Bedford (NH) Superintendent of Schools

Deliberative Session February 7

2012-02-03T10:25:00.006-05:00

The Bedford School District 2012 Deliberative Session will be held on Tuesday, February 7 @ 7:00 pm in the Bedford High School Theater. The purpose of the meeting will be review the 2012 BSD Warrant. Those in attendance may make revisions to the warrant. Any revision to the warrant must be approved by the majority in attendance that evening. The all day ballot vote will be Tuesday, March 13 from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Bedford High School gymnasium.

More information about the Proposed FY2013 BSD Budget may be found on the BSD website at http://www.sau25.net/departments.cfm?subpage=1381201.

More information about the tentative agreement between the Bedford School Board and the Bedford Education Association (BEA) may be found on the BSD website at http://www.sau25.net/departments.cfm?subpage=1460416.

Online Learning Study Committee Report

2011-12-27T09:45:00.012-05:00

The Bedford School Board heard a presentation from the Online Learning Study Committee in December, 2011. Study committee members David Frederick and Christina Wilczewski reported on research conducted by the study committee in five areas: (1) Wireless Networking & Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) to school, (2) Best Practices in Blended Learning, (3) Online Professional Development, (4) Learning Management Systems, and (5) Online Learning Options for students. In addition, the study committee conducted a survey of NH School Administrative Units. This report represents a culmination of six months of work by the study committee, which was comprised of parents, school board members, teachers, technology integration specialists, and administrators. Click here to view the Executive Summary.

FY2013 Preliminary Budget

2011-12-27T07:47:00.008-05:00

At the December 19, 2011 meeting, the Bedford School Board concluded its review of the FY2013 Preliminary Budget. The FY2013 Preliminary Budget is approximately $60.0 million, $330,000 less than FY2012. This does not include the cost items associated with collective bargaining agreements, which will be presented to voters in separate articles. The FY2013 Preliminary Default Budget is approximately $315,000 higher.

The next step in the budget development process is for the school board to hold a budget hearing and subsequent to the hearing, formally adopt the "bottom line" operating budget. The budget hearing will take place on Wednesday, January 4, 2012 @ 7:00 p.m. at BCTV. The "snow date" for the budget hearing is Thursday, January 5, 2012 @ 7:00 p.m. at BCTV. At the conclusion of the hearing, the board will recess the hearing and then convene a meeting to vote on the FY2013 "bottom line" operating budget and determine the board's recommendations for warrant articles. The board could make adjustments to the preliminary budget at this time.

Complete budget information is, and will be, posted on the district website under Business Services. The direct link is http://www.sau25.net/departments.cfm?subpage=1381201

Should you have specific questions pertaining the FY2013 Preliminary Budget feel free to contact Dawna Duhamel, BSD Chief Financial Officer.

NH Presidential Primary - January 10

2011-11-07T15:09:00.007-05:00

New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner has announced that the date for the NH Presidential Primary will be Tuesday, January 10, 2012. We originally had this event scheduled for February 14, 2012, the best information at the time, but noted that this date was subject to change. As a result, there will be no school for students (Teachers will have a professional development day) on Tuesday, January 10 and Tuesday, February 14 will be a regular school day.

Regular Bus Stops/Routes Return

2011-11-06T20:50:00.002-05:00

All regular Bedford School District bus stops/routes are being used as of Friday (11/4/2011) afternoon.

School Board Coffee - November 10

2011-11-06T20:45:00.001-05:00

The PTG will host a coffee at the Bedford Public Library on Thursday, November 10 at 10:30 a.m. School board chair Terry Wolf, vice chair Cindy Chagnon and Superintendent Tim Mayes will discuss current happenings in the district and answer questions.

Tweeting

2011-11-06T15:57:00.003-05:00

Follow me on twitter by clicking on the link below. I will be posting school closures, delays, and other information as appropriate.

Schools Open on Thursday 11/3/2011

2011-11-02T18:08:00.001-04:00

Bedford schools will be open on Thursday, November 3. There are 3-4 bus routes that will be impacted by road closures and/or low hanging wires. We will post alternate bus stops later this evening for those routes.

Presidential Primary

2011-10-18T20:34:00.008-04:00

In planning the 2011/12 school calendar last January, the date for the NH Primary was scheduled for February 14, 2012. We identified this date as a district workshop day and labeled the date as subject to change on the calendar. Now that we are entering the primary season, it appears that the NH Presidential Primary may be scheduled for December or early January 2012 at the latest.

As soon as the district knows the actual primary date, we will communicate this information to all students and parents. There will be no school for students on the NH Primary day and the professional staff will participate in in-district professional development. As a result, February 14 will be a regular school day.

I will post an update on my blog once this primary date is confirmed.

School Calendar Study Committee

2011-10-02T20:39:00.017-04:00

The Bedford School Board has established a School Calendar Study Committee, a school board subcommittee. The purpose of this study committee is to explore options for a school year calendar that the district could implement that maintains learning as a priority for students. The committee will be submitting a final report with its findings to the School Board in January 2012. The study committee will be comprised of building administrators, parents, teachers, school board members and a central office administrator.

Two at-large parents/community members will serve on the committee. Interested parents/community members should send a letter of interest to Tim Mayes, Superintendent of Schools, 103 County Road, Bedford, NH 03110 or via email at mayest@sau25.net.

Hurricane Irene

2011-08-26T15:02:00.001-04:00

Hurricane Irene is bearing down on New England and should be passing through NH on Sunday. We will be making a decision Saturday afternoon concerning Bedford schools being open Monday (8/29). If schools are closed on Monday, notification will be made using the district's typical procedures, e.g. AlertNow system, various radio/television stations, BCTV, and the district's web site. Although this is a fast moving storm, there are indications that NH may experience significant tree damage and power outages.

In addition, the district will be shutting down its network from Friday night until Monday. Access to information in PowerSchool and Teacher Notes will not be possible over the weekend.

Be safe!

State Budget Impacts/Contingency Plan

2011-07-05T08:53:00.008-04:00

The Legislature has completed its work on the two-year budget for the State of NH. The budget was approved without the governor's signature. One of the major impacts to our FY2012 budget were reforms to the NH pension system. June 29, 2011 I received an informational bulletin from the NH Retirement System (click here for link) outlining some of these pension reforms. To summarize...

Employee rates will increase to 7.0% of salary beginning on July 1, 2011

Employers will assume 100% of the rate for their employee's effective July 1, 2011. Previously this was subsidized by the State of NH @ 25.0%. This is an increase in our expenses of approximately $1 million for FY2012 that was not budgeted.

The NHRS plans to begin a process to re-certify employer rates for FY2012 and FY2013 based on the reforms made by the legislature to the pension system and expect to complete this process in 1-3 months. These new rates would be effective upon approval by the NHRS Board of Directors and not retroactive.

The NHRS Board of Directors voted in June 2011, to seek an injunction to stop the implementation of part of the pension reform legislation. Specifically, this injunction is meant to prohibit using the same demographics and projected rate of return on investments that were used in the employer rate certification process in November 2011 for FY 2012 and FY213. The NHRS Board of Directors recently lowered the projected rate of return on investments from 8.5% to 7.75% based on advice from their actuaries. Using the new lower projected rate of return on investments would most likely result in higher, not lower employer contribution rates for FY2012 and FY2013.

The reform legislation changes the composition of the NHRS Board of Directors effective July 1, 2011.

The state level NEA, Fire and Police unions have filed a suit against the pension reforms claiming that some of the changes are illegal.

The Bedford School Board at their June 27, 2011 meeting approved the use of Bedford's ARRA Ed Jobs Grant (approx. $238,000) in FY2012 to supplant school level salaries. In addition, they approved the use of FY2011 year-end funds to be used to pay for the Peter Woodbury School roof project ($290,000). These were two items included in the contingency plan adopted by the Board in April 2011 that needed to be decided prior to the end of the current fiscal year (June 30). The contingency plan was developed and approved by the Board in April 2011 to prepare for the potential additional expenses due to pension reform as well as reductions in aid for vocational education tuition. The board accepted my recommendation to hold off on any final decision on the remainder of the contingency plan until their July 11 meeting. My recommendation was meant to provide a little more time before the Board makes a final decision to implement the plan. Given that we most likely will not know the impact of the pension reforms and the legal challenges for a while ... and we are being billed for 100% of the employer retirement rate as of July 1, 2011 it seems inevitable that we will need to implement the contingency plan in its entirety. However, this decision will not be made until the July 11 Board meeting.

As it stands today, after the July 11 board meeting, principals will begin finalizing student assignments for grades K-6 and communicating these assignments mid-July (if they haven't already been communicated). The middle school and high school student schedules will probably not be completed until mid-August due to their complexity and will be communicated prior to the opening of school.

It has been an interesting spring ... and the summer looks to be just as challenging.

May ... A Great Month for Bedford Schools

2011-05-31T09:19:00.038-04:00

May is a month where we begin to see spring establish itself, although intially with lots of rain this year! Flowers bloom, leaves return to trees, and the grass grows green ... and grows and grows and grows! In Bedford schools, May is a sign that the school year is coming to a close with several culminating events. This month we had a great deal to celebrate.

Music Concerts: Every school held its spring concerts. Students demonstrated their vocal and instrumental talents to large crowds of parents, relatives, and the community. The growth in the quality of performance since the fall is testimony to the hard work and hours of practice by our young musicians. The district is blessed to have quality music educators leading programs, and these concerts were the fruits of their labors.

Grandparents' Days: Each elementary school and the intermediate school held Grandparents Day to have our students' relatives visit school for the morning. Grandparents have the opportunity to visit their grandchild's classroom, view some of their work, and oberve music productions. It is a wonderful day to celebrate learning, grandparents and (grand)children.

Memorial Day Presentation: Lurgio Middle School Pod 7 South held their annual Memorial Day Celebration. Students recite readings as part of the program to honor those Americans who have served in harm's way to allow us to live in freedom. Veterans and community members who served are recognized as part of the program.

Senior Project Presentations: Seniors at Bedford High School publicly presented the oral portion of their Senior Project to a review panel, classmates, friends and members of the community. This is a culminating activity bringing to close months of research and work to complete an investigation and apply this new knowledge about a topic of interest to the student. The projects were diverse, the audiences were respectful and supportive, and the oral presentations thoughtful and passionate. This will be one of many celebratory events for these seniors as they prepare to graduate from Bedford High School and leave the Bedford School District.

Professional Development: Friday, May 27 was the final professional development day for the district's professional staff. Among many tasks, teachers met in teams to review student performance data to determine the success of personal/grade level goals. These results are reported to each building principal and to me via the principals' end-of-year reports.

Bedford ... Best Schools for the Buck: The final celebratory event occurred in the beginning of the month, as Bedford School District was selected as the 5th best school district in the United States by the Forbes / GreatSchools Best Schools for the Real Estate Buck Program. This is testimony to the commitment to education and learning shared by students, parents, teachers, administrators, staff and the community. Thank you.

Bedford-Bests Schools for Your Real Estate Buck!

2011-04-29T09:28:00.009-04:00

The Bedford School District was recognized by Forbes Magazine and Greatschools.org as one of the country's best in a recent study/program entitled, "The Best Schools for Your Real Estate Buck." School districts were recognized for student achievement based on compilations using National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and state testing results. Communities had to have a minimum population of 10,000 and at least five schools in the district.

In receiving this recognition, we acknowledge the efforts of our students and their families, our teachers who make such a difference in the lives of our students, our support staff, and school and district administrators who lead our schools. Each contributes in their own way to support the mission of our district,

The mission of the Bedford School District is to develop a community of learners who are intellectually curious, resourceful, and respectful of self and others. Academic achievement, through constantly improving standards, is the district's highest priority.

For more information click on the following links: Forbes Magazine (click here), Greatschools.org (click here).

State Budget Impact Planning

2011-03-31T19:51:00.008-04:00

At the Monday, April 4th Bedford School Board meeting, I will be providing an overview of options for consideration as our district plans to address potential unplanned 2011/12 expenses due to State budget reductions. The major impacts to our school district at the moment appear to be the State's share of the NH Retirement employer contribution (approximately $1 m) and the State's share of vocational education tuition (up to $145 k). At Monday's meeting I plan to review the following:

The potential unplanned expenses that Bedford could face based on pending legislation ... noting that nothing is for certain at this point.
The steps I have taken to date as a result of this situation.
Options for the school board to consider to address these potential unplanned expenses including:
- Special School District Meeting
- Peter Woodbury Roof Replacement
- Ed Jobs Grant
- Additional 2011/12 budget reductions
The impact this uncertainty will have on students and employees

The school board meeting begins @ 7:00 p.m. at the SAU #25 Offices, 103 County Rd. The full school board agenda is available by clicking here.

Why Support Bedford Schools?

2011-03-06T13:24:00.049-05:00

It seems that this question is on the minds of many as they contemplate how to vote on school matters on Tuesday at the all-day ballot vote at Bedford High School from 7:00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. I offer four key reasons why I believe that the answer should be yes for all questions on the school ballot.

First, the district has demonstrated results on its Mission, "Academic achievement, through constantly improving standards, is the district's highest priority." Students in Bedford schools perform well. It doesn't matter their background, or their ability or disability, the students typically outperform their peers throughout the state. Bedford High School students scored in the top 4 out of over 100 NH high schools on the 2010 New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP), being #1 in percent of students proficient or better in reading and science. Click here if you want to view more student performance data.

Second, the district is efficient and effective in its use of resources. Historically Bedford per pupil costs are below state averages. When compared to south central NH school districts, Bedford's per pupil costs are competitive or lower for elementary, middle and high schools as reported by the NH Department of Education. For example, Souhegan High School's (Amherst/Mt. Vernon) per pupil costs for 2009/10 was $16,442 compared to Bedford High School's $11,337 per pupil cost ... a difference of $5,105 per student. Windham's 2009/10 per pupil costs for grades 9-10 was $20,336. Bedford High School's per pupil costs in 2007/08, its first year of operation with grades 9-10, was $15,187 ... a difference of $5,149 per student. Click here if you want to view more information on NH and regional school district per pupil costs.

Third, the district is investigating a variety of ways to increase revenues and be more effective with our resources. A study committee researched and recommended additional fees for services to the school board. One result was the increase of the student parking fee at BHS to $100 this year. The district is offering an extended Kindergarten option for 2011/12, for a fee, a win-win for some families and the district as it will be tax neutral. A new study committee was recently approved to research and recommend options to utilize online learning to decrease costs and increase revenues. We anticipate that this committee may make recommendations that will shape the district for years to come.

Finally, our employees make the difference. The academic performance of our students and the efficient and effective use of resources is not by accident. It is due to the conscientious, hard work of all employees and the school board. Our schools are clean and well maintained due to the maintenance/custodial staff. Our support staff provides the assistance that enables the professional staff and administration to focus on the priorities of the district. The professional staff ... teachers and administrators ... provide the educational opportunities and direct instruction our students need to be competitive. District salaries and benefits for teachers are not competitive for teachers with 5 years of experience or less ... which represents 26% of the professional staff. For example, teachers who have 5 years of experience, a master's degree, and elect a single medical plans rank 6th in net pay out of the 20 south central NH school districts. Teachers who have 5 years of experience, a master's degree, and elect 2-person medical plans rank 10th out of the 20 south central NH school districts. For this same group, Bedford's costs for the employee are 5th least costly out of the 20 south central NH school districts! Click here if you want to view more information on south central NH school district teacher net pay and district costs.

Supporting the negotiated agreements (Articles III and V) for employees is a just reward for a job well done. Supporting Article X, a petition article, will enable contract negotiations to continue with the school board and the Bedford Education Association. I am optimistic that a reasonable agreement can be reached. Not supporting reasonable compensation/benefits for employees will erode Bedford's competitive advantage for hiring quality employees. Although this may not have an immediate impact, it most certainly will over time as our district falls further behind our regional competition.

At a time when it is easy to say no, I encourage our community to invest in its educational system and say yes. Please take the time to vote on Tuesday, March 8 in the Bedford High School gymnasium from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

State Budget Impact on Bedford

2011-03-03T20:40:00.015-05:00

Governor Lynch has proposed a state budget for the next two years that has serious impacts to local school districts and municipalities. Three specific proposals could impact our school district.

The first two recommendations impact the amount of revenue Bedford would receive in School Building Aid and Catstrophic Aid. He is recommending that School Building Aid be prorated for the 2011/12 school year at 40%. This represents a reduction to Bedford of approximately $630,000.

He is also recommending that Catastrophic Aid, which reimburses school districts for students with disabilities be reduced. We estimate that this would mean a loss of approximately $280,000 in revenue. Combined, this loss of revenue exceeds $1 million and would increase the school tax rate.

The third recommendation, which will impact the 2011/12 budget, is to reduce the State's contribution to the employer portion of NH Retirement to 0%. This was previously reimbursed by the State @ 35%, but has been reduced to 30% and then 25% over the past two years. This additional expense would need to be adressed through additional reductions to the 2011/12 budget. We estimate the potential impact to Bedford to be approximately $1 million.

All these impacts still need to be vetted through the state budget development process of the NH Legislature. The deadline for this process to conclude is June 30, 2011. I expect that we will not know the result until late June or early July. This uncertainty will require me to develop a plan to address a $1 million additional budget expense. I anticipate having discussions with the school board concerning additional reductions in the April-May time period, as the final decisions rest with them.

As a direct result of having to addess a potential $1 million budget reduction, I am planning to initially nominate only continuing contract teachers for the 2011/12 school year. I will also nominate a small number of specialists that we know we will need to provide services to students with disabilities. I will delay nomination decisions on all other teachers until such time as a plan to address the $1 million additional expense has been presented and approved by the school board. As we develop and receive approval by the school board, we will gradually nominate and offer contracts to teachers/employees for whom we know we have funding. I anticipate that we can reach this point in the process by May. However, some of the additional reductions may need to be implemented. Again, the final state budget and thus any final reductions will not be confirmed until late June or early July.

Ultimately, we will prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

Deliberative Session, Tuesday @ 7:00 p.m.

2011-02-06T07:38:00.016-05:00

The Bedford School District Session I - Deliberations will be held Tuesday, February 8 @ 7:00 p.m. in the Bedford High School Gymnasium. The snow date and recess date (if necessary) is Wednesday, February 9 @ 7:00 p.m. in the BHS Gymnasium as well. The purpose of the Deliberative Session is to review the 2011 School District Warrant. Those in attendance may modify the warrant ... changes require a majority vote. The questions that appear on the School District Ballot at Session II - Ballot Vote on March 8, 2011 will be determined by those in attendance at this meeting.

Information on the school district budget is available at the following link: http://www.sau25.net/departments.cfm?subpage=1231076

2010 NECAP Results

2011-02-02T20:54:00.010-05:00

The results from the October 2010 NECAP were released this week and I want to thank the entire staff, teachers, support staff, and administration for the efforts that helped our students perform so well. Here are three highlights. In reading, only Hanover-Dresden and Strafford had a higher percentage of students proficient or better among all K-12 districts in the state. We had 2,487 students participate in the tests by the way. In mathematics in eleventh grade, our students have improved from 48% proficient or higher in 2007/08 to 58% in 2009/10. In writing, an area of intense focus in the district for the past three years, we are first among our peer districts on the fifth grade test.

While the NECAP is only one measure of achievement, I think we all have reason to be proud of our students' efforts. Principals have begun to dig into the data looking for areas to continue to improve. And there are some, to be sure. We will be talking about these details in the coming days and weeks. But first, I want to make sure you know how much I appreciate the work all of you do to make our district a place where students can succeed!

Presidential Scholars

2011-02-02T09:27:00.017-05:00

I was recently informed by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars and the United State Department of Education that Bedford High School seniors Michael Cambria, Daniel Kassler, and Sean Pawley have been selected as candidates for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.

The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964 by Executive Order of the President to recognize and honor some of our nation's most distinguished graduating seniors. In 1979, the program was expanded to recognize students who demonstrated exceptional scholarship and talent in the visual, creative, and performing arts. Annually, up to 141 students are chosen from among outstanding seniors to become U.S. Presidential Scholars, one of the nation's highest honors for high school students.

Students have the opportunity to become U.S. Presidential Scholars based on two paths of accomplishment. The majority (up to 121) of Scholars are selected on the basis of broad academic achievement. Approximately twenty additional students are selected on the basis of their academic and artistic scholarship in the visual arts, the performing arts, or creative writing. Approximately 500 candidates will be named semifinalists in late winter with the U.S. Presidential Scholars selected in April, 2011. Each Presidential Scholar is asked to identify one teacher who has influenced him or her, and the selected educators are also invited to attend the recognition events. Bedford High School graduate Harry Potter was selected as a U.S. Presidential Scholar in 2010. Harry selected BHS Humanities teacher Lori Dumaine to be recognized with him in Washington. For more information about the US Presidential Scholars Program, visit the website http://www.ed.gov/programs/psp/index.html (case sensitive).

I congratulate Michael, Daniel and Sean for their being selected to participate in this very prestigious recognition program and wish them much success. Go Bulldogs!

Young Lurgio Writers Recognized

2011-01-26T07:40:00.013-05:00

Congratulations to the 2010 Ross A. Lurgio Middle School literary magazine staff and advisor. They were recognized in the 2010 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Program to Recognize Excellence in Student Literary Magazines. The Lurgio Lens received an "Excellent" rating, the only New Hampshire middle school to be recognized. An "Excellent" ranking is determined by a score of 81-90 out of 100 on the rubric used to evaluate each entry. Click here to see the rubric.

The program's mission is to encourage all schools to develop literary magazines, seeking excellence in writing and school-wide participation in production. Bedford's teachers and administrators have focused on developing student writing at all grades for the past three years and continue to see improved writing at all schools.

Kudos to The Lurgio Lens student editors Ryan Anastasi, Allison Barnes, Paige Bibbo, Meaghan Chardonnet, Haley Ness, Allie Vogtie and Faculty Advisor Carrie DeBell. Three NH high schools were also recognized in the program. The listing of all ranked magazines is available on the NCTE website at http://www.ncte.org/awards/student/PRESLM.

Online Learning as a Profit Center Study Committee

2011-01-22T16:14:00.010-05:00

The Bedford School Board is forming an Online Learning as a Profit Center Study Committee. The purpose of the committee is to explore options that the district could implement to increase learning for students in and out of the district as a potential profit center for the district. The committee will be organized in early February and begin its work shortly thereafter. A preliminary report to the school board is planned for May 2011 and a final report is scheduled for September 2011.

The board is seeking three (3) community members (having direct business and/or entrepreneurial experience is preferred for at least one of the community member positions) to work with two members of the school board; a parent; school level administration and technology staff; two classroom teachers; and central office administration. Letter of interest will be accepted through Monday, January 31, 2011. Interested community members may submit a letter of interest (or email mayest@sau25.net ) to:

Timothy Mayes
Superintendent of Schools
Bedford School District
103 County Road
Bedford, NH 03110

Further information pertaining to the committee charge and membership is available on the district web site at www.sau25.net/ under "News and Updates."

School Budget Hearing Tuesday, January 11 @ 7:00 p.m.

2011-01-09T20:16:00.005-05:00

The Bedford School District 2011/12 Budget Hearing will be held this Tuesday, January 11 @ 7:00 p.m. in the Bedford High School Theater. The school board will be presenting information about the school district, its goals, student assessment data, as well as detailed preliminary budget information. The purpose of the hearing is to present this information for the community and to get feedback and answer questions on the preliminary budget. After the hearing, the school board will establish the 2011/12 operating budget and review the school district warrant.

One of the reductions to the preliminary budget is the elimination of three (3) high school buses for next year. This will require redesigning all of the high school bus routes and stops. Students may need to travel further distances (some up to 2 miles) to the stop closest to their residence. The school board will be explaining this change at the hearing.

Information will be posted on the district's web site on Tuesday evening prior to the hearing so that members of the community can access the information used at the hearing.

2011/12 Budget Development Update

2010-12-29T08:35:00.007-05:00

The Bedford School District budget development process is nearing completion. The Bedford School Board will hold its last budget work session on Tuesday, January 4, 2011 @ 7:00 p.m. in the SAU Office Board Room. Among the items to be discussed are: high school bus routes; possible budget reductions totalling $750,000; fees and revenues; International Baccalaureate Program; and a proposed study committee on Online Learning as a Profit Center.

The School District's Budget Hearing on the 2011/12 Preliminary Budget is scheduled for Tuesday, January 11, 2011 @ 7:00 p.m. in the BHS Theater. The school board will present the preliminary budget to the community and hear feedback. At the conclusion of this hearing, the school board will establish the "bottom line" for the 2011/12 operating budget.

Winter Weather Information

2010-11-30T09:49:00.012-05:00

Don't let this wonderful fall weather fool you ... winter is on its way! Just the other day, I saw some snowflakes during a brief rainstorm. We use the ALERTNOW mass notification system to communicate school closures, delays (2-hr.) and dismissals and we will continue this practice this year. Once a decision is made to close or delay school, I will notify staff beginning @ 5:00 a.m. and parents/guardians of our students beginning @ 6:00 a.m.

Early dismissals will only be used in extreme situations. If a decision is made to dismiss school early, we will notify parents/guardians as soon as possible in order to give time to get home from work or make arrangements for supervision of their children. Please make sure that your Primary Emergency Notification telephone number is accurate. This information was collected/updated at the start of the school year, but if you have changed residences or telephone numbers, please contact your school's secretary to update this information.In addition to using the ALERTNOW system, we will be posting school closure/delay/early dismissal notices on the following radio and television stations:

BCTV/Channel 16 & 22 on cable
WZID/WFEA
WGIR
WBZ-TV/Channel 4
WCVB-TV/Channel 5
WHDH-TV/Channel 7
WMUR-TV/Channel 9

The current school calendar has our tentative last day of school for students as Friday, June 10, 2011. As required by NH Department of Education (DOE) regulations, we include in our school calendar ten (10) additional "make-up" days to be used in case of closures for weather or other emergencies. These additional days are from Monday, June 13 to Friday, June 24, 2011 to be used as necessary. All NH school districts are required by NH DOE regulations to have 180 days of school for students. You can review the 2010/11 school calendar by clicking here. Let's hope for a mild winter!

Blue Ribbon Schools ... Again!

2010-10-24T18:37:00.015-04:00

On Monday morning all Bedford schools will be recognized as Blue Ribbon schools by the NH Partners in Education for superior volunteerism. Bedford has routinely enjoyed this annual recognition due in large part to the efforts of the Bedford Parent-Teacher Group (PTG). Year in, year out, the PTG puts in thousands of volunteer hours in all of our schools to support teachers, administrators and most importantly our students. Last year volunteers logged 36,183 hours in Bedford schools, approximately 1,500 hours more than in 2008/09. We thank all of our volunteers for their commitment to public education. If you are interested in learning more about the Bedford PTG, you can visit their web site by clicking here.

NECAP Science Results ... Good News!

2010-10-13T11:00:00.017-04:00

I want to share some remarkably good news. We recently received the results of the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) science tests administered to students in grades 4, 8 and 11 in May, 2010.

Based on these test results, we are one of the best districts in NH in terms of science performance. In fourth grade, we had the fourth highest score behind three very small districts (Plainfield, Moultonborough, and New Castle). In eighth grade, only Hampstead and Dresden/Lebanon did better than Bedford for districts with over 100 students (we had approximately 360+ students in 8th grade last year). And at Bedford High School, we were tied with Hanover for the highest percentage of students who were proficient and above. I want to thank all of our students, teachers, administrators, and parents who have made this possible ... you make me proud!

We are hosting a celebration on Wednesday, October 20 from 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. at the Math and Science Idea Center (room 29) at McKelvie Intermediate School. An informal drop-in and stay-as-long-as-you-like celebration, it will feature cider, treats and other seasonal goodies. Please RSVP to Jo Hendry at hendryj@sau25.net.

As a district, we know that we must keep our goals and expectations high and always strive to improve. However, given these wonderful results and the efforts of many to support our students' learning, we should take time to celebrate our success. Thank you for all that you do for our kids!

15 Minutes ... Makes a Difference

2010-09-11T22:16:00.021-04:00

Four years ago our district/community was involved in a discussion about the starting times of its schools. The discussion centered around what would be best for our students as well as the ability of the community to pay for the resulting bus transportation schedule. Since then, considerable research data has supported the decision by the Bedford School Board to have its older students begin school later in the day.

One such study conducted by University of Minnesota's Dr. Kyla Wahlstrom surveyed over 7,000 high schoolers in Minnesota about sleep habits and grades. Teens who received A's averaged about fifteen more minutes sleep than the B students, who in turn averaged fifteen minutes more than the C's, and so on. A similar study of 3,000 Rhode Island high schoolers by Brown University's Dr. Mary Carskadon found similar results.

Every fifteen minutes count!

Research for younger children also shows the importance of getting a good night's sleep. Dr. Avi Sadeh at Tel Aviv University collaborated with researchers at Brown University conducting a study of 77 fourth and sixth graders. Randomly, each student was given instructions to either go to bed earlier or stay up later. Students were given an actigraph ... a wrist watch device ... that allows the researcher to measure the amount of sleep the student is actually getting while in bed. The group that went to bed earlier averaged 31 minutes more sleep while the group that went to bed later got 30 minutes less sleep. After three days, students were administered a computerized version of parts of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, a test that is highly predictive of current achievement and how teachers rate the child's ability to maintain attention in class. The findings - the performance gap caused by an hour's difference in sleep was larger than the gap between a normal fourth grader and a normal sixth grader. That is, a sleepy sixth grader will perform in class like a fourth grader. "A loss of one hour of sleep is equivalent to [the loss of] two years of cognitive maturation and development," Sadeh explained.

A student's sleep habits is one of a number of topics contained in the book, Nuture Shock, written by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman. It is a quick read and contains a summary of research on ten topics that challenges some common beliefs of child development.

Welcome Back

2010-08-21T07:31:00.038-04:00

The 2010/11 school year begins for students on Wednesday, August 25th. Our school facilities have been prepared over the summer months for opening day by the hard work of custodial and maintenance staffs. We have completed one paving and one roof project, much smaller in scope than in prior years due budget constraints. New teacher and support staff orientations were held the week of August 16-19th to provide important information for employees new to our district. New teachers are provided mentors who support them throughout the year. In June, over seventy teachers participated in the district's annual Curriculum/Technology Institute. Specific curriculum lessons and units were developed incorporating the use of technology complete with formative and summative assessments.

See each school's web site for more specific information on the following:

Bus Routes/Schedules: Click here for 2010/11 bus routes/schedules by school.
Emergency Notification Collaborative: Click here for more information on a collaborative with the Bedford Police Department.
Communication with Staff: I encourage parents/guardians to take advantage of our "Meet and Greet" and/or fall open houses to get to know your child's teachers and administrators. Information should be available of each school's web site. Additionally, sign up to subscribe to principal and teacher "Notes" and/or bookmark the addresses of teacher/principal blogs to access class/course/school information throughout the year. Power School: Power School registration will allow you to view your child's grades, school lunch information, and other demographic data on a 24/7 basis. Registration can be completed online via the schools web page and at fall open houses.
BSD Facebook: Click here and become a Fan of the Bedford School District on Facebook.

Please check the Bedford (NH) Superintendent of Schools Blog for information throughout the school year. It can be accessed from any school/district website under Quick Links.