SCAC Minutes
April 20, 2004

Eileen Kugler opened the meeting and noted that an article in the Washington Post mentioned Dick Reed, former SCAC chair, who is now in Baghdad, and another article mentioned Todd Rowley, current SCAC member.

Kugler called on Brad Draeger for the Superintendent's updates.

Draeger noted that the state had still not produced a budget and it remains impossible to predict when or if there would be a state budget. Not much is happening at the state level. At the same time, the county Board of Supervisors has proposed a 3 cent cut in the property tax rate. He said that he was going to announce, in a few days, a series of possible cuts in the FCPS budget if there is no state budget by particular dates (e.g., June 1, July 1, August 1). At worst there will be employee furloughs and a shortened school year. (Furloughing all employees saves $6.8 million per day.) Decisions about whether to have summer school and extracurricular activities will need to be made earlier.

Charlie Dane asked if the various state budgets being proposed would, if passed, provide at least the $337.1 million in state funding for FCPS that is assumed in the School Board's budget. Draeger said that we have no way of knowing how any of the revenue proposals being made would specifically affect funding for FCPS. The $337.1 million reflects the governor's proposed budget.

Draeger said that Prince William County schools sent reduction-in-force letters to some employees based on lack of a state budget, which FCPS has not done. He noted that FCPS may delay paying a market adjustment pay increase to employees if there is no budget by July 1; this would save $3.9 million per month. The idea would be to pay employees this money when there is a state budget, assuming that the amount for FCPS in that budget is adequate.

Ben Cooper asked if FCPS can increase class sizes without lay-offs. Draeger said this is possible, since, under normal circumstances, FCPS hires many teachers during the summer.

On another matter, Draeger noted that the School Board will provide the blue ribbon committee report on admissions to Thomas Jefferson HSST on June 7, which is the first scheduled school board work session after the committee completes its work. He noted that the report was later than expected because of the committee's conscientiousness. He noted that the committee's recommendations will probably call for a multi-year process.

On the issue of "choice schools" mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, he noted that FCPS was planning how to meet this mandate but that the identity of sending and receiving schools would not be known until the state provides school test scores in July or August.

He said that the School Board would set their targets for the coming year on April 28. There will be a new target for professional technical academies and other targets will increasingly focus on the NCLB subgroups.

On the search for a new superintendent, Draeger said that no one outside the School Board and the search firm knows where this stands nor will until the new superintendent is announced. The School Board leadership hopes to be able to appoint a new superintendent by July 1, but it may take longer.

Kugler introduced Linda Whitfield, Otha Davis, Deirdra Lavery, Carol Hardin, and Mary Fee for a discussion of middle school programs.

Whitfield distributed a brochure about middle school programs and discussed them. She noted that the International Baccalaureate Middle Years (IBMY) program is separate from the regular IB program. IBMY runs through 10th grade. She mentioned that seventh graders who have had condensed math in elementary school are eligible for honors math or algebra.

Kugler asked about the middle school philosophy. Whitfield said there are 125 students taught by a team of teachers of the various subjects. The teachers work together in a team to make instruction work for each student. In some middle schools, teams have advisory time.

Lu Anne McNabb asked why these programs are only in some middle schools. Whitfield said that some programs focus on the needs of lower income students.

Ian Hurdle asked if there were IBMY programs only in middle schools that feed into high schools with IB programs. Whitfield said that is the case.

Rick Baumgarten said the middle school concept does not get into all sixth grades. Whitfield said that all middle schools would love to have sixth grades there but that facilities limitations permit this in only a few. Baumgarten said he believes sixth graders have less fragmented experiences if they are in middle schools.

Boyce Williams said that her experience as a teacher is that sixth graders provide balance to middle schools. She also said that it appears that the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program has evolved into a program for minorities. She asked how many minority students are in IBMY. Fee said that, in middle schools that have the program, all students in grades 6-8 are enrolled in IBMY; in high school, they make the choice of whether to enroll. Draeger said that there is a school board target for increasing participation in programs like IBMY by minority students and that there should definitely not be separate programs for minority students.

Davis said that his school had eliminated with AVID and had, instead, a study skills program for all students.

Suzanne Levy asked how special education students are helped. Whitfield said that the Read 180 program is a big success with special education and ESOL students and that it is now in 11 schools.

Brenda Greene asked about how gender differences were handled and what middle schools were doing in subjects other than reading and math. Davis said the Science Olympiad was one of many programs in science and social studies in middle schools. Greene asked whether decisions to offer these programs were made centrally or by individual schools. Whitfield said that schools have a lot of freedom about making these decisions but that school personnel also receive a lot of training to help them make decisions. Lavery mentioned that there had been a middle school girl's conference.

Cooper said that, although he had been in GT programs through most of his education, he treasured his interactions with diverse groups of students that he was able to enjoy at Stuart High School. He said he would not like to see students being denied that kind of experience. Draeger noted that public education is often the last place where an individual can experience the diversity of our society. He asked Cooper where he was going to college. Cooper said he was going to attend the University of Virginia. Draeger told him that he may never experience the diversity he found at Stuart again.

McNabb said that at Stone MS seventh grade students are allowed to take honors math or algebra solely on the basis of fifth grade SOL exams.

Karen Weaver asked how articulation is ensured from elementary to middle to high school. Draeger said there is much more articulation now than previously. Cluster directors work on this. The addition of sixth grade SOL tests will help improve this articulation as middle schools will have more current achievement information. Fee noted that the IBMY program-which covers grades 6-10-requires more vertical articulation.

Lynn Terhar asked if it was true that middle school math placement is a school-based decision. Whitfield said that is true. Draeger said there is a task force working on this issue.

The meeting was adjourned.