High school working toward improvements
Published on November 7th, 2007
STONEHAM, MA -School is in full swing as is the School Committee, which met on Thursday at the Colonial Park School.
Regarding the status of recommendations made to Stoneham High School though the reaccreditation process which took place last fall, SHS principal Ed Russo reported that progress has been and continues to be made in the two main areas highlighted by the accreditation team, curriculum and community resources for learning.
With regard to curriculum, curriculum guidelines for each course must be developed. This project could take 3-4 years, Russo said, but it has begun and will continue. The School Committee approved a schedule change for Wednesday, November 14, calling for a 1:00 student dismissal time in order to give teachers additional time to work on this project.
The need for updated curriculum guidelines is great not only to comply with NEASC regulations, but also to provide Stoneham High School's many new teachers with course guidance.
The accreditation process also cited insufficient provisions for instructional material, low technology equipment and staff levels, lack of computers to run sophisticated software programs, and lack of feeder programs at the Middle School (computers, technology education, family and consumer science, and health, for example).
A Town Meeting appropriation of $100,000 has gone a long way to enhance the high school's technology needs.
With regard to community resources for learning, the committee cited temperature variations in the high school building, lack of sufficient storage, broken auditorium seats, duct tape repairs, missing ceiling tiles, general disrepair of equipment, and reliance of fundraising to cover costs traditionally covered through public funding.
In other news, Superintendent Dr. Les Olson said that his office has been hearing interest on the part of parents and elementary staff about looking into the Kindergarten schedule.
Currently, Stoneham's public Kindergarten program runs two full and one half days each week. This was changed several years ago from a five half days per week program, according to Olson, as a prelude to what many hoped would be an all day public Kindergarten, "which does not look like it will take place anytime soon." The only full day Kindergarten program that the town runs is a fee program funded by parents.
Olson said that elementary parents would be surveyed, as well as those in the community with upcoming Kindergarten age children, to get a sense of what parents are looking for in a Kindergarten schedule. School Committee Chair Maureen Solely also suggested surveying the two large, private preschools in town to see what parents there are hoping to find. Once the surveys are completed, Olson said he will bring the issue back to the School Committee for discussion.
Finally, there was nothing to report on adult education evening school at Stoneham High School because it is not taking place. Olson said that despite advertising fall adult Ed evening courses, none has taken place either due to instructor illness of lack of interest.
"It's just very difficult for a school district to keep those programs going," predominantly due to the availability of alternatives such as Internet courses, online college offerings and adult ed programs offered by surrounding vocational schools.
The Stoneham school system will try again in January with advertising for winter courses.
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