HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-04-2020 Fairhope Public Schools Commission Meeting MinutesFairhope Public Schools Commission
March 4, 2020
Members present: Robert Brown, Tanya Bosarge, Ken Cole, Danielle Mashburn-
Myrick, Carrie McLemore, Hill Robinson, Miranda Schrubbe, Cornelius Woods
Member absent: Robin Coleman
Baldwin County Public Schools: Renee Carter, Karen Dyess, Tom Hartner
Coordinator
Principals present: Jon Cardwell, Patrice Wolfe, Lynn Smith
Guest: Joe Kelly
Ken Cole opened the meeting, welcoming members and guests. A motion was made
and passed to approve the minutes of the February 5th meeting of the commission.
Guests from Baldwin County Public Schools -Renee Carter, Karen Dyess, and Tom
Hartner -were introduced. They were invited to attend this meeting of the FPSC to
provide information about the school system's efforts in support of academics and
maintaining the focus on Baldwin County's goal to have "Academics Lead."
The Dean of Academics, Renee Carter, reviewed the district wide report card grades
over the last 4 years, showing improvements over that period. Improvements
correlate with the implementation of the "Four-Part Plan," which provides for
curriculum leaders in all schools, a district wide literacy program known as "guided
reading," use of data analytics to guide teaching and intervention, and expansion of
eMints training for teachers.
Elementary Curriculum Coordinator Karen Dyess shared that there is a common
vision across the elementary grades, and that some keys to success at this level have
been differentiated instruction, guided reading, and professional learning for
teachers. There was discussion about the difficulty comparing state report card
"grades" from year to year since the assessments have changed frequently in recent
years at the elementary level. Ms. Dyess suggested ways the commission could assist
the elementary grades are with funding for: personnel to support RTI (intervention)
efforts, STEM-based materials, Guided Reading training/materials, professional
development opportunities, and school-based projects
Secondary Curriculum Coordinator Tom Hartner reviewed data trends for Fairhope
High School, going back to the 2014-2015 school year to show college readiness
benchmarks and ACT scores. He also showed improvement in graduation rates and
lower absenteeism from 2017 to 2019 at Fairhope High. Data for Fairhope Middle
School shows lower absenteeism and improved academic achievement over the
same period. Commission members indicated the need to see these numbers
alongside the numbers for the best-ranked schools in the state rather than the state
averages, as the aim for Fairhope schools is to compete with the most well
resourced schools in Alabama. Mr. Hartner shared information about a wide range
of resources and approaches being used to support students of all abilities, including
intervention, secondary guided reading, AP and 1B courses, as well as future plans
for enhanced career tech offerings at a new school being planned by the county.
In conclusion, Ms. Carter stressed the value of partnering to make sure struggling
AND high-performing students are getting what they need. She and her colleagues
will return as needed to address additional questions and concerns.
Principals in attendance were asked to start working on funding requests before the
commission's next meeting. Ms. Wolfe reported that the principals would be
meeting soon to identify common threads in the needs of their respective schools.
The next meeting of the FPSC will be on April 1 st at 4:30.
Meeting was adjourned at 5 :45.
Respectfully submitted by Miranda Schrubbe