School Committee Questionnaire 2015 For the first time in recent memory, the WEA sent questionnaires to all registered candidates for school committee upon approval by the WEA Executive Board. These questionnaires were mailed out to the addresses listed by candidates with the town. In one case, the mailing was deemed undeliverable and was transferred directly to that candidate. Candidate responses will be posted once submitted, and all candidates know that their responses are reproduced below. Though the WEA leadership chose not to enter into an endorsement process this year, all WEA members living in Wareham are encouraged to take a moment to read them, and cast their ballot on April 7 for the two open seats for school committee. Clicking on each question will take you directly to the candidates' responses to that question: Do you believe the Wareham Public Schools are is successful in recruiting and retaining highly qualified staff? Please explain. Do you believe Wareham's current financial allocation toward the schools serves the community, and if not how would you seek to change it? What are your thoughts on an ideal class size? Please be specific. What are your thoughts on standardized testing in public education? If budget cuts were to happen, what would you cut first and last? What would your priorities be if there were a surplus? Please explain. Education has experienced deep changes throughout the field in the past 15-20 years. What would you do to ensure that you have a comprehensive and detailed view of public education in Wareham? Please feel free to provide any additional relevant information about your candidacy you believe the WEA should consider. Do you believe the Wareham Public Schools are is successful in recruiting and retaining highly qualified staff? Please explain. Judy Caporiccio: From my conversations with other Wareham School Committee members, I have learned that the salary for Wareham teachers is below that of surrounding communities and that a number of faculty have left for this reason. Aside from this issue, I believe that the Wareham staff is highly qualified, talented, hard-working, creative and energetic. I have discussed this issue recently in meetings with the Superintendent and Director of Special Services. One needs only to read the school websites and the local papers, to see such creative projects as the STEAM Academy, the Middle School Science and Technology Fair, the DECA Home Show and the Dr. Seuss celebration to see the results of these hard-working, highly qualified, innovative teachers on a daily basis. Thanks to the Dr. Shaver-Hood, Wareham has the infrastructure in place, based on best practice and research, to support and train teachers. We have a new Curriculum Coordinator who provides relevant staff development and programming to align curriculum to prepare our students for the future. We have Instructional Leaders who supervise and evaluate other members in the same discipline. While I believe we are successful, we must work harder to retain our very best faculty members. Julianne Cummings: Has not returned questionnaire. Geoff Swett: According to the latest DESE data (2014), the Wareham Public Schools (WPS) percentage of “Highly Qualified” educators (98.3%) exceeds the State average (95.5%) by almost 3%. That suggests that WPS is quite successful in its efforts to recruit and retain in this critical area. While I acknowledge the importance of the educational elements of the “Highly Qualified” definition, I am less comfortable with the more subjective part of that definition which requires proof of some level of subject competency. As a School Committee member, and I suspect this would be true for parents and students as well, I am more concerned with the presence of highly effective educators. While that may be more difficult to accurately determine, it is far more important and it is why a competent and constructive evaluation system must be present. On that basis, it is also clear that WPS, despite its sub-standard salary scales, has been able to recruit and retain highly effective educators. Do you believe Wareham's current financial allocation toward the schools serves the community, and if not how would you seek to change it? Judy Caporiccio: As someone who has experienced many lean years in the budget process during my 36 years in the public school system, it’s obvious that we are in a time of declining resources, especially since the override failed last year, and that we have to work creatively within our fiscal constraints. Since there is little more to be gained from actual allocation, we need to save money particularly in two ways. Examining the expenses of over $2 million dollars in Special Education costs is one area where funds can be cut to allow allocations to be used in other areas. The system currently has several quality in-house Special Education programs, but more are needed. My background in this area will be particularly helpful in advocating new and creative ways of keeping costs in-house. Also, I believe we are losing too many students to Choice which costs money that could also be used for improvements and funding in other areas. We also need to attract quality students from out of our district to increase the funding in that area. I believe there is a perception problem and a solid Public Relations program would help make Wareham schools more attractive. Julianne Cummings: Has not returned questionnaire. Geoff Swett: The total financial allocation to WPS is insufficient by approximately 10% or almost $3M based on the demographics of the children we serve and the average percentage above Foundation level that cities and towns in MA are spending. Since becoming part of the Board of Directors of the MA Assoc. of School Committees (MASC) I have been directly lobbying legislators to review the two decade old Chapter 70 formula. That formula is well known to underestimate the costs of providing SPED services and health insurance benefits to employees. The recent decision by the legislature to review the formula and hold hearings throughout the State is a positive development but I am very concerned that it will just be a “zero sum” game where some Districts get more, others get less, and the “pie” will not be substantially increased. It is a disgrace that Districts which do not need much State assistance receive a minimum of 17.5% Chapter 70 allocation, thus draining badly needed funds from needy Districts such as Wareham. This problem is exacerbated by significantly reduced Title I funding which, with the Republican Congress, could be reduced even further for the next fiscal year. The State/federal failure outlined above means that the Town of Wareham must find more funding within its own budget. Governments at all levels have a fundamental responsibility to provide a safe environment for its citizens and to follow the laws of the community in which it is located. In the case of Wareham, it is located in Massachusetts which has a constitutional mandate for the education of its children, the quality of which must not be dependent on the city or town in which they are located. Absent a parent being willing to sue the State (as was done decades ago…) to force more funding for public education, it becomes Wareham’s responsibility to fill that gap. That means, quite simply, that after police and education everything else must be secondary in the development of the Town’s budget. That philosophy is unenforceable, however, except through the Town Meeting process which allows the Town Administrator (TA) to form the budget, requires the TA to use the budget number approved by the School Committee, and stipulates that the first amendment to the budget be made by the Finance Committee. Voter distrust of most elected and appointed officials means that if an unbalanced budget is presented to Town Meeting some adjustments will be made in many areas of the Town budget. It is an unpredictable event but my commitment, if re-elected, is to make the impact on the school budget as small as possible and consistent with the philosophy outlined above. What are your thoughts on an ideal class size? Please be specific. Judy Caporiccio: It depends on the level. The primary grades need the smallest class sizes. This is crucial in working with Response to Intervention, supporting students who may be having difficulty as soon as possible in the regular education setting. This cuts down on unnecessary special education referrals. In middle and high school, 22 is ideal and above 26 is less than optimal. Inclusion of special needs students (a legal mandate and a reality) requires smaller classes with additional IA support. I strongly support the co-teaching model (Special educator/classroom teacher) to support inclusion, along with differentiated instruction. I know this is staff intensive, but it works. Julianne Cummings: Has not returned questionnaire. Geoff Swett: Once again, according to the 2014 DESE data, WPS has class sizes that are, on average, more than 1 student less than the State average, i.e. 12.5 vs. 13.6. Such numbers can be deceptive, however, and I would prefer median vs. average. I know high school class sizes, for example, in our efforts to compete and provide different levels of rigor and interesting electives, can be much smaller. The studies I have read are fairly conclusive about the value of smaller classes, i.e. less than 20, for elementary grades but less so for later grades. Nevertheless, I am certain that smaller classes increase the effectiveness of differentiated instruction and the likelihood that students will be more engaged. Therefore, while I know that a minimum size is important to leverage the cost of educators and keep spending within available resources, I also believe keeping all classes below 30 is a very important goal. What are your thoughts on standardized testing in public education? Judy Caporiccio: Standardized testing is a controversial subject with no simple answer. Because Wareham is involved with Common Core, teachers will be using the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARRC) tests. I believe it is important to measure whether our students are on track to be successful in the workforce and in college. Measuring what students should know at their grade level with standardized tests is not new; however, there are other forms of assessment that should also be utilized to obtain a complete picture of a student’s ability. For example, standards-based projects or assignments that require problem solving, higher order thinking skills, writing and speaking components and subject knowledge are also an excellent way to assess our students’ education progress. Likewise, student portfolios that span a semester provide samples of a variety of projects in several subjects that can be a useful indicator of grade-level success as well as examining such measures as creativity and organizational skills not covered in standardized tests. Julianne Cummings: Has not returned questionnaire. Geoff Swett: I am very uncomfortable with the growing reliance around the country on the use of standardized testing to determine individual classroom teacher performance. I believe it is a sign of political and bureaucratic desperation as the US appears to be less competitive in educational achievement when compared to the rest of the world. I believe testing should be mostly formative and, therefore, quickly available to educators to use in their determination of how to change instruction and curriculum to meet the needs of students. I admit that when the cohort is large enough I see value in using the summative data to assess the performance of management, e.g. superintendents, but only when it is measuring growth, e.g. SGP data, as opposed to absolute achievement (CPI). As a School Committee member I am committed to delaying the use of standardized testing in the evaluation of individual classroom teachers for as long as possible and will never ask that it become part of the WEA contract. I am equally concerned about the impact of summative, standardized testing on students, both with respect to the degree to which testing has a negative impact on the quantity and quality of instruction and curriculum and a student’s sense of self-worth. My concerns are heightened by the anticipated change from MCAS to PARCC which is likely to suggest that our students are even less prepared for collage and careers than students and their parents expect. The irony is that these feelings are taking place in MA where students have led the way for this country with respect to success on standardized testing. If budget cuts were to happen, what would you cut first and last? What would your priorities be if there were a surplus? Please explain. Judy Caporiccio: Prioritizing for budget cuts is a difficult, divisive process. If I were an administrator in your system (or already a School Committee member) I could give a much more informed answer with specific knowledge. We have fixed costs, in-kind expenses, legal mandates, etc. which cannot be cut. I have been able to examine this year’s budget proposal. However, I would need more information, and I would rely on discussions with the Superintendent and the Financial Director who are informed by building principals and other administrators to realistically talk about cuts. My first priority, always, is making sure students receive the best quality education they possibly can. If there were a surplus I would support small class size, more support for instructional technology such as iPads and improved and increased computer access, and better salaries to attract the best possible teachers. Julianne Cummings: Has not returned questionnaire. Geoff Swett: Budget cuts will happen and it will be painful for the students, parents, and WPS. Reducing the number of buildings in which WPS educates students is a first priority because it not only saves the dollars associated with the operating expenses of those buildings but also the human overhead that is necessary to operate a safe and organized school building. The second priority would be human overhead that is not directly associated with supporting the educational experience of students. Third would be expensive extracurricular activities that impact a small number of students. Finally, based on 2014 DESE data, WPS has almost 40% more SPED students (23.3%) than the State average (16.8%) and, as a result, spends 30% more. Especially given our insufficient Chapter 70 funding, we must challenge our Student Services professionals to reduce those numbers and costs, especially given the commitments made to the School Committee about the ability of Response to Intervention (RTI) to reduce the number of students that require an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The last areas to be cut must be classroom teachers rated proficient or better and those that directly support their development and evaluation, i.e. department heads and instructional leaders. Professionals cannot grow without constructive feedback from people who understand their profession and the challenges of achieving success. We cannot return to the time when evaluations were meaningless and observations were so few that teachers did not trust the process and lived in fear of “gotcha moments”. The use of any surplus would be easy. 2014 DESE data also demonstrates that despite having lower class sizes than average we also spend about 9% less per student in Wareham on classroom teachers ($4713) than the State average ($5124). In my career I was used to doing salary surveys of the organizations in surrounding areas and making sure that employees did not leave because their salaries were uncompetitive. WPS salary scales need to be adjusted to prevent that from continuing to occur. It is very unfortunate that I cannot imagine that happening in the near future. Education has experienced deep changes throughout the field in the past 15-20 years. What would you do to ensure that you have a comprehensive and detailed view of public education in Wareham? Judy Caporiccio: Thankfully, I have been part of those changes in public education since 1973; I’ve had to train staff, develop programs, and take part in and deliver presentations through staff development. I continue to keep abreast through professional organizations, current articles, and hopefully, if I’m elected, I’ll be a member of the MASC (Mass. Assoc. of Sch. Comm). I will continue to communicate with the administrators and visit the schools to view program implementation firsthand. On a personal note, my daughter and son-in-law are both teachers and we regularly have lively conversations about these changes and about education in general. Teachers are often the best sources of what works and what doesn’t work in our schools. Julianne Cummings: Has not returned questionnaire. Geoff Swett: I take every opportunity to educate myself on the changes in public education through reading, meetings with State leaders and local universities deans (UMASS Dartmouth and Bridgewater State), in my role as a member of the Board of Directors of MASC, and as many interactions with Wareham educators as possible. It is part of the reason that I have spent the last two terms of my time on the School Committee on the joint management/labor evaluation committee which has representatives from all the schools and disciplines as well as WPS leadership. If re-elected I would plan to continue those efforts without any break and potentially increase my role on the MASC board and as its Division VII (Cape & Islands) chairman. ** Please feel free to provide any additional relevant information about your candidacy you believe the WEA should consider.** Judy Caporiccio: I have recently been posting my position on certain issues on my facebook page which can be found href=https://www.facebook.com/judycaporicciowarehamhere: Here are several of my postings: School Choice Wareham has too many students leaving the district to School Choice. Under the law, parents always have the right to send their children to a Choice receiving district. This, however, costs the Town as we must pay the district for educating our students. The Town can opt into School Choice which means that we accept students and funding from other districts. My goal is to make Wareham the district of Choice. We need to keep our students and our educational funding in our own district. We have a level one high school which should be attracting good students from other districts. Wareham has a perception problem that needs to be rectified. As a School Committee member, I will research other districts to see what makes them attractive and encourage Wareham to set similar goals. The Wareham school system also needs to change its image through positive public relations. If elected, I will work towards these goals to help improve our current state of School Choice. Special Education Costs Wareham’s Special Education costs are too high. Costs have risen to over $2 million in FY2016 because of the large number of students who must be educated in out-of-district programs that we do not offer in our system. The services for these students are legally mandated and have never been fully funded by state of federal government. Wareham must bear the financial burden of these programs. As a special education administrator, I was responsible for the budget for my school. The best way to control costs is to develop programs that meet the special education students’ needs to keep them in our own district. Wareham has several fine in-house programs, and I commend the Superintendent for adding two new programs at the high school and pre-kindergarten levels. Now is the time to develop more in-house programs. We have a fiscal responsibility to explore all options. My 36 years of experience in this field will help the Wareham School Department develop these programs and operate effectively and creatively within its school budget. STEAM Academy Wareham Schools need more innovative ideas like the STEAM Academy. Thanks to the cooperative effort of teachers, students, administration and the School Committee, 86 of our seventh-graders are able to participate in the STEAM Academy at the Middle School which started in September. We need to encourage our students to see the world through the combination of Science, Technology and Engineering, Arts and Humanities and Mathematics to prepare them for college and careers. I fully support expanding the program which is funded through grants to grades 6, 8 and 9 in the future. As a member of the School Committee I would like to continue to explore similar programs for other grade levels, and to develop other creative ways to make Wareham the choice for the best education possible. Plan for the Future The Wareham school system must plan for the future to produce students who meet new career and employment challenges and to become active citizens in our community. We must also make our district the district of Choice for Wareham parents. I agree with the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Educators’ statement in an article on looking forward to 2030 in regards to educating students in our state. It claims that, “our focus needs to shift to improving the quality both of teachers entering the profession and of existing teachers; cultivating peer-led learning among teachers and principals both within schools and between them; and encouraging experimentation and innovation to discover the future leading practices which might be shared with all schools.” I believe that School Committee members should be aware of current research in education to help guide their decisions. Although I am retired from teaching, I continue to stay abreast of the newest ideas and changes in the field. Here is the link to this interesting article. The Wareham Free Library’s Role in Education Research shows that students who do well in school and go on to college and successful careers have access to books both at home and in the community, as well as in the classroom and school libraries. The acquisition of good reading skills begins in elementary school. Unfortunately, today, only our high school has a library and librarian. As a result, many of Wareham’s youngest students don’t have access to a school library where they can borrow books each week to practice their new reading skills at home. Research also shows that summer reading practice is crucial for children to retain the skills learned during the school year to be ready for the next grade’s challenges. Fortunately, Wareham has a wonderful library and in the next funding cycle, the main branch is expected to slightly increase its hours. And thanks to the Friends of the Wareham Free Library for providing additional funding, the Spinney Branch in Onset will reopen. This is great news for all of us, but especially for our children in all areas of town. Public schools and public libraries must work together to help educate our children and to ensure their success in the future. As a School Committee member, I will work towards and support such cooperation. Julianne Cummings: Has not returned questionnaire. Geoff Swett: Other relevant information: Wareham Finance Committee (1999-2005), including two years as Chairman Gleason Family/Wareham YMCA, Chairman New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, Treasurer/Board Member Wareham Public Schools. Volunteer Bus Driver Wareham Public Schools, Tennis Coach. Note: I donate all tennis coaching and officiating income to the Wareham High School Boosters Club Scholarship Donor, Wareham High & Middle Schools

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