Westerly School District, Rhode Island
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Contents |
Website evaluation
- Main article: Evaluation of Rhode Island school district websites
The good
- Administrative officials are listed with contact information.[1]
- 2009-10 Budget is published.[2]
- Background check policy is posted.[3]
- School committee members are listed with contact information. Meeting schedule, agendas, and minutes are available.[4]
The bad
- Does not provide information on taxes, contracts, audits, academic performance, and how to make public record requests.
School committee
The school committee is composed of nine members:[5]
| Member | Position | Term expires |
|---|---|---|
| David Patten | Member | 2012 |
| James Murano, Jr. | Chairperson | |
| John Carson | Vice Chairman | 2012 |
| Jon Lallo | School Committee Attorney | |
| Louis Sposato | Member | 2012 |
| Mary Raftery | Member | 2012 |
| Patricia Hartford | Member | 2012 |
| Scott Bavasso | Member | |
| William Nardone | School Committee Attorney |
Sylvia Blanda is the Superintendent.
Superintendent leaves after 3 months
In mid-July 2009, Steven Welford, former Burrillville superintendent, was hired for the position in Westerly. After only three months in the position he left, with the only explanation being that he had a "differing philosophy about the operation and the direction of the district" than the school board.
After filing two FOIA requests The Westerly Sun was able to learn the district is paying him a total of $64,500 in salary and health insurance through mid-April of 2010.[6]
Teacher contracts
On December 3, 2009 the School Committee rejected a tentative agreement with the Westerly Teachers Association by a 4-3 vote. The last contract expired on August 31. Following that, the teachers' union ratified the tentative agreement on October 28. The union expressed surprise and disappointment at the rejection of the agreement, which had seen over 100 hours of negotiations between the two sides. School Committee members voting against the agreement cited the cost of it. Member Louis Sposato summed it up simply, "We can't afford this contract at this time." The issue appears to be headed for arbitration.[7]
School budget
The FY 2010 proposed budget is $52,196,373. This is an increase of $1,296,784 over the FY 2009 revised budget.[8]
In FY 2008 the District spent $15,584 per pupil.[9]
Academic performance
In response to the No Child Left Behind Act, Rhode Island joined with Vermont and New Hampshire to create Grade Level Expectations (GLEs) and the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP).[10] NECAP results can be found on the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education site.
Each year Information Works! (a partnership between the R.I. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Center for School Improvement and Educational Policy at the University of Rhode Island) puts out an annual report on public education in Rhode Island, creating detailed report cards for each district.
2007-08 District school performance
In the 2007-08 school year, all 7 schools (100%) in the district were classified as making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), 3 (43%) were Regents' Commended schools, and none were identified as in need of improvement.[11]
| Classification | Number of schools | Percentage of schools |
|---|---|---|
| Made Adequate Yearly Progress | 7 | 100% |
| Did not make AYP - Caution | 0 | 0% |
| Did not make AYP - Insufficient Progress | 0 | 0% |
2008-09 Accountability
The chart below details school classification indicators and targets:[12]
| Level | Math 2008 state target | District's index score | English 2008 state target | District's index score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary Schools | 74.5% | 88.9% | 84.1% | 91.5% |
| Middle Schools | 64.1% | 85.4% | 78.6% | 91.1% |
| High Schools | 63.2% | 70.1% | 75.0% | 89.3% |
2008-09 Assessments
The chart below details the percentage of students reaching proficiency on the following subjects:[13]
| Grade | Math | Reading | Writing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 33% | 77% | 53% |
| Grade 8 | 69% | 79% | 60% |
| Grade 7 | 56% | 82% | - |
| Grade 6 | 70% | 78% | - |
| Grade 5 | 78% | 83% | 71% |
| Grade 4 | 73% | 70% | - |
| Grade 3 | 74% | 78% | - |
Unions
The Westerly Teachers Association (WTA) is the teacher's union for this school district.[14] It is an affiliate of NEA Rhode Island (NEARI). Donna Allinson is the President.
External links
References
- ↑ Administration
- ↑ 2009-10 Budget
- ↑ Background check
- ↑ School committee
- ↑ Westerly school committee
- ↑ The Westerly Sun, "The Top 10 Local Stories of 2009: Great Recession hits home, changed lives," January 1, 2010
- ↑ The Westerly Sun, "Board jettisons teachers' contract," December 4, 2009
- ↑ Westerly School District - 2009-10 Budget
- ↑ RIDE - FY 2008 Per Pupil Expenditures
- ↑ Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education - New England Common Assessment Program
- ↑ Infoworks! 2009 School District Performance Report
- ↑ Infoworks! Learning and Achievement: Accountability 2009 Report
- ↑ Infoworks! Learning and Achievement: Assessments 2009 Report
- ↑ NEA Rhode Island - Local Association Presidents
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