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April 26, 2010On April 26th, the RTSC met at Shirley Middle School at 7pm. Several items were on the agenda and here are the highlights: Superintendent Reid gave us updates on the transitional process in several areas. The first was the Merged Middle School plan for next year. The administration and staff of both schools have been designing curriculum and scheduling and classroom mapping for the “Ayer-Shirley Middle School.” The Superintendents have prepared the current operating budget for the school and it remains a feasible program from an economic standpoint. What they put together is a budget that combines the funds that would have been used to operate two separate middle schools and applied the same figure to a merged middle school. In that process, they were able to enhance the curriculum dramatically by adding a core course to the daily academic schedule for 6-8 graders, more flex courses and enhanced extracurricular opportunities. What we will be able to provide is a better education and program of enhancement for the 6th – 8th graders starting this fall. The middle school administration leadership team for next year will have Brian Haas as Principal (currently Principal of Shirley Middle School) & Rich McGrath as Vice Principal (currently Vice-Principal of Ayer Middle School. There is a lot to be accomplished and there is a lot of information to share. To date, the information has been slow in coming and that is due in large part because there were few details to share. The TRSC is aware of the lack of information and communication to parents, students and the community and we apologize for this delay. We are happy to announce that communication will begin in earnest in May. There are a series of sessions being held for students and parents over the next several weeks. They include: May 13th from 7pm - 8pm - Parent Information Night and Tour of Shirley Middle School Building, Shirley We did take one vote at this meeting and it was based on a recommendation from the Superintendents. We agreed unanimously that we would support a $20,000 stipend to go to an existing faculty member who would take on the position of Interim Superintendent of the Regional School District. This person would focus on and be the point person for all the tasks that must be accomplished first for the merged middle school and then for the entire region by July 1 2011. It was recommended that due to a shortage in transitional funds and the desire to not lose time during the transition to bring an outside person up to speed, that it should be someone already familiar with the district, its faculty, its curriculum, its goals and its challenges. The members of the committee debated the issue and ultimately agreed that it was critical to have someone absolutely responsible for the transition and to report to the TRSC and then the RSC on the progress. The superintendents will post this position immediately. Lastly, I would like to share an idea that came up with respect to the identity of the region. To date, we have all referred to the region as the Ayer-Shirley Regional School District. This makes sense for the moment and we agreed that it will be important to involve the students, parents and community in determining what the name of the regional school district will be. In the fall of 2010, we will plan and coordinate a district naming project that involves everyone who wishes to submit and then vote on a name for the district. In the end, it may be exactly what it is called now, but only after everyone who is interested has a chance to voice their opinion. This will set the stage for other important identity discussions and decisions such as mascots, logos and school colors. More details to follow… Our next meeting will be held on May 19th at 7pm - Transitional Regional School Committee Meeting, Professional Development Room, Page Hilltop School, Ayer. All are welcome. Pat Kelly |
What's New?ASRSD School Choice Form (PDF) ASRSD Internal School Choice Form (PDF) Ayer NCLB Report Card (PDF) |
Last Updated on 14 August 2011 |