Attendees: Rosanna DeMammos, Jackie Hines, Emily Kallaur, Bethany Little, Lauren Miller, Richard Nugent, Vicki Otten, Manolis Priniotakis, Leslie Scott
Ms. Scott called the meeting to order at 5:35. Minutes from previous meeting approved
Mr. Cebrzynski discussed budget numbers and thoughts on staffing. He will be submitting the budget the week of March 1st. The main points of his presentation were:
- Murch received a reduction from last year’s budget.
- This was a strategic decision on the part of the school, wanting to keep enrollment low enough that we did not return to the new building in 2018 already over-enrolled. This has been the case of a number of schools who have undergone renovation.
- Going with a lower enrollment number should allow us to meet that long-term goal.
- The initial enrollment projection from the DCPS was 619. Assuming a number of parents will hold their Pre-K or kindergarten students out of Murch during the renovation, Murch’s budget number was based on an enrollment of 600.
The DCPS budget includes two types of funding:
- Some are already front loaded into budget by DCPS to fill specific positions
- Others are discretionary
There will be four classes at each grade level. The goal is to keep classes at 25 or less. If this is not possible, Mr. Cebrzynski will consider adding a 5th class at that grade level.
The LSAT moved into a discussion of what positions are required to be filled by DCPS and where application of the budget money is allowed to be used at the discretion of the principal. There was clarification and discussions of different positions and how each position might meet the overall goals of Murch and of DCPS.
In restructuring some staff positions, Mr. Cebrzynski made clear that, as there continue to be rising expectations of what goes on in the classroom, specialists – both in reading and math as well as those who are supporting children who are English language learners or have IEPs – will be focusing their efforts on pushing into the classroom much more than pulling students out for one on one instruction.
The DCPS teacher evaluation system (IMPACT) will end at the end of the current school year. A new system to support teachers will be put into place – LEAP. DCPS is requiring schools to have leaders for LEAP teams:
- First and second grade ELA
- first and second grade math
- 3-5 ELA
- 3-5 math.
Pre K and K will not have LEAP teams. There are three different options for leadership for the four new LEAP teams at Murch, none of which include additional budget money from DCPS Mr. Cebrzynski is looking at which options make the most sense for Murch.
Questions that need to be addressed in planning for LEAP:
- What do we take off teachers’ plates to make this work?
- Who is going to best support them in their planning?
- What do we need to ensure that each teacher is able to be as effective as possible?
Mr. Cebrzynski continues to meet with officials from UDC and from DCPS about the school’s housing for the next two years. He is encouraged by the enthusiasm coming from UDC officials. He believes that the UDC option will offer some real opportunities for collaboration and partnership between Murch staff and students and UDC students and staff.
The meeting adjourned at 7:15 PM.