Going to the next School Board meeting? Here are some questions
you can ask:
What specific measures are included in the new budget that
directly support classroom teachers? How much will each
teacher be given in discretionary spending for their individual
classroom?
How much less is being spent this coming fiscal year on staff
development?
How much will be spent this coming fiscal year on non
state-mandated standardized testing?
How much in total is being spent this coming fiscal year for
outside consultants and programs in all student related areas; that
is, areas other than buildings and grounds or construction?
Exactly how many administrators and assistant administrators are
on the payroll?
We are told that the Board is in the process of updating the
policies for our district. The old policies, the finished or
unfinished new policies, or any indication at all of the direction
of our policies are absent from the public domain. Why is it that
nothing on this process is being published?
The Board is supposed to evaluate the Superintendent based on
written criteria developed jointly. We are now told that the
criteria exists, but that it is not a public document. Will the
board restore some trust in the evaluative process by releasing the
criteria? Does the board really believe the community has no
right to know by what standard the superintendent is evaluated?
The Board has not updated the Superintendent's job description
in 13 years and there is no mention of community relations in that
old description. When will this be updated? Will community relations
be part of that description?
Irene Benfatti stated on October 13 that the district policy is
not to allow parents to choose to opt-out of the non
state-mandated testing programs if they believe the tests are
harmful to their child. Absences will be counted as unexcused
and any absent child will be given the tests when they return.
Do the Board members support this policy?
What is the district-wide policy directive if a standardized
test score should be at odds with a student portfolio or the
observations of a teacher or parent? Which system takes
precedence for determining the direction for the child?
Is there a district-wide policy to require the use of portfolio
assessments? If so, what grade levels are included, how often
are random portfolios pulled and examined from classrooms, and how
often are the portfolio results shared with parents?
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2004-2005 Readington Board Meeting Schedule
May
11 Tuesday
25 Tuesday
June
8 Tuesday
29 Tuesday
July
13 Tuesday
August
23 Monday
24 Tuesday
September
7 Tuesday
21 Tuesday
October
12 Tuesday
26 Tuesday
November
9 Tuesday
23 Tuesday
December
7 Tuesday
21 Tuesday
January
11 Tuesday
25 Tuesday
February
8 Tuesday
22 Tuesday
March
8 Tuesday
22 Tuesday
April
5 Tuesday
26 Tuesday
