will also facilitate a parent night in May. The consultant will develop another 40-50 center activities by June so we'll be ready to fully implement ‘inquiry learning activities’ in August. The MDT agreed that we will be able to meet the enrichment needs of students through these activities.
More Detail on the role of the school counselor
Existing Counselor Role
The existing part-time counselor, Ms. Mitchell, would continue her focus on managing the special education and Student Support Team (SST) processes. We currently have 40 students in special education, and 37 students in the SST process, for a total case load of 77 students.
Following is a detailed description of the proposed full-time counselor’s role and how it would serve the general population needs of the school.
Roles and Responsibilities of the new full-time School Counselor
Social/Emotional
• Fully develop and implement ‘Responsive Classroom’ assisting the teachers with improving the culture of the learning community within each classroom and the school.
• Serve on the Support the Student Support Team (SST) to develop strategies for students that demonstrate a need for social development.
• Develop individual student and group counseling sessions based on needs assessment conducted by staff.
• Coordinate special programs and assemblies (i.e., character development, bullying, multiculturalism/diversity, career day).
• Collaborate with school nurse to bring in related services and health care programs.
• Work with families and community agencies to develop, implement, and evaluate collaborative, school-based programs that address the mental health needs of students and families.
Academic
• Collaborate with classroom teachers to identify and support students with all aspects of academic growth.
• Develop classroom guidance lessons that support primary and intermediate students (i.e., getting along with others, developing good study habits).
• Monitor the progress and attendance of students and offer support to students that have attendance issues.
• Develop programs to support special education (i.e., students with learning disabilities and students who are talented/gifted).
• Research best practices and conduct professional development to ensure all staff is aware of issues affecting the academic environment of the school.
• Assist with the administration of standardized tests and provide counseling sessions for students on test-taking strategies and ways to reduce test anxiety.
• Develop and encourage participation of students in scholarship and award programs.
• Assist teachers with the implementation of parent workshops (i.e., standards based instruction, DC CAS testing).
• Assist with enrollment and orientation of new students and families.
Once again, please share your responses, comments, other feedback with us through emails to parent representatives Amanda Broun arbroun@aol.com Susan Banta bantaberg@starpower.net; Pam Joos joos@wis.edu; and Linda Singer lindajsinger@comcast.net; or through the MDT folder on the HSA table.
Thank you for supporting your school.
