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Date: 2/22/2023
HAMPDEN/WILBRAHAM – Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District (HWRSD) Superintendent John Provost presented the findings of his Entry Plan at the Feb. 16 School Committee meeting.
Provost said the Strategic Plan had been his primary focus in the beginning of his employment with the district, which began in July 2022. Both the Strategic Plan and the Entry Plan he had formulated were based on community feedback and therefore there was a significant amount of overlap, he said.
The superintendent said there is still much work to be done on the COVID-19 recovery process, which may seem complete on the surface. Student achievement, student and staff absenteeism and depression and anxiety among students have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. Special education referrals are up, and Provost said the district needs to shift back from the “pandemic learning mode.” Provost referenced a school shutdown of 88 days in South America that resulted in lifelong impacts on the people who were students at that time. “History might suggest” it will take longer than a few years for education to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, he said.
Provost noted his career had been a string of crises – including 9/11, the 2008 economic crash and COVID-19 – and the recovery from those crises. Each one took years to recover from, he remarked and said the adults need and want the same things as kids, such as security and the feeling of being heard.
There were several lessons Provost said he had learned in the district, including that there are more people over 85 than under 5 in the two towns and that the portion of students from Wilbraham will continue to grow. He also realized how divergent views of the district were among the community. “I was beginning to wonder if they were talking about the same place,” Provost said. He pondered if the differences could be attributed to different outcomes for different residents. He noted that low-income students are not completing advanced coursework at the same level as their peers. He also suggested that some residents view the district as doing better than ever before, while others may see surrounding districts outperforming HWRSD in some metrics. he also said COVID-19 opinions are still a factor.
“People have been fighting about what should and shouldn’t be taught for a long time,” Provost said, but insisted, “reasonable people can disagree.” He said the district’s goal was to best prepare students to succeed in life in an interconnected, rapidly changing world, to teach resilience and preparation for a life of training, retraining and automation.
Budget
Assistant Superintendent for Finance, Operations and Human Resources Aaron Osborne was not present at the meeting, but School Committee member Bill Bontempi updated the committee and said Osborne had been able to shrink the increase in the fiscal year 2024 budget from 6.5 percent to 4.7 percent. Bontempi said that if the increase is not funded, it would result in the loss of 12 full-time equivalent positions. He noted Wilbraham may need an override of 3.5 percent to fully fund the increase.
There is an additional $533,000 requested for capital projects. The School Committee will have two articles on each of the towns’ Annual Town Meeting warrants, one for the budget and another for the capital projects.
While discussing methods for increasing revenue the topic of a preschool tuition hike was raised.
Director of Student Services Gina Roy said that half-day tuition is currently $3,000 and recommended an increase to $3,300. Bontempi said that figure puts HWRSD on the high end compared to area tuitions, but that the district offers a “superior” program to other districts. No decision was made on the change.
Another cost-saving measure discussed is going to a three-tier transportation model. This would limit the number of drivers needed to transport all grades, with the first round of buses picking up high school students. Provost said he would have more information on the option after February school vacation. He confirmed that start times would shift as a result.
School Committee member Patrick Kiernan said time could be saved on bus routes if students gathered at bus stops rather than buses picking up students at their driveways. It was noted that this may be a function of a lack of sidewalks along those bus routes.
Accessible playscapes
Mile Tree Elementary School Principal Allison Petit proposed an overhaul of the outdoor play area at the school to include accessible playscapes and equipment. There are currently two pieces of equipment in the play area. One is not accessible, while the other includes ramps, but students who use wheelchairs would still need help getting out of a wheelchair to use the slide and retrieve the wheelchair afterward. Petit said this means the equipment does not allow equitable access for all students.
Petit suggested two playscapes. One is an ultra-glider with a ramp that accommodates wheelchairs and can be used by students of all abilities. The other is a cone-shaped structure that can be climbed on and allows students to sit on the lower level as the cone rotates. Petit acknowledged children who use wheelchairs would likely need help to get onto the playscape, but it said it was preferable to the current equipment.
Another challenge of the playground is the wood chip ground covering. While technically compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the uneven surface poses a fall hazard for students with mobility issues. To address this, foam padding can be laid down to act as pathways to access the equipment.
Communication is also an area that can pose equity issues. Petit explained that the children have a communication board with feelings, objects and activities so that verbal and non-verbal students can communicate. While not a perfect solution, the principal said it is used by students frequently and effectively.
The district is seeking funding from the Wilbraham Community Preservation Committee. If approved at the Annual Town Meeting in the spring, the equipment could be installed between July and August.
Moving services
Roy said that the district will be moving sub-separate classrooms to different schools within the district. She said students who require a sub-separate classroom in grades 3-5 are distributed in a way that it makes more sense to locate the classroom at Soule Road School than Stony Hill School, where it is currently. Similarly, the sub-separate classroom serving the middle school students at Green Meadows will be moved to Wilbraham Middle School, which has a larger population of special education students.
Program of studies
The School Committee approved the Minnechaug Regional High School (MRHS) program of studies for the 2023-2024 school year. One of the changes to the program of studies is that vocational training opportunities have been expanded. Director of Guidance Keith Poulin explained that the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative’s Career Technical Education Center (CTEC) has changed its model to a four-year program. Whereas in the past MRHS has allowed students in the 10th grade to begin CTEC training, the school is now allowing eighth graders to select the CTEC program as an option for their first year of high school. Poulin said the administration had examined graduate requirements and developed a pathway for each vocational area. Students spend half the day at CTEC and the other half at MRHS. Provost said that if students wanted to go to a different vocational school, they would be able to after their exploratory year.
Principal Steven Hale told the committee that exit surveys of seniors inquiring which courses they would have liked to take in their high school career reveal an interest in conversational Italian. Hale said two of the Spanish teachers are fluent in Italian creating an opportunity for a future class. He also pointed out that because there are many students who want to play percussion, a percussion class was created separate from band.
“I love seeing us grow in what we offer,” School Committee member Sean Kennedy said of the range of classes. Provost noted that not all courses that are offered in the catalog are required to run and no student can take all courses in their four years of high school.
Other topics
As part of the Planning Committee’s assessment of school building usage, the subcommittee toured all the district’s schools. “I saw every closet, every space,” Kennedy said, adding that it was especially useful to see the spaces during class time and how they are being used.
Bontempi asked if there is a list of materials removed from the library and the reason for their removal. Provost said that materials were regularly removed when they were worn, while there is also a policy about “challenged” materials. He said that he would obtain a list and have the books replaced.
As discussed at a prior meeting, a vote was taken to recommit to the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) program, the voluntary school desegregation program that buses students living in the Springfield area to several suburban districts. Osborne offered to oversee the program for the district, School Committee Vice Chair Maura Ryan said.
As of the 2022-2023 school year, there are only two students in the METCO program, and both are graduating seniors. Bontempi asked why participation has dropped. Provost said that the issue predated his employment with the district. He said it was “preferable” to enroll a cohort at a young grade and have them come up in the district.
Provost noted that he had met with Hampden-based Rediker Software regarding the district’s website and that he had one more vendor with which to meet. He also noted the equity audit is “ramping up,” with weekly meetings. He said there is a push to get it completed by the end of the school year, as specified by the School Committee.