NORWICH – Norwich City School District Superintendent Gerard O’Sullivan presented the district’s plan for programming and funding for the 2008-09 Contract for Excellence in a public meeting Wednesday.
The public information session was conducted pursuant with the New York State Education Department guidelines for schools required to participate with the Contract for Excellence.
Any school district receiving more than a 10 percent increase in their New York State Foundation Aid that has a school in accountability status must comply with the contract’s regulations. The contract specifies how the additional aid can be allocated.
As the Norwich City School District received an 11.1 percent increase in Foundation Aid for the 2008-09 school year and the Norwich Middle School remains on the School in Need of Improvement list for English Language Arts (ELA), the district is bound by the Contract for Excellence.
According to O’Sullivan, five representatives from the state education department conducted an audit earlier this summer. “We got a glowing report from State Ed,” said O’Sullivan. “They were very pleased with the progress we were able to make with last year’s Contract for Excellence.”
The district is raising the bar for itself this year by setting a performance target of 10 percent growth in student achievement. This will be accomplished by maintaining and growing programs created last year.
“There will be no reduction of efforts for the upcoming school year,” reported O’Sullivan. “We are taking all programs from 2007-08 and continuing them.” The superintendent also stated that all staff positions created last year would be maintained as well.
Many of the programs to be expanded this year are related to special education. They include the expansion of the ACES program into the high school and the creation of an autism classroom at Gibson.
“We have had good success with the Middle School ACES program,” said O’Sullivan of the program, which pairs special education teachers with classroom teachers. According to O’Sullivan, the program ensures special education students receive “the support they need to be successful in the classroom.”
