School Committee Newsletter
November 28, 2023
School Committee Tours Recently Built Schools in Amesbury and Acton
The School Committee recently toured the Sgt. Jordan Shay Memorial Lower Elementary School in Amesbury and the Boardwalk Campus for the C.T. Douglas Elementary/Paul P. Gates Elementary twin schools of the Acton-Boxborough district. Both were funded in part by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), and constructed in the past two years.
Last April, Ipswich submitted a Statement of Interest (SOI) for each of our elementary schools to the MSBA for construction funding assistance. In December, the MSBA will determine if our submission is accepted. During our wait, the MSBA has recommended that the School Committee tour buildings from recently completed projects to help us determine our guiding principles. Visiting these schools has allowed us to see the possibilities available, reflect on overall impressions of building styles, and appreciate unique perspectives from other districts.
The School Committee will be touring additional schools in the coming months to help inform our future planning. These visits are exploratory only, and should our SOI be accepted by the MSBA, we will broaden our focus to include conversations with the town and schools to help develop goals for our own building project.
Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School Building Project Update
The Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School District ("Whittier Tech") is currently finalizing schematic design for a new vocational high school on its current site in Haverhill. The estimated cost of the proposed school is approximately $444.6M. If approved, the Massachusetts School Building Authority ("MSBA") will contribute approximately $180.5M and the eleven member districts, including Ipswich, will be responsible for the remaining $264.1M. Ipswich's share of this cost is projected to be $40.2M which would be spread over thirty years. A district-wide vote on the project funding will likely occur in January 2024.
Ipswich is a member of Whittier Tech by virtue of a Regional Agreement entered into in 1967. Under the Regional Agreement, each member community is responsible for a share of capital expenses according to its percentage of eligible K-12 students residing in the town. The Regional Agreement cannot be amended, and a community may not withdraw from the Agreement, without the consent of all member districts.
While Ipswich is a member community in Whittier Tech, and is therefore responsible for its share of the capital expenses relating to a new vocational high school, this project is not a town or Ipswich School Committee project. The School Committee, as well as the Select Board and Finance Committee, met as a tri-board to hear from Whittier representatives regarding serious concerns about the financial impact and equity issues which may arise if the Regional District approves new school funding in January. The tri-board is continuing to explore its options together with neighboring and similar communities. The School Committee anticipates further discussion regarding the Whittier Tech school building project at a future meeting.
Public Comment Policy
This September, the School Committee set a goal to “foster a respectful environment for citizens to raise topics to the school committee.” To help address this goal, the School Committee has reviewed our policy for Public Comment at meetings, and the following is now read at the beginning of our meetings and posted on our agendas:
“Public comment is not a discussion, debate, or dialogue between individuals and the School Committee. It is an individual's opportunity to express an opinion on issues within the School Committee's authority. While the Committee and/or administrators will not typically respond during Public Comment, the Chair, as presiding officer of the meeting, may choose to if s/he seems it expeditious. Further, should the Chair believe that an issue falls outside the purview of the School Committee, s/he may request that citizens direct it to the appropriate person or body so that the matter is given proper consideration. Public comment is limited to three (3) minutes per person and a total of 15 minutes, overall.”
Members of the public may speak at “Public Comment” towards the beginning of every meeting; the public can also contact the school committee via email at school_committee@ipsk12.net (correspondence shall be with the chair).
District Improvement/School Improvement Plan
During our mid-November meeting, the Principals from each school presented School Improvement Plans. Shared objectives include meeting the needs of all students, creating innovative learning environments, and building best practices to support diversity, equity, and inclusion. Each school identified data driven interventions. A highlight of the presentations was evidence of collaboration throughout our district. The 2023-2024 Strategy for District Improvement & School Improvement Plan Presentation can be viewed here.
Activities And Accomplishments Over The Past Month
The Ipswich Educators’ Association presented on Technology Engineering in the 21st Century and how it shows up in our schools’ curriculum; we also heard about “Fundations,” the Kindergarten through Grade 3 phonics program that uses visible and audible cues to support our learners.
The School Committee approved 13 new and revised policies.
School Committee member Jenny Connolly attended the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) Annual Conference, serving as our delegate. The Ipswich School Committee, with Jenny then representing us at the MASC Delegate Assembly, voted on several MASC proposed resolutions, including the following:
Unanimously voted to petition for expansion of Massachusetts School Building Authority funding (passed at MASC Delegate Assembly);
Unanimously voted to petition to permit school bus stop arm surveillance and enforcement and penalties (tabled at MASC Delegate Assembly); and
Unanimously voted to petition for development of a wider, more consensus-built strategy for an evaluation system, development of an alternative to the MCAS test and a moratorium on MCAS testing (tabled at MASC Delegate Assembly).
The School Committee participated in the November Tri-Board meeting which included discussions on the Whittier Tech building project, preliminary town and school budget planning targets, the public safety building project, and updates from each of the boards.
Upcoming District Events
