A Wonderful Life

Each man’s life touches so many other lives.  When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?

~ Clarence the Angel speaking to George Bailey in the film It’s a Wonderful Life

Dear Shrewsbury Families,

I’m sure many of you have heard or seen the news that Ted Coghlin, one of our community’s most consequential leaders and dedicated servants, has died.  

Ted had an enormous positive impact on Shrewsbury, Worcester, and the entire region in a multitude of ways.   He was a very successful business leader of his family company, but Ted was probably better known for his leadership and support of so many public service and charitable efforts that made his communities better places to live.  

Ted was particularly passionate about education and children, and he invested enormous time and effort in ensuring that our town built schools where a top notch public education could be provided to our youngest citizens.  Remarkably, he chaired every Shrewsbury school building committee from 1962 until 1997, overseeing the successful construction of the Shrewsbury Junior High School (which later became the recently demolished Sherwood Middle School), Spring Street School, and Floral Street School.  He also served on the building committees for the Donahue Rowing Center and the Richard D. Carney Municipal Office Building (i.e., Town Hall), and more recently was a strong public advocate for building the new Sherwood Middle School.  It is well known that Ted was the driving force behind the construction and organization of Worcester Technical High School, where his wisdom and stewardship were instrumental in its development into a nationally renowned Blue Ribbon School.  Through decades of skillful leadership, Ted influenced the quality of thousands upon thousands of students’ school experiences for the better. 

Personally, I had the pleasure of having some of Ted’s grandchildren as students when I was at Floral Street School and then again at Oak Middle School, and he and his wife, Maureen, always made it clear that they were willing and able to help support the schools however they could.  Whenever I would run into them at an event, Ted would always end our conversation expressing his appreciation for the work the school was doing and reminding me to let him know if he could ever do anything to help. I knew it was a genuine offer (and one that I took him up on occasionally).  

Ted made a very strong impression the first time I met him in 1997, when I started work as the assistant principal of the then-brand new Floral Street School.  One morning that July, the original Floral Street Principal, Ellen Smith (then Fairbanks), informed me that the school building committee would be meeting that morning and that she wanted to introduce me to the committee chair, Ted Coghlin, when he arrived.  Ellen went on to say that she thought that Ted would take a liking to me at first sight, and vice versa, but wouldn’t say why.  When Ted entered the office and saw me, he immediately started laughing, and in his inimitable voice he introduced himself and indicated that he appreciated my flattop haircut (he also gave me a tip to go see Nick Perrone, who still cuts my hair today).  I still vividly remember the skillful way he ran the committee meeting, and his contagious enthusiasm and pride as he took me for a personal tour of the just-completed school after the meeting.  That was my first experience with Ted’s superb leadership ability.  He made you feel at ease, he made you feel valued, and he made you want to do your very best work, because he made you realize that serving those who would benefit from that work was very important.  I may have unknowingly imitated Ted’s haircut, but interacting with him made me want to purposely imitate Ted’s example.  I know I am only one of so very many who have been inspired by Ted over the course of his extraordinary life.

Ted Coghlin was a gentleman who was deeply committed to his family, to his faith, and to serving his community.  He accomplished great things with class and humility, and he leaves a remarkable legacy.  At this time of year, those who again watch the film It’s a Wonderful Life are reminded of the great influence a single person can have upon a community.  There is no doubt that Ted Coghlin was such a person, and all of us who live in this community are indebted to him, as Shrewsbury would not be the town that we know without his many significant contributions.  

On behalf of everyone in the Shrewsbury Public Schools, I extend sincere condolences to Ted’s wife, Maureen; his children, grandchildren, and extended family; and to his many friends.   His passing does leave “an awful hole” in our community, but his influence lives on because of the wonderful life he led.  

Respectfully,

Joe Sawyer

Superintendent of Schools

Our Investment is Making a Difference

A version of this post was also published as the "Superintendent's Corner" column in the Fall 2014 Shrewsbury School Journal.

We are almost three months into the new school year, and I am pleased to report to the community that the significant additional investment we have made in our schools is already paying off in many ways.

When I visit classrooms, the contrast to recent years is stark now that they contain many fewer students than before, sometimes by as much as one third.  The physical space is not nearly as strained, allowing for teachers to arrange students flexibly and creating a more calm and focused atmosphere by simply having fewer bodies and voices competing for space and attention -- and as a result fewer distractions.  

When asked how this year is different, teachers cite having more time to work with individuals and small groups of students as a major improvement.  Teachers have had the opportunity to get to know their students more quickly, build strong relationships, and understand individual needs.  This not only helps educators better target and tailor their instruction, it also creates more positive classrooms and schools where students are motivated and focused on learning.  It is well understood that ensuring strong, positive connections between students and adults in school communities is a critical factor in having safe schools.

Having more time and fewer students greatly benefit the quality of teaching and learning.  Feedback is more immediate and robust; teachers have more time to plan in order to craft engaging lessons; and teachers have more time to engage in the kinds of professional collaboration with their peers that results in innovative practices, which has been a hallmark in Shrewsbury for decades.  Having smaller numbers of students in a class allows the teacher to provide instructional experiences that are not possible or effective with very large class sizes, such as hands-on science experiments, simulations, and focused small group rotations.   

Smaller class sizes and caseloads are having the secondary benefit of freeing teachers to provide extra opportunities for students. Rather than triaging only the most pressing student issues and being swamped by the demands of core responsibilities such as grading for excessive numbers of students, teachers now have more time to assist students who need extra help and to participate in other elements of the school program by serving as club advisors, coaches, mentors, etc., which has a positive impact on students’ overall experience.

Beyond reducing class sizes and caseloads, investments have also been made in upgrading curriculum materials for mathematics and restoring curriculum support positions that had been cut in previous years.  Thanks to these new materials and additional support, teachers of mathematics in grades kindergarten through eight have been shifting their practice in order to provide students with more rigorous math instruction, where students are required to solve more sophisticated problems with accuracy while being able to clearly articulate how they arrived at the solution.  We are confident that over time we will make an already strong math program even more effective at preparing students for success in college-level math and to take advantage of an economy that values strong math skills more than ever.

Finally, it is important to note that investments in providing additional supports for students with mental and behavioral health needs. By increasing school psychologist support at the elementary level, adding a second behavioral clinical coordinator, and implementing an innovative in-school support program for at-risk students at SHS, we have more capacity to meet critical student needs within our schools and reduce our risk of needing to provide more expensive outside placements to provide such support.  While students who experience these challenges are a small percentage of our population, their number has been growing, and the impact on both the school environment and budgetary resources can be great.  By adding resources to address these issues in a more proactive manner, we aim to keep more students in their home school communities while delivering cost effective service.

This year, the difference in our schools’ ability to meet the demands placed upon them is substantial, and this would not have been possible without the town’s support of the override.  The critical investments that Shrewsbury has made in our children will bring a substantial return by preparing our students for success and enhancing the quality of life in our community.  While it will take time to realize all the positive effects these investments will bring, we are already seeing immediate benefits in our classrooms.  On behalf of our students and staff, I again thank you for these resources, which are already making a positive difference for our town’s young people.

Thank you, Shrewsbury!

I am so very grateful for the support our community is providing to town government, including our public schools, through the recent "Yes" vote for the operational override. Below is a version of the message of thanks I sent through email after the recent override vote:

Dear Shrewsbury Citizens,

The vote on June 3rd signaled the beginning of a new era for our town, because the Shrewsbury community said a resounding "Yes" to investing more money in town government in order to ensure that we have the resources needed to continue our tradition of excellence.  

I want to personally thank each and every one of you who voted to support the override and those of you who did such excellent work to promote its passage.  I cannot overemphasize how critical a “Yes” vote was for the quality of our school district.  Thanks to you, our students now have a brighter future and our outstanding educators can move forward with their work with the knowledge that they have the strong support of the community, which is a huge morale boost given the difficult situation we’ve faced over the past few years.

In addition, other Town departments will also benefit from more resources.  I feel so fortunate to work in a town that is so well run, and I am grateful for the support the School Department receives from the other Town departments, and that I receive from the other Department Heads.

We are indebted to many leaders in the community who made a successful vote possible.  While there isn't space to name all who made significant contributions, I do want to recognize the following groups and individuals:

• our School Committee (Chair, Dr. B. Dale Magee; Vice Chair, Jason Palitsch; Secretary, Erin Canzano; Sandy Fryc; and John Samia) for their tireless advocacy for Shrewsbury's students and educators and for their constant support of my work as superintendent;

• our Board of Selectmen (Chair, Jim Kane; Vice Chair, Moira Miller; Clerk, John Lebeaux; Moe DePalo; and Henry Fitzgerald), for placing the override question before the voters and advocating for it as the most responsible way forward in order to meet the needs of our community;

• our Finance Committee (Chair, John Masiello; Vice Chair, Bretta Karp; Gene Buddenhagen; John Campbell; John Cygielnik; Donna O'Connor; Patrick Pitney; Chris Rutigliano; and Judy Vedder), for their careful oversight of the Town's finances and advocacy for additional resources through the override;

• our Town Manager, Dan Morgado, for his articulation and support of the need for more resources and his ongoing superb leadership of our town;

• our State Representative, Matt Beaton, for his active support of the override and his ongoing support of our schools through advocacy at the State House, as well as for his support of our programs, especially our community service learning initiative;

• the Community Supporters for Shrewsbury, the ballot committee who ran an extraordinary campaign to convince the community that a "Yes" vote was in the best interest of our town.  Thank you to Campaign Co-Chairs Beth Casavant, Chris Coghlin, Joyce Danielson, Mel Gordon, Bob Holland, Ken Largess, and Clint Mills for their public support.  A special thank you to the following campaign coordinators who gave countless hours of their time to run an extremely professional campaign: Campaign Manager, Beth Casavant; Campaign Strategists, Hannah Kane and Jason Palitsch; Data Manager, Suzanne Remington; Treasurer, Kathleen Keohane; and to the literally hundreds of volunteers whose hard work and dedication made a "Yes" vote possible;

• former Superintendent of Schools, John P. Collins, whose passion for doing the right thing for our students was contagious and whose contributions to the effort went miles above and beyond for someone who is allegedly “retired”;

• our Central Office administrators and support staff, and our principals, for the hours upon hours of skillful work on the budget plan, reports, and presentations that helped demonstrate the facts of our situation to the community; and

• all of our School Department employees, whose professionalism, expertise, and dedication to the well being of our students inspire me every day.

I am so pleased that a significant majority of voters have signaled their confidence in us.  Regardless of how you voted, please know that we in the School Department will do our absolute best to be good stewards of the additional resources we are being provided through the override.  With the Town firmly behind us and with the resources we need, I am very confident that we will build on our past successes in order to provide a truly world class education to our students.  

As your superintendent, in the coming years I look forward to working with all of you to make our schools the very best they can be.   As your fellow resident, I look forward to raising my family in a great town with great people. I couldn’t be more pleased and proud to work and live in Shrewsbury.

With deep gratitude,

Joe Sawyer

Superintendent of Schools

Passing the Baton

At the recent Special Town Meeting, I had the opportunity to make some remarks regarding the School Department's supplemental budget request.  As some have asked me about them, I am posting a written version of them here.  You may also view a recording of my remarks at this link (starting at the 69 minute mark).
...
As your superintendent and as a resident, I feel so fortunate to be part of this community.  In fact, I'm wearing my Shrewsbury blue and gold tie this evening as a demonstration of my pride.

This is my 17th year as a resident and school leader.  The benefit of having been here that long is having the opportunity to see students grow and blossom into successful young women and men.  My heart fills with pride when I see our young people graduate and go on to success in college, the military, and the workplace.

Recently, I received four separate unsolicited communications from former students or their parents, and I'd like to share them with you:

• The first is from an SHS alumna who is graduating from college this year.  In an email, she wrote: "...The school system allowed me to develop into the person I am today and gave me the opportunity to attend (my college).  My decision to become a teacher was greatly influenced by the many wonderful teachers and positive experiences I had during my years in the Shrewsbury Public Schools.  I would love to give back to the community that has given me so much."

• The second was from the parent of an SHS alumnus who is graduating from Carnegie Mellon University this year, where he received the top award in physics.  In an email, his mother wrote: "He will be going on to the University of Chicago for graduate school (where) he will get his degree in Computational Astrophysics....  He was extremely well served and inspired by so very many of his teachers, most notably (his physics teacher at SHS).  She told him about Carnegie Mellon, where she went to college herself, and I am sure her approach and kindness and humor and constant encouragement made (physics) friendly to him in the forming states.  He was also encouraged highly by several other teachers during his time in Shrewsbury Schools, for certain."

• The third was from the parent of an SHS graduate who enlisted in the Marine Corps.  She wrote that he recently graduated from Communications School second in his class, and he received an additional Merit Award for his conduct.  The parent wrote that he was one of many successful students from his SHS class, and she thanked the Shrewsbury schools for preparing him well for his success as a United States Marine.

• The fourth was from a former student of mine at Floral Street School, from the time when I was the assistant principal there.  If they gave frequent flyer miles for trips to the principal's office, this student could have flown around the world for free - twice.  He has been working as an investment banker and now for a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley, so now he can fly around the world on his credit card.  He wrote to me: "I wanted to thank you and the larger school community for providing the guidance and influence that helped form the person I am today....I'm sure (the community) could use a reminder that what (teachers) do is very meaningful to the students.  While the kids may not appreciate it at the time, many of us certainly do later in life."

These are communications that make me incredibly proud as your superintendent.

This community helped make these students' successes possible.  We should all be proud. All of us had a hand in their success.

But, my concern right now is whether our students right now are missing out on what these four students received, an education where their teachers had the time to make a meaningful, motivating connection with these students and the tools to ensure their academic skills were excellent.

I have here a relay baton that I borrowed from the SHS gym.  Many of you know that when a runner or a swimmer competes on a relay team, they typically outperform their times when they run or swim in an individual event.  This is because of their commitment to their team -- their strong desire not to let their teammates down -- compels them to perform at their best.

Every time Town Meeting convenes, every time a new cohort of students enters our schools, our community renews its commitment to the well being of its youth.  Every year, we pass the baton. In recent years, I think we've bobbled that baton a bit, and as a result we've fallen a few steps behind where we should be.  I believe that the allocation that you will vote on this evening will help us catch up.  I'd like to make that a clean hand off for the benefit of our students.  

I believe that we honor previous generations by continuing the high quality of life that has been handed down to us in this community.  I think we honor ourselves by ensuring that the next generation is given the same opportunity to succeed. 

How Do We Pay Our Teachers? Reasonably and Fairly.

The Shrewsbury Public Schools have a long track record of providing a high quality education for students at an extremely reasonable cost.  Given that the main factor in a school district's total cost is compensation for teachers, common sense shows that Shrewsbury's expenses for teacher compensation are also reasonable.  A specific comparison of salary rates for comparable districts shows that Shrewsbury does not pay teachers the most, and it does not pay the least. .  Despite these facts, some have alleged that the root of our town government's fiscal challenges is that our School Committee has made agreements with our teachers association that have resulted in teacher compensation rising at a rate that is unsustainable.  This is just not so. Like other town employees, Shrewsbury teachers are paid reasonably and fairly, within the district's geographic and demographic market.  For a detailed analysis comparing Shrewsbury to other school districts, see the report on our website here.  

That report also shows that the cost of living adjustments to which the School Committee and the teachers association have agreed in recent years are the lowest among our peers.  In fact, the average cost of living increase our teachers have received since Fiscal Year 2008 is 1.46%.

If Shrewsbury were overpaying its teachers, this would show up in the bottom line. Overall, in FY 2013 Shrewsbury spent $774 less per pupil in the category “classroom and specialist 
teachers”, which means that Shrewsbury spent $4.5 million less on teachers than an average Massachusetts district.

Those who suggest that Shrewsbury pays its teachers too much are using the average teacher salary statistic to justify their erroneous conclusion.  This is a misuse of that statistic, because using the average does not indicate the actual rate of pay, nor does it show how much teachers are actually paid, individually or in total.  For example, in Fiscal Year 2013, Shrewsbury teachers' average salary went up by 3.25%; however, the district made cuts to teaching positions that year, and there were actually 15 fewer teaching positions resulting in Shrewsbury paying almost half a million fewer dollars than the previous year.  The average salary increased because almost 20 teachers who retired were not replaced with new teachers earning a lower salary, skewing the average salary higher despite the fact that the district spent more than $450,000 less than the previous year.

So, are teacher salaries sustainable? There is no doubt that teacher salaries are the largest single part of the town's budget, which is mostly due to the fact that educating 6,000-plus students requires a large number of teachers. The reality is that other communities of Shrewsbury’s economic means are able to support an investment in public education that provides reasonable numbers of teachers without having to repeatedly increase their tax levy. The addition of more teachers in Shrewsbury to fix our class size problem is sustainable; for example, the 74.4 full time equivalent staff (most of whom are teachers) who would be added through a supplemental budget in FY15 will cost about $3.74 million to bring on board, but the incremental cost of step and cost of living salary adjustments to keep these staff the following year will only be about $166,000. While it is clear that our district needs to invest in more teachers, the cost of those teachers who will be added under the supplemental budget plan is sustainable. 

The graphic at the top of this post demonstrates that Shrewsbury's bottom line cost for teachers is far below the state average, and this will remain the case even if sorely needed additional teachers are hired if the operational override passes on June 3.  If someone tries to tell you that teacher salaries in Shrewsbury are too high or unaffordable, you know that the facts say otherwise.  Teachers in Shrewsbury are paid reasonably and fairly, and they provide tremendous value to our community.  

Don't Be Fooled: Know the Facts on Special Education Spending

We had a tough winter, and I'm sure that you, like me, paid a lot of attention to your home heating bill.  Imagine if you and your neighbors had the same size house, and you both were being responsible regarding your home heating costs by installing insulation, turning the thermostat down, etc., and both of you spend the same amount on your heating bill. However, your neighbors drive more expensive cars, eat out more than you do, and take at least one more vacation than you do each year.  Even though you are both spending the same amount on heating your homes, the percentage of your whole household budget that you are spending on heat is higher than your neighbors, because they spend more on other things. 

Now imagine if someone were to criticize your spending on heat based on that statistic, a statistic that actually highlights that you spend less than your neighbors on other parts of your household budget.  You would rightly dismiss that claim as inaccurate.  You need to know that those who claim that our school district is spending too much money on special education services are making this same kind of erroneous argument.

Some who say that Shrewsbury spends too much on special education are citing a particular statistic as supposed evidence for this inaccurate claim.  The statistic, reported by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, is the percentage of overall school spending allocated to special education costs.  For Fiscal Year 2013, this statistic shows that Shrewsbury spent about 25% of its total education budget on special education, while the state average is about 20%.  At first glance, someone might take this to mean that we are spending 5% more on special education than a typical district, but that is not what this shows.  What it actually shows is that Shrewsbury spends about the same as an average school district on mandated special education costs, but spends a whole lot less on other parts of its educational program, which makes the proportional share spent on special education higher.

The fact is that Shrewsbury spends millions of dollars below the state average on teachers, administrators, textbooks, and technology.  The fact is that Shrewsbury has been ranked in the bottom 11% of all Massachusetts school districts in overall per pupil spending, and in the bottom 2% for textbooks, instructional materials and technology.  The fact is that the percentage of students receiving special education services in Shrewsbury is slightly below the state average (15% vs. 17%).  The fact is that if Shrewsbury were spending at the state average for non-special education categories, special education costs would only be 20% of the whole, exactly in line with the state average.  The two pie charts above demonstrate that difference.

Years ago, before our district was forced to make drastic cuts in non-special education categories due to resource limitations, the ratio of spending for special education was more in line with the sate average.  Over time, as relative spending on non-special education costs has shrunk, it only makes sense that the share of the whole represented by special education costs has grown.  The truth is that our school district has done a cost effective job of providing special education programming (please see my budget message to Town Meeting here for more details).

If someone tries to tell you that Shrewsbury spends too much on special education because it spends a larger percentage of its total budget on that category, you can explain how the facts show that this claim is bogus.  I am confident that our community has enough common sense to recognize a false argument like this one.

Textbook Backlog

The yearly budget for textbooks and instructional materials for our school district was about $430,000 in FY 2008, which was already modest for a district of our size (as a comparison, our neighbor Westborough budgeted over $500,000 this year for curriculum supplies and textbooks, and they have about 2,400 fewer students than we do).  For the past five years, student learning materials have been severely underfunded due to our resource limitations, averaging about $57,000 per year, or 87% lower than FY 2008.  

One consequence of this lack of investment is that our math textbooks and instructional materials have been out of alignment with the state's updated curriculum frameworks, on which our students started being tested last year through the MCAS.  Next year's budget will require about $343,000 towards the purchase of updated math curriculum resources.  Without the additional funding from a supplemental budget that will be available through a successful override, we will need to cut other personnel and programming from our current program to fund this critical need.  For more information on our curriculum needs, click here.

Appreciating Our Teachers

Since my first ever blog post is on National Teacher Appreciation Day, I think it’s appropriate to state my appreciation for the extraordinary work that our teachers do.  Shrewsbury has a long history of employing superb educators who do outstanding work teaching our students in the classroom or supporting them as psychologists, counselors, or other specialist professional roles.

In my almost 17 years in the school district as assistant principal, principal, and district level administrator, I am aware of countless examples of Shrewsbury teachers going far beyond the call of duty in order to make a difference in the lives of their students.   There are few, if any, districts in the state where the overall level of skill and dedication among educators is as high as it is in Shrewsbury.  Research indicates that the quality of a student’s teachers is the most important school-based factor in his or her success, and it is no coincidence that our schools’ results have been so strong over the decades despite spending far below what most districts do.  Simply put, Shrewsbury has great educators.

Over the past several years, I have also had the benefit of viewing our schools through a different lens – that of parent.  While I always knew professionally how important it was for a student to feel that their teachers care about them and are committed to helping them succeed, I have now personally seen how my own daughters’ education has been positively influenced in this way.  Their teachers have done their best to take the time to get to know them and build strong relationships with them, which in turn motivates them to strive to do their best to meet the high expectations set for Shrewsbury students.  My wife and I know that we are forever indebted to our girls’ teachers for helping to shape them into who they are now, and who they will become in the future.

Our teachers have superb technical teaching skills, but they also provide that human touch where students know that their teacher truly cares for them and believes in them, and that sometimes that makes all the difference.  On this Teacher Appreciation Day, I hope you’ll join me in thanking our educators and supporting the hard work that they do to improve the lives of our students and the quality of our town.