Leslie Scott announced that Richard Nugent, a former Murch parent with previous LSAT experience has agreed to be our community representative on the LSAT.
PARCC
Chris discussed initial readings of PARCC scores that have been released to principals. PARCC is rated on a 1 (lowest possible score) to a 5 (highest possible score) scale. He commented that while it is clear what a 4 or 5 is college ready and a 1 or a 2 is not meeting expectations, the interpretation of a 3 is not quite as clear.
In looking at our scores, if we are only looking at those students who scored a 4 or 5 as “college ready”, Murch had a 66% pass rate for ELA and a 68% pass rate for Math. If, however, you add in the 3s, Murch had an 85% pass rate for ELA and an 89% pass rate for Math. With that pass rate, Murch would have performed better than 97% of all other DC elementary schools.
Enrollment
Enrollment projections will be in by January. We are assuming that our enrollment will drop some because of the renovation. Based on this year’s numbers, Murch should be OK with staffing for next year, but may face possible staff reductions the following year. Chris needs to work with various agencies to ensure we are not penalized during renovation.
Enrollment projections must be in by December 12 – Chris is anticipating submitting a 611 projection number, 23 less than the current year.
RELOCATION
Two options:
• Many trailers on our current site
• Use of the church next to the Forest Hills Playground with many trailers on the adjacent field
• Many trailers on our current site
• Use of the church next to the Forest Hills Playground with many trailers on the adjacent field
Each of these sites is fraught with problems; no matter where we go with swing space, there are not any good options
LSAT will draft a letter re: swing space, ensuring that it is not redundant with everything the HSA and the SIT team are doing
Community Meeting on swing space is Thursday, December 17th in the gym
Community Meeting on swing space is Thursday, December 17th in the gym
Moving forward, two priorities during renovation are maintaining small class sizes and maintaining current staffing levels
BUDGET
- Will need to develop a two year budget
- February 10th – March 4th will be the time to assess budget options and prioritize what of the four DCPS budget priorities
- Only one may really impact Murch – increased instructional
Two opportunities to interact with the budget: Tuesday, February 16th and Monday, February 29th
