hard deadlines

Portsmouth school committee chair Cynthia Perrotti announced at last night's meeting that she is resigning, effective May 15, according to a summary posted on the school department web site:

In a very thoughtful and heartfelt speech, Mrs. Perrotti shared with her fellow School Committee members and members of the community her intentions to resign from the School Committee effective May 15, 2012, for personal reasons. In her remarks, she expressed her appreciation to School Committee members, administrators, staff, and the community for their work and support. Mrs. Perrotti thanked the community for electing her to the School Committee as well as thanked members of the School Committee for electing her to serve as School Committee Chair. Mrs. Perrotti received a standing ovation by the audience.

Perrotti was appointed to the Portsmouth School Committee in May, 2009 by the previous Town Council (at a meeting during which no public comment was permitted) to fill a seat left vacant by the resignation of Jamie Heaney (R). She ran for school committee in 2010, and was the top vote-getter. Perrotti was elected as Chair by the members of the school committee on Nov. 23, 2010, despite the Democrats holding a 4-3 majority.

Full disclosure: I was a Democratic candidate in the 2010 school committee election.

The town of Portsmouth announced the upcoming budget schedule in an e-mail to news media this afternoon. All meetings take place at 7pm in the Town Council chambers except as noted.

April 30: Capital Improvement Plan
May 1: Police, Fire DPW
May 2: All other budgets
May 3 6:30pm Portsmouth Library: Council-School Committee budget collaboration workshop.
May 7: Budget Workshop Panel #3 - State Mandates - Pension Experience Study
May 14: Regular Town Council Meeting
May 15: School Budget and Adopt Provisional Budget
June 13, 7pm, Portsmouth Middle School: Public Budget Hearing
June 25: Council adopts budget

Editorial note: I'm intrigued (and mildly amused) that the kumbaya session between the Council and School Committee was scheduled for neutral turf at the Library. I guess it was either that or Fort Butts with brass knuckles...

In a three-hour Portsmouth School Committee meeting packed with green-shirted supporters and marked by sharp partisan exchanges between Democrat Dave Croston and Republican Chair Cynthia Perrotti and Vice-Chair Jonathan Harris, the effort to outsource the district's custodial and maintenance staff went down to a 5-2 defeat. An unrelated austerity move that would have left empty the position of a retiring PHS assistant principal met the same fate.

There were more than 70 supporters of the custodians and maintenance staff on hand for the meeting — which had been moved to the high school auditorium because of the anticipated crowd — and many took the opportunity to speak during the public comment time near the top of the agenda.

Rick Weida, the PHS head custodian urged the committee to think about student safety. "We know how how many foot-pounds it takes to open a door," he said, adding that they make sure any child can move them in an emergency. He also talked about staff going above and beyond, like a crew that emptied all the dumpsters to find a student's lost retainer. [Editorial note: I apologize for not catching Rick's last name, my ears are pretty clogged right now; if someone can add in comments or message me, I'll update.] [Updated]

Teachers also spoke in solidarity. Amanda Boswell stressed the importance of the custodial staff as part of the school. "Custodial staff are our community," she said. "They teach our students respect and that we should be proud of our surroundings." Pat McCarthy was direct about the need for school committee to show respect for their employees. "They deserve better at the hands of the town, its administration, and its elected officials."

When public comment ended, the agenda moved forward and there emerged something of an undercard event, a proposal by School Committee member Angela Volpicelli. From the agenda: "I would like to discuss the feasibility of having one Vice Principal at the High School. I feel that having one Vice Principal could be feasible and would have a positive impact on the budget."

Ms. Volpicelli offered no specific metrics to justify the assertion of feasibility. There was a discussion of the way the schools were years ago, when there was only one assistant principal. Fellow committee member Marilyn King offered the suggestion that the school hire a "security officer" instead.

Seriously, Ms. King? Why not just call in the Department of Homeland Security and have pilotless drones in the hallways?

PHS Principal Robert Littlefield argued strenuously that the increasing mandates for student improvement and new curriculum made the second position imperative. Asst. Principal Jeff Goss warned the committee that they could "destroy the school system" with just four votes.

Tailgunner Gleason got up to the mike to offer a rambling screed that seemed both embrace the custodians ("I need you like you need me.") while also supporting austerity measures, and telling the committee she understood their difficulties ("I've sat up there before, and may again.") prompting Dave Croston to ask pointedly, "Are you running?"

PCC apparatchik Cheshire Kathy Melvin urged the committee to cut the position and let the chips fall where they may. ""If it's a disaster, it's a disaster." It's clear that the PCC cares more about taxes then whatever might happen to our kids in a school with insufficient supervision.

In a show of rationality, when it came time to count the votes, the proposal failed, 5-2, with King and Volpicelli in the minority.

Then it was on to the main event.

Wealth management professional Jonathan Harris moved to issue a request for proposals (RFP) to privatize custodial and maintenance.

Crickets.

There was a very, very long pause, and finally, Cynthia Perrotti stepped up and seconded.

Then Harris, as befitting a captain of industry, regaled the attendees with a PowerPoint presentation, showing lots of numbers. You can download it from the PSD site. You may also want to view the rest of his supporting material here.

In what Harris clearly believed was his killer chart, he showed that a teacher with 28 years of service ended up only with 60% of their salary in retirement, but a custodial staff member with 40 years of service received 144%. Perrotti apparently liked the point — she repeated it as evidence that the system was unsustainable.

Sleight of hand with data gets right up my nose. I got up to speak. My son, Jack, had asked me to be sure to mention how much he appreciates the custodians who assist the middle school Green Team, where they work side-by-side with kids after school to recycle. I added that, as a parent, I appreciate knowing the folks who work with my son, and knowing that they care about our kids. And I asked Harris about the actual dollar numbers, rather than percentages. He acknowledged that the retirement numbers would be about $46K for custodial and $42K for the teacher, which, I pointed out, paints a very different picture than 144% and 60%.

And, finally, I reminded our community that both Harris and Perrotti opposed the referendum to exceed the cap two years ago on the grounds that extra money for the schools wasn't needed. And now they turn around and cry poverty as an excuse to "screw these guys."

Admittedly, not the most polite language for a school committee meeting. But I was genuinely annoyed. We need to remember.

There was more excellent speaking from members of the custodial staff, and the president of RI Council 94, and when push came to shove, the motion failed, 5-2 with Harris and Perrotti in the minority.

I made a point of going up to the committee and thanking Sylvia Wedge, Angela Volpicelli, Marilyn King, Dave Croston, and Tom Vadney for their votes.

Update 12:18pm 3/28/12: Added Rick Weida's last name, thanks to an informed reader.

Editorial note: Apologies if this post is a bit sloppy; I just about made it through the meeting and am home sick today (as is our son) with this late-season bug that's been going around. Thanks to everyone who came out and spoke last night to defend our school community.

The Senate Education committee will hear a bill — S2239 — introduced by Sen. John Tassoni (D-Smithfield) which would strip control of budgets from local school committees and give that power to the Town Council. From the bill:

[C]ity and town councils shall have direct control over the direct financial aspects of the education, including total budgets to be expended, the amount of salaries, the interior maintenance of the school buildings and capital improvements, including, but not limited to, maintenance, and any other direct expenditure of money. — S2239

Tassoni explained his rationale to the Westerly Sun : "Every school department is in trouble financially. All you have to do is look at the [news]paper and every school has financial issues. The budgets are tight. There's not enough money to sustain what we’re doing. Something has to change."

Let's igore for a moment that the one of the drivers of these financial issues is the new funding formula coupled with the Senate's own S3050 tax cap, which has put districts in a "we won't fund you but you can't make up the difference" Catch-22.

Leaving that aside. Give control of school budgets to Town Councils?

Unlike School Committees, which are agents of the state elected locally to ensure that the district provides free and appropriate public education (while complying with a doorstop-sized book full of education laws), Town Councils are inclined to see schools as a the thing that slurps up all the tax dollars.

Let's look at a little history. What have Portsmouth Town Councilors proposed when discussing school budgets?

Making big cuts. "I'll be the voice of the taxpayer," said former Councilor Jeff Plumb

Reducing curriculum for fiscal reasons. "We're going to have to [...] get back to the basics [...] reading, writing, and arithmetic. That's the way it's gonna be," said former Councilor Karen Gleason.

Making arbitrary decisions. "I motion that we level-fund all departments, including the school department," said current Councilor Judy Staven.

And, of course, telling the schools to just accept what they propose. "And don't cry and whine," said former Councilor Karen Gleason.

Under the tax cap, every dollar that goes to the schools is a dollar that the Council does not have. That's not a situation which encourages dispassionate analysis. We elect school committees to make budget decisions, and changing Rhode Island law to circumvent their authority serves no legitimate interest.

If you think, as I do, that this is a very bad idea, you might drop a note to the Senate Education Committee, which will be hearing this bill. You can cut and paste these addresses for Chair Sen. Hanna Gallo, Vice-Chair Sen. Harold Metts, and the members of the committee: sen-devall@rilin.state.ri.us, sen-dipalma@rilin.state.ri.us, sen-gallo@rilin.state.ri.us, sen-lanzi@rilin.state.ri.us, sen-metts@rilin.state.ri.us, sen-eoneill@rilin.state.ri.us, sen-shibley@rilin.state.ri.us

And you might wish to copy Portsmouth's Sen. Chris Ottiano as a courtesy: sen-ottiano@rilin.state.ri.us. I also cc'd Sen. Tassoni, sen-tassoni@rilin.state.ri.us, just to let him know my concerns.

I hope you'll join me.

Update, 3/6/12, 3:19 pm: Just had a chat with Sen. Chris Ottiano (R-11) who said he shared my concerns about the impact this bill would have on School Committees. He said that he had talked with one of his colleagues on Education, and the sense was that this bill was not likely to advance. He thanked the constituents who had reached out to him with a heads-up. Thanks, Senator!

Full disclosure: I have a student in the Portsmouth school system.

The Portsmouth School Committee last night chose five community members for its technology subcommittee, according to meeting highlights posted on the district web site.

The new members of the subcommittee, which will advise the district on technology issues, are Brenda Langlais, Linnea Wolf, Robert Hewett, and Jeff Swider, with auxiliary member Roy Huck.

According to the posted highlights, "The School Committee has reopened applications for the Technology Subcommittee, as additional members are needed. Applications should be sent to Patti Cofield, cofieldp@portsmouthschoolsri.org by March 13."

The School Committee has assembled a well-credentialed panel, and I wish them them all the best as they help guide our schools through this important transitional period.

Full disclosure: I submitted the required materials to be considered for this subcommittee in December.

The local group, Infinity Volunteers, including several Portsmouth high school students, is on a humanitarian visit to a village in Guatemala over break. You can follow along on their blog.

Very proud of all these kids. Best wishes and safe travels.

The RI Dept. of Education (RIDE) has updated their page on last weekend's Innovation Powered by Technology conference to include presentations and links. Check it out here.

Comm. Gist introduces (l-r) Gov. Bob Wise, Allison Powell, Tom Vander Ark

More than 300 teachers, administrators, and education professionals met at Rhode Island College today for the first-ever "Innovation Powered by Technology (IPT) conference, convened by the RI Dept. of Education (RIDE). Attendees from across the state spent six hours hearing from nationally recognized experts, doing deep-dive breakouts, and networking with counterparts from other districts.

One of the goals of the conference was to jumpstart participants' creative thinking as they gear up for a newly announced RIDE IPT Model School Grant program, which will award $470K to a district to redesign a school by leveraging technology.

Commissioner Deborah Gist, who convened the conference, urged the attendees to think big as she kicked off the day. "Try to imagine what schools will look like in just a few years," she said. "I sometimes marvel at sitting and doing [videochats] with my sister and think, 'this is something that only used to happen on The Jetsons'. Imagine what's possible."

In what became something of a running metaphor throughout the day, Gist recounted an anecdote about a very bumpy plane flight where the pilot announced to the passengers that they were experiencing "constructive turbulence" — so called because the tail wind was going to bring them to their destination sooner.

It was a theme picked up by one of the first panelists as they sketched a big picture of the future. "On the way, it's a white-knuckle ride," said Bob Wise, former governor of West Virginia and president of the Alliance for Excellent Education, adding that the only certain thing was that "each classroom in each school will look different."

One thing that Allison Powell, VP of State and District Services at the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) was certain of is that teachers are not going away. "I envision classrooms where kids all have technology, and are able to work at their own pace," she said, adding, "Face-to-face interaction is important; the teacher is key to all this."

Tom Vander Ark, author of Getting Smart, urged attendees to consider the future as a lot closer than might be imagined. "You need to plan today," he said. With prices dropping and the rest of the world leapfrogging America, "You're going to see countries like the Philippines that will flip to tablets. You're going to see whole countries running their education on sub-$100 tabs."

Wise agreed. "The main misconception is that you have a choice. We can't do the same thing any more."

With that burning platform for change established, the second panel tackled options for creative restructuring of schools.

It was all about personalization for Michael Horn, Executive Director of Education at Innosight Institute, co-author of Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns. "It should be a very intentional shift to personalizing learning for what each student needs." And, he added, "It should be exactly the steps to reach those children who are having the most issues."

Jeff Mao, the learning policy director at the Maine Dept. of Ed talked about the importance of breaking out of our current concepts of the school house. "We need to get beyond Adult Paradigm Paralysis — APP — and leadership is what really makes these things move. It's not a technology program, it's a learning program."

Anthony Kim, founder of Education Elements stressed design thinking. "It's an iterative process, and you need to start by thinking about the end state," he said. "It takes time to get there. You can't expect everyone to be there on day one."

The panelists offered their specific advice to districts approaching the tech grant process. "There are some good models out there. Look at what's going on in other schools, but don't be constrained," said Horn. "If you can't get to 1:1 [ratio of device to student], find some ways to leverage." For Mao, the pre-work was critical. "Build a shared vision across constituencies of where you're going and why," he said. "Make sure you start with solutions and educational goals, and don't start with the hardware." Kim also spotlighted working backward from goals. "Think about what you're preparing students for: college." He suggested designing the kind of school that would provide preparation. "Create that kind of environment."

After the two morning panels, the attendees broke into small topic-focused groups. In Jeff Mao's "Access to Technology," participants peppered Mao with questions about bandwidth, security, and hardware selection. One key takeaway for me was Mao's insight about device multiplication. "It's not if you're going to 1:1, it's when," he said, "But then, you have to start thinking about 2:1 and 3:1." Kids are walking around with phones and iPods, he noted, and it's better to leverage than ignore them.

In the second pre-lunch group, Allison Powell talked about communication, and fielded a series of questions about the best way to engage all stakeholders — including the sometimes-fearful staff members. "You need buy in from everyone," she said, stressing the need to involve groups like guidance counselors, paraprofessionals, and especially the tech guys. "But don't let them dictate," she said.

The group had a working lunch — pasta and salad — as they sat around tables color-coded for "birds of a feather" discussion topics. Then it was time for a series of deep-dive breakouts.

Portsmouth resident Dave Fontaine ran a session on open educational resources, higlighting the free, open-source options available for schools. Two wonderful resources he demonstrated were CK-12 and Curriki.

CK-12 offers "Flexbooks," a free library of peer-reviewed STEM textbooks which can be printed, PDFd, or read online, with many downloadable in a variety of e-reader formats. What makes them "Flex" books is the cool web interface that allows registered users, with just a few clicks, to mix and match chapters to assemble a customized package (Imagine a customized physics text that had a chapter or two of calculus built right in.)

Curriki (a portmanteau of "curriculum" and "wiki") offers educators a read-write environment where they can upload, revise, share, and rate curricular materials, with a search engine that allows educators to filter the collection by grade and subject. And just by signing up, educators can upload and share their materials. "Imagine common plannign time or professional development spent doing open-source curriculum development," said Fontaine. "What we educators have been doing for years is giving away our knowledge. This just adds a tech twist."

In the second session, Tom Vander Ark engaged a small group of attendees in a discussion of the possibilities and challenges of tech innovation. The technologies ranged from simple games and simulations — like those at PhET — to the thick descriptions available to teachers from a student's day-long interactions with "learning objects."

"Think about how much Google knows about you, and compare that to how much we know about our kids," said Vander Ark. "The shift to big data, when we can capture and mine keystroke data and mine that for individual learning patterns will enable customized learning driven by 'smart' learner profiles." He cited New York's School of One as a possible adaptive curriculum model, where students arrive in the morning and find their schedule for the day on LED signboards. Students rotate through six different centers, with their specific experiences programmed by data-driven analysis to meet their needs for that particular day. Imagine a small group with a teacher, said Vander Ark, where the algorithm has determined, "That's the right mode, the right day, with the students prepared for that lesson. That's magic. Smart tools that get teachers and kids together at the right time."

The wide-ranging discussion did not minimize the challenges. The perpetual arms race with cheating, the question of print literacy vs. the digital, and the challenge of local control all came up. And the grip of the local can be hard to shake, said Vander Ark, "But, come September, shame on you if every student in Rhode Island doesn't have access to every AP course and every language. Technologically, you can do that."

And a bit further out, there is the emerging challenge of comparability. When students take many individualized paths to mastery, how can these be aligned so that teachers and administrators can confidently assess progress. "Right now we don't have a good way to compare the results of diferent assessments," said Vander Ark. But he suggested that big data pointed the way. "This is something we're going to have to invent around the Common Core -- how different systems translate. We need a kind of Lexile scale, so that if a kid is in 12 different apps during the day, we can make sense of of it when it lands in the grade book."

The attendees reassembled for a final comment from Commissioner Gist, who acknowledged that the agenda was still very conference-like, and promised that this was only the first iteration of RIDE's vision. "We have big plans for how we move this forward, including future gatherings like this, using technology." After a raffle of door prizes (including a Middletown HS junior who took home an iPad!) the event concluded shortly after 3pm.

You can review the real-time conference Twitter feed here.

Editorial note: Long-time readers will know that I have differed with the Commissioner in the past on issues of funding, but when it comes to technology in our schools, I believe we are in alignment. We had a very nice chat after the conference, and I thanked her for organizing this event, and for her leadership. I think this is critical for our schools and our kids. Thanks to Comm. Gist, organizer Holly Walsh, all the folks at RIDE who worked to make the conference happen, and the hundreds of educators from around the state who gave up their Saturday to push this forward.

If you're a resident of Portsmouth, you know about our fantastic PHS band, and the great opportunities it offers our kids. They need money for new uniforms. You know what to do.

Visit Portmouth Music Boosters to donate. Thanks!

PHS senior Amanda McCabe kicks off anti-bullying fundraiser

This morning, Ernie's Karate in Portsmouth hosted PHS student Amanda McCabe's senior project, a benefit martial arts tournament which raised more than $500 for the RI Parent Information Network 2012 Anti-Bully Walk.

More than 100 students, parents, and friends packed the East Main Road studio as McCabe kicked off the event. "Close your eyes," she said. "Now raise your hand if you've been bullied, witnessed bullying, or even been involved in bullying yourself." She waited a moment. "Now open your eyes and look around," she said. A majority of those in the room had their hands up. "That's why we're here."

Participants donated $5 to compete in each event (forms, weapons, synchronized forms) and parents and friends stuffed a jar on the counter on the way in to support RIPIN's efforts. It was a a fun morning of wonderful karate demonstrations for a good cause.

Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) talks with Portsmouth's Len Katzman

This afternoon, Rep. David Cicilline was on hand at the People's Cafe on Thames Street in Newport to help volunteers collect the 1,000 signatures needed to get President Barack Obama's name on the April 24 primary ballot.

Local political figures who stopped by to help included State Sen. Lou DiPalma (D-12), RI Rep. Peter Martin (D-75), and Portsmouth's former Sen. Chuck Levesque and Democratic Party chair Len Katzman.

And, just a reminder. If you're a Democrat, and want to throw your hat in the ring as a delegate to the national convention in Charlotte, the RI Democratic Party will be hosting a workshop on running for delegate next Tuesday night in Bristol.

Full disclosure: Our son is a student at Ernie's (which is an awesome school) and I am an officer of the Portsmouth Democratic Town Committee who signed President Obama's nomination papers.