USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Tewksbury > Town of Tewksbury annual report 1963-1967 > Part 50
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REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
It is my privilege to submit to you my second annual report as Superintendent of the Tewksbury Public Schools. This past year has presented many new and challenging experiences for those concerned with formulating and administering policy within the school system. The problem areas have been diversified extending from The State Board of Education mandating a compulsory length of a school day (51/2 hours per day of instruction for elementary grades and 6 hours per day of instruction for secondary grades) to the new Collective Bargaining Law (Chapter 763 of the Acts of 1965) which gives school teachers and other school employees the right to organize and elect a sole and exclusive bargaining agent for purposes of negotiating a contract with the School Committee on wages, hours, and conditions of employment. Increased school enrollments and concurrent rising costs of operating a quality system of education have required long and deliberate study by the School Committee.
When we transfer educational policy into an educational program we cannot emphasize too strongly the important role that schools play in the daily lives of our children. Schools teach our youth to think, to communi- cate, to make intelligent decisions, and they instill in them a sense of duty and responsibility consequently making them better individuals and citizens. To this end, Marion B. Folsom, former U. S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare once wrote:
"Education is both a personal interest and a national asset.
For education enlarges life - not only for each of us a person, but for all of us as a nation."
Let us not lose sight that the schools of Tewksbury are the peoples' schools - run by a School Committee elected by th epeople, in the best interest of not only the children of Tewksbury but for the fulfillment of our great national commitment of - Equal Educational Opportunities for All.
It is my intention in this report to bring to your attention some of the issues and problems which help shape educational policy in the Tewks- bury Public Schools. As I contemplate the contents of this report I am overwhelmed with the scope and breadth of the topics that could be included. Therefore, I have chosen to limit my report to four areas which I feel merit your attention.
The areas I have selected, not necessarily in order of priority, are: Enrollment and School Housing, Budget and Financial Affairs, Personnel, and Instructional Program.
Enrollment and School Housing
The official school enrollment increased 326 students this year over last. On October 1st, 1966, our total school enrollment was 5,151 students. Of this number 3,025 students are enrolled in grades 1 through 6. The JuniorJunior High School enrolls 1,263 in grades 7, 8 and 9, and at the Memorial High School we have 863 students. It is interesting to note that
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over the past four years the enrollment in the Tewksbury Public Schools has increased 1,232 students which is a net annual increase of 333 students. If our projected enrollment figure holds true for September 1967 the total school enrollment will be 5,497 students which is an increase of 346 students over this year's enrollment. Of this number, 3,235 students are slated for grades 1 through 6. In a rently completed report "School Building Needs - Tewksbury, Massachusetts" prepared by Dr. John E. Marshall, Educational Consultant who was hired by the Tewksbury School Planning Committee, Dr. Marshall states that the emergency capacity for our present elementary schools is 2700 students. This figure includes the use of the physical education playroom at the Shawsheen School for two temporary classrooms, the playroom at the Heath Brook School for two temporary classrooms and two basement rooms in the Old Shawsheen School. For this year the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety has issued emergency, temporary occupancy certificates for these six rooms.
In order to accommodate the excess of 325 students beyond the emer- gency capacity of our present elementary school buildings it has been neces- sary to place 3 sixth grades (105 students) in the Junior High School. This brings the total number of students housed in the Junior High School to 1,368 or 118 students more than the school was originally designed to house for maximum capacity.
Using all of our elementary schools (Heath Brook, Old and New Shawsheen, Foster, Center, Ella Flemings and North Street) to emergency capacity, there was still the problem of where to place the slightly more than 200 students for which we did not have room in any of our school ) i:dings. Through the cooperation and dedication to civic responsibility f the members of the Tewksbury Congregational Church it was possible the Tewksbury School Committee to negotiate through the Board of T. .. stees for the Church the use of eight classrooms in the Educational Wing of the Church. Presently we are housing 205 third grade students in this facility. All of us concerned with educating the children of Tewks- bury owe our appreciation and a debt of gratitude to the members of the Congregational Church for allowing the Public School children the use of th se facilities. It has been a mutually pleasant association, without which we would not have been able to continue on a single session program 1. .. elementary grades this school year.
Our growing pains are becoming more acute and less controllable in terms of "how to house all of our school population". Again this fall we ll need room for almost 350 more students than we had last September. Once more civic pride and responsibility on the part of another Church in the town will solve the problem of an emergency temporary basis. The congregation of the First Baptist Church in North Tewksbury have approved for the use of the public schools next September their Fellowship Hall in which we can accommodate about 225 elementary school students.
The Junior High School enrollment next September will be slightly in addition to 1300 students for grades 7, 8 and 9. Therefore, we still must find space for 105 sixth grade students (3 classes) in some other buildings. We cannot go on much longer using temporary facilities and expect to
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offer our youngsters a quality educational program. If we do not get more classrooms in the immediate future it seems Tewksbury once more will be faced with the problems of "half-sessions." It is most imperative that the Town approve the construction of a proposed new 24-room elementary school in North Tewksbury at the earliest possible date. This proposed school is designed to house 720 elementary school students.
I would like to call to your attention that we will be housing more than 425 students in church-owned facilities next Fall. It is also interest- ing to note that at the present time we are housing 417 first and second grade students in the 14-room North Street School. The proposed new school in North Tewksbury will not give us any breathing space, it will merely house our present elementary students and provide for the antici- pated increased elementary school enrollment. This new school should eliminate the need to use our present emergency temporary rooms.
There is still even a more acute problem facing us in school housing. The present Junior and Senior High School buildings will be taxed to capacity next year. The combined capacity for the Junior and Senior High Schools is 2,250 students. By 1968, our projections indicate that we will have approximately 2,500 students in these six grades. By 1969 this enrollment increases to 2,725 students and in 1970 we expect to have approximately 2,925 students in grades 7-12. In this same year we project our elementary school enrollment to be 3,425 students for a total school enrollment by 1970 of 6,350 students. This student population is 1,200 more students than we have this year in our public school system. Eight years from now, in 1975, our projected enrollments show 3,750 students in grades 7-12 where we presently have 2,130 students enrolled. We must therefore plan for 1,620 more students in grades 7-12 than we have presently en- rolled. If the State should require that we institute Kindergartens at the same time, it would mean approximately an additional 600 students for Kindergarten Classes or twelve more classrooms.
Budget and Financial Affairs
The Tewksbury School Department Budget is the document which controls the expenditures of the calendar-fiscal year. In terms of the edu- cational philosophy for the school system and the individual educational social needs of the child, the School Committee was compelled to make certain decisions in establishing the requested budget appropriation for 1967. The Committee carefully deliberated the educational needs of Tewks- bury, establishing priorities for improving the educational program and maintaining the school property. These needs were carefully weighed and adopted as a budgetary item only after much research and discussion. The School Committee was constantly aware of the financial ability of the Town to pay for the type of quality educational program they felt the citizens of Tewksbury wanted and the children of the community deserve and at the same time practiced prudent fiscal responsibility. The total school budget for 1967 as voted by the School Committee is $2,557,086. Following is a breakdown of this budget compared with the 1966 school budget.
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TEWKSBURY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Tewksbury, Massachusetts
1966 Budget
$1,726,672 Salaries
$1,936,939
Instructional and Administration
$1,613,324
Clerical
60,020
Health
21,318
Custodial
160,504
Attendance
700
Other Salary Items
81,073
Operating
620,147
5,065 125,000
Administration (Series 1000)
$ 6,190
Instruction (Series 2000)
136,148
( 5,367) Supervision (19,726)
( 5,215) Principals
( 5,180)
(52,693) Supplies
(53,895)
(42,170) Textbooks
(40,254)
(10,034) Library ( 6,580)
( 3,376) Audio-visual ( 4,988)
( 4,938) Guidance ( 5,525)
( 1,207) Educational TV .. ( -)
163,260
Other School Services (Series 3000)
$ 209,633
Health (1,428)
Transportation (179,734)
Student Body Activities (28,471) ..
132,940
Operation and Maintenance (Series 4000)
$ 180,886
30,086
Community Services (Series 6000)
59,287
18,400
Acquisition of Fixed Assets (Series 7000) 7,708
17,200
Programs with Other Districts
(Series 9000)
18,460
1,238
Out of State Travel
1,835
$2,218,623
37,400
May Special Town Meeting
$2,256,023
$2,256,023
TOTAL BUDGET
$2,557,086
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Anticipated Revenues to be Applied
Public Law 864
$ 8,945
123,790
Public Law 874
80,000
3,000
Athletic Revolving Fund
George Barden Fund
1,400
126,790
TOTAL ANTICIPATED FUNDS .. $90,345
TO BE APPROPRIATED FROM LOCAL TAXATION
$2,466,741
It will be noted that the 1967 budget increased $301,063 over the 1966 school budget, and the requested appropriation for the Town is an increase of $337,508. The increase in the appropriation figure is explained by the fact that we will be receiving approximately $36,445 less in anticipated revenue from the Federal Government in Public Law 874 Funds than we had on hand last year. The School Department budget increased 13.3% over 1966. The following chart illustrates the major areas responsible for the $301,063 increase in the school budget.
Item
1966 Budget
Salaries $1,726,672.
1967 Budget $1,936,939.
Increase $210,267.
(1966 Salary Increases added to 1967 Budget .. $62,000)
(1966 New Staff added to 1967 Budget 66,000)
(1967 Salary Increases 43,787)
(1967 New Staff
37,100)
(Additional Substitute Pay
1,380)
Operating $ 529,351. $ 620,147. $ 90,796.
(Added Classroom Rentals
21,250)
(School Transportation increased $64,689)
(Increased Instructional and Maintenance 4,857)
It should be noted that the four major areas responsible for the increase in the school budget are: Additional Teaching Staff, Salary Increases, Classroom Rentals, and School Transportation. Teacher salary increases for the calendar year 1967 amounted to $105,787 and new teachers added within the same period of time accounts for about $103,100, making a total of $208,887 for new staff and salary increases. (Calendar year 1967 includes January through June for one school year and September through December for another school year. Two thirds more of the cost for new teachers and teacher salary increases for September 1966 are reflected in the 1967 budget.)
The operating budget increased $90,796 with the following breakdown: renting additional classrooms $21,250; increase for all types of school transportation $64,689, and approximately $4,857 for increased instructional and operational costs. Based on the projected enrollment of 5500 students in September 1967, the School Department will spend about $9.78 per pupil for instructional supplies and $7.32 per pupil for textbooks.
Salaries
In the school budget the salary accounts amounts to $1,936,939 which accounts for 75.7% of the entire budget. All other operating costs represent
177
$2,129,233
only about 24.3% of the total budget. Teachers' salaries naturally head the list for the largest proportion of the budget. During the past few years, the Tewksbury School Committee has tried to keep our teachers' salary schedule competitive with the better school systems in the Merrimack Valley Area as well as in the North Metropolitan Boston Area. Last year the Bachelor's minimum salary was increased to $5,200. In a comprehensive study conducted by the School Committee this year, it was revealed that the average beginning salary for a teacher with a Bachelor's Degree next September will be $5,500 and in many cases higher. In order to attract the best possible teaching personnel to Tewksbury and at the same time keep our veteran experienced teachers, the School Committee spent many hours studying the salary problem and developing a fair and equitable salary schedule. A new salary schedule (effective September 1967) was successfully negotiated with the Tewksbury Teachers' Association.
The School Committee deserves much commendation and credit for the professional manner in which they handled Collective Bargaining with the professional and non-professional staff. This was a new experience for them this year since the law providing for collective bargaining for all school employees has been in effect for only one year. Many com- munities have experienced an impasse resulting in many long and bitter meetings over contracts and Collective Bargaining practices for salaries and conditions of employment.
The School Committee in Tewksbury studied the problem of teacher salaries in totality and offered to the Tewksbury Teachers' Association a salary schedule which would ensure Tewksbury teachers a salary com- parable to surrounding communities. The Committee followed the same course of action for all other school employees and successfully negotiated agreements with the principals, school department clerical and custodial staffs, and lunchroom workers. The School Committee was ever cognizant of the increased cost to the taxpayer and the effect on the tax rate and therefore based all action for a fair evaluation of the demands of the employees and the financial structure of the community. The over-all effect of the new teachers salary schedule increased the minimum salary by $300.00 and the maximum salary after eleven successful years of teach- ing by $700.00. The citizens of Tewksbury can take pride in the teacher salary schedule as it now exists and is included in this report for your study.
The teaching staff is developing strength in terms of the number of years of experience. For the 1966-67 school year, there are 225 members of the teaching staff and over 50% of these have had four years of experience or more. The salary range for this group is from $6,000 to $8,200. Of this number 58 teachers have taught over ten years which is 26% of our staff. We hopefully look to the day when we no longer will be training teachers - only to have them move on to more lucrative paying positions. The improved salary schedule is one way of making this day come a little sooner.
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Following are the new salary schedules for the teachers, principals, clerks, custodians, nurses and cafeteria workers.
I. Teachers
Step
Bachelors
Masters
Masters + 30
Doctors
Increment
1
5500
5800
6100
6400
2
5700
6000
6300
6600
200
3
5900
6200
6500
6800
200
4
6300
6600
6900
7200
400
5
6550
6850
7150
7450
250
6
6800
7100
7400
7700
250
7
7050
7350
7650
7950
250
8
7300
7600
7900
8200
250
9
7550
7850
8150
8450
250
10
7800
8100
8400
8700
250
11
8050
8350
8650
8950
250
12
8300
8600
8900
9200
250
II. Principals
Minimum
Maximum
Normal Increment
Elementary
$ 9,780
$11,180
$350
Junior High
$10,440
$12,040
$400
Senior High
$11,300
$12,900
$400
Assistant Principal
$ 9,120
$10,320
$300
III. School Clerks
Job Classification
Steps
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
40 hrs./52 wks. 3750
3950
4150
4350
4550
4750
5000
(1967)
(1968)
(1969)
35 hrs./45 wks. 2850
3000
3150
3300
3450
3600
3750
(1967)
(1968)
(1969)
30 hrs./45 wks. 2400
2550
2700
2850
3000 (1967)
3150
(1968)
3300 (1969)
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IV. Custodians
A. Junior Custodians
Steps
I 4700
II
III 5100
IV 5300
V
VI 5700
5900
(1967)
(1968)
B. Senior Custodians
5400
5600
5800
6000
6200
6400
6600
(1967)
(1968)
C. Maintenance Men $300 Differential
V. Nurses
Steps
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
4800
5000
5200
5400
5600
5800
6000
VI. Cafeteria Personnel
A. Cafeteria Workers
Steps
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
1500
1550
1600
1650
1700
1750
1800
B. Cafeteria Manager-Cooks
Steps
I
II
III
IV
V
2175
2235
2295
2355
2415
VII
4900
5500
The following table of figures compares selective statistics pertaining to operating the Tewksbury Public Schools for the past five years to the proposed school budget for 1967. Your attention is directed to the per pupil cost. It should be noted that in 1966 the over-all per pupil cost in Tewks- bury was $437.97. This cost is based on the total operating budget and does not include the cost for retirement of bonds for school construction, or interest fees for same. Like figures for some communities in our area are Wakefield $451.00, Methuen $454.00, Andover $512.00, Reading $483.00, Chelmsford $428.00, Burlington $477.00, Stoneham $483.00, Dracut $413.00, Bedford $654.00, North Reading $495.00, Lynnfield $641.00 and North Andover $494.00.
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Tewksbury Public Schools . Tewksbury, Massachusetts COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ANNUAL APPROPRIATIONS AND STATISTICAL DATA
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
Enrollment
3,919
4,236
4,478
4,825
5,151
5,500 (projected)
No. of Teachers
154
176
186
208
223
240
Salary Schedule
Min.
4,200
4,500
4,700
5,000
5,200
5,500
(Bachelor's Degree) ?
Max.
6,300
7,050
7,250
7,400
7,600
8,300
Total Salary Budget
997,043
1,114,547
1,613.726
1,511,750
1,726,672
1,936,939
Total Budget*
1,301,588
1,420,167
1,651,126
1,924,074
2,256,023 **
2,557,086
2,129,233 *** (Net)
2,466,741 *** (Net)
Total Budget Increase
59,569
118,578
230,951
272,948
331,949 205,159 (Net gain)
301,063 337,508 ****
% of Increase
4.8%
9.11%
16.3%
16.5%
17.2% ** 10.6% (Net)
13.3%
15.8% ****
Per Pupil Cost
332.13
335.27
368.71
398.78
437.97
464.92
Increase per pupil cost
$1.55
$3.14
$33.44
$30.07
$39.19
$26.95
* Includes: Stadium, Vocational Education, Adult Education.
** Includes $2,218,623 Regular Budget and $37,400 voted at Special Town Meeting in Hay.
*** Anticipated Federal Funds under control of the School Committee of $126,790 applied to make net appropriation. For 1967 - $90,345 of anticipated Federal Funds applied.
**** Increase in appropriation request.
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Personnel
In the Tewksbury Public Schools there are 328 full time employees and 6 part time people for a total staff of 334. The staff breakdown follows:
I. Instructional Employees
Teachers
Elementary
102
Secondary 106
Specialists and Supervisors
Guidance
7
Reading Specialists
5
Music, Art and Physical Education Specialists 8
Speech Therapist
1
Administrative
Principals 6
Assistant Principals
2
Superintendent
1
Assistant Superintendent
1
Total
239
II. Non-Instructional Employees
Clerical and Administrative
School Clerks
12
Central Office Staff
4
Custodians, Matrons
Custodians 23
Maintenance
3
Supervisor
1
Matrons
2
Health
Nurses
3
Visual and Hearing Tester
1
Cafeteria
46
Total 95
One of our major problems is recruiting staff at all levels-particu- larly teachers. In some subject areas such as Mathematics, Science, Indus- trial Arts and Foreign Languages, it is most difficult to obtain fully qualified and experienced teachers. We have been most fortunate in Tewksbury to fill all of these positions with excellent teachers. Our recruitment program begins early in February when the school principals with the assistant superintendent visit the placement offices of about a dozen colleges to inter- view prospective teacher candidates. From these visits selected candidates are invited to visit Tewksbury during which time they are further screened. From these colleges and other sources we have been able to maintain a full staff of qualified teachers in all grade and subject areas.
From January 1, 1966 through August, 35 teachers resigned. This is a very low figure for teacher turnover-in fact it was 16.3% of our teaching staff last year. A major factor contributing to this very low turnover was
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the new salary schedule effective in September of 1966. It is our hope this low teacher turnover will continue particularly in view of the fact that the salary schedule has been revised upward for next September.
The problem of teacher mobility is a factor facing all communities, it is not peculiar to Tewksbury. As stated previously, the rate of turnover in Tewksbury is substantially less than in many neighboring communities. The following analysis of the 1966 resignations will serve to acquaint people with the reasons teachers leave Tewksbury.
Number
Percent
Retirement
1
2.8
Leave of Absence
2
5.7
Further Study
1
2.8
Family Relocating
4
11.4
Marriage (Relocation)
3
8.6
Teach in Another System
10
28.2
Maternity
9
25.4
Not Rehired
2
5.6
Other Personal Reasons
3
8.6
35
This year we added 18 new professional employees. These additions were made in the interest of improving our school program or for increased enrollment. The following breakdown illustrates the areas for which the new staff was hired.
Teachers:
Elementary
9
Senior High
2
Junior High
3
Specialists in Art, Music and Physical Education
3
Elementary School Adjustment
Counselor
1
TOTAL
18
Instructional Program
A continuing program of curriculum study and up-dating has been the basis for teacher workshops this year. At both the elementary and sec- ondary levels all teachers have contributed to an evaluation of our instruc- tional program with specific recommendations for improvement. Since October the teachers have met twice a month in workshop sessions of 21/2 hours to carry out the study. In addition to these meetings there have been several department and grade level meetings to supplement the work on curriculum planning.
During these workshops teachers have learned of and evaluated new teaching materials and methods. They have prepared study guides and will ultimately compile curriculum guides for all grade levels and subject areas in the school system.
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Of current interest to the citizens of the community is the revised "Program of Studies" for grades 9-12. The selection of subjects and student placement in classes has been revised and made less restrictive so as to provide for more opportunity for students to follow a school program adapted to the needs, interests and abilities of the individual student. To this end the adopted policy of grouping students at the Junior and Senior High Schools follows:
It is the policy of the Tewksbury Secondary Schools to group students according to ability in English, Foreign Languages, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. Students of unusual ability or achievement may be selected for accelerated courses. When students are in need of improve- ment in skills, it is the school policy to place them in a group where the maximum attention may be given to the strengthening of these skills. In every case, a student's program is planned according to his ability and past achievement so that he is placed in the group where he will meet with the greatest probable success.
Last spring many of our Elementary and Junior High School teachers took advantage of an In-service Workshop on "Dynamics of Children's Classroom Behavior." This workshop lasted for 15 two-hour sessions dur- which time teachers learned of ways to identify children with behavior problems and were given hints on how to cope with many of these prob- lems. The course was conducted by Mrs. Freyda Siegel, an elementary school adjustment counselor in the Lexington Public Schools and a well- known authority on the behavior problems of school children.
Last summer the Tewksbury School Department conducted two pro- grams sponsored by the Federal Government for the culturally and edu- cationally deprived child. The first of these programs was for school age children under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.
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