Falmouth School Board Minutes

Falmouth School Board
Workshop Meeting,
Monday May 7, 2007

 

  1. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. in the Falmouth High School ATM room.  Present were Chairman Beppie Cerf, Linda Cote, Karen Farber, Beth Franklin, Kathy Hillman-Reed, Scott Lydick (late 7:55 p.m.), Mark Terison, and Superintendent George Entwistle.  (Bennett/Hebson out)
  2. NoteShare Presentation – Falmouth Middle School English/Language Arts teacher along with five (5) of her students provided a demonstration to the Board and those present of NoteShare – a digital notebook.  Key components of NoteShare greatly enhance student organization and student engagement in collaborative (sharing) work.  For 15 – 20 minutes, students sat with Board Members and gave them a hands-on demonstration of NoteShare.
  3. Middle School Schedule Update – Mr. Rodman shared a framework of key criteria (grounded in the 18-Month Plan for the Falmouth Middle School) for the work that was initiated on a school schedule change.  Mr. Rodman then, using a PowerPoint presentation, walked through a detailed explanation of how the new schedule was developed and what it will look like for each grade level.  The new schedule meets many, though not all, of the criteria established at the beginning of the schedule development process.
  4. School Consolidation Update – Mrs. Cerf provided the group with an update on the study report (installment #II) provided by New England School Development Council (NESDEC) and the response it received from the CBEA Study Group.  A meeting is planned with the Commissioner next week.  The plan is to request of the Commissioner that the 5-districts in the NESDEC study be considered as a “planning unit” for consolidation purposes.  The budget referendum process proposed in the most recent consolidation legislation is troubling and very different from Falmouth’s current budget process.  Further updates will be forthcoming.  A 7:00 p.m. meeting with legislators (Burgess and Turner) is scheduled for May 22, 2007 (location not yet finalized).
  5. A Drummond Woodsum template of Policy JIC:  Systemwide Student Code of Conduct was shared with Board Members for reading.  A first reading will be forthcoming in the Board packet for the May 21, 2007 School Board Meeting.

6.   Adjournment:  The Board adjourned at 9:25 p.m.

 

                                                                                    Respectfully submitted,

 

                                                                                    George H. Entwistle 3rd
                                                                                    Secretary

 

Last Updated: 5/16/07