The EduGATOR!
Week of May 13
Barr Foundation Grant Update
As we move towards the end of the year, we are preparing for the Barr Grant for the next two upcoming years! Will Sullivan, Anne-Marie Fant, Cheryl Wright and I went to a planning meeting on Monday May 6 to bring all of the feedback gathered from the dinner and ideas shared so far to further develop that grant proposal.
Here is their required May outline/to do list that was shared at the planning meeting (this is copy and pasted from their slide--I added the part in parentheses) :
- May 6 Planning Palooza (complete!)
- Central Office completes their brainstorm and plan (as the Barr Foundation is committed to school transformation and Central Office transformation in order to support schools!)
- Stakeholder Engagement for school-based and central office work
- Pull your proposal draft together
- Optional Office Hours with Barb, 5/9-5/15
- If you submit a draft via email to Jess the week of 5/20 then Jess will give you feedback to strengthen your proposal within 24 hours
- Office Hours with Jess 5/20-5/24
- 5/20: 2-2:30, 2:30-3, 3-3:30, 3:30-4
- 5/21: 9-9:30, 9:30-10, 10-10:30, 10:30-11, 12-12:30, 12:30-1, 1-1:30, 1:30-2
- 5/23: 2-2:30, 2:30-3, 3-3:30
- 5/24: 1:30-2, 2-2:30, 2:30-3
- May 29: Proposals Due in Barr Salesforce Portal (workbook + workplan + budget)
I will share a draft of our plan BEFORE May 29 for your review, so please stay tuned (including your eagle eye, Jenna!).
Budget Advocacy
As previously reported, the MA House of Representatives finalized their budget proposal with a massive cut to Rural School Aid. The proposal slashes funding in half to just $7.5 million statewide, which is only about 1/8 of the $60 million recommendation from the Commission on the Fiscal Health of Rural Schools.
Last week, the Senate released their preliminary budget, reissuing the amount for Rural School Aid at $15 million.
I want to clarify this increase--the rhetoric around the increase is that the Senate "doubled" the amount for Rural School Aid. The Senate did double the amount from the House Budget, but that was after the House defunded Rural Aid from the Governor's proposed budget of $15 million. The amount that was issued last year was $15 million, so to simply keep that amount level funded is not "doubling" the amount or even showing any support to rural schools, as the fully funded amount is $60 million. I am concerned that the marketing around the Senate Budget will lead people to believe that Rural Schools will get twice as much money and be swimming in gold coins like Scrooge McDuck, but this is absolutely not true (the Scrooge McDuck analogy is one of our school committee member's favorite visual for what people think schools do when in fact, we start to sweat if we forget to double side our copies!).
Please consider reaching out to your local senator or to the House Ways and Means Committee to advocate for an increase to Rural School Aid!
Our Annual Report
Our District Priorities
These priorities were introduced on opening day, but I am re-sharing to emphasize our focus on these two areas. Our PD, evaluation system, support for teachers in the classroom, walk throughs, and discussions at meetings will be centered around this work.
Cultural Priority
All staff in the Gateway Regional School District will intentionally build positive, caring relationships and uphold clear, equitable systems and policies so students are respected, feel safe to learn, take risks, and make progress towards their goals every day.
Instructional Priority
Gateway educators deliver excellent, culturally responsive learning experiences grounded in our high quality instructional materials and review data to make adjustments to their practice so that students make their thinking and reasoning public while engaged in rigorous, grade-appropriate tasks.
