Vote Medford 2007

Van der Kloot: (Q11) Three Ideas to Enhance Community & Parental Involvement

The Education Reform Act of 1993 established School councils at every school and conferred more authority to the individual school principals. This encourages schools to establish their own identity and practices. Therefore, a school committee must use discretion when creating policies that might adversely affect this authority of the Principal. On the other hand, it is vital that the school committee, through policy, establishes standards and expectations for all our schools. Additionally, the committee must work to assure equity and promote sound educational practices throughout our schools. It is difficult when a parent group at one school appears to be more active and involved than others. When parents have approached me with concerns about their school, I have worked with them and with the Superintendent and other school personnel to address their issues. It is always an ongoing process. I believe parent participation should be encouraged and supported throughout Medford.

Van der Kloot: (Q12) Three Changes To Improve District's Hiring Practices

This year Medford hired 52 new teachers including highly sought after math and science teachers. In order to continue our success, we must

• Continue the Affirmative Action Job Fair which was initiated this year and participate in other Affirmative Action forums
• Continue the District Based Licensure Program that enables new teachers to qualify for their initial license.
• Begin the summer hiring process earlier so that other school districts don’t scoop good candidates. (Budget issue)

Van der Kloot: (Q13) Recognizing Religious Holidays Fairly

As a school committee member, I believe it is my duty to uphold the Constitution of the United States, which mandates the separation of Church and State. The school calendar is set around practical considerations. It makes no sense to hold school when a significant percent of the population would not attend due to a religious holiday. Thus, our school calendar is reflective of our teacher and student population. All students and teachers may take a day off to celebrate a religious holiday without penalty. Tests and homework assignments are either not assigned or can be made up by the student. If a student or parent is encountering a different practice, please inform the Principal of your school or call me at 781-488-3366 so the situation can be rectified. As our community becomes more diverse, we must continue our efforts to educate students to respect all people regardless of differences of their ethnicity, race, or religion.

Van der Kloot: (Q14) Strategies Against Classroom Overcrowding

As a member of the School Committee, is has been my priority to advocate for low class sizes. The average class size in our elementary schools is approximately 20 pupils. We are fortunate that despite difficult economic impacts, Medford has been able to keep class size at this level. Recently, I attended a function in community in western Massachusetts. The talk of the evening was the class sizes, which I was told, now averaged more than 30 elementary students per class!

When larger classes have been scheduled, I have worked hard to have administration address imbalances so that every student has the advantage of the best student/teacher ratio possible. I will continue to strongly advocate for low class size.

Van der Kloot: (Q15) Special Education: Strengthening IEP Teams & Improving Dispute Resolution

We have hired a new Director of Pupil Services who is reviewing our special education processes to make sure that they are fair, consistent, user friendly, and meet the requirements of special education regulations. Because of confidentiality, School Committee members only become aware of individual cases when parents share their child’s information with us. We are only free to discuss cases with school administration when a parent has granted permission. In recent months, we have become aware of a level of frustration by some special education parents. While there may occasionally be differences of opinion between parents and school personnel, it is my goal that our students will receive the services they need and parents will feel confident that the school system is providing the necessary services for their child. I plan to continue attending meetings of the special education parent advisory committee.