SUPPORT STANDARD
COMMUNITY RESOURCES FOR LEARNING
Active community and parent participation, facilities which support school programs and services, and dependable and adequate funding are necessary for the school to achieve its mission and expectations for student learning.
Conclusions
Georges Valley High School engages students and their families as partners in the students’ education. The school communicates with parents and the community via monthly newsletter, e-mail, the district/school’s website, and school sponsored events. The twenty parents interviewed by the visiting team were actively involved in parents’ groups that support academics, sports, fine arts, extra-curricula activities, and educational issues. Parents have been invited to serve on various school committees. A parent advisory committee meets regularly with the principal to discuss educational issues, concerns and needs. Consequently, the volunteer parent groups are an integral part of the Georges Valley High School family. By being involved in these ways, parents are becoming true partners in their child’s education. (parents, teachers, self-study, self-study sub-committee)
An outstanding strength of Georges Valley High School is its image as a community center. Sports, musicals, concerts, and art exhibitions all draw on broad financial support from local businesses and are well attended. Businesses support academics in a number of ways such as through discount cards presented to students in a parent-organized honor roll assembly and by inviting students in the Junior Journey class, an innovative class that integrates career preparation, CPR, parenting skills, ethics and college applications, to attend the annual business-to-business conference held annually that includes approxiamtely100 businesses. At this conference, students interview various business leaders and also practice mock interviews with several businesses. The community also supports students through the Trekkers program. Trekkers was initiated by a parent group and serves approximately 100 Georges Valley High School students through annual expeditions that have an educational, environmental, and recreational component, and the students tailor their itinerary to their identified topic. For example, an expedition’s theme could be to explore the topic of immigration. The expedition would include traveling to Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC for historical enrichment and to perform community service by working in an inner-city soup kitchen. In addition, businesses support the school- to -career program in which 16 students are performing internships. Most notable of the school’s partnerships is its affiliation with MBNA that has awarded grant money annually to support the arts and other school programs. Collectively, these partnerships constitute a powerful motivator to keep students in school and to encourage their productive engagement in extra-curricular activities, classes, and workplace learning. (student shadowing, parents, teachers, students, self-study)
Georges Valley High School was built in 1963 and has had several additions since
then. However, current space compromises teaching and learning. Social studies,
science, and music teachers must travel from room to room with supplies. The
music teacher must roll her piano, podium, and white boards from the music wing
to the gym via the main hallway for two separate classes. This takes valuable
time away from teaching and also limits course offerings in two disciplines.
The gym also serves as the space for concerts, other classes, and school meetings.
Moving equipment for each use of the gym means less time for student learning.
In order to compensate for the art program’s limited space, the teacher
instructs several different art classes in the same room at the same time. Because
of limited classroom space, students are on a waiting list to enroll in the
fine arts classes. The nurse’s office is too small and lacks privacy for
more than one student. The media center is too small to serve the diverse media
needs. Storage is a major problem. Classroom supplies and equipment are stored
at a distance from classrooms and, in many cases, at community members’
barns and teachers’ homes. Thus, classroom materials are not easily accessible
to students and teachers, impacting teaching and learning. Equipment stored
at the school is often in areas accessible to students, creating a hazardous
safety situation. These space constraints impact instructional programs, sports,
and musical productions. However, on the more positive side, the school participates
in the laptop “one to one” technology initiative. The Maine Learning
Technology Initiative began providing a laptop to every 7th and 8th grader in
2002. In 2004, it has been extended to the 9th grade with schools picking up
part of the associated costs. Georges Valley High School, with support from
the school board, voted to participate. Although all the laptops are to be delivered
in November 2004, those piloting have reported tremendous increase in technology
skills and motivation to learn. The addition of laptops for all 9th graders
will impact student learning by allowing greater access for all students to
technological resources. (facility tour, teachers, self-study sub-committee,
observation, students, parents)
Georges Valley High School, given its age, is well maintained and is in compliance with all local, state, and fire, health, and safety codes. Immediate maintenance needs are completed in a timely fashion, but major maintenance projects such as ensuring that the building is in total compliance with ADA handicapping regulations are not yet completed. Custodial time to work on these major concerns is impacted by having them drive buses as well as do maintenance tasks. A long-term plan for major maintenance issues is in place but is not being followed. Revision, updating, and completion of the plan needs to occur as lack of an ongoing approach to completing major maintenance items negatively impacts, over time, a healthy and safe school environment. (observation, teachers, students, support staff)
Georges Valley High School falls under the district’s capital improvement plan. This plan addresses long-term maintenance and repair of facilities and equipment. Short-term maintenance and cleaning is ongoing and adequately funded, with the exception of the darkroom which has no source of heat. While the plan is current, budgetary constraints coupled with talks of merger with a neighboring district have put the major component of the plan on hold. Consequently, issues around classroom space are neither being addressed, nor solutions sought. As noted above, limited or multi-used spaces are negatively impacting teaching and learning. This is a major problem that must be addressed if all students are to have equal and equitable academic experiences and to ensure that all students meet the school’s expectations for student learning as well as the standards set forth by the Maine Learning Results. (school board, parents, central office administrators, students, self-study)
The capital improvement plan referred to above also addresses future programming, staffing, and technology needs as well as facility needs. Again, due to budget constraints and merger talks, staffing and programming needs are on hold. However, the district is committed to fulfilling the technology portion of the plan. Informal discussion around programs and staffing needs are ongoing at Georges Valley High School. The leadership team that meets weekly gives considerable thought to these two issues. However, lacking district support and funding, these discussion and plans made are not implemented. In fact, staffing and programs have been reduced despite the fact that the district budget has not been decreased in a number of years. The reductions appear to be arbitrary and occurring without consultation to school personnel in relationship to a well thought out plan. Lack of a plan developed with the voices of all school constituents results in decisions that are not in the best interest of all students. (school board, self-study sub-committee, school leadership team, students, parents)
Although the school plan does meet the state and local fire, health, and safety codes, the school is not in full compliance with the federal (ADA) regulations regarding accessibility. Entry doors, several bathrooms, locker room showers, and the darkroom are but a few of the areas of inaccessibility for handicapped students, parents, and visitors. Inaccessibility is not only unlawful but denies students equal standing to an equitable education (observation, self-study, self-study sub-committee)
The towns that make up MSAD #50 have historically been financially supportive of school programs and initiatives. Over the years, they have funded teaching and learning and supported student activities. There are adequate supplies and materials to maintain the current curriculum and programming needs. In recent years, however, budget constraints caused by increased costs in all budgetary areas coupled with the district’s need to be fiscally responsible and cognizant of taxpayer issues have called for alternative sources of funding for new programs, and much effort is extended to apply for grants. In recent years, some staff and educational programs, such as the writing program, were eliminated due to budget cuts even though the school’s basic budget has remained constant. Consequently, this budget tightening has impeded the class offerings, class sizes, and new curriculum to enhance student learning. (school leadership team, self-study sub-committee, teachers, students)
At Georges Valley High School, faculty and building administrators have active involvement in the budgetary process. The process begins with an amount of money based on student enrollment being allocated to the school. Team leaders who have compiled budget requests from individual teachers on their team meet with the principal to determine how the allocated funds will be distributed to support in-place programs and activities. Once this is accomplished, the principal designates the line by line distribution, e.g., supplies, texts, dues and fees, and materials and presents this to the superintendent. Budgetary requests asking for new programs, materials, supplies, and equipment follow a different process. This process begins with teachers submitting “justification for costs” sheets to the principal. At this time, teachers also have opportunity to present justification for their request to the board and superintendent. Next, the principal prepares a narrative in support of the requests for these new or expanded programs. This narrative is presented to the superintendent, the business manager, and the curriculum coordinator. The A-Team then, over a series of meetings, hears each schools’ new and expanded proposals. From there, a draft of new and expanded proposals K-12 is presented to the board by the superintendent for their consideration and possible approval. (school board, central office administrators, teachers, school leadership team, self-study)
Technology equipment valued at over
$1,500 is inventoried yearly, and computers are annually maintained through
a lease agreement. The media center’s inventory is done electronically
each year. Teachers inventory their respective classrooms yearly; however, these
inventories are inconsistent as there is no guideline as to what items need
to be inventoried. While equipment is being maintained and replaced as needed,
there is no consistent means to catalog equipment for insurance purposes. In
case of loss, insurance claims would be difficult to process, and the needed
equipment might not be replaced. (self-study sub-committee, school leadership
team, self-study, teachers)
There is no district policy that supports the implementation of Georges Valley
High School’s Mission and Expectations for Student Learning. Some MSAD
#50 Board of Directors decisions do, informally, take into account this document.
However, formal support is not in place. As a result, the school often acts
in a vacuum as it attempts to fulfill its mission and to ensure that all students
achieve the learning expectations set forth in the document. (school board,
self-study, district policy manual, central office administrators)
Commendations:
Recommendations: