Redistricting Team - Seeking Input

Weekly Construction Update - July 31, 2017

Work has continued to happen at a rapid pace on the high school site throughout the summer, and steel work is continuing to proceed very well!  Since these stories are best told through pictures:

 View from the southwest corner of the site

 Looking at the two southern academic wings (areas C and D)

Panoramic picture from the west side of the site 

 Looking down the main hallway of the academic building from the north

Looking at the steel for the academic areas (C, D, E) from the east

Here is the list of construction activities for the coming week:

• Site utilities are ongoing
• Temp storm water facilities are in place and continue to function as expected
• Under-slab coordination is complete; Slab On Deck ("SOD") pours are scheduled to start within the next week and Slab On Grade ("SOG") pours following in early August
• Foundations are 99% complete
• Continued waterproofing, insulation, backfilling, compaction, and grading operations are ongoing throughout the site
• Structural steel is complete at building C, nearing completion at building D, and underway at building E.
• Coordination of brick and mortar selection, as well as planning for important masonry detailing, is underway with the masonry trade contractor
• Mock-ups for masonry selection and ultimately all other facade materials are in the planning stages as the applicable sub-contractors are bought out
• Items expected to commence in August include spray-on fireproofing ("SOFP") and roof blocking with main branches for HVAC and Fire Protection following towards September 

Introducing the Redistricting Team

In September 2019, the Billerica Public Schools will be going through a grade reconfiguration with the new Billerica Memorial High School opening for Grades 8-12, the two middle schools shifting to Grade 5-7 buildings, and the five remaining elementary schools serving Grades K-4.  We will also be closing the Vining School at the end of the 2018-19 school year.  For more information about the reconfiguration, please visit our FAQ document at http://tinyurl.com/bpsgradefaq.

These changes will require a redrawing of attendance lines for all elementary and middle schools across the district in order to provide the best education for all students in Billerica.  As this process will impact each of our schools, the Billerica Redistricting Team was formed and will be seeking input from the community throughout the process.  The Redistricting Team is composed of school personnel and parents representing each current elementary school attendance area and the members are:

Diana Aguila, Parent, Hajjar District (diana.aguila@pega.com)
Christine Balzotti, Principal, Dutile ES (cbalzotti@billericak12.com)
Jennifer Bartes, Parent, Ditson District (jrbartes@gmail.com)
Tracey Burke, Parent, Vining District (traceybrown76@msn.com)
Rebecca Chaffee, Parent, Kennedy District (rchaffee@comcast.net)
Michael Domina, Parent, Dutile District (mdomina71@yahoo.com)
James Gately, Chair, Billerica School Committee (jgately@billericak12.com)
Jill Geiser, Assistant Superintendent (jgeiser@billericak12.com)
Rob Haggerty, Parent, Parker District (robert.haggerty@rsa.com)
Robin Hulsoor, Director of Finance and Operations (rhulsoor@billericak12.com)
David Marble, Principal, Kennedy ES (dmarble@billericak12.com)
George McCormack, Assistant Business Administrator (gmccormack@billericak12.com)
Tim Piwowar, Superintendent (tpiwowar@billericak12.com)
Mike Rossi, Principal, Marshall MS (mrossi@billericak12.com)
Suzanne Sullivan, Principal, Parker ES (sgsullivan@billericak12.com)

Later today, the team will be putting out its first survey to solicit input from the community about what is important in this process; we value your thoughts and hope you will share them with us!

Grade Configuration FAQ

BILLERICA PUBLIC SCHOOLS

GRADE CONFIGURATION

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

As you are probably aware, the Billerica Public Schools are currently building a new Billerica Memorial High School that will serve Grades 8-12.  This was approved by the Billerica School Committee and Billerica Memorial High School Building Committee in March 2015 in order to address educational and facility needs in the district.  Below, please find some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about this new configuration.

Where did the idea of a Grade 8-12 high school originate?

This idea came out of the district’s comprehensive master facilities plan that was developed in 2012, and is designed to address both educational and facility needs in the district.  It originated during a series of educational visioning sessions done as part of the development of the plan.  During those sessions, we had about 50-60 participants that included administrators, teachers, parents, students, town officials, and community members.

The plan to bring Grade 8 into the high school would be done in conjunction with a building project that created physical separation between a Grade 8-9 part of a building and a Grade 10-12 part of a building.  One of the big motivators was to create better transitions for adolescent students as they move from middle school to high school.

What are the educational reasons to add Grade 8 to Grade 9-12?

The transition from middle school to high school can be a difficult one for many students.  By creating an environment where Grade 8 and Grade 9 students are clustered together within a high school building, separated from the older students, it has the potential to create a smaller and more conducive learning environment for students during these critical years. 

At the same time, moving Grade 8 into the high school would provide opportunities for students who excel to take advantage of greater learning opportunities that they would not have access to in a middle school setting, e.g., advanced math, fine arts, etc.

Beyond these two reasons, adding Grade 8 to the high school would also increase the number of students that are able to access a modern educational facility in a given year.

What are the financial/facility reasons to add Grade 8 to Grade 9-12, and what impact would it have on the other schools in the district?

In the 2012 master planning study, the district looked at all of the school buildings in order to identify a long-range plan that made sense for the district as a whole.  The study identified that the majority of our elementary schools were undersized for their current populations and were relying on temporary modular buildings that have outlived their normal lifespan.  By building a Grade 8-12 high school, this relieves pressure on the elementary schools by shifting the grades in the other buildings as follows:

	Current	With 8-12 high school
High School	Grades 9-12	Grades 8-12 (8-9/10-12)
Middle Schools	Grades 6-8	Grades 5-7
Elementary Schools	Grades K-5	Grades K-4

Is it true that the Vining School would close if a Grade 8-12 school is built?

Yes.  By shifting the grade spans of the elementary schools to K-4, this would create enough room in the other five elementary school buildings to house the district’s population. 

Although the Vining is an excellent school, it has physical limitations as it is the district’s oldest elementary school, built in 1957.  It currently houses only 201 students (as of the end of the 2016-17 school year), and the master planning study identified over $13 million of capital improvement work needed in the building.  Closing the Vining would remove the financial liability associated with maintaining this older building as a school, and has the potential to identify cost savings in the operating budget through consolidation of district resources.

If the Vining were to close, this would necessitate the need to look at attendance boundary lines for all of our elementary schools.  One of our goals in redrawing these lines would be to try to create a direct correspondence between elementary schools and middle schools, so that students from the same elementary school would not be split up into two different middle schools as they transition.

How would you look to manage the age range of students in a Grade 8-12 building?

By creating physical separation between the Grade 8-9 part of the building and the Grade 10-12 part of the building, students would have little interaction during the school day.  The two areas of the building will share common areas (e.g., library, cafeteria, gymnasium), but will have their own administrative support systems.

Would Grade 8 students be able to participate in athletics, performance groups, or other high school extracurricular activities?

Yes.  In fact, in selected sports with smaller numbers, some Grade 8 students already participate through athletic waivers; this would open up the opportunity to all Grade 8 students.  Similarly, other activities would be accessible for all students.

When will the changes occur?

The new grade configuration and associated redistricting will take effect when the new high school opens in September 2019 at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year.

Where can I find out more information?

Information about the Building Committee can be found at http://tinyurl.com/bmhsbuild, on Facebook at http://facebook.com/bmhsbuild, or on Twitter at @NEWBMHS. 

Athletic Director - Finalists

We are pleased to announce that we have three finalist candidates for the position of Athletic Director for the Billerica Public Schools. Public interviews of each finalist will be conducted tomorrow evening, Thursday, July 27, in the Auditorium at Billerica Town Hall.

The three finalists are:

6:00pm: Mr. Sean Glavin
Mr. Glavin is the Director of Finance and Operations for Valley Collaborative


7:00pm: Mr. Michael McCaffrey
Mr. McCaffrey is the Athletic Director at Groton-Dunstable Regional School District


8:00pm: Mr. John Magliozzi
Mr. Magliozzi is a business teacher, DECA advisor, and Faculty Manager for Billerica Memorial High School


We invite members of the public to come to the interviews tomorrow evening.

Finalist Candidates - Assistant Director of Special Education

We are pleased to announce that we have two finalist candidates for the position of Assistant Director of Special Education. Public interviews of each finalist will be conducted this coming Wednesday, July 26, in Room 210 at Billerica Town Hall. 

The two finalists are:

4:30 pm: Jeffrey Lappin

Mr. Lappin is the former Supervisor of Therapeutic and Clinical Services for the Medford Public Schools.

5:30pm: Philippa Young

Ms. Young is the Director of Student Services for the Hull Public Schools.

Members of the public are invited to attend and provide feedback upon the conclusion of the interviews.

Director of Athletics Screening Committee

The Billerica Public Schools is currently seeking highly qualified candidates to apply for the position of Director of Athletics, which has become available for the 2017-18 school year. We are assembling a Screening Committee to assist in the search process. The Screening Committee will be led by Tom Murphy, Principal of BMHS, and will review applications, interview candidates, and recommend several candidates to the Superintendent as finalists for the position.

The Billerica Public Schools invites one (1) assistant principal, four (4) coaches, (3) parents/community members, and one (1) student to join Mr. Murphy on the Director of Athletics Screening Committee. People who serve on the Screening Committee should be able to attend several meetings including the candidate interview sessions. The first meeting of the Screening Committee will be held on Monday, July 17, 2017 at 1:00 in the Collins Room, located in the Billerica Town Hall. During this meeting, the screening committee will discuss the interview process, begin to review applications, and develop potential interview questions. Many tasks must be accomplished during this meeting so members should plan to be available for approximately two hours. A subsequent meeting will be held on Thursday, July 20 at 1:00 P.M., with screening committee interviews scheduled on July 25 and July 26.

Selecting a new Director of Athletics is an important activity for the community, and it requires a commitment of time and energy. If you are interested in serving on the Director of Athletics Screening Committee, please forward a letter of interest to Tom Murphy, BMHS Principal, at tmurphy@billericak12.com, no later than Thursday, July 13, 2017.