Vote Medford 2007

Brady: (Q1) Transparency of Decision-Making

The Medford School Committee conducts all its business at public meetings. Community members are always welcome to address the Committee in open session and in most instances on cable television. Individuals are always free to call members with their concerns on any issue. I get back to everyone who calls me and I refer issues to the appropriate administrators for resolution. The Educational Reform Act of 1993 determined that most hiring is the responsibility of the principals, department heads and the superintendent. The School Committee votes for a few positions upon the recommendation of the Superintendent. The School Committee does work with the Superintendent to conduct open public interviews for major administrative positions. This past year, for example, public interviews were conducted for the Principalship of the Andrews Middle School and the Directorship of the Pupil Services Department. Prior to School Committee involvement there were broadly represented advisory committees that screened and prioritized the candidates. The School Committee holds the Superintendent and his staff accountable for the hiring process. We want them to find high quality people that meet state standards. The School Committee is like a Board of Directors of a large corporation. We delegate administrative tasks and evaluate the outcomes. We encourage our administration to be inclusive and to seek participation. However, we do not micromanage. This year the school system hired over seventy people. We received information on them and expect that the administration will supervise and evaluate them consistent with best practices.

There has only been one redistricting decision made by the Administration and the School Committee since the advent of the new schools. The decision was made in public and was done to alleviate projected overcrowding at one school and under-enrollment at another. Individuals already attending a school were grandfathered into the school and sibling preference was maintained. Change is not easy for everybody and some people felt that the decision was unfair. School Committee members must be prepared to make unpopular decisions from time to time for the best interests of the entire community. We strive to listen to all points of view, but ultimately must make a decision.

When the new schools were being built we listened very closely to people all over the city and held many forums. Eventually, district lines had to be drawn and they have worked out well for most people. All our decisions were made after listening and in public.

Brady: (Q2) Individualized Education for Above-Grade-Level Students

I do not believe that it is necessary to have an IEP process for “Gifted” students. Medford has been active in this field and grant funds are training our teachers to differentiate instruction. We need to reduce extra paperwork so that teachers can focus their time on individualizing instruction for such learners. As a school system we must expand our offering to give “Gifted” students more opportunities to flourish. The Medford administration was actively involved in planning a statewide summit on this topic. Our Superintendent was given an award by the Massachusetts Association of Gifted Educators for his leadership role. I expect this aspect of education in Medford to emerge shortly as a very visible program in our schools. We are working on grant funding to help us with this action.

Brady: (Q3) School Choice with Uniform Quality in Elementary Schools

Our goal is to have all of our schools provide quality education to all of our students. While each school has unique qualities. They all share a common curriculum, equalized funding, good class size, and highly qualified licensed faculty. Each school is provided with professional development according to their needs. Each elementary school is a new building with technology comparable facilities, and similar specialists. It is the responsibility of the administration and school committee to supervise and monitor performance and progress. Adjustments in programs and personnel can be made to respond to perceived problems. Parental involvement should be encouraged at each building. We know that if parents are more involved with their child’s education, we will get better results. Each school population is representative of the diversity of our community.

Brady: (Q4) Overcoming Financial Constraints

Local resources have been severely challenged by state cutbacks in aid to education. The state share of our local budget has been reduced from 37.5% to under 25%. Medford and other middleclass communities around the state have lost millions of dollars since the cutbacks in state aid which started in Fiscal 2003. There has also been a reduction in Federal aid since the inception of No Child Left Behind legislation. Medford has been very resourceful and has not made the major cuts in education programming and services that are typical of other area communities. We have generated creative revenue and obtained additional grants to keep programs in place. We have not resorted to extra user fees for services like transportation and Kindergarten like so many other cities and towns. We have put in many partnerships with groups across the city and area to enhance our capacity to do the best for our students. For example: a construction program with the Laborers Union; Health education programs with Hallmark Health(LMH); Professional development programs with Tufts University and Salem State College. Further, it should not be forgotten that the new schools were built with 90% reimbursement from the state and the remainder paid for by the sale of the old school buildings. Very few communities can claim that type of achievement.

Brady: (Q5) Expansion of After-School Programs for All Students

We already have many after school programs in place. While our main responsibility is to fund the regular school day effectively (harder all the time with state funding cutbacks), we offer a wide range of extra curricular activities and after school programs at our schools. Stipends are provided to teachers for school clubs and activities and sports. We are working on several new youth programs as well. We provide opportunities to participate in extended day programs at three of our elementary schools and link with other providers such as the YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, Graceworks, and Bright Stars as well. All students should be able to participate including students with disabilities. I am aware that special aides have been used to enable certain disabled students to participate. Expansion is a worthwhile goal but stable funding is a challenge.

Brady: (Q6) Arts Education: Funding, Staffing, Quality, Diversity

Medford has not reduced its commitment to the arts despite tight resources. It would be nice to do more if resources were available and there was more time in the school day. NCLB has forced schools to concentrate resources on core academic subjects. Medford has done so but has not eliminated the arts. Expansion is more problematic. We certainly can encourage more exposure to the arts by working with area artists,schedule special field trips to performing arts programs and museums and by emphasizing the arts in an interdisciplinary manner .We have great new facilities for the arts in our new buildings and we want to use them to the fullest extent possible.

Brady: (Q7) Fostering a Hate-Free, Supportive Environment

Medford has significant diversity throughout all of our schools. We need to celebrate the strength of that diversity and encourage all of our students to be proud of their heritage. We have instituted some curriculum in our schools that is designed to help foster greater understanding and appreciation of differences. We must continue to seek out more faculty and staff that is representative of our diverse student population. We must also insure that if any person creates disharmony that they will be dealt with quickly and severely. Diversity is an opportunity to give our students the experience they need to live in a world that requires an increased ability to work with many different cultures and traditions.

Brady: (Q8) Leadership to Improve Quality of Education

Medford is a good school system. That doesn’t mean that we can’t do better. We have demographics, which require both an urban and suburban approach. We offer more courses and learning opportunities than many area schools. Parents and student have the right to make choices. Medford has traditionally sent students to parochial and private schools. The Medford Public Schools offer good class size, a highly educated faculty and excellent facilities. We provide a wide range of extracurricular and special services. Our improvement efforts are based upon analyzing student performance data and targeting interventions to meet the determined needs. We will emphasize good hiring and professional development as a way to strengthen our ability to help students learn. It is the responsibility of the school Committee to fight for a good budget, provide feedback from the community, and hold our administrators accountable for results. Also we must encourage families throughout our city to make sure that students come to school daily prepared to learn.

Brady: (Q9) Green Initiatives

Medford has taken several important steps to advance environmental responsibility. While more is required, we have encouraged recycling and begun to replace Styrofoam with bio-degradeable paper products. We retrofit our school buses to promote clean air. We burn gas rather than oil in our heating systems. Recently we approved a wind turbine as an alternative source for electricity. We are working to conserve energy and water in all of our buildings and to make our students aware of the environmental obligation they have to the future.

Brady: (Q10) Nutrition and Activity Against Obesity

We are very aware of the obesity issue. We have been strong advocates for whole child thinking in our schools which includes a strong emphasis on health and nutrition. Our school lunch and breakfast programs are switching over to healthier foods and we have eliminated soda from our vending machines. We have started walking clubs in many of our schools and are switching emphasis in our Physical education program from sports to health. The Health Office conducts annual Body Mass Index screenings. We need to do more parent workshops to get homes to work with us on diet and exercise. We are applying for a substantial grant with Hallmark Health to expand our resources and programming in this area. Last year the School Committee adopted a comprehensive Wellness policy for the school system.