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Welcome back!
The Committee for Education in the 21st Century
(Committee 21) is committed to providing current
information on events and decisions which impact the Wellesley
Public Schools.
The High School project is well underway and the WPS
capital budget planning starts as early as next week. We
encourage you to stay informed, ask questions, and voice your
opinions.
Visit our website at www.committee
21.org for additional information, archived editions of
this newsletter, and links to relevant town and state
websites.
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High School Project Update |
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The Wellesley High School Project has moved into the
next phase of planning: Program Review. Last year, the
WHS facility was evaluated in terms of systems, structure and
site. This evaluation provided options for renovation and/or
new construction in terms of the physical building. With these
options in mind, the project has moved into a review of the
Programming: curriculum content, teaching methods, student and
staff interactions, and future flexibility. The Program Review
is being conducted by DeJong, Inc., an educational planning
firm specializing in how facility planning and design impact
teaching and learning.
Over the summer, multiple workshops were held with WHS
faculty, administration, and town residents to provide a
strong basis on which to base a program plan. Additional
community workshops were recently held to gain input on
community needs and priorities.
Next steps:
- Information from the workshops and sessions will be
evaluated and summarized to help form the specifications for
floor plan options (Sept/Oct)
- Architects to provide initial plans (Oct)
- Community update and review of plans (Nov)
- Recommendations to be provided to School Committee
(Dec)
There will be a Special School Committee Meeting
on the High School Project on Tuesday, September 19th at
7:30pm (WHS Library).
The agenda will cover: The progress to date; how the
input gathered is being converted to usable information for
the architects; related work planned or underway; and
establishing priorities and decision points.
We encourage you to attend or watch on television.
The program will be televised on Cable Channel 9, The
Wellesley Channel.
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Superintendent
Search |
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With the close of the school year last June, Dr. Matt King
announced he will be retiring at the close of school 2007.
Dr. King has provided outstanding leadership for the
WPS for the last 10 years, building a strong system both
academically and in comprehensive education. His years of
service to our school system are greatly appreciated and will
be celebrated in upcoming days.
The search for a new superintendent will commence
immediately, headed by School Committee, to enable a smooth
transition. Further, it would be of great value to have the
future superintendent involved in the High School project as
well as the annual budget process.
There will be opportunity for public input during the
search effort. Information will be provided as the process
proceeds.
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Administration
Compensation |
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There is significant concern over the decision by
School Committee last June to increase the superintendent's
compensation package by a total of 10%. Many believe the raise
is excessive, especially in light of the townwide effort to
hold administrative increases to 2.5% or less; many criticize
the School Committee for failing to disclose the details of
the raise at Town Meeting and to the voters.
In order to obtain details on the decision-making
process, the Advisory Committee has asked School Committee to
provide further information. On September 20th, there will be
a presentation by School Committee on the rationale and
process for determining administrative compensation in
FY07.
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The Last
Word |
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School Committee members are charged with making
decisions for our public school system, representing what is
best for the schools as well as the town at large.
Fortunately, these priorities are often aligned and decisions
are straightforward. However, a great challenge arises when
the two are in conflict: When what makes sense for the WPS is
not aligned with what is prudent for the town.
The determination of administrative compensation is
just such a dilemma: While there may be justification for a
10% compensation increase when reviewed for value to the WPS,
that justification is eclipsed when viewed in the context of
town-wide management and control.
The Town of Wellesley has a strong system of checks and
balances, and therefore it raises concern when an action of
this significance does not appear to have been reviewed in the
context of this system.
The efforts of the Advisory Committee and School
Committee at the upcoming meeting will hopefully make progress
to improve the process by which such decisions are made. Town
government works best when the processes and decisions are
transparent to all participants, especially voters and town
meeting members.
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Committee for Education in the 21st
Century
