September 10, 1997
At the September 9, 1997, regular meeting of the Board of Education, the Superintendent reported the following:
• The Shaker Heights schools’ 85th academic year opened smoothly on Wednesday, August 27, thanks to the collective efforts of teachers, school secretaries, custodians, bus drivers, maintenance and food service staff, administrators and parents. To welcome new students and their families, each school conducted orientation activities, and several PTOs held opening-day coffees for parents. As in past years, kindergartners eased into school with initial small-group orientations and half-day classes before starting all-day classes on September 2. Staffing, scheduling, and transportation adjustments continue to be made as enrollment stabilizes.
• Student enrollment thus far is slightly below last year’s level, after several years of steady growth. This year’s entering kindergarten class numbered 402 as of September 8 – about 40 fewer students than last year. The following chart shows enrollment at each of the district’s eight buildings at a corresponding point in each of the last five school years.
School / 9/92 / 9/93 / 9/94 / 9/95 / 9/96 / 9/97Boulevard / 383 / 395 / 450 / 428 / 435 / 439
Fernway / 273 / 278 / 288 / 302 / 310 / 322
Lomond / 512 / 525 / 515 / 548 / 546 / 503
Mercer / 459 / 466 / 474 / 481 / 488 / 471
Onaway / 339 / 368 / 390 / 451 / 467 / 459
Woodbury / 728 / 758 / 817 / 840 / 803 / 854
Middle School / 874 / 810 / 815 / 829 / 862 / 847
High School / 1,396 / 1,493 / 1,601 / 1,597 / 1,713 / 1,669
Total / 4,964 / 5,093 / 5,350 / 5,476 / 5,624 / 5,564
Note: The official enrollment count, used for such purposes as the Annual Report and the calculation of state aid, is taken in October in accordance with state law. The official enrollment will differ somewhat from the figures reported above.
• Thirty-five new teachers have joined the faculty this fall, most of them replacing retirees. Many already know Shaker well, having served as substitutes, student teachers, coaches, or tutors in the district. Four are Shaker alumni. The new staff members further enrich the diversity of the staff. Five are African American, three are Hispanic, and three are men teaching at the elementary level. As part of the entry-year program collaboratively operated by the district and the Shaker Heights Teachers’ Association, each new teacher has been paired with an experienced teacher who will serve as a mentor. Also new to the staff this year are 10 kindergarten assistants. As part of a new kindergarten intervention program, each assistant will support two classroom teachers and work with children who are behind their peers in learning readiness to help them succeed academically. The district is continuing its staff assistant program, which provides additional leadership and support at the building level and serves as a learning experience for potential administrators. This year, staff assistants have been assigned to Boulevard, Onaway, Mercer, and Woodbury. Two former staff assistants were recently appointed to administrative positions.
• Barbara Whitaker was welcomed as the new principal of Onaway Elementary School. Ms. Whitaker joined the Shaker faculty as a school psychologist in 1979 after 11 years as an elementary teacher in the Cleveland Public Schools. In 1990, she was appointed staff assistant at Mercer Elementary School, a position she held concurrently with her duties as a school psychologist. She holds a B.A. in education from Kent State University and an M.A. in school psychology from John Carroll University. In addition, she has completed more than 45 hours of coursework beyond the master’s degree while earning a principal’s certificate. At Onaway, Ms. Whitaker replaces Rosemary Weltman, who was recently appointed Assistant to the Superintendent to replace the retired Dorothy Bruggeman. In other administrative personnel moves, John Addison is now assistant principal at Shaker Heights High School, with responsibility for the Class of 2001. He replaces Desadre D. Lawson Bullock, who retired at the end of the 1996-97 school year. Mr. Addison was succeeded as assistant principal of Woodbury Elementary School by Ouimet Smith, formerly an English teacher at Shaker Middle School. J. Lindsay Florence, formerly staff assistant, has been appointed assistant principal at Shaker Middle School.
• Making use of some of the proceeds from the 1996 bond issue, the school district undertook several capital projects over the summer. Among the most visible were exterior painting at Onaway Elementary and the refurbishment and waterproofing of the stadium at the High School. Other projects completed include electrical upgrades; classroom renovations at Onaway, Woodbury, and the Middle School; replacement of nonfunctioning doors; and renovation of selected restrooms for handicapped access.
• The summer months saw significant progress toward the creation of a districtwide computer network. All school libraries and nearly all K4 classrooms have now been wired. Wiring work continues at Woodbury, the Middle School and the High School. Computer labs at the Middle School and High School have been upgraded. More than 80 staff members took advantage of week-long computer classes over the summer. Instruction was provided in the use of the Internet, Windows 95, and the Microsoft Office suite, which will be standard on the new computers. Some elementary staff members also received building-level orientation to the new technology. Many staff members are enrolled in fall technology classes at various locations in the district. The library automation project has moved forward with bar coding of collections and refinement of the electronic database.
• Each summer, many teachers devote their time to curriculum development and instructional planning. This year, summer writing and instructional planning projects were conducted in the following academic areas: mathematics, science, social studies, English/language arts, special education, health, physical education, theatre, interdisciplinary studies/team teaching, and professional development.
• The school district hosted several summer programs aimed at improving student achievement. These included:
› KinderPlus, a seven-week, half-day instructional program serving 23 students who completed kindergarten but whose teachers and parents believed they would benefit from extra instructional time in preparation for first grade. In addition to regular classroom lessons and individual help, the program included field trips and a strong parental involvement component. The students will be monitored closely in first grade and given support services as necessary.
› Challenges, a three-week mathematics enrichment program at Woodbury aimed at increasing the number of students – in particular, African-American students – who can participate successfully in advanced math opportunities. Participants were 23 incoming fifth graders whose fourth-grade teachers or principals identified them as having high ability in math. Twenty-one of the 23 students are African American. The Challenges program will continue throughout the school year with weekly after-school math enrichment classes, and more summer classes will be offered in 1998.
› Kumon Math and Whiz Kids, two programs at Lomond that were extended into a four-week summer session. Twelve students who used the Kumon method of math worksheets three times weekly during the school year were involved in daily Kumon activities. For the rest of the summer school day, they were joined by 10 “Whiz Kids” who received extra instruction in math last summer and on Saturday mornings during the school year. Both are pilot programs testing the impact of extended time and different instructional methods on math achievement.
› Advanced Placement Calculus summer enrichment, a 12-session program for students who wanted to enhance their understanding of calculus concepts prior to entering calculus courses this fall. Through small class size, laboratory-type investigations, and individual attention, the 12 students bolstered their skills and confidence. The goal is a higher level of participation and success in Calculus AB.
› Academic enrichment program offered at Shaker Middle School by Caring Communities Organized for Education. Courses were offered in English, math, science, and reading, along with cultural activities. Although not operated by the school district, the program involved several Shaker teachers, including the district’s parent liaison.
• Shaker Heights faculty members have had or will have opportunities to work with several nationally known scholars and practitioners. Donna Ford Harris, a leading authority on underachievement among gifted African American students, has worked with elementary academic resource teachers on that topic and will be returning to the district. Middle School faculty and staff members will have an opportunity to work with Elliot Y. Merenbloom, a nationally recognized educational consultant from Baltimore County, Md. Mr. Merenbloom specializes in school organization, team approaches, and teaching strategies to maximize effectiveness. On October 10, the fall Professional Day, teachers are invited to hear Asa Hilliard III, a professor at Georgia State University and authority on minority achievement. Early in the summer, elementary educators learned more about “authentic assessment” from Marian Liebowitz and Bena Kallick. Ms. Liebowitz will return to the district during the school year. Astrid Davis, a graduate student working under the supervision of John Ogbu at the University of California at Berkeley, will spend three months in Shaker Heights, studying factors associated with academic success. Dr. Ogbu will return to Shaker Heights for a few days this fall to meet with District staff and to oversee Ms. Davis’s work.
• The Board of Education’s current contract with the Shaker Heights Teachers’ Association (SHTA) will expire on December 31, 1997. Both the District and the SHTA are preparing to begin negotiations toward a new contract. The SHTA is the District’s largest bargaining unit, representing all certified, fun-time and regular part-time, salaried classroom teachers, computer, art, music and physical education specialists, nurses, librarians, department heads, guidance counselors, school psychologists and speech and hearing therapists in the Shaker schools.
• A busload of faculty members from The Ohio State University will visit Shaker Heights High School on Friday morning. The visit is part of OSU’s “Roads Scholars” program, which is designed to help faculty members better understand Ohio’s schools and communities. Highlights of their time at Shaker will include a student panel discussion and visits to classrooms.
• Each of the eight schools has scheduled a fall Open House for parents to meet their children’s teachers and learn more about the curriculum. Woodbury’s was held on September 4. The schedule for the remaining Open Houses is as follows (all at 7 p.m. unless otherwise indicated):
September 11 / Boulevard
September 11 / Mercer (3-4)
September 16 / Lomond
September 18 / Onaway
September 24 / Fernway
September 25 / Middle School
October 6 / High School (7:15 p.m.)
The Board heard the following:
• Revised Policy AE, Instructional Goals and Objectives (second of three readings).
• Proposed Policy IGBL, Parent/Guardian/Caregiver Involvement in the Schools (third reading; adoption deferred pending editorial refinements).
• Revised Policy DLBA, Salary Deductions/Tax Sheltered Annuities (second of three readings).