Community Partnerships: UMass Lowell's Alex Ruthmann speaks to Lowell City Council

Community Partnerships

Dr. Alex Ruthmann, Music Education professor from UMass Lowell spoke with City Council members at last week's meeting. Ruthmann stressed the importance of sustaining vibrant partnerships and continuing to develop long term relationships that will benefit both students and the citizens of Lowell.

Click here for Dick Howe's blog posting and You Tube video of the meeting.

Over the last six months, the Lowell School Department has been wrestling with a projected budget shortfall of between $7 million and $9 million. I feel it is my responsibility to ensure that the community at large realizes how devastating this level of cuts would be for Lowell Public Schools.

Lowell Public Schools for the past two decades have enjoyed positive growth in all areas. We have a higher percentage of new schools than any other urban district in the commonwealth. We are proud of the fact that this year we were ranked in first place of all urban school districts for our student achievement growth in the area of mathematics and in the top third for English language arts. The staff and programs that have ensured our success in the past have been significantly reduced over the past six years, and any further reduction at this point will result in the elimination of entire programs and key positions that have made our gains possible.

We have been working with our state delegation and the city manager in an attempt to mitigate this financial shortfall, but at this time no one knows what the final numbers will be. What we do know, however, is that any reduction in funds will have a detrimental and long-lasting impact on student achievement.

Given the amount of the anticipated shortfall, the Lowell School Department and School Committee have done a great deal of planning and budget analysis over the past six months so that the cuts taken do the least amount of damage. We have held numerous finance subcommittee meetings to discuss this dire situation. Many concerned community leaders such as George Duncan, president, Enterprise Bank, Jim Cook, Lowell Plan director and Kendall Wallace, chairman, Lowell Publishing Company, to just name a few, have joined us in these discussions over the past year. We appreciate their time and support of the Lowell Public Schools. Their commitment to a high quality education system is reflective of the support we have for the schools throughout the city.

There are no easy answers as we are still feeling the effects of the 2008 economic crisis. Despite this downturn, our students and their families are counting on us to be the best we can be even in difficult times. Granted, as your superintendent of schools, I wrestle with the complexities and difficulties of clearly communicating the damage of further cuts to Lowell Public Schools and the need to provide hope and inspiration at the same time. Please know that we are committed to educational excellence and collectively we will overcome. You are encouraged to attend the public budget hearings Thursday, May 27, and Tuesday, June 1, in the Council Chambers of City Hall at 7 p.m.

CHRIS SCOTT

Superintendent of Schools

Dear Staff, Families and Lowellians,

We are in the throws of our budget season which is very difficult given the budget shortfall the School Department is facing.

The School Committee will be presented with the Superintendent’s Recommended budget at the May 19th School Committee meeting. The Budget Hearings are scheduled for Thursday, May 27th and Tuesday, June 1st at City Hall, Council Chambers at 7PM. Please plan to attend, as the cuts will gravely impact our School District.



To date the School Committee has been asked to examine numerous reduction possibilities. The following chart illustrates the potential savings from reducing 24FTE teacher positions and reducing the current 4-house configuration to a 3-house configuration at Lowell High School:

24 FTE Teacher Staff Reduction
$ 1,385,328
Mean class size of 24 students

1 House Office Reduction
$ 366,716
From 4 to 3 House Offices
Total Savings:
$ 1,752,044

Following are additional budget reductions that are being considered and evaluated for recommendation within other employee groups at Lowell High School:


Interscholastic and Intramural Athletics
FY10 Budget $ 747,915
Potential Reduction $ 249,305

After-School Clubs & Student Activities
FY10 Budget $ 142,000
Potential Reducation $ 71,000

Instructional & Support Specialists
FY10 Budget $ 235,851
Potential Reduction $ 159,254

Building Custodians
FY10 Budget $ 850,543
Potential Reduction $ 195,670

Security Guards
FY10 Budget $ 273,938
Potential Reduction $ 39,134

Clerks and Clerk Schedulers
FY10 Budget $ 594,859
Potential Reduction $ 183,335
Total: $ 897,698

The following chart illustrates the potential savings from 3 FTE and 4 FTE reductions at the elementary and middle levels respectively. There are currently 14 elementary schools and 6 middle schools in the district. As the Bartlett Community Partnership School and Pyne Arts Magnet School are 2-strand, K-8 schools, please note that they are included with the elementary level reductions.

Per School Savings
Elementary Level Reduction:
1 FTE
$ 808,108
2 FTE's
$1,616,216
3 FTE's
$2,424,324

Per School Savings
Middle Level Reduction:
1 FTE
$ 346,332
2 FTE's
$ 692,664
3 FTE's
$1,038,996
4 FTE's
$1,385,328

There have been many administrative changes in the school district for the 2010/11 school year. Below are the announcements that have been made in the last few weeks.

Jason DiCarlo, McAuliffe School New Position: Murkland School Principal
Marianne Bond, Murkland School Principal New Position: McAvinnue School Principal
Matt Stahl, Moody & Washington School Principal New Position: Pawtucketville Memorial Principal
Kelly Clough, McAvinnue School Principal- Resigning
Alison Corner, Pawtucketville Memorial Principal- Retiring
Bill Manolopoulos, PyneArts Principal- Retiring but will return for one more year
Linda Lee, Shaughnessy Principal- Retiring but will return for one more year
William Samaras, LHS Headmaster- Retiring
Edward Rozmiarek, LHS Headmaster Starting July 1, 2010
Susan Mulligan, Bailey Acting Principal
Please feel free to contact me at any time – my door is always open.

My best to you,
Chris Scott

Superintendent Scott's Statement on the Budget

Over the last six months, the Lowell School Department has been wrestling with a projected budget shortfall of between $7 million and $9 million. I feel it is my responsibility to ensure that the community at large realizes how devastating this level of cuts would be for Lowell Public Schools.

Lowell Public Schools for the past two decades have enjoyed positive growth in all areas. We have a higher percentage of new schools than any other urban district in the commonwealth. We are proud of the fact that this year we were ranked in first place of all urban school districts for our student achievement growth in the area of mathematics and in the top third for English language arts. The staff and programs that have ensured our success in the past have been significantly reduced over the past six years, and any further reduction at this point will result in the elimination of entire programs and key positions that have made our gains possible.

We have been working with our state delegation and the city manager in an attempt to mitigate this financial shortfall, but at this time no one knows what the final numbers will be. What we do know, however, is that any reduction in funds will have a detrimental and long-lasting impact on student achievement.

Given the amount of the anticipated shortfall, the Lowell School Department and School Committee have done a great deal of planning and budget analysis over the past six months so that the cuts taken do the least amount of damage. We have held numerous finance subcommittee meetings to discuss this dire situation. Many concerned community leaders such as George Duncan, president, Enterprise Bank, Jim Cook, Lowell Plan director and Kendall Wallace, chairman, Lowell Publishing Company, to just name a few, have joined us in these discussions over the past year. We appreciate their time and support of the Lowell Public Schools. Their commitment to a high quality education system is reflective of the support we have for the schools throughout the city.

There are no easy answers as we are still feeling the effects of the 2008 economic crisis. Despite this downturn, our students and their families are counting on us to be the best we can be even in difficult times. Granted, as your superintendent of schools, I wrestle with the complexities and difficulties of clearly communicating the damage of further cuts to Lowell Public Schools and the need to provide hope and inspiration at the same time. Please know that we are committed to educational excellence and collectively we will overcome. You are encouraged to attend the public budget hearings Thursday, May 27, and Tuesday, June 1, in the Council Chambers of City Hall at 7 p.m.

CHRIS SCOTT

Superintendent of Schools

Another LPS/UML Partnership

UMass Lowell Physical Therapy Students teach Lincoln School students about healthy living

To see the article posted on the UML website, click the link above.

LET 22 unveils new web site

LET 22, the district's educational TV studio, has just unveiled their new website. Check it out by clicking here. This is another great resource brought to us by Jack Pinard and the folks at LET 22. Visit their site often for news and events available in multiple formats. Also available at their site is the LET 22 schedule for viewing the television station at home.

Citywide Parent Council Meeting May 17

On Monday, May 17th, the Citywide Parent Council will host their next meeting at 6:30 at the Stoklosa School on Broadway. This meeting will feature the Mary J. Bacigaluupo You Make A Difference Awards and Citywide Parent Council Board Elections for the next school year.

6:30 Welcome Reception
7:30 Award Presentations: Volunteers from each school will be honored.

Annual CPC Board Elections
Please contact school Parent Liaison if you are interested in running to be a Parent Representative to the Citywide Parent Council. Evening meetings through out the year are usually held on the 3rd Monday of each month.

The Citywide Parent Council welcomes all parents.
For more information, please visit the CPC website.

Bartlett School's Charlie Lefebvre Honored by Students and Staff of the Bartlett School

Custodian Charlie Lefebvre was honored recently by the Lowell Public Schools for his many years of dedicated service to the Lowell Public Schools.

Student Council President Diego Torres, an eighth-grader at the Bartlett School, called Lefebvre "the salt of the Earth," adding that too often society bathes attention on the rich, famous and powerful rather than those who truly make a difference.

"The only thing we can take credit for are our choices," Torres continued, saying that Lefebvre chose to be a patriot in serving his country and chose to serve the Bartlett school community for the last 50 years. "He inspires all of us to serve and to do better."





To read the related article in today's Lowell Sun, click here.

The Benjamin F. Butler Middle School to host first annual Golf Tournament

The Butler School needs you!

The Butler School needs you and your fellow golfers for their First Annual Golf Tournament on Monday, June 21 at Hickory Hill Golf Course in Methuen.

Your $125. entrance fee is tax deductible!

This price includes coffee and donuts, 18 holes of golf, use of golf cart, lunch, gift bag. Various prizes will be awarded at the award presentation and luncheon.


For information please contact:
Carol Sutton or Rick Riley at the Butler School

csutton@lowell.k12.ma.us
rriley@lowell.k12.ma.us

(978) 970-5496

MCC to Offer Microsoft Office 2007 Training

Earn PDPs! Middlesex Community College will be offering training in Microsoft Office 2007 for use in the classroom. For more information, please contact Sheila Morin at 978-656-3416.

Sessions will be offered on June 12th & 19th or August 23 & September 1.

Visit the MCC website for more information on Community Education & Career Training.

Cyber Safety Event Monday May 3, 2010 at LHS @ 6:00

The Lowell Public Schools will host a cyber safety forum on Monday.

The program begins at 6 pm. Guest speakers will include Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone, Lowell Superintendent of Police Kenneth Lavallee, and Lowell Superintendent of Schools Chris Scott. Their remarks will be followed by a presentation on Cyber Safety by Assistant District Attorney Onyen Yong.

This very important community event is presented by the Lowell Public Schools, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, the Lowell Police Department, Middlesex Partnerships for Youth, Lowell General Hospital and the Lowell Juvenile Court.