Falmouth School Board Minutes

Falmouth School Board
Special Meeting
Saturday, March 10, 2007

1.          The meeting was called to order at 8:32 a.m. in the Falmouth Public Library conference room.  Present were Chairman Beppie Cerf, Linda Cote, Karen Farber, Beth Franklin, Kathy Hillman-Reed, Mark Terison, and Superintendent George Entwistle (Lydick out), all members of the Leadership Council, Town Council representatives (2) and approximately 6 staff members.

2.          Dr. Entwistle and Mr. O’Shea presented an overview of the budget.

3.          Cost areas were presented and reviewed.  For district costs areas, the responsible manager reviewed any new proposals for the next budget cycle, presented an evaluation of any new initiatives/projects/investments that were undertaken in the current budget and then answered any questions from the Board or the public.  For each of the schools, each Principal in reviewing their respective cost area (in addition to speaking to program reviews/evaluations and new proposals) covered projected changes in student enrollment.

4.          Cost areas presented at the workshop were as follows:

  • District Technology (S. Palfrey)
  • Athletics (J. Hurley)
  • Special Education (P. Crowell)
  • Maintenance/Capital Improvement/Transportation (D. O’Shea)
  • System Wide (B. Powers/G. Entwistle)
  • Lunt School (J. Flaherty)
  • Plummer-Motz School (K. Boffa)
  • Falmouth Middle School (J. Rodman)
  • Falmouth High School (A. Hutton)

 

5.          In covering the System-wide cost center (English Language Learners, Gifted and Talented Program), a proposal for improving the delivery of foreign language received a final review and endorsement by the Board.  The plan establishes AP Spanish and AP French as targeted “end-points” for those languages (with a new scope and sequence to the Spanish and French curriculums that will allow students access to the AP level of study), assigns resources for redesigning the Grade 1 – Grade 6 foreign language curriculum to be “braided” to support other content area instruction and establishes Spanish as the long-sequence language with Spanish instruction beginning in Grade 1 as early as School Year ’07-’08 (current 1st graders will continue their study of French and will be uninterrupted as a result of the plan).  Dr. Entwistle briefed the Board on the UNIBE (Universidad Iberoamericana) exchange program.  The exchange program which involves a partnership of UNIBE, Falmouth Public Schools, and the University of Southern Maine has no budget implications and was endorsed by the Board.

6.          In summary, Board members complimented the Leadership Council for their budget development work.  Board members agreed that the budget, as presented, was appropriate and fiscally responsible.  The School Board will continue their preparations for presenting the ’07-’08 budget to the Town Council.

7.          The meeting was adjourned at 3:17 p.m.

                                                                                    Respectfully submitted,

 

                                                                                    George H. Entwistle, 3rd
                                                                                    Secretary

 

Last Updated: 3/14/07