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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/30/09PROJECT FORWARD GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND RECOMMENDATIONS The Project Forward committee was formed by the Hermosa Beach City School District (the District) and the Hermosa Beach City Council (the City.) The committee was asked to examine matters related to K – 8 Education in the city of Hermosa Beach and to develop a set of guiding principles for use by the District and the City. The District and the City collectively share responsibility for educating our children. The District is responsible for providing an education that meets all State and Federal mandates as well as local requirements. The City is responsible for helping to provide a safe, secure, positive and supportive environment in which education can occur. Good schools are not only good for our children. Good schools are good for our community. On the basis of our findings, the Project Forward committee recommends the District and the City adopt the following eight guiding principles and goals as noted: I. Transparency: The District and the City will conduct their business in a clear, open and transparent manner. • The District will prepare an Executive Budget Summary (EBS) to meet local needs. The EBS will include current and forecasted years and it will identify all revenue sources and amounts, and all educational programs and costs in a simplified spreadsheet format. The 2009 / 2010 EBS will be delivered to the public In September 2009. Subsequent EBS’s will be delivered concurrently with the annual budget. • As part of the annual budget cycle the District will prepare and publish a 5 year budget projection, including capital improvements, using the best available enrollment, revenue and cost data projections in the out years. • In the State of the City the Mayor will address the State of the District. II. Communication: The District will establish and implement a clear and consistent communications policy. A. The District will publish its curriculum and current standards. • The District will develop a K – 8 curriculum map and publish it on the District’s website. B. The District will prepare an annual State of the District presentation that will include an objective assessment of the status, comparative performance, costs, and benefits of receiving an education in Hermosa Beach. • The District will conduct bi-annual town forums and invite members of the community to voice their opinions about District matters. • Expand methods of communication to use shared media. • The District will endeavor to provide regular communication to the community through the Easy Reader and Beach Reporter newspapers. III. Cooperation: The District will endeavor to collaborate with the City, community, local community organizations, and nearby districts to share resources and programs. A. With the City: The City and the District will meet annually to identify areas of common interest, to collaborate on cost saving projects, programs and services, and to optimize the use of community resources including recreation programs, play fields and other facilities. • The City and the District will prepare a Community Calendar jointly showing available programs, facilities, playing fields, and other resources. B. With other School Districts: The District will meet regularly with their counterparts in neighboring districts to identify areas of common interest, to collaborate on cost saving projects, programs and services and to optimize the use of resources and the delivery of education. C. With the Community: Facilities such as play fields, basketball courts, play structures, gymnasiums and other buildings will be open and available for public use to the greatest extent possible. D. With Community Organizations: The District will partner with community organizations to draw on their resources, support, and expertise. IV. Accountability: The District and City are accountable for their actions. A. The District will institute an open evaluation process of its performance by administrators, staff, parents, students and the community, the results of which shall be publicly available. B. The District will continue to ensure that labor agreements reflect the District's desire to hire and retain the best qualified teachers, staff, and administration. C. Proceeds from taxes, levies, or bonds will be spent only for designated purposes. The District will prepare an annual report showing where all earmarked monies have been spent. D. The City recognizes that local schools are a valuable asset to the entire community. V. Excellence in Education: The District will offer a curriculum that will create well- rounded, life-long learners. A. The District will establish a task force of parents, educators, and interested residents, to update the district’s mission statement and to develop a time-line with measurable goals and objectives. Goals and objectives will be revisited annually and used to guide budgetary and curriculum decisions. B. The District will require teachers to address the specific needs of individual students through differentiated instruction and other techniques. • Initiate research and implementation of programs that are deemed important to the community including but not limited to: pre-school developmental kindergarten, Gifted and Talented Education (“GATE”), and foreign language programs. • Continue to include “direct learning experiences” which include hands- on experiments and other real and simulated activities. C. The District will create a policy that requires teachers to identify students who are not performing to standard BEFORE they fall substantially behind. In connection with this policy, develop an outreach program to create a partnership between teachers, the administration, and the parents to address a student’s needs BEFORE a costly Individual Education Program (IEP) is necessary. VI. Performance Metrics: The District will go beyond mandated methods to evaluate how our students perform both during and after they leave the District. • Institute a program to track students’ achievement while in the District, in High School and beyond. VII. Revenue Development: The District will seek to develop new and stable revenue sources to complement existing revenues received from the State and Federal Government, Hermosa Beach Education Foundation, the Annual Appeal and the Parent/Teachers Organization. • Beginning with the 2009 – 2010 school year, the District will seek to obtain grants wherever they are available. • The District will develop its brand to assist in raising private funds. VIII. Efficiency: The District will use all of its resources efficiently, including facilities, human, financial, and operational. Additionally, the District will implement policies to reduce, reuse and conserve. • Prepare an energy cost reduction plan by 12/31/09. • Initiate a feasibility study on upgrading North School to meet current State building standards by 6/20/10. • The District will endeavor to utilize third party performance metrics to assess overall resource / energy efficiency and sustainability.