Vote Medford 2007

O'Keefe: (Q1) Transparency of Decision-Making

Redistricting is always a concern for some parents. Through Accountability of the central school administration, all our schools should have the same Mustang Pride, synergy, and curriculum framework as defined by the Department of Education. This is directed, managed, and reflective of the central administration's leadership and encompassed and embraced by the principals who pass that effective message to the parents (taxpayers) and community who participate in defining what their community schools are all about. Policies should be available for public view and accessible. If a policy is not already written that discusses the re-authorization of the re-districting decision, it should be documented and reviewed for approval in collaboration with the School Committee, the City of Medford, and this community through PTO's and other forums. Demographics and student population shift consistently over time and resources as well as fiscal responsibilities will need to shift to accommodate those needs. A review of the School Committee policy defining redistricting must to be spelled out for public input periodically. As a school committee member, I will communicate and facilitate this topic for discussion. Logistically, busing school children through the community has already been made as a long term commitment. We must be successful with the appropriate attention and standards consistently being reviewed to ensure safety, cost efficiencies, and parity.

1b. Teacher hiring is important. Posting all job openings via public forum such as medfordmass and PTO yahoo groups, the City of Medford, and school web page and perhaps an ongoing article locally that is written by the school committee or administration would be ideal tools for communication. Recently, the school committee authorized and approved a request of the Superintendent for money pertaining to advertising which many taxpayers in the community believed was a cost savings initiative. The Superintendent's pitch to the committee was this would reduce our advertising print costs with the Globe and Herald and maximize the flow of qualified teacher applicants through a web site Massachusetts Superintendent of Schools. The effectiveness vs, cost is difficult to gauge but metrics that identify how the job applicant came to apply to Medford Public Schools should be captured and measured for data collection as seventy-one (71) teachers were recently hired and are currently in our community schools. Accountability, Communications, and Teamwork with the community and PTO's will continue to build trust around this process which must open and fair. The long term benefits of public input will allow prospective parents and those considering moving to this community the best applicant with the appropriate credentials were selected. Forecasts for new and qualified teachers, aides, paraprofessionals and school administration positions have dramatically increased each year and competition for applicants is getting more difficult. Myself, having a strong Human Resources background in both recruitment and retention coupled with my educational and legal background allows me objectively look at this particular topic and make appropriate policy decisions. Having worked in a union environment as a shop steward, I recognize and will work in collaboration within the Teacher Unions Collective Bargaining Agreement. As a strong voice on the school committee, I will make appropriate recommendations that would be beneficial for the next flow of teacher recruits which will shape our school and reputation for the future. With this new wave of hiring, an appropriate review and information for long term career planning for both incoming and outgoing teachers needs to be provided also. As 403 (b) regulations have recently changed pertaining to Teacher Retirement Funds, we, as community leaders, must ensure that through collective bargaining that the school committee, administration, and city is positioning ourselves accordingly to ensure we are making the grade for School District Employees for their long term career planning options. The future is now.

O'Keefe: (Q2) Individualized Education for Above-Grade-Level Students

Not all students with disabilities are entitled to Individual Educational Plans (IEP) and or 504 plans. IEP'S and 504 plans are not provided to optimize a student's performance, the re-authorization of Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act (IDEA) has changed the criteria from maximum feasible benefit to Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE). The responsibility of Medford Public School is to provide services through an IEP and or 504 plan that would make every student eligible to receive FAPE in the least restrictive environment (LRE) The school district needs to provide more opportunities for students to participate in their education at all levels including home, school and community. My idea would be creating possibilities where students can learn to be successful through focusing on the Whole Child concept. Identifying a student's strengths and creating opportunities in which the school would begin to develop accommodations and modifications that would promote incorporating the student's individual strengths throughout the student's IEP while accessing the curriculum and daily living is very important.

2b. Regarding whether or not Gifted and Academically Advanced students who are working at or above their potential should be eligible to receive individual instruction, I support any student who is not making effective progress that is aligned with their abilities. If educators are aware that a particular student is capable of performing well above grade level expectations and sufficiently tested, then the student should receive instruction that would have them meet the identified expectations. I refer back to the fact that IEP's and 504 plans are provided to student's who cannot meet the expectations without accommodations or modifications. There are also a set of individual students who are classified as 2 E. (Twice exceptional) Policy needs to be created where educators in Medford can identify these students, and create possibilities where these twice exceptional students can tap into their giftedness and get skill building that would support their underlying disability and talent. Medford Public Schools, when discussing the topic of Gifted and Academically Advanced, is the point of information and contact for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. As Medford puts a few changes and updates to the final proposals and programs for the Commonwealth, it will be released shortly through the Superintendent Office and Central Administration for submittal. Finally, a collaborated effort with our local community, including Tufts University, MIT, and elsewhere where students could enroll in identified programs that would enhance their giftedness but not take away from their abilities to embrace their learning experience in Medford High School, Medford Public Schools, or the City of Medford.

2c.The third part of this question relates to identifying these students that would considered Gifted and Academically Advanced. During past school committee meetings it was noted that educators have been trained to connect these student's in their areas of academic strengths. Grant bids are being reviewed for submission as well. A DVD was produced by Medford Public Schools containing the presentation of keynote speakers from the 2005 event and this should be shown at some time on MHTV15 to showcase the program and Medford. In addition to the above opportunities, I would begin to expand the relationships for students who have areas of strength such as computers, academics, music and arts or any other area with Tufts University and other area schools. A child, pre-teen, and teenager have expanding schedules. Homework and other tasks during the Fall, Winter, Spring and now the expansion of a growing summer program compliment a full day for many who are engaged in tasks, assignments, or activities. Medford Public Schools has received funding through the Javist grant. Medford is eligible to apply again this year (final year of funding), but the Request for Proposal (RFP) has not yet become available from the DOE. The goal is to enhance student achievement among minority students as well as non-English speaking students which are all areas that DOE recommended that Medford Public Schools compile data and research during a recent Coordinated Review in 2006 for advancement opportunities.

O'Keefe: (Q3) School Choice with Uniform Quality in Elementary Schools

Medford's ability to accentuate each schools individual strengths is well under way. As a school committee member, I would like to create more community opportunities for our local schools by inviting parents and community members to volunteer and feel welcomed at each building. PTO's from around the city have embraced each one of these schools and are a welcoming voice to many families and instrumental in their respective schools. Activities, clubs, and events are thriving. Policies should be consistent through each school when dealing with educational curriculum and related services while directed and managed by principals and staff. Day to Day Compliance and Administrative projects are cumbersome and not routine as hoped when filing, data collection, follow up and many other hats of the day. Central administration continues to see role expansion and technology. One-touch options must be reviewed to improve the work load and data collection activities. Information Technology must continue to expand as well as subject curriculum around this career path for our children. We can do better. Finally, the preschool period is crucial to the growth and development of young children. The information a child absorbs in these years is so precious for their future growth. We must continue to make this crucial time period both productive and positive. We must supply children with a foundation that will propel them into the later years of their learning and build on the experience and expectations of the parents and this community. The Early Education program and Advanced Placement programs are solid. We must build off those positive initiatives and continue to move forward.

O'Keefe: (Q4) Overcoming Financial Constraints

High-quality education can be define in so many ways by so many people. As a School Committee member, I will collaborate with Federal, State, Local and private grant programs to seek and research opportunities. Paperwork is time consuming, compliance driven, and detailed for the school district which has plenty of expertise in this area. The community and this great City have an expanding partnership with our central administration. Community involvement is crucial. Using my legal and business experience, detailed project time and goals must be identified with short and long term objectives. Expanding the partnership with Tufts University that is recognized by collective bargaining, good faith, spirit of cooperation and financial obligations needs to be leverage. Identifying opportunities for cost shares with neighboring cities while expanding grant partnerships must be considered. I would propose grant writing seminars which will increase grant opportunities through this forum. Representation from the community to formulate a committee that is opened to Senior Citizens, Tufts University, Medford Public School administration, faculty, students, and PTO's should be partnered. Our city government needs the will and support of the taxpayers. EDNETS needs more attention and a presentation to the Chamber of Commerce, PTO's and other venues should be scheduled accordingly. Seasoned professionals from both public and private sectors will benefit from the increased financial resources (who are all stakeholders) as it puts less of a burden on our property tax based system. Medicaid reimbursement for Special Education services which is managed by Shore Collaborative are significant. How can we maximize this return? Local financial resources will always need to be increased because the community will always be setting the bar for high-quality education for our children. Yet, increase spending that involves school legal salaries, legal fees, and legal services that were much less the previous school year budget (2006 vs 2007) needs to be reviewed and a better job mitigating this cost identified. We must do better.

O'Keefe: (Q5) Expansion of After-School Programs for All Students

After-school opportunities should be geared to all members of the community. Communication regarding events, schedules, and activities are posted and shared with the local school community, cable television, and online. Can we do more? Absolutely!! Communication and how people receive the information is expanding though EDTECH and phone announcements. As a school committee member, I believe that students who are identified and willing should have plenty of opportunities to participate in everything that the school and community is offering. I am sure both parent and child would want more hours in the day for events that they can experience together. What you find is that all children and parents have a busy schedule. Teens programs in Medford are limited though. Everything has a cost associated with it. Intramural sports or activities that are geared towards events that interest teens should be reviewed and designed. Computers games, technology, arts and sports should be polled to teens to determine what teens are looking for or what would they like to see. The community needs to take leads from our younger generation so that this community can begin to move forward.

O'Keefe: (Q6) Arts Education: Funding, Staffing, Quality, Diversity

Arts is an important element in the drive for further education. As a school committee person, I would support community initiatives and work with the school district to explore opportunies by thinking outside the box. I would propose researching what other communities are doing in this venue. Many members in this community have proposed solid ideas that should be reviewed and evaluated. I will do whatever it takes to see every child develops to their fullest potential. To determine if art education is properly funded, it would be important to interact with those that believe it is not and find how they can begin to expand those options and identify what programs are available both locally, statewide, and federally. Diversity is an ongoing topic and various programs have been presented to the schools and community that have been both rewarding and positive. With diversity: awareness, education, and communication must continue with appropriate speakers both from Medford and outside Medford to cultivate the expression of these issues. There is so much happening in Medford schools. As a School Committee member, we need to explore ways to centralize and maximize the messages to the public at large. Various organizations from churches, clubs, civic groups, parent volunteers, and schools provide an abundance of activities. The Medford Family Network is growing and has proven to be an excellent source and model for other communities. We need to continue to build on what is working with short term and long term goals for various areas both in school and outside school while canning the message cost effectively so that all can view and have the opportunity to be engaged.

O'Keefe: (Q7) Fostering a Hate-Free, Supportive Environment

A recent Department of Education Coordinated Program Review of Medford evaluated our programs in accordance with regulatory requirements and found that Multicultural and Multiracial efforts, as evidenced in K-12 curriculum are regularly tracked through the work of the Medford Human Rights Commission and the Racial Balance Advisory Committee. Medford was also found in compliance with procedures to ensure that its programs and materials are free of bias and stereotypes. My personal commitment, as an elected school committee member, would be as a liaison to this group as well as to the Special Education Parent Advisory Board (SEPAC) which was newly elected in June 2007. I actively volunteered and voted in this process along with only one other school committee candidate. In reviewing the 2005 VoteMedford questions pertaining to special education, some candidates made many statements pertaining to special education and students but as was noted during many public meetings and various DOE reports, this process was not being managed or reviewed by school administration or the school committee. Currently, there is no point of contact identified from the Medford School Committee for the Parent Advisory Committee although the community has asked on many occasions. Legislation is pending for under House Bill 574 that will mandate school committees to direct, manage, and audit in collaboration with the Special Education Parent Advisory Committee leadership policies and procedures for school districts as a way to reduce expenditures and costs. Special Education is expensive. It is even more expensive when it is not managed appropriately. We must do better.

O'Keefe: (Q8) Leadership to Improve Quality of Education

Where a child attends school is not reflective of anything other than a rich environment that this community must embrace and collaborate around. Many positive things are occurring at Medford Public Schools and as a school committee representative, I would look to expand on many of these positive aspects of education in Medford. How we market our school and programs is important both inside Medford and outside Medford. Education is about learning from your mistakes. Medford, as with anyone, can learn from others in their educational practices and in the vision for a successful and manageable central administration and operations function. The recent DOE Coordinated Review indicated that Medford School Administration must look to expand its data collection on targeted sub-groups. MCAS testing is the focal point but as statistics provided by both the DOE and SPEDWATCH showed troubled data and missed data must be better collected and maintained. Medford teachers and staff work very hard and ensuring our children are receiving the best education as a means to be successful. By ensuring that faculty and staff have the appropriate tools to educate and prepare for the school curriculum would be my short term and long range goals. As a teacher, you must prepare a speech and coursework five (5) days a week, six (6) hours a day for 180 days. Sometimes the audience isn't interested or is not motivated by the topic or presentation. We must not only motivate the child into understanding that they have the ability to learn, but we must continue to motivate teachers with the understanding that they can also teach every child. Education is about learning and teamwork. We will do better.

O'Keefe: (Q9) Green Initiatives

Working with local community groups, school committee members, and Federal, State, and local energy efficiency experts, my role as a school committee member would be achieving the biggest bang for Medford's energy buck. Energy efficiency is by far the most cost-effective option. If the focus is to reduce energy costs, we must continue to look at things like lighting, heating, hot water, and cooling. We must continue to work with our suppliers to see what programs are best and have them continue to provide energy audits for schools. Solar installations have high up front costs, but reviewing program such as masstech.org they have several programs that can help defray up front costs. One idea to raise funds would be to initiate a campaign to residents to make green power purchases from National Grid, thereby increasing matching grants from Masstech for Medford. These funds could then be used for things like solar on schools. Details on the program here: http://masstech.org/CleanEnergyOrg/matching_grants.htm. Green Initiatives have become sexy and how we educate our students and community around this topic is leading by example.

O'Keefe: (Q10) Nutrition and Activity Against Obesity

The School District Wellness Program was reviewed by the DOE recently and currently meets all Nutritional guidelines and benchmarks. As a school community, we can always do better. By encouraging Wellness Committees or Wellness Coordinators at each school, we can, as defined in the Massachusetts Association of School Committee literature:

• increase opportunities for physical education and activities
• ensure guidelines for maximizing nutritional values by decreasing fat and added sugars
• provide workshops and information surrounding nutrition education for children.
• engage mentoring programs for students for younger students
• explore MHTV15 with programs in collaboration with Tufts University

Strong policies and practices around Health Education and Nutritional guidelines will ensure adequate time around morning, snack, and lunch room facilities. Those that participate in subsidized food programs should not be stigmatized either. Updates of implementation and expansion of this district wide endeavor should reported periodically to the school committee and the PTO's.