More than 60 people filled the South Meadows Middle School library on Thursday, February 9, to hear Superintendent Mike Scott share information on the progress toward implementing our options programs: Online School, Dual Language, and STEM; our budget projections for the 2012-13 school year and beyond; and our middle and high school grading policy.
The District’s online school, Hillsboro Online Academy, will officially launch in the fall of this year. It is designed to fit the needs of students who wish to conduct their education outside of, or as a supplement to, traditional learning on a physical campus. A dedicated website for the school is expected to launch around February 17 with additional information about classes and registration. There are also two upcoming informational events where parents and prospective students will have an opportunity to talk to the planning principal, Linda Harrington, about the new school. Those events are:
- Wednesday, February 22, at the Hillsboro Main Library (2850 Brookwood Parkway) from 9:00 a.m. to noon and from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Thursday, February 23, at Evergreen Middle School (29850 NW Evergreen Road) from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Our Dual Language program is also expanding from our current three schools—W.L. Henry, Minter Bridge, and Eastwood—to three new schools: Lincoln Street, Reedville, and Witch Hazel. We are very pleased to offer the opportunity of becoming biliterate to an increasing number of students in our district. To learn more or to indicate your interest in having your child participate in a Dual Language program, please visit our Dual Language Program webpage.
STEM is an interdisciplinary approach that works to enhance a student’s experience and facility in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Last fall, Farmington View Elementary School received national recognition by Intel Corporation as the top provider of elementary science opportunities in the nation through the company’s Schools of Distinction Awards program. Three additional elementary schools will add a specific STEM focus in the 2012-13 school year, which means they will have access to a half-time coach to ensure STEM principals are infused throughout the curriculum. Half the cost of the coaches will come from the STEM consortium, which is run by Portland State University and receives funding from major corporations like Intel. More information on the additional STEM schools will be available in the coming weeks.
Budget planning is beginning in earnest for the 2012-13 school year. As this is the second year of the 2011-2013 biennium, we have a little more certainty about the funding level we can expect. The latest state revenue forecast, released February 8, showed that expected revenues are down approximately $35 million from the previous forecast, which brings the total revenue shortfall to just over $341 million since the close of the 2011 Legislative Session. Since the Co-Chairs of the Ways & Means Committee set aside $460 million to account for possible shortfalls, we are still slated to receive the level of funding that was allocated for the biennium; certainly for this school year. It remains to be seen with the next five revenue forecasts of the biennium if the state will be able to stay above that $460 million threshold and avoid reductions to K-12 and other budgets.
The Hillsboro School District is anticipating a gap between revenues and expenditures of just over $7.6 million for the 2012-13 school year. Approaches to addressing the shortfall may involve reducing school days, raising class size, making staffing and/or program cuts, or looking into revenue-generating options. Specific ideas will be explored with the Board and Budget Committee over the coming weeks and months and will be shared as they become more solidified. Staff, parents and community members are invited to stay involved in the budget development process and share their ideas either at school-based meetings, Board meetings, Listening Sessions, or by contacting administration directly. Information on the budget, including the presentation that was shown at the Listening Session, can be found on the Budget Matters webpage.
Finally, there was a discussion around Policy IK: Academic Achievement. Intended to address grading practices at the secondary level, Policy IK talks about the District’s philosophy that grades should be an accurate reflection of what a student knows and can do based on their performance toward standards in each course. The policy was adopted by the Board in March 2010, and information has been available via a Secondary Grading and Reporting webpage, as well as the February 2010 and May 2010 District newsletters. Additional information was shared with middle and high school parents through school newsletters and at back-to-school nights in the fall of 2010 and 2011. However, some aspects of implementation of the policy—specifically balanced grading and the expectation that grades are based on 90% summative assessments and 10% formative assessments—have been confusing and misunderstood by a contingent of our staff, parents and students. Many of the attendees at the Listening Session were there specifically to share their concerns and frustrations with the policy’s implementation and request some answers. Superintendent Scott and his staff noted all the concerns raised and have pledged to present a plan of action at the March 20 Board meeting.