Walter C. Young Middle School SAF meeting minutes 2/14/17
The meeting began at 5:05 PM
1. Mr. Osborn presented information about the New District ESE Website. The District is announcing the redesigned Exceptional Student Education and Support Services (ESE and SS) website for Broward County Public Schools.
The ESEandSSDivision'snewparent-friendlywebsitehasbeendesignedtobringstudents,parentsand community members informative content pertaining to students with IEP’s and 504Plans(504),andthosechildrensuspectedofhavingadisabilityin amoreconciseandconsistentfashion. Oneofthefirstthingsyouwillnoticeisauniformlookandfeelasyouvisittheindividualdepartmentsinthe ESE and SS Division.
Thedistrictconducted researchandfocusgroups with parents, families, staff, and community members to ensure the most popular items are prominent, including:
•Howtorequestanevaluation
•News andannouncements
•CalendarofESEandSSrelatedactivitiesandevents
•Directcontactinformationforvariousdepartmentsandstaff
•Frequently AskedQuestions
•Resources
2. Next a handout of the ED Talk Program Executive Summary was reviewed. Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) Ed Talk program was a big success. It was a public forum designed to discuss and prioritize educational strategies and engage the Broward community in the next steps to educate today’s students to succeed in tomorrow’s world.
ATTENDANCE A total of 460 individuals participated at the 2016/17 Ed Talk event which included parents, guardians, students, School Board members, the Superintendent, teachers, District staff and administrators, and the business community.
Responding to feedback from previous Ed Talk events, this year’s program included more student involvement and extended time for table discussions. Attendees had opportunities to listen to presentations and participate in table discussions on two important topics impacting education today: courageous conversations and reimagine education.
Within the context of “courageous conversations,” Ed Talk participants offered advice as to whether our schools should address racism and race relations. Participants also shared their views on how to “reimagine education” in ways that would make learning more engaging for students. Discussions focused on the benefits to students, the impact on schools and teachers, and suggested changes for the future.
OUTCOME Attendees actively participated in table discussions, providing rich information regarding the two topics. Participants largely agreed that the topic of “courageous conversations” is important, as it impacts our students and is beneficial for students to be exposed to diverse perspectives. However, there was some concern that “teachers are not prepared to have these conversations and would need training.”
On the topic of “reimagine education,”: Input from participants largely focused on how academics are delivered. Participants discussed the need to be student-centered and agreed that “students need to have opportunities for active, hands-on learning.” They also mentioned that “the content would need to be academically relevant and delivered in an engaging manner.”
Mr. Osborn shared a news article that indicated School districts all over Florida are facing teacher shortages, including in elementary education, which historically had the easiest jobs to fill.
The Orlando Sentinel reported Sunday that the shortages are forcing school districts to ramp up recruitment for the 2017-2018 school year.
The recruiting is starting earlier than ever, and recruiters are exploring out-of-state candidates in the Midwest and northeast. As a matter of fact or own District has been recruiting outside the state of Florida for many years now.
"We are starting earlier, and we are definitely exploring more options than we ever have," said Greg White, recruitment specialist forOsceola Countyschools in the Orlando area. "We've got to find those quality educators to be in front of our children." The Osceola school district recently partnered with Valencia College to create the Future Teachers Academy, which will offer scholarships to education majors who agree to teach in county schools after graduation.
TheSeminole Countyschool district, also in the Orlando area, used to rely on state-run teacher job fairs but is for the first time hosting its own next month, hoping it can fill some jobs ahead of a later-spring hiring crunch. In Broward our District has a partnership with Broward College and we hold a special job fair just for them twice per year when their education major students graduate. Broward schools also holds approximately 3 teacher job fairs per year in Fort Lauderdale.
A main reason for the shortage is a drop in Florida college students majoring in education. Education program enrollment has dropped because "college students are not convinced that teaching will be a rewarding career path," said Pamela Carroll, dean of the University of Central Florida's college of education.
Educators also say relatively low pay and the state's controversial teacher evaluation system, which is tied to standardized tests, has soured the view of the teaching profession.
Palm Beach Superintendent Robert Avossa said Florida Atlantic University sent 40 new teachers to his district this year. "I need 1,500," he said. The University of West Florida in the Panhandle used to send the Escambia County school district all the new teachers it needed. This year, the district hired 50 new graduates and had to recruit, sometimes out of state, for its other 250 openings, said Superintendent Malcolm Thomas.
Mallory Crider, a University of Central Florida junior majoring in elementary education, said her grandfather, who foots her college bills, initially discouraged her from pursuing a teaching degree, worried she wouldn't earn much. But Crider said he came around when he realized how committed she was.
3. Ms. Bell the SAF chair said at the last South Area Advisory meeting that Tony Hunter, Chief Information Officer, told the group that all of the District’s SMART bond technology roll out should be complete by the end of April 2017.
She said that at the next South Area meeting the guest speaker would be Dan Gohl, the District’s Chief AcademicOfficer and also Ralph Aiello the District Guidance Director.
There were no discussion items.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:45 PM