Educational Programming - Milford Public Schools

Milford School Facility Utilization & Study
Educational
Programming
August 20, 2013
In Association with: Thomas Jokubaitis
Prepared for Milford Board of Education
1

Introduction of New Committee Chair
Revisit Existing Conditions -
Committee Member questions
Educational Programming Review
Work Group Discussion
Next Steps
Introduction
In Association with: Thomas Jokubaitis
Prepared for Milford Board of Education
2

Revisit Existing Conditions – Questions
In Association with: Thomas Jokubaitis
Prepared for Milford Board of Education
3

Conceptual Framework
Variables
impacting Milford’s
preferred future
Integration of each
variable into
recommendations
Future
programs
Enrollment
Preferred
School
Capacity
Anticipating impact
and adjusting
thinking will
optimize potential
for success
Technology
Equity
Future
Community
Support
Economic
Conditions
In Association with: Thomas Jokubaitis
Prepared for Milford Board of Education
4

Educational Focus Groups Discussions
Met with Superintendent and
Administrators
Met with All School Principals
Discussed Future Educational
Programming Needs and Perceived
Facility Needs
In Association with: Thomas Jokubaitis
Prepared for Milford Board of Education
5

Elementary Focus Group Summary
ES Organizational Design
PreK Deployment
7 PreK classes centrally located at Orange Ave
Transportation provided to special needs / Nondisabled
peers provide own.
Non-disabled peer participation declined – lack of
transportation
Consider housing PreK at appropriate facilities
throughout district
In Association with: Thomas Jokubaitis
Prepared for Milford Board of Education
6

Elementary Focus Group Summary
ES Organizational Design
Too many transitions with K-2/3-5/6-8/9-12 organization
Exacerbated by split feeder in some school alignments
Parents often have students attending 2 or 3 schools –
decline in volunteerism and sense of community
Current K-2 organization poses concern for supervision
on busses, requiring aides to assist young students
Equity in class sizes is a major issue; a large disparity is
perceived to exist.
In Association with: Thomas Jokubaitis
Prepared for Milford Board of Education
7

Elementary Focus Group Summary
ES Programming
Support for “Professional Learning Communities” –
would need to add specialists to accomplish effective
scheduling of PLCs
Literacy interventionist as reading specialists and
coaches - remediate and accelerate learning.
World language should start in elementary schoolconsider
as a special subject
Science instruction less emphasized- consider science
teacher specialist at elementary schools
In Association with: Thomas Jokubaitis
Prepared for Milford Board of Education
8

Elementary Focus Group Summary
ES Organizational Options & Considerations
Overwhelming desire for PreK-4 / PreK-5 elementary
organizational configuration
Desire to better align elementary-middle-high feeder
pattern to prevent splitting of students
Desire to distribute PreK programming throughout
elementary schools in order to ease transportation
burden and increase non-disabled peer participation.
Any changes in organization require sensitivity and
open communication early and often
In Association with: Thomas Jokubaitis
Prepared for Milford Board of Education
9

Middle Focus Group Summary
MS Organizational Design
Existing Middle School buildings originally designed
as elementary schools
Although renovations and improvements have been made –
infrastructure and core facilities are not designed for modern middle
school programs.
Emphasis placed on climate and culture to achieve mission and vision –
facility retrofit to achieve
Lack adequate auditorium/gymnasiums for middle
school programming
Recess not offered at East Shore and Harborside due to
site limitations
In Association with: Thomas Jokubaitis
Prepared for Milford Board of Education
10

Middle Focus Group Summary
MS Organizational Design
Perceived inequity in terms of facilities and resources
Desire to change community perception about Milford
Schools as ~25% of middle school students opt for
private/magnet options at 9 th grade.
Inadequate space for some programs – teacher room
sharing & room-to-room on a carte
Desire World Language for 6 th graders
In Association with: Thomas Jokubaitis
Prepared for Milford Board of Education
11

Middle Focus Group Summary
MS Organizational Options & Considerations
Strong Desire to explore 5-8 middle school alignment
Four‐year sequence affords greater continuity in programming,
strengthens sense of community and increases parent involvement in
school activities
Combined with PreK‐4 elementary, the 4‐4‐4 grade level organization
provides fewer transitions and improved continuity of experience
If 6-8 organization is sustained, schools should be
retrofitted to support mission and vision
Did not support a grade 7-9 middle school organization
– configuration does not align with mission and vision
In Association with: Thomas Jokubaitis
Prepared for Milford Board of Education
12

High Focus Group Summary
Law HS Program Needs
Need additional computer labs or design a plan for
accessibility in specific classes
Design procedures for CAPSTONE Projects
A new model for World Languages should be explored
Career and Technical Education programs require
better direction and increased emphasis
In Association with: Thomas Jokubaitis
Prepared for Milford Board of Education
13

High Focus Group Summary
Foran HS Program Needs
Need a second gymnasium
Parking areas should be improved
Need to be thinking about offering more languages
through a “virtual” learning experience; need teacher
direction in a different learning model
In Association with: Thomas Jokubaitis
Prepared for Milford Board of Education
14

High Focus Group Summary
Alt. HS Program Needs
Need to have more technical education experiences for
students; move students toward career options
Fifth-year transitional opportunities for special needs
students
Need to extend students’ school day beyond core
academic courses
Need to plan for twenty-five credit graduation
requirement, including world language credits
In Association with: Thomas Jokubaitis
Prepared for Milford Board of Education
15

High Focus Group Summary
HS Organizational Options & Considerations
High School Consolidation has some appeal if
organized into smaller learning communities
Convert Foran into a 10-12 consolidated city HS
Convert Law into a 7-9 school; grades 7 & 8 operate
under middle school, while 9 operates as high school
format
New High City High School with conversion of Foran &
Law into 6-8 or 5-8 middle schools
Facility could be tailored to 21 st century learning needs
Reuse of high school facilities could enhance middle school learning
opportunities.
In Association with: Thomas Jokubaitis
Prepared for Milford Board of Education
16

Questions
In Association with: Thomas Jokubaitis
Prepared for Milford Board of Education
17

Work Group Discussions
Four Diverse Workgroups
Focused and Timed Discussion
Bearing in Mind Complete Existing
Conditions Analysis
In Association with: Thomas Jokubaitis
Prepared for Milford Board of Education
18

Work Group Discussion 1
Establish Criteria for Organizational
Changes. What are we weighing options
against
May include:
Fiscal Responsibility / Operating Costs
Parity
Class Sizes
Transportation
Educational Objectives
In Association with: Thomas Jokubaitis
Prepared for Milford Board of Education
19

Work Group Discussion 2
Grade Configuration Options
Opportunities to Reorganize School
System to Improve Efficiency and
Effectiveness
What Ideas Should Be Explored, Given
Criteria
Program Expansion
Grade/Organizational Reconfiguration
Relocation/deployment of Programs
Facility Consolidation
In Association with: Thomas Jokubaitis
Prepared for Milford Board of Education
20