Vote Medford 2007

O'Keefe: (Q11) Three Ideas to Enhance Community & Parental Involvement

Policies should be consistent across each school as central administration and principals incorporate guidelines for educational curriculum consistently throughout the city. If this is considered a problem that is impacting the educational experience for students or the moral of teachers and staff then as a school committee person, I would consider it important to address these perceived issues. Something that should be considered and reviewed is the cross-training of central administration and principals amongst the various schools so as to filter many of the best practices amongst the schools. Participation by parents and community involvement is generated by interest and time availability. People participate in what they believe is interesting to their children and beneficial as a whole to their values and life experiences. Three programs I will continue to support would be the Medford Family Network, the PTO's of Medford, and Medford Sports programs. I would do this through effective communications, resources, and collaboration with various civic groups in the community yet all groups and activities that need support and attention will receive my full attention as well.

O'Keefe: (Q12) Three Changes To Improve District's Hiring Practices

One of the primary goals in my role as a School Committee member is Accountability. To improve the district's hiring practices, the school committee must (1) consider this an element of performance that is contractually reviewed annually by the school committee with central administration. It must be (2) measured with the Superintendent and cascaded down to the principals for their merit raises and rated financially. The retention of qualified teachers for a period of time based upon criteria and metrics must be weighed accordingly. (3) Strong policies around minimum criteria and qualification should be mandated and directed by the school committee as a guideline for this process. As a school committee member, I would stress this because based upon a very recent Department of Education (DOE) report, when the School Committee was asked if they reviewed the Superintendents' performance annually as stipulated in his contract as a basis for setting compensation and improving the future job performance, the DOE gave the current School Committee a rating of POOR. The provision in the Superintendents' contract read The Committee shall evaluate annually the performance of the Superintendent in writing in accordance with a mutually agreed upon evaluation instrument which clearly articulates the goals, objectives, and standards by which the Superintendent's performance will be measured... A review of the evaluations of the Superintendent which were prepared by each school committee member indicated no two evaluations had the same appraisal period. The DOE report concluded that the school committee has only reviewed the Superintendent twice in a four year period which is clearly a breach of their fiduciary obligation to the taxpayers, parents, and student of this community. We must do better today for tomorrow.

O'Keefe: (Q13) Recognizing Religious Holidays Fairly

Religion is part of history and should be embraced with the same educational opportunity as English, math, or science. As a school committee member, one of the biggest expenditures for Medford is Substitute Teachers. Close to 300K is spent on substitute teachers annually across our school system. My fiduciary duty is to the taxpayers of this city. So if a religious vs. business decision needs to be made or negotiated, my priority is on the financial impact to the taxpayers of this city.

O'Keefe: (Q14) Strategies Against Classroom Overcrowding

Classroom sizes will always be a slippery slope. Through various federal programs and collective bargaining with the teacher's union, Medford classrooms are for the most part well balanced. As documented in the recent DOE report Medford Public Schools classrooms were appropriate and controls and procedures regarding this were acceptable. Yet, it is imperative that you look at the whole child concept and the particular core curriculum subject when determining student population for education and support services. As inclusion becomes more intuitive, teachers at the elementary levels are going to require additional classroom support. Internships with neighboring colleges such as Tufts, Emerson, and elsewhere has provided resources and this opportunity should be expanding if there is a need for certain subjects. At private schools in the community, the enrollment for classrooms are much larger compared to our public school system. Central Administrations goal as well as the school committee's goal has always been to keep classroom sizes down and monitor this topic so there is a consistency across the grades and among different schools.

O'Keefe: (Q15) Special Education: Strengthening IEP Teams & Improving Dispute Resolution

What would I do to improve special education? These are community schools and with communication and leadership, I will continue to push for Accountability. I believe that some school committee and some central administration members have refused to recognized the growing rate of autism and other special needs students as well as the systematic problems with special education programs. Changes have been implemented and the new Director of Pupil Services Beverly Shea has hit the ground running but much more still needs to be accomplished. Awareness on this topic will only reduce the cost impact of expenditures later. As a School Committee member, I will continue to offer my experience and positive and warm style to ensure that all children are provided with a Free and Appropriate Education that are mandated. As only one of two school committee candidates to cast a vote for the new Special Education Parents Advisory Committee, I am keenly aware of the importance of this group and have shown my support with my vote. They are a resource and group that has always been willing to advocate and help both the school district and community. A dispute resolution system will only save both the school and community money. Currently, the school district has expended close to 350K in legal expenses over the past two years and the current school administration has increased legal salaries and expenses quite significantly with the most recent budget for 2008. We must do better. My legal experience coupled with my diverse and well rounded educational and employment background makes me an ideal candidate for one of your six votes on Tuesday, November 6th, 2007. A vote for William Bill O'Keefe is a vote for the children and taxpayers of Medford.