Everett public schools review : executive order 393 : Education Management Accountability Board report

84 Pages·1999·3.7 MB·English

by  Massachusetts. Education Management Accountability Board

MassachusettsDepartmentofRevenue DivisionofLocalServices
FrederickA.Laskey,Commissioner JosephJ.Chessey,Jr.,DeputyCommissioner
Everett Public Schools Review
Executive Order 393
Education IVIanagement Accountability Board Report
September 1999

EDUCATION MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTABILITY BOARD
Michael Sentance, Chairperson
Robert Addelson
Peter Nessen
Mark Roosevelt
Hugh Scott
Carmel Shields
Alison Taunton-Rigby
Samuel Tyler
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Administration & Finance
Andrew Natsios, Secretary
Kristen Keel, Undersecretary
Jill Reynolds, Special Assistant
Massachusetts Department of Revenue
FrederickA. Laskey, Commissioner
Joseph J. Chessey, Jr., DeputyCommissioner
Gerard D. Perry, Associate DeputyCommissioner
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This reportwas prepared bythestaffofthe Education Audit Bureau, Departmentof
Revenue, Division of Local Servicesandthe staffofthe Departmentof Education.
Education Audit Bureau
Dieter H. Wahl, Director
ProjectTeam
ChesleyR. Taylor, Jr.
Auditor- In -Charge
BryantAyles
Auditor
AmyJanuskiewicz
Auditor
Anthony Rassias
Auditor
Departmentof Education
Julianne Dow, Director
AccountabilityandTargetedAssistance
ProjectTeam
Priscilla McPhee
Supervisor Program QualityAssurance
Megan Farnsworth
AccountabilityandTargetedAssistance
Lynda Foisy
AccountabilityandTargetedAssistance
f^anthala George, Jr.
Consultant
Administrativesupportwasprovided by
Dawn Mackiewiczand Richard Sirignano
TheDivisionofLocalServices wouldliketoacknowledgetheprofessionalcooperation
extendedtotheauditteambytheDepartmentofEducation, EverettPublicSchools
SuperintendentMr. FrederickForesteireandtheschooldepartmentstaff.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
I. 1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2
II.
GENERAL CONDITIONS AND FINDINGS 6
III.
1. EverettOverview 6
2. SchoolFinances 11
3. School CommitteeBudgetTrend 72
4. TotalSchoolDistrictExpenditures 14
5. NetSchoolSpendingRequirements 15
6. School CommitteeProgramBudget 17
7. FoundationBudget 21
8. Staffing-Full TimeEquivalent(FTE) Trends 22
9. Payroll- SalaryLevels, UnionContracts 25
10. CoursesANDClassSizes 29
11. Technology 30
12. Suppliesand Textbooks 31
13. TestScores 32
14. Management 37
15. AccountingandReporting 39
16. ReviewofExpenditures 39
17. HighSchoolAccreditation 39
18. Grade3 Transiency 40
19. SpecialEducationand TransitionalBilingualEducation 41
20. DropoutAND Truancy 43
21. MaintenanceandCapitalImprovement 44
22. SchoolImprovementPlanning 45
23. StudentLearning Time 46
24. PersonnelEvaluations 47
25. ProfessionalDevelopment 50
26. CurriculumAlignment 52
27. AssessmentofStudentProgress 52
IV. EMPLOYEE SURVEY 54
V. SUPERINTENDENT'S STATEMENT- EDUCATION REFORM 55
VI. APPENDIX 56
Digitized by the Internet Archive
2014
in
https://archive.org/details/everettpublicschOOmass
September 1999 Everett Public Schools Review
Introduction
1.
The Massachusetts Education Reform Act (MERA) of 1993 has three majorgoals: to
increase student achievement; to achieve adequate funding forall local and regional
school districts overa seven-yearperiod; and to bring equityto local taxation efforts
based on a community's abilityto pay. In February 1997, the Governor issued
Executive Order393 to evaluatethe education reform program thatwas nearing the
end ofits fourth year. In FY98, Massachusetts General Laws (M.G.L.) Ch. 70 state
aid foreducation reached $2.3 billion. With an investmentofthis magnitude in the
Commonwealth's schools, it is critical to "review, investigate and reporton the
expenditures offunds by school districts, including regional school districts, consistent
with the goals ofimproving studentachievement." To thatend. Executive Order 393
established the Education ManagementAccountability Board (EMAB).
The Secretary ofAdministration and Finance, serving as chiefofstafftothe EMAB,
selected a team ofauditorsfrom the Department ofRevenue's (DOR) Division of
Local Services (DLS) to conductthe school district reviews. DOR's Directorof
Accounts isthe chiefinvestigatorwith authorityto examine municipal and school
department accounts and transactions pursuantto M.G.L. Ch. 44, §§45 and 46A.
The reviews are conducted in consultation with the StateAuditorand the
Commissionerof Education.
Thiswasthefirstauditperformedjointlywith staffofthe DepartmentofEducation
(DOE). DOE staffused its own audit protocol to review and prepare sections 22
through 27: school improvement planning, student learning time, personnel
evaluations, professional development, curriculum alignment, and assessment of
student progress.
The Everett Public Schools (EPS) isthethirteenth school district reviewed under
Executive Order 393. The audit began May 1999 and fieldworkwas completed in
July 1999. As partofthis review, the auditteam conducted a confidential survey of
employees ofthe school district and included the results in this report. School officials
cooperated fullywith the auditteam.
The Executive Summary includes some ofthe more significant observations and
findings ofthe review ofEPS' operations. When possible, the auditteam has
identified and presented best practices, which may be adapted by otherschool
districts. The report includes all results, best practices and deficiencies, ifany, in
greaterdetail in the "General Conditions and Findings" section.
Executive Order393 - Education ManagementAccountability Board
1
September 1999 Everett Public Schools Review
11. Executive Summary
SUMMARY
EPS has made progress in achieving some keyeducation reform goals. An emphasis
on central planning and goal setting, preparation ofstudents to learn howto address
open ended testquestions along with emphasis on maintaining cleanfacilities has
helped in creating a positive learning environment. MEAP scores improved
substantially and teachers appearto have a very positive outlook on education.
Beforethe education reform lawwas passed in 1993, the school districtwas
successful in negotiationswith theteachers' union regarding a requirementof25
hours a yearofprofessional development. Itwas also agreed to lengthen the school
day and to add one daytothe school yearforsix subsequentyears. Todaythe
academicyearis 186 days and theteachers' workyearis 189 days.
EPS has a studentpopulation ofabout 5,400, a budgetof$26.8 million as ofFY98
and has experienced a significant increase in studentenrollment. Actual netschool
spending has been greaterthan the requirementin all but onefiscal yearsince FY94
and has been lessthan thefoundation budget. Spending was lessthan the
foundation target infourkey areasfrom FY94 to FY98. EPS has a $118 million
building proposal forfour new pre-Kthrough grade 8 facilities and a new
comprehensive high school. The proposalwas approved by DOE and has been
endorsed bythe local citygovernmentand school committee.
However, less progress has been made in three areas. School improvement plansfor
the 1997/98 schoolyearwerefound tovary in written formatand required information.
Although all teacherevaluation reports are reviewed bycentral administration to ensure
consistencyand district priority, there is no evidence offormalwritten evaluationsfor
seniormanagement. The 1998 professional development plan does notcontain an
assessmentofgoals achieved sincethe 1995 plan.
THE FOUNDATION BUDGET
• EPS has exceeded the netschool spending requirements as determined by DOE
from FY94 to FY96 and for FY98. In FY98, the district's local and state
percentages ofactual netschool spending were 67.8 percentand 32.2 percent
respectively. FY98 salaries accounted for75.4 percentofthe school operating
budget not including transportation. [See Section 5 and 6]
• FY98 SPEDtuition costs accounted for$3,016 million or40.7 percentofnon-
salaryexpense areas ofthefoundation budget. [SeeAppendix B1]
Executive Order393 - Education ManagementAccountability Board
2
September 1999 Everett Public Schools Review
• Thefoundation budgetdoes not mandate spending in any specific category. To
encourage appropriate levels ofspending, M.G.L. Ch.70 §9 requires thata school
district reporttothe CommissionerofEducation when it has failed to meet
foundation budgetspending levelsforprofessional development, books and
equipment, expanded program and extraordinary maintenance. EPS did not meet
these levels for FY94through FY98, and did notfile a reportas required by law
nordid DOE direct itto do so. In addition, the districtdid not meetthe perpupil
spending requirements forprofessional development in any yearsfrom FY95to
FY98. [See Section 7
]
STUDENTACHIEVEMENT
• EPS testscores show mixed results when compared to state averages. MCAS
scores showthat EPS scored slightly above the state average scaled scores for
grade4 and slightly beldw state average scaled scores forgrades 8 and 10 in all
areas. SATscores for 1997 are belowthe state average. MEAP, the state's
educational testing program from 1988 to 1996, showed that EPS scores
increased significantly in all foursubjectareasforgrade 4 between 1988 and
1996. [See Section 13, Appendices C and D]
• Resultsfrom the 1998 Iowa Tests ofEducational Development(Iowa Tests)
indicatethat 70 percent ofEPS grade 3 students demonstrated a high degree of
proficiency in fundamental skills ofreading. EPS grade 10 students scored atthe
54'^ percentile compared tothe national sample. [See Section 13]
GOVERNANCEAND MANAGEMENT POWERS
• Strong central administration management characterizesthe district's
management style. Central administration makes majorbudgetary decisionsfor
the district. The administration reviews all principal and teacherevaluations for
form and content. The Superintendent interviews selected teaching candidates
and those selected attend an introductory school committee meeting. The
administrative contracts arefouryears in length exceptforthe Superintendent's,
which is six. The administrative contracts do not includetermination language. In
the hiring processforteachersthe Superintendent makes hiring decisions based
on the recommendations ofthe principals ratherthan principals making the
decisions, which is not in accord with the education reform law. [See Section 14]
STUDENT/FTE TEACHER STAFFING
• Between FY93 and FY98, thetotal numberofFTEteachers increased by 86 or
34.8 percent, from 247 to 333. During this sametime, the all students/all FTE
teacher ratio decreased from 16.9:1 to 15.4:1. The FY98 ratio is higherthan the
FY98 state average of 14.2:1. The FY98 all student/all non-SPED FTE teacher
ratio of 17.5:1 is belowthe state average of 18.1:1. [See Section 8]
Executive Order393 - Education ManagementAccountability Board
3
September 1999 Everett PublicSchools Review
TEACHER COMPENSATION
• Between FY93 and FY98, expendituresforsalaries rose $8.1 million or69.3
percent. Totalteaching salaries rose $6.3 million or78.4 percent, reflecting
additional spending for newstaffaswell as pay raises in teachers' contracts.
Union contracted annual raises plus step increasesforteachers have increased by
53.3 percentfrom 1993to 1998. Since 1992/93 seven days have been added to
theteachercalendar. The district FY98 averageteachersalary as
reported to DOE of$41,442 was $2,609 or5.9 percentlowerthan the state
average of$44,051. [See Section 9]
STUDENT LEARNING TIME
• Student learning time in EPS substantiallyexceedsthe State's minimum
requirements at all grade levels. Each yearsince 1993thedistrict has added one
additional daytothe studentcalendar, making the 1998/99 school yearfor
students 186 days. The 1998/99workyearforteacherswas 189 days. [See
Section 23]
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
• The districtdeveloped a Professional Development Plan in Septemberof1995.
The planwas updated in 1998with the addition oftwo goals. The 1998 plan
eliminated the budget included in theearlierversion. Itdid not identifythose
responsibleforimplementing the various aspects ofthe plan, and failed to state
howthe plan wasto be monitored and itseffectiveness evaluated. [See
Section 25]
TECHNOLOGY
• Full implementation ofthedistricttechnology planwas projected to cost$9.1
million overafive-yearperiod. The plan is currently in its second yearand
$778,108 or8.6 percent has been expended. Thedistrict has 9.9 students per
computerofanytype, higherthan the state average of7.9. [See Section 11]
DISTRICT ISSUES
• In verifying the accuracyofthe enrollment numbers, the auditteam noted thatthe
method ofreporting these numberswas inconsistentfrom yeartoyear. Currently
EPS is aware ofthe correctmethod ofreporting enrollment, and has done it in
accordanceto DOE regulations since FY97. [See Section 1]
• The auditteam noted that in FY97 EPS underspent its required netschool
spending. DOE required EPSto spend the FY98 required netschool spending as
well asthe deficientamount in thefollowing year. [See Section 5]
Executive Order393 - Education ManagementAccountability Board
4