Page Revised August 29, 2006
Following is the Auburn School District’s
proposed plan for the use of Initiative 728 funds.
Initiative 728 was approved by Washington State
voters for the purpose of improving public education
and achieving higher academic standards for all students. The Auburn School
Board of Directors will hold a public hearing
regarding the plan on Monday, April 24, 2006, at 7 p.m.
in the board room of the James P. Fugate Administration Building, 915 4th
Street Northeast, Auburn, Washington 98002.
The board will finalize the plan by August 31,
2006, after receiving input from staff and community
at the public hearing.
Adopted: August 28,
2006
Background
The Auburn School Board has always recognized the
contributions of long-range planning to the efficient
operation of a quality educational program. For over three decades, the board
has used citizen ad hoc committees to provide counsel
regarding a number of specific issues that would,
ultimately, confront the district. The board has developed strategic plans.
Throughout the 1991-92 school year, the board examined
current programs and synthesized expectations for the
future. As a part of this process, Futurescape was developed. Since that time,
Futurescape has served as a guideline to the board and
staff in their educational decision making. In 1997, the
board updated Futurescape, developing Futurescape Revisited. Futurescape
Revisited was intended to be responsive to changing
conditions confronting the school district. The Auburn
School Board provides schools which are student centered in philosophy,
organization, and practice. The district has aligned
the Washington State Essential Academic Learning
Requirements with the district curriculum. The board recognizes that a quality
education system is crucial for the students of the
Auburn School District. Initiative 728 supports the mission of
the Auburn School District and the goals and objectives outlined in
Futurescape Revisited. The board is responsible for
deploying resources of the district and will continue to expend funds in a
manner that is in the best interest of all students. With the onset of
2006, the board published Futurscape Revisited--Realizing the Vision which reviews the success of the
strategies that have been implemented in the Auburn
School District.
In 1993, the Washington State legislature passed
HB1209 which sets high standards for student
achievement. Additionally, in 2001, the federal government passed the No Child
Left Behind Act. The Auburn School Board is committed
to the implementation of these pieces of legislation
which require students to make adequate yearly progress and meet state
standards. The board wants to see every child learn
and achieve his or her potential.
Initiative 728
The Auburn School Board is committed to providing
leadership and support to students, families, and
professionals to ensure that all students succeed. Funds from Initiative 728
will continue to help the district meet the challenges
ahead.
The board is aware that the mission of public
education in the state of Washington has changed from
merely assuring that all students receive a quality education to assuring that
each student achieves high standards within the
quality education. The educational reform movement has
inspired this change and rests upon the belief that students can achieve high
standards. The board believes education reform is
changing public education for the better in the state of
Washington and is absolutely committed to the rigor of higher standards.
Funds from Initiative 728 will continue to be used to
achieve high standards of education reform.
The potential use of funds generated through
Initiative 728 are diverse. Included within the scope
of the legislation, these monies can be used to reduce class size across all
grades, provide extended learning opportunities for
students in grades K-12, provide additional professional
development for educators, provide early assistance for children who need
pre-kindergarten support, and provide improvements or
additions to school facilities which are directly related to
class-size reductions and extended learning opportunities. In presenting
its recommendations for the 728 plan, the board is
aware of the far reaching impact of Initiative 728 monies.
The Auburn School District received approximately
3.3 million dollars in Student Achievement funds in
2004-05. This is estimated to increase to about 5 million dollars in 2006-07.
See chart below.
|
Fiscal Year |
Estimated Rate (OSPI) |
Projected Prior Year AAFTE |
Projected
Revenue |
Actual
Revenue |
|
2001-02 |
$190.19 |
12,634.70 |
$2,402,993.59 |
**$2,298,757.33 |
|
2002-03 |
$204.10 |
12,797.42 |
$2,620,655.67 |
**$2,611,957.50 |
|
2003-04 |
$219.32 |
12,823.08 |
$2,649,085.28 |
$2,863,163.75 |
|
2004-05 |
$254.00 |
13,013.92 |
$3,269,785.18 |
$3,305,535.68 |
|
2005-06 |
$300.00 |
13,130.33 |
$3,935,790.00 |
$3,939,099.00 |
|
2006-07 |
*$375.00 |
13,476.22 |
*$5,050,207.00 |
|
*These
are all predicated upon the legislature funding I-728 as proposed in the
Governor's budget.
**Actual revenue has been less than projected due to state lottery
revenues being less than anticipated.In making recommendations relative to Initiative
728 for the 2006-07 school year, the board is aware
that it must continue to take a long-range view for the use of these monies and
plans for their use will change from year to year. The
board has brought a focused attention to grades one
and two within the programs and services of the school district as outlined
below. This had been a priority of the school board
for many years. The decision was based on research that shows
additional learning time has strong benefits to students, especially in
the early grades.
Representatives of the state legislature have
made clear their concern regarding the ability to fund
existing programs and services and have especially focused on additional funding
responsibility as a result of the passage of Initiative 728. Therefore,
the plan from the board of directors reflects our
strong desire to maintain a level of service that we have enjoyed in this
district. It is the intent of the board to ensure that the plan remains
sensitive to the fact that Initiative 728 funds may
have to be employed to offset program reductions in areas such as class
size and staff development resulting from legislative cutbacks.
With the above-mentioned parameters to guide the
development of this plan, the board is submitting the
following prioritized list for public hearing at its regularly scheduled board
meeting of Monday, April 24, 2006.
1. Continue to maintain
extension of the first and second grade day to the same length as the
third to fifth grade day
The
Auburn School District has used Initiative 728 funds to enhance further
achievement by continuing the extension of the primary day. Until 2001-02,
first and second graders in the Auburn School District came to school 40 minutes
later than students in grades three through five. By continuing to extend
the primary day to the same length as third through fifth graders, the
district’s first and second graders have more time every day to focus on
achievement, especially achievement in reading, writing, and mathematics.
Reading is the basic building block for education. By the end of second
grade, students should be readers. Additional time and opportunity during
first and second grade is critical to students’ accelerated academic growth.
It is a priority to continue the extension of the primary day for 2006-07.
2. Maintain current class size
The Auburn School District has
prioritized small class size for over two decades. In these
smaller classes, more
time is spent with individual students which increases the likelihood
of improved learning
for all students.
As of October 1, 2005,
elementary class size averages without factoring in
specialists such as learning specialist, language specialists, class-size TOSAs,
PE specialists, music specialists, and librarians were:
|
Kindergarten |
23.10 |
|
First Grade |
23.08 |
|
Second Grade |
23.90 |
|
Third Grade |
25.22 |
|
Fourth Grade |
25.94 |
|
Fifth Grade |
27.74 |
|
TOTAL |
24.77 |
Following are possibilities to further reduce class size:
a. Dissolving third through fifth grade
splits on a space-availability basis.
b. Team teaching in a single class.
c. Roving teachers assigned to more than one class.
d. Support for identified low performing student groups.
e. Targeted fourth and fifth grade class-size reduction on a
space-availability basis.
f. Alternative classes to enhance learning.
g. Secondary flex teachers.
Secondary schools are staffed at 22.5 students per teacher. Class sizes
vary based on subject area. Additionally, in the future, funds may be used for
targeted class size reduction.
In efforts to deliver instruction in a differentiated fashion to meet the
learning needs of each student, 728 resources are used to provide strategic
intervention models that allow small group, reading, and math instruction for 6
to 12 students. Using 90-minute blocks, these students receive intensive
interventions that address individual student learning needs in the areas of
reading and math.
While future funds may be used to further lower these ratios, factors of
available teacher candidates, space, and program configuration must be analyzed
as well as fiscal support from the state.
Because of graduation requirements, students who
do not meet state standards will need additional support including plans for how
they will achieve the standards. Funds may be used for programs to bring them
to standard which may include targeted class size reduction.
3. Other extended learning
opportunities
Initiative 728 funds have further enhanced
achievement through the development of multiple extended-learning
opportunities. The district has used Initiative 728 resources to extend
learning opportunities in a variety of ways including: before- and after-school
programs; targeted first and second grade early literacy instruction;
alternative programs for at-risk high school students; and summer school
programs for students who need literacy assistance to reach benchmark
standards. The board recognizes that all students do not learn in the same way
or at the same time. Also, students who do not achieve standard need additional
learning opportunities to target their area for needed growth. To that end, the
board wishes to continue to offer a variety of developmental and remedial
learning opportunities outside the regular school day. Following, in
prioritized order, are those programs:
a. Summer school for at-risk learners.
b. After-school programs.
c. Saturday schools.
d. Programs during mid-winter and spring break.
Technology can be used to assess students for extended
learning instruction. For example, Accelerated Reader, Accelerated Math, and
Larson Math are excellent tools for measuring student achievement and developing
individualized learning goals. Also, technology is an excellent tool for
independent and special learners.
4. Staff Development
The Auburn School District
has a strong tradition of providing quality inservice to staff. All curriculum
adoptions in the Auburn School District are implemented with a comprehensive
staff development plan. Every school building provides ongoing staff
development that supports student learning. Research demonstrates that teacher
quality is a key component in student achievement. With the demands of high
standards reform, the ongoing professional development of staff continues to be
central to improved student learning. It is necessary to provide training for
teachers in standards based assessment and best practices. The Auburn School
District has a clear, coherent plan for student achievement. It is planned that
Initiative 728 funds will be used to provide staff development time for
certificated staff to focus on the content specific pedagogical skills necessary
to improve student achievement.
A reality that
confronts the board is the possibility that monies generated for the 2006-07
school year may be carried over to subsequent years as was the case in the prior
three years. The school board also recognizes that indirect expenses occur in
the I-728 program and OSPI’s indirect rate for state programs for the Auburn
School District is 14.9% for the 2006-07 school year. Additionally, each year,
the state has reduced the revenue to fund I-728, due to downturns in the broader
economy. It is necessary to provide for contingencies. The school board is
ready for these contingencies.
Timeline
The legislation
of Initiative 728 identifies the date of August 31, 2006, as the date the plan
must be finalized.
The Auburn Board
of Directors’ timeline is:
-
Board hearing
- April 24, 2006, 7:00 p.m.
-
Final date for
determination of use of funds at the regularly scheduled board meeting on
Monday, August 28, 2006.
Accountability
Annually, the
school district has provided and will continue to provide an accounting for the
funds derived from Initiative 728, including how the funds were used and the
progress the district has made in increasing student achievement as measured by
required state assessments as well as other assessments.
