CSO Meeting March, 2011

Agenda 9:00-9:30 Welcome and District Support Program Update 9:30-9:40 Communications: Discuss state initiatives and effective practices 9:40-9:50 Communications: District presentation 9:50-10:25 Communications: Facilitated breakout 10:25-10:35 Break 10:35-11:15 Resource allocation: Discuss effective practices 11:15-11:50 Resource allocation: Facilitated breakout 11:50-12:00 Wrap-up 12:00-1:00 Optional meeting for data coach liaisons

Objectives for today Discuss Support Program updates Understand effective practices for communications and work on the “communications and stakeholder engagement” part of your plan Understand effective practices for resource allocation and work on the “activities to remove” part of your plan

Support Program Updates (1/4) – Common Guidance All districts received a “Common Guidance” document based on the February 28 submissions A few additional themes emerged from last week’s phone calls with Chiefs: Districts need to have one plan Plans need to be focused and comprehensive Plans should be specific, not long-winded Consider having a community member read your full draft plan for clarity and understanding

Support Program Updates (2/4) – May meetings DRAFT Agenda: 90 minutes Welcome and agenda overview 5 minutes District presentation on the plan 10 minutes Q&A on the plan development and success factors 20 minutes Q&A specific to the individual district’s plan 40 minutes Wrap-up and agree on next steps 15 minutes Scheduling: All districts received dates and times from Margie Participants: Teams must include the Chief, teacher representation and board representation – districts are invited to bring other team members as desired Preparation: All districts will receive a detailed agenda three weeks in advance, including guidance for the presentation and specific questions

Support Program Updates (3/4) – Resources Visits All visit materials are online Please let us know how we can support districts in incorporating the lessons from visits Resources DOE has compiled a “resource index” handout aligning all resources to the plan components Please contact your facilitator or liaison if you have any questions April Chiefs’ Meeting The April Chiefs meeting has been cancelled due to the substantial amount of plan work Please use the time to prepare for the May meetings Please also use that time to complete a brief survey on the LEA Support Program

Support Program Updates (4/4) – Program Calendar Completed Date Activity September 23 Chief meeting Participants will receive up to 30 clock hours, based on attendance October 11, 12, or13 County workshop October 28 Chief meeting November 16 Chief meeting December 6, 7, or 8 County workshop December 14 Chief meeting January 27 Chief meeting February 7, 8, or 9 County workshop February 24 Chief meeting March 7, 8, or 9 County workshop March 24 Chief meeting April 11 Submit full draft of plan I heard your concerns about the additional time this program may require, and developed a calendar that takes advantage of previously scheduled time With this calendar, we are now looking at just one additional meeting from what was already scheduled May 4 - 11 In-person meetings with Secretary Lowery May 20 - 27 Submit final draft of plan Early June Receive funding decision from DOE

Agenda 9:00-9:30 Welcome and District Support Program Update 9:30-9:40 Communications: Discuss state initiatives and effective practices 9:40-9:50 Communications: District presentation 9:50-10:25 Communications: Facilitated breakout 10:25-10:35 Break 10:35-11:15 Resource allocation: Discuss effective practices 11:15-11:50 Resource allocation: Facilitated breakout 11:50-12:00 Wrap-up 12:00-1:00 Optional meeting for data coach liaisons

State Communications Initiatives Update Program overviews Recently completed one- to two-page backgrounders on each major initiative Soon to be posted on DOE website, updated regularly Teacher e-blasts New outlet to communicate directly on a regular basis with teachers, so as to share updates on RTTT and other initiatives LEA PIO meetings State public information officer meeting with district communications staff to share information, get feedback on how DOE can better coordinate with LEAs Website redesign Early stages of planning to revamp state’s website, making it easier to navigate and more useful to the public, with an RTTT-specific webpage Media coordination Daily media inquiry summaries sent from the state to all districts/ charters to keep LEAs informed of potential news stories before they appear in print Media training workshop Workshop on April 12th for districts and charters without public information officers to discuss effective practices for engaging the media

District Expectations for Communications 1) Stakeholder engagement to develop your plan (past) At a minimum, all districts should share their draft plans after the April 11 submission From the plan template: How did you engage stakeholders in the process of developing this plan? From the plan rubric: LEA should: Ensure that all stakeholders understand the plan and that representatives from all stakeholder groups have had an opportunity to provide input into the plan 2) Communications and stakeholder engagement (ongoing) From the plan template: What stakeholders will you need to engage in your implementation efforts? What mechanisms will you use to effectively engage with them on an ongoing basis? What are the key messages that will need to be delivered, and how do these differ by stakeholder? From the plan rubric: LEA should: Have a plan for ensuring that all stakeholders understand their roles in ensuring the plan’s success Develop a communications plan for ongoing dialogue with stakeholders Today’s breakout will give districts time to make progress on this part of their plans

Framework for Communications and Guiding Questions 1 Identify the stakeholder groups Which “groups” do we need to engage? Which groups do we need to inform? 2 Determine the objectives What does each group need in terms of communication? What are we trying to achieve with each group? 3 Develop the messages Why are we changing? How are we changing? What does this mean for each group? 4 Select the channels How will the messages be delivered - written or face-to-face, and through what venue? 5 Establish the timing When will the messages be delivered, and how frequently? 6 Provide feedback mechanisms How will we get feedback? How will we know whether our objectives have been achieved?

Agenda 9:00-9:30 Welcome and District Support Program Update 9:30-9:40 Communications: Discuss state initiatives and effective practices 9:40-9:50 Communications: District presentation 9:50-10:25 Communications: Facilitated breakout 10:25-10:35 Break 10:35-11:15 Resource allocation: Discuss effective practices 11:15-11:50 Resource allocation: Facilitated breakout 11:50-12:00 Wrap-up 12:00-1:00 Optional meeting for data coach liaisons

Caesar Rodney School District Newsletter What is Race to the Top? How is the Department of Education leading the change? What are the state requirements for Race to the Top? What are some Race to the Top terms? How does all of this change affect me and my students? Why a Success Academy and Freshman Academy at CRHS? What is a Success Academy? What is a Freshman Academy? For more information:

Caesar Rodney School District Race to the Top Implementation Priorities State Standards Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum SMART Goals Data to Compare Data Coaches Learning Focused Unit and Lesson Planning Common Assessments Using Data Reportable Timelines What data? Professional Learning Communities Teams as a basic Unit Learning, Collaboration and RESULTS District Team/Principals Team/ Building Leaders Team/Content or Grade Triangle of Interventions Professional Development Matches Needs/Effective Learning Focused/Assessment of/for Solution Tree/Stetson Time Studies/SAMS Intervention Programs Literacy and Numeracy In School and Out of School Expand Rigorous Coursework Master Schedule Culture of Learning Vision/Mission Norms/Loose/Tight Culture Instructional Feedbacks Effective Teacher and Leaders Instructional Monitoring DPAS II/Development Coaches Teacher & Leader Surveys Communicate and Engage Families and Community Student Achievement Recruit, Train, Promote, Retain, Remove

Agenda 9:00-9:30 Welcome and District Support Program Update 9:30-9:40 Communications: Discuss state initiatives and effective practices 9:40-9:50 Communications: District presentation 9:50-10:25 Communications: Facilitated breakout 10:25-10:35 Break 10:35-11:15 Resource allocation: Discuss effective practices 11:15-11:50 Resource allocation: Facilitated breakout 11:50-12:00 Wrap-up 12:00-1:00 Optional meeting for data coach liaisons

Facilitated breakout on communications What How Materials Time Discuss your communication and engagement plan for one stakeholder group With your district Flip charts, markers, and handouts 20 Share the above, as well as your district’s effective practices for communications With your table Flip chart with notes 15 Stakeholder groups Which “groups” do we need to engage? Which groups do we need to inform? Objectives What does each group need in terms of communication? What are we trying to achieve with each group? Messages Why are we changing? How are we changing? What does this mean for each group? Channels How will the messages be delivered - written or face-to-face, and through what venue? Timing When will the messages be delivered, and how frequently? Feedback Mechanism How will we get feedback? How will we know whether our objectives have been achieved?

Agenda 9:00-9:30 Welcome and District Support Program Update 9:30-9:40 Communications: Discuss state initiatives and effective practices 9:40-9:50 Communications: District presentation 9:50-10:25 Communications: Facilitated breakout 10:25-10:35 Break 10:35-11:15 Resource allocation: Discuss effective practices 11:15-11:50 Resource allocation: Facilitated breakout 11:50-12:00 Wrap-up 12:00-1:00 Optional meeting for data coach liaisons

Agenda 9:00-9:30 Welcome and District Support Program Update 9:30-9:40 Communications: Discuss state initiatives and effective practices 9:40-9:50 Communications: District presentation 9:50-10:25 Communications: Facilitated breakout 10:25-10:35 Break 10:35-11:15 Resource allocation: Discuss effective practices 11:15-11:50 Resource allocation: Facilitated breakout 11:50-12:00 Wrap-up 12:00-1:00 Optional meeting for data coach liaisons

Resource Allocation and the Relationship to District Plans 1) Activities to remove From the plan template and rubric: Background: Implementing new, more effective strategies/activities, by definition, means ceasing to do less effective ones. This section is intended to help LEAs think through what ineffective activities they will stop doing. In particular, LEAs are encouraged to identify those ineffective activities they are implementing that are using up significant monetary and non-monetary resources. Districts should use the planning process to discuss strategic resource allocation – which activities will be prioritized or de-prioritized, to ensure the success and sustainability of the overall effort DOE understands that these funds provide an opportunity for experimentation; sustainability should be approached from the perspective of how your district will evaluate program effectiveness and ensure that effective programs continue 2) Sustainability (per objective) From the plan template and rubric: How will LEA ensure that this is sustainable once RTTT funds are gone? Sustainability can be achieved through increased capacity or additional funds.

Strategic Resource Allocation The District Management Council Strategic Resource Allocation March 24, 2011

Agenda Approach to Strategic Resource Allocation Examples Discussion

School District Strategy & Execution Aspirational Vision Initiatives Action Plan Responsibilities Timelines Goals Measures Theory of Action Prioritization of Time and Money Focus for Today

Developing Strategic Resource Allocation Step-by-Step Stakeholder Engagement Assess Current Strategy and Budget Identify Misalignment Assess Impact of potential opportunities Prioritization & Buy-in Communication What is the district’s theory of action? What programs and initiatives support this theory? Is this an effective program or initiative? How do we know? How are these prioritized? Where are resources currently allocated? What is the flexibility of these allocations (e.g., contractual, legal, political)? Activities & Deliverables What resources do not advance the strategy? Where are we under-investing ? What resources are not creating student learning? Where can productivity be improved without impacting students? Where are opportunities to shift resources from less effective efforts towards strategic priorities? For each potential savings or investment opportunity, assess: What is the forecasted impact on student achievement? How else will the adjustment affect the system? What impact will this adjustment have on the community? How do we know this? What additional data do we need to make an informed decision? How will the district prioritize and rank the rationalization options? How much buy-in exists from the staff and community? Who will champion the change? How will the final decisions be reached? How will final decisions be shared? How will the process be communicated? Internally? Externally? Who will help deliver the message? How will questions and concerns be addressed? Facilitate Senior Team strategy session Detailed budget review Facilitate session of principals and senior administrators Line item analysis & detailed benchmarking Best practice comparison Scenario development Systems thinking framework Facilitate session of principals and senior administrators Software-based trade-off tools Develop communication plans and feedback process Develop implementation plans

Diagnostic Areas: General Education Targeted Study Areas Management of available seats Staff to student ratios and variance by school and subject Course offerings Use of partial FTEs Adjustment procedure based on enrollment fluctuations Enrollment projection, management Class Size Management Program Effectiveness Assess effectiveness of current programs (e.g., reading, intervention, math, gifted and talented, college readiness) Develop measure of “Return on Investment” (i.e. student learning/dollars spent) Non-classroom Staff Service delivery model for special education, ELL and other remediation and intervention efforts Assignment of nurses, social workers, physiologists and other specialized staff Teaching assistants Administrative organizational structure

Diagnostic Areas: Special Education Targeted Study Areas Related (Therapeutic) Services Speech therapy (caseload, group size, use of assistants, variance) Occupational therapy (caseload, group size, use of assistants, variance) Applied Behavioral Analysis support Scheduling efficiency IEP development guidelines Special Education Service Delivery Model Push-in versus pull-out models Role of special education teachers, testers and administrators Severe Needs Classrooms Class size by disability, variance Staffing model Non-teaching support staff Paraprofessional Staffing Assignment rules Scheduling Utilization

Diagnostic Areas: Operations Targeted Study Areas Maintenance Capital expenditures Custodial Revenue generation Facilities Purchasing Contracting and outsourcing Grants management Compliance (e.g., lost revenue) Reimbursement (e.g., Medicaid) Expense management Finance Transportation Contracting procedure Routing procedure, scheduling efficiency Special education transportation

Agenda Approach to Strategic Resource Allocation Examples Discussion

New Model: Shifting Staffing as Enrollment Shifts Regular ed Pupils per Regular Ed Teacher School 1 School 2 School 3 School 4 DMC has found savings opportunities ranging from 2-5% of total district budget, regardless of district size. Research suggests that class sizes up to a point do not negatively impact student achievement. School 5 School 6 School 7 School 8 School 9 School 10 School 11 School 12 School 13 School 14 School 15 School 16 School 17 School 18 School 19 School 20 School 21 School 22 School 23 School 24 School 25 School 26 School 27 School 28 School 29 School 30 School 31 20 student target

New Model: Thoughtful Grouping in Building-level Master Schedules Current Average Caseload for Therapists Target caseload +35% +22% DMC has found opportunities to reduce therapist staffing by 20- 25% to be typical, regardless of district size. In this example, over 25% savings were realized while caseloads remained below the national average. +36% PT OT Speech

CGCS AverageCGCS Average New Model: Partial Day/Partial Week Paraprofessional Support Ratio of Paraprofessionals to Students, District versus Council of Great City Schools Median DMC has found opportunities to reduce staffing needs by 30%+ are common, regardless of district size. In this example, shifting paraprofessional staffing to the CGCS average would save almost 2% of district budget (gross) +74% CGCS AverageCGCS Average District Note: District currently staffs paraprofessionals at a rate 74% higher than the average of the 31 member districts of the Council of the Great City Schools

New Model: Strategic Outsourcing Traditional View on Outsourcing Strategic View on Outsourcing Cost cutting Consider outsourcing all non- core functions Contract-driven vendor management Arms-length functional management Strategic value Consider keeping control of all functions that are competitive differentiators Relationship-driven vendor management Alignment of external partners with district objectives Pursuing outsourcing with the traditional view can create value for districts, but only in less critical areas such as food or custodial services. Outsourcing arrangements can be formed with a long-term view, and should be designed to align the provider to achieve a strategic goal of the district.

Agenda Approach to Strategic Resource Allocation Examples Discussion

Discussion Tool: Prioritization Matrix “The Shiny Coins” EASY (High Control) “First Priorities” or “Phantom Promises”? Where would you place the tactics listed? Which are your top priorities? What else would you add? What other high value opportunities can we compile? Opportunities that used to be ignored in good times now look very attractive: pick these up quickly Resist the urge to cut deep where long-term strategic value could be eroded LOW VALUE (Short Term) HIGH VALUE (Long Term) “Distractions” “Strategic Impact” Low priorities: ignore until all other opportunities exhausted Tackle these high-impact issues by breaking down into manageable pieces HARD (Low Control)

Pre-brainstormed Tactics List General Education Special Education Operations Management of available seats Management of staff to student ratios and variance by school and subject Course offerings Change use of partial FTEs Adjustment procedure based on enrollment fluctuations Enrollment projection, management Assess effectiveness of current programs (e.g., reading, intervention, math, gifted and talented, college readiness) Develop measure of “Return on Investment” (i.e. student learning/dollars spent) and prioritize spending accordingly Change service delivery model for special education, ELL and other remediation and intervention efforts Change assignment model of nurses, social workers, physiologists and other specialized staff Teaching assistant staffing Administrative organizational structure Speech therapy management (caseload, group size, use of assistants, variance) Occupational therapy management (caseload, group size, use of assistants, variance) Applied Behavioral Analysis support Improve scheduling efficiency Change IEP development guidelines Increase use of push-in versus pull-out models Adjust role of special education teachers, testers and administrators Manage class size by disability, variance Adjust staffing models Non-teaching support staff management Modify paraprofessional assignment rules Improve paraprofessional scheduling Improve paraprofessional utilization Management of : Maintenance Capital expenditures Custodial Revenue generation Purchasing Contracting and outsourcing Grants management Compliance (e.g., lost revenue) Reimbursement (e.g., Medicaid) Expense management Contracting procedure Routing procedure, scheduling efficiency Special education transportation What else would you add?

Looking for Opportunities to do More with Less: Activities Staffing Teaching & Learning Operational Efficiency Effective Scheduling & Staffing Class size management Therapeutic services (speech and language, OT and PT) ELL Paraprofessionals Remediation and intervention staff Staffing Guidelines Targeted class size (core and non- core) Special education case loads Substantially separate classroom support Student supports (nursing, guidance, social work) Custodial & maintenance Benefits Management Part-time vs. Full-time Certified vs. Non-certified Academic Programs & Strategies Assess full costs of each effort Find what works Curtail ineffective efforts Calculate student achievement return on investment Reduce duplicative programs Professional Development Audit current efforts Align with priorities Expand in-house experts Monitor Effectiveness Student growth increases Common formative assessments Teacher feedback Maximize Resources Control and alignment of state and federal grants Medicaid reimbursement Third-party funding Operational Efficiency & Cost Effectiveness Transportation routing (general education and special education) Subcontracted services Vendor review and competitive bidding Track & Monitor Spending Overtime Program budgets Where should your district look?

The District Management Council If you have any comments or questions about the content of this document, please contact Nick Morgan, Managing Director nmorgan@dmcouncil.org Tel. 617-453-0718 Fax. 617.491.5266 70 Franklin St., Boston MA 02110 Web: www.dmcouncil.org

Agenda 9:00-9:30 Welcome and District Support Program Update 9:30-9:40 Communications: Discuss state initiatives and effective practices 9:40-9:50 Communications: District presentation 9:50-10:25 Communications: Facilitated breakout 10:25-10:35 Break 10:35-11:15 Resource allocation: Discuss effective practices 11:15-11:50 Resource allocation: Facilitated breakout 11:50-12:00 Wrap-up 12:00-1:00 Optional meeting for data coach liaisons

Discuss Support Program updates Wrap-up – how did we do? Discuss Support Program updates Understand effective practices for communications and work on the “communications and stakeholder engagement” part of your plan Understand effective practices for resource allocation and work on the “activities to remove” part of your plan Please complete the workshop surveys on your table Remember to send your full draft plan by April 11

Agenda 9:00-9:30 Welcome and District Support Program Update 9:30-9:40 Communications: Discuss statewide initiatives and effective practices 9:40-9:50 Communications: District presentation 9:50-10:25 Communications: Facilitated breakout 10:25-10:35 Break 10:35-11:15 Resource allocation: Discuss effective practices 11:15-11:50 Resource allocation: Facilitated breakout 11:50-12:00 Wrap-up 12:00-1:00 Optional meeting for data coach liaisons

Optional meeting for data coach liaisons 12:00-12:15 Update on Data Coach Project Allocation Worksheet for Data Coaches PLCs & # of Core Teachers in each building 12:15-12:30 Instructional Improvement Systems 12:30-12:40 Additional TLEU Upcoming Initiatives Development Coaches SAMs Vision Network 12:40-1:00 Q & A