02/15/2013

Budget that maintains vital programs, services tops School Board goals for 2013

Sponsoring a school budget that maintains vital programs and services is again the top goal of the School Board for the coming year.

The board adopted a list of eight goals for 2013 at their meeting Feb. 12, 2013.

The goals, developed at the board's annual retreat Jan. 25, look much like the goals for 2012, with the budget heading the list. The 2013 goals also build upon goals accomplished in 2012, such as developing and supporting a three- to five-year strategic plan for Cape Elizabeth schools centered around the vision and mission statement adopted last year; and, completing the audit of the policy manual begun last year.

Three more goals carry forward workshop discussion points from last year: School-to-school transitions, curriculum alignment school-to-school; and, teacher/administrator evaluations. A "student achievement gap" is another workshop discussion added to the list of goals for 2013.

Also new to the list of goals is completion of the health insurance review process with the Cape Elizabeth Education Association; developing a five- to 10-year capital improvement plan in cooperation with the Town Council; and, developing a comprehensive plan to address substance abuse, including policy, climate and cultural issues.

Substance-abuse presentation

A presentation by High School Principal Jeff Shedd helped the board with their goal to address substance abuse. Shedd, along with High School staff members and representatives from the parent organization Healthy Outreach for Prevention and Education, spent more than an hour outlining current trends in student use and abuse of drugs and alcohol, current school policies, and possible directions for the future.

Board members said they were grateful for the presentation, and supported Shedd's plan to continue the substance-abuse dialogue with students and parents. "I feel that given the percentage of students being impacted by this, the School Board may not have all the answers, it is our obligation to continue to ask the questions," said School Board Vice Chairman Michael Moore.

The board does plan to include its substance-abuse policy in its overall policy-manual review, with an eye toward clarifying ambiguities and supporting consequences that foster learning and accountability, said board member and policy subcommittee Chair Jo Morrissey. That review will also draw input from teachers, staff, parents and students, she said.

Budget work underway

Board members also gave a nod to their budget goal at the Feb. 12 meeting as Moore, also chairman of the board's finance committee, encouraged residents to contact local legislators about the projected impacts the governor's supplemental 2013 and biennial 2014-2015 budgets will have on local funding. The state budget proposal will not restore a $198,000 curtailment of state aid for Cape Elizabeth for this fiscal year, Moore said, and the town will also be left to fund retirements under the governor's budget proposals. "Any money shifted from the state budget to the local budget is a new cost," Moore said.

Moore referred to a report from town officials this month stating that a 12.2 percent increase in property taxes for the average Cape Elizabeth homeowner would be necessary to make up for the funding changes proposed at the state level.

The School Board will take its first look at the superintendent's proposed budget for fiscal 2014 at a workshop meeting Tuesday, Feb. 26, 7 p.m. at the High School library. Budget schedule

Here are the 2013 goals adopted by the School Board Feb. 12:

Cape Elizabeth School Board 2013 Goals: [download goals]

1. Sponsor a school budget that maintains vital programs and services.
2. Develop and support a 3-5 year Strategic Plan for the district.
3. Develop a 5-10 year capital improvement plan in cooperation with the Town Council.
4. Develop a comprehensive plan to address substance abuse, including policy, climate and cultural issues.
5. Complete the Health Insurance review process with Cape Elizabeth Education Association.
6. Continue to explore district topics during workshops and business meetings, including:
1. School-to-school transitions
2. Curriculum alignment school-to-school
3. Teacher/administrator evaluations
4. Student achievement gap
7. Complete the online district report card including benchmarks to measure.
8. Complete the audit of the Cape Elizabeth School Policy Manual