RVC Board of Ed Looks Into Middle Years Program

The Rockville Centre Board of Education looked into the Middle Years Program and how it would affect the proposed 2013-14 school budget at its work session Tuesday night at South Side High School.

The Middle Years Program is a program for students in grades 6-8 that utilizes the students’ abilities across all disciplines.

South Side Middle School Principal Shelagh McGinn explained that the program is a “framework for teaching” and that students would not be slammed with extra work.

“The Middle Years Program is one that we have been examining and looking at for at least the last three years,” Superintendent Dr. William H. Johnson said. “It is certainly coming to a point now because of its compatibility with the Common Core Standards and I think it’s time for us to take some very strong, affirmative steps in moving in that direction.”

The middle school must undergo a three-to-four-year process in order to be authorized as a Middle Years Program school. The school must first show to the International Baccalaureate that they are interested and prepared for the program and then must submit an application.

After submitting the application, the school will then be visited by the International Baccalaureate before being certified.

The initial application would be sent out in April of 2014 and would cost $7,500. If given the money in the school budget, training for the program would begin sometime between now and the fall, according to Assistant Superintendent Chris Pellettieri.

Training and understanding courses would cost $10,000.

The International Baccalaureate requires that someone acts as a coordinator to serve as a liaison between them and the school. McGinn and Pellettieri said that they have been discussing ways to create an academic facilitator position that is paid by stipend in order to fill this role.

If the Middle Years Program is added to the budget, it could cost the school district up to $26,000 if the facilitator stipend is included.

In order to add the Middle Years Program to budget proposal, Assistant Superintendent Robert Bartels said that the district must find additional revenue to cover the expenses or take something else out of the budget.

The board plans on making a decision on the Middle Years Program at its next meeting on April 17, the last meeting that it can make changes to the budget proposal.

Bartels explained that the budget proposal is currently at a 3.59 percent increase, which is within the tax levy limit. The tax levy will be a 3.55 percent increase.

The board also addressed the recent passing of the school improvement bond. The $45.9 million bond passed by more than 600 votes with a 2,078 to 1,465 vote victory.

“We really need to thank the community for investing in their schools,” Johnson said. “I truly hope that this will enable us to do what we have been talking about for the last three or four years, certainly here at South Side High School and throughout the entire district.”

“I really appreciate personally, and certainly as the superintendent of schools, the loud and clear statement to the board of education and to the community that the people of this community still see the schools as a great investment and want to see us do the work that we believe that is necessary to improve these facilities,” he added.

Beginning on Thursday, the board will start working with the architects by trying to identify which projects can be started immediately. The board will then discuss how they will fund these early projects at its next board meeting.