Consultants For Racial Balance and Digital Learning

The Greenwich Board of Education continues to work "judiciously" towards a response to the State Department of Education regarding a a plan to address the racial imbalance in the district.

Greenwich Public Schools (GPS) were cited in June, 2012 for racial imbalance in Hamilton Avenue and New Lebanon schools. In addition Old Greenwich and Western Middle Schools were cited as being "impending imbalanced."

What Is Imbalaced?

Per CT State Statute 10-226e, when "any school in which the Proportion of the School falls outside of a range from 25 percentage points less to 25 percentage points more than the Comparable Proportion for the School District, shall be determined to be racially imbalanced."

Connecticut Commissioner Stefan Pryor has requested that the district's plan to address the issue be implemented in the Fall of 2013. As part of the development of such plan, a Request For Proposal (RFP) for a Comprehensive Enrollment Data and Facility Analysis was issued by GPS on December 12, 2012. The district sought submissions by January 8, 2013.

Analysis Begins

As a result, the district has selected Milone and MacBroom as the consultant who have been tasked with analyzing:

• Demographic and Housing Trends including school age population, percentage attending public school, birth rates and housing availability;
• Enrollment Patterns and Projections by school attendance areas and by "sub zones to facilitate this analysis of full or partial redistricting; 
• Classroom Facilities inventory audit utilizing "both current class size guidelines and possible adjustments to class size guidelines (higher and lower.)"

According to the district, this analysis will be used to "evaluate the feasibility of options for improving racial balance."

The board last discussed the Racial Imbalance Work Plan during their Jan. 10 work session at the Havemeyer Building. At that time, Board Chairman Leslie Moriarty stated, "We may need to redistrict to deal with the enrollment trends."

The board has stated that the priorities for the district are: 

• Student achievement
• Enrollment trends and capacity issues
• Racial balance

Milone and MacBroom will conclude their analysis this month and will then develop scenarios for review by the board. In addition to a progress report to the local board, documentation will be sent to the state board in April with a planned May in-person presentation.

"Pick Up The Pace On Digital Learning,"

forecasted Superintendent William McKersie at last month's board meeting. The board's work session on Thursday, March 7 and will include a Discussion of 2013-2014 Digital Learning Plan.

The plan will include data from a report by technology consultant Pearson, who McKersie called a "resource" not the "centerpiece." The update, previewed by McKersie, will inform "where we are as an Administration on recommending a vision for a digital learning environment" for Greenwich as well as "evidence that it will make a difference in terms of student performance." 

"It Is The Wild West Out There,"

McKersie quoted a PTA leader's statement in reference to the district's current technology infrastructure. McKersie sent a letter to parents and staff on Jan. 31 stating that the district has fixed the infrastructure, "which was verging on a crisis." McKersie disclosed that the situation had reached such a low that teachers were "creating 2 lesson plans" in anticipation of the Internet working or not.

Despite the connectivity fix, McKersie stated that "we now need to take the next steps" in upgrading the district's technology. "We can't wait," he said. "We are falling further behind."

In addition, the upcoming work session agenda includes: 

• GHS NEASC Update – "in 2015, a committee from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) will visit Greenwich High School (GHS) for its decennial accreditation visit. Since NEASC’s last visit to GHS in 2005, the NEASC Standards for Accreditation were updated.
• Social Studies Review Update;
• First Reading, Monitoring Report E-051, Other District Operations; 
• First Reading, Monitoring Report E-050, Human Resources/TEPL; 
• Policy L-060 Administrative Code of Ethics; 
• Policy L-002, Contracts and Agreements; 
• Policy L-020, Professional Personnel Practices.

The board will meet at 7 p.m. at Havemeyer.