20122012 Operating ReferendumYear Two Annual Report

In March 2012, the residents of the Brandywine School District voted in favor of a tax increase to support the District’s educational programs and fa-cilities. Specifically, the referendum requested funds to support three major areas:

1. Support for the District Success Plan. Funds were requested in the 2012 Operating Referendum to maintain

existing operations and educational programs, advancing the educa-tional excellence our community has come to expect. Funds also were requested to support new initiatives identified by community leaders, parents, School Board members, and educators as critical to all students’ success, including increased STEM programming, after-school activities and transportation, additional support for Advanced Placement courses and Gifted curriculum, alternatives to out-of-school suspensions, men-toring and Peer Court programs, classroom technology, music and the arts, and professional development for all teachers.

2. Preventative maintenance for District facilities. The District’s Preventative Maintenance Plan allows for a consistent

maintenance schedule for all facilities to ensure that the community’s investment in our buildings is protected, minimizing the risk of more costly future repairs. Funding was included in the referendum for maintaining effective classroom and learning environments, upgrading and maintaining school safety and security measures, upgrading and maintaining school bus camera systems, and completing renovations.

3. Restoration of the reserve fund. Each school district in Delaware has funding set aside in a reserve fund

in order to meet its financial obligations through the summer. At the

time of the referendum, the District’s reserve fund was second lowest in the state. Replenishment of this fund was deemed critical to ensure that the District’s financial commitments can be met each year from July to the arrival of local funds in October. If it had not been restored, the District would have faced significant cuts in programs, services, and personnel.

Shortly after the passage of the referendum, the Referendum Account-ability Committee was formed to ensure that taxpayer funds approved in the 2012 referendum are used as promised. The committee, which consists of representatives from the community, School Board, and District staff, meets three times per school year to review progress and has produced a report to update the community. That report outlines the progress made in educational reforms and advancements in five key areas:

• IncreasingAcademicOpportunitiesandAchievementforAllStudents• ProtectingtheLearningEnvironment• AdvancingTechnologyandDataSystems• EnsuringCo-CurricularandExtracurricularOpportunities• MaintainingExcellentFacilities

The report is located on the District’s website, www.brandywineschools.org, under the Community tab.

The referendum funding year runs from November 1 to October 31, based on when funds become available to the District by the State of Dela-ware. The following pages will detail the progress made through October 31, 2014, the second year of referendum funding and operations.

INCREASING ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITIES AND ACHIEVEMENT FOR ALL STUDENTS

STEM STEM – Science, Technol-ogy, Engineering, and Math – continues to be a priority for the Brandywine School Dis-trict. Referendum funding has allowed the District to expand STEM-based teaching and learning concepts to students and staff at all levels, starting in kindergarten. Beginning in elementary school, all students are exposed to activities, cours-es, and after-school learning ex-periences that enable them to apply what they are learning to real-world situations and to develop complex problem-solving, quantitative reasoning, and creative thinking skills. These STEM-related skills are essen-tial not only for students’ future careers but also help prepare them for more rigorous standards and courses of study at the secondary level and beyond. STEM liaisons have been identified in each of our 15 school buildings. These liaisons collaborate on developing lessons, ordering materials, con-ducting professional development, and, at the secondary level, coordinating with the University of Delaware and Delaware Technical and Community College. State-of-the-art, sustainableSTEMDesignLabsarenowinplaceatallthree BSD high schools, giving students parallel opportunities no matter which BSD high school they attend. These labs include industrial grade lab benches, MacBook Airs and iPads, flat screen tvs that are remotely hooked up to Apple devices, 3D printers, and 60-watt laser cutters. Students are

working on app develop-ment, robotics, and more. The District’s invest-ment in STEM is clearly paying off. This school year alone, the Brandy-wine School District has received two awards in the area of STEM. A group of students at Concord High School received a $10,000 invention award through MIT to create a metal de-tection system for hospi-tal textiles in conjunction

with Christiana Care Health System, and our three high school STEM teachers received the first ever STEM Educator Award from the Delaware STEM Council. Students in their classes at Brandywine, Concord, and Mount Pleasant have been involved in such projects as the national Ability One Design Challenge, Design Day with Delmarva Power, gaming and web design instructional units in cooperation with the University of Delaware, intellectualpropertyandpatentdiscussionswithWidenerLawSchool,andmany other project-based strategies.

Summer Assistance Program Referendum funding was provided to offer summer assistance to stu-dents in particular benchmark grade levels and subjects. A summer math course focusing on numeric and algebraic reasoning was offered; students who completed the summer program were able to enroll in Algebra 2 this school year. In addition, more than 150 students took part in a middle school summer school program. Students entering grades 6 and 9, key tran-sitionyears,weregivenextratimetomasterStateStandardsinEnglishLan-guage Arts and math. Harlan Elementary School offered a six-week summer program to 50 students with a focus on reading and mathematics. Participating students were able to reinforce their academic skills and use technology resources. In addition to their classroom work over the summer, students were exposed to a variety of enrichment experiences such as sports, economics and en-trepreneurship, gardening, and fitness to foster positive connections and collaboration within their learning environment.

Gateway Preparation Courses The District has identified specific pre-requisite, or gateway, courses nec-essary to successfully complete before enrolling in more rigorous courses such as Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate. The District is committed to supporting students and to removing obstacles that have prevented many of them from accessing and achieving in higher level cours-es. Funding from the referendum supports staffing resources and online access to provide gateway courses in such subjects as Pre-AP biology, Pre-AP chemistry, geometry, and Pre-AP physics.

Advanced Placement Courses AP courses enable students to pursue challenging college level studies while still in high school. Research shows that students completing AP courses and taking AP exams are better prepared and more successful in post-secondary course work. These courses are among the most rigorous the District offers (in addition to IB). To increase the number of AP courses we are able to offer in our three high schools, referendum funding allowed for 12 teachers to attend summer professional development to teach Ad-

Continued on page 4

2012Referendum Annual Report

INCREASING ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITIES........ Continued from page 3

vanced Placement courses in our high schools, including AP Physics, AP Chemistry,APU.S.History,APLiteratureandAPEuropeanHistory.Wecontinue to engage teachers in professional development to build capacity and improve and increase programming.

Gifted Program Gifted and talented stu-dents require programming and support services that offer op-portunities for acceleration and enrichment beyond the normal curriculum in order to maximize theirlearningopportunities.Lastsummer, three BSD teachers and the Gifted Supervisor attended the largest national conference for gifted educators and are now providing professional develop-

ment to their colleagues. Additional professional development has taken placeintheareasofEnglishLanguageArts,math,writing,helpingstudentstransition from 5th to 6th grade, and alignment of the middle school gifted curriculum. Six employees in the gifted program attended the National As-sociationforGiftedLearnersinBaltimoreinthefall. Attendeesarepartof a guiding team who will investigate the Parallel Curriculum Model as a framework to help align the curriculum in the gifted program. The team attended workshops that involve identification and retention of historically underrepresented groups in gifted education.

Singapore Math Coaches The funding for this initiative was allocated for years one and two of the referendum, which provided time for the math coaches to train all math teachers and hold Singapore Math Nights for parents and students. Because math is a priority for the District, the new math supervisor and coach are being paid through the state’s Race to the Top extension so that professional development can continue in this critical area.

International Baccalaureate Programme The goal of the Internation-al Baccalaureate Programme is to develop a deep global aware-ness through a rigorous course of study in which students become naturally inquisitive, knowledgeable, caring, and aware of the local and global impact of their personal and professional decisions. The new IB curriculum for the Mid-dle Years Programme has been released for implementation this school year. The new curriculum provides greater alignment across the IB continuum to support increased success when entering the IB Diploma Programme. It includes an increased focus on creative and critical thinking with a commu-nity service component. Collaborative planning sessions were held between IB Programme teachers at Talley and Mount Pleasant High School for verti-cal articulation and alignment of programming.

Learning Focused Solutions LFSisaDistrictmandatedinstructionalapproachthatbuildsresearch-based best practices into classroom instruction. Every teacher and specialist in the District has attended trainings in these strategies with the expectation that they will implement them in their classrooms. The Race to the Top GranthasthusfarprovidedfundingforthesetrainingsandforLFScoaches(current staff) in each building for two years. This support has been integral to the success of the initiative, and funding the extra hourly pay for teachers toassumeLFScoach responsibilitieswillbenecessary foroneadditionalyear beyond the Race to the Top Grant expiration to sustain this focus. As we move through the 2014-2015 school year, we continue our focus on higher level thinking skills through the use of rigorous assignments and as-sessments. Updated training is being provided around rigor, assessment, and accelerating learning for all students. These expectations align with the Common Core Standards and new state assessment.

Classroom Instructional Technology Package for K-12 This initiative consists of an instructional toolkit of items classroom teachers can use to better interact, instruct, and provide supplemental student learning opportunities. The scope of the plan is projected at 688 classrooms district-wide over a 5-year maintenance and support replacement cycle. The project is inclusive and equitable across all student and school populations. To date, high schools are 100% complete with classroom dis-play devices, teacher iPads, and student iPads secured in core subject class-rooms. Middle school display devices and teacher iPads have been deployed. Year three will complete the middle schools with student iPads and begin deployment of elementary school packages with the highest needs schools receiving their toolkits first.

Internet-Based Collaborative Learning Environment With the advent and expansion of the Internet, students now have ac-cess to many new collaborative tools and media. Collaborative systems are available that place these 21st century tools in a managed educational en-vironment allowing students, teachers, and other authorized individuals world-wide to collaborate and expand educational opportunities. GuestNet has been installed in all of our 15 school locations. GuestNet is designated for non-curriculum use by visiting teachers, vendors, and guest speakers at the schools.

Middle/High School Internet Connection Speed Increase School/district internet connectivity is pro-vided through State sources (DTI). All secondary school internet bandwidths have been upgraded to 100 MB pipes. Referendum funds are being used for annual usage fees. With the demands on band-width continuing to increase, all districts across the state are concerned about connection speeds.

Universal Wireless Access for Grades K-12 All three high schools are 100% covered for classrooms. Additional caching servers have been ordered for the high schools to reduce the constant demand on bandwidth and increase speed in re-ceiving cached information. Springer and Talley

Middle School are 100% covered for classrooms, and wiring at P.S. duPont Middle School access has begun. Mount Pleasant Elementary and Hanby Elementary are approximately 75% complete with additional access points being added to meet increased mobile demands. All other elementary schools have wireless coverage in their auditoriums, cafeteria, libraries, and kindergarten classrooms. Further deployment in our elementary schools will continue in spring of 2015.

1-to-1 District Computing Infrastructure This initiative prepares the district network for open-campus access for most styles of portable wireless devices across multiple operating platforms (Windows, Droid, Apple, etc.). The initiative allows staff and students to use their personal devices on the BSD network in a safe, secure, and managed fash-ion much like a college/uni-versity environment. Wire-less access is required for this implementation.

ADVANCING TECHNOLOGY AND DATA SYSTEMS

MAINTAINING EXCELLENT FACILITIES

Increase in Funding for Proposed District Facility Preventative Maintenance Plan and Upgrades to School Bus Camera System The District’s Preventative Maintenance Plan allows for a consistent maintenance cycle for all District facilities to ensure that the community’s ten-year investment in the renovation and replacement of buildings is pro-tected. The Plan is based on best practices established to minimize the risk of more costly future re-pairs to structures and systems. Preventative facility maintenance is ongoing throughout the District, and many buildings are undergo-ing or have undergone renovations and adap-tations to make them more secure in light of school safety priorities. As an example, the fol-lowing projects took place during the summer of 2014.• Flooring upgrades and renovations to STEM lab atMount Pleasant

High School.• Paintingofhallways,stormdrainagework,brickrepointingandrenova-

tions to cafeteria Mount Pleasant Elementary School. • Renovations to BrandywineHigh School track,main gym complete

paint job and floor refinishing, student restrooms, Audion complete renovation, and STEM lab.

• HallwaypaintingandfloorworkatHarlanElementarySchool.• Track renovations andmain entrance realignment atConcordHigh

School.• ReplacementoftheLombardyElementarySchoolchiller.• Variousotherprojectsandpreventativemaintenanceatallschools. In addition, all BSD school buses have been outfitted with multiple cameras. Ongoing monitoring and upgrades will be made with referendum funds as needed.

PROTECTING THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

ENSURING CO-CURRICULAR & EXTRACURRICULAR

ACTIVITIESElementary School Club Facilitators By increasing the number of students involved in co-curricular and ex-tracurricular opportunities, schools can further develop students’ talents and build character. This initiative focuses on elementary schools as oppor-tunities have traditionally been limited, especially in the arts. Transpor-

tation costs are included as elementary students are often unable to par-ticipate in after-school programming without it. Elementary schools con-tinue to implement their program plans for the use of referendum funds. Each elementary school offers a variety of extra-curricular opportunities unique to their school’s interests (e.g. Girls on the Run, Drama, Chess,

Ceramics, Drums, STEM, Keyboarding, Dance, Tumbling). In addition, intramural opportunities are offered in the fall and winter for basketball and soccer, with games held on Saturdays. Middle School After-School Student Support Program After-school tutoring programs are up and running in all three middle schools, providing academic support and homework assistance in Math andEnglishLanguageArts. Secondary Strings Program Support The District is committed to supporting the advancement of the Strings Program and will support it through the allocation of available teaching units. Advancement and support of the arts has long been a priority that the Brandywine community has endorsed and promoted. With referen-dum support, two part-time strings teachers have been hired for the middle schools. Across the District, 591 students participate in the strings program.

2012Referendum Annual Report

CONCLUSION: The Brandywine community has a rich history of supporting the Dis-trict’s children and schools. In return, the District is committed to honor-ing that support through careful stewardship, collaboration, and dedication to our children, strengthening our community’s future for all. With the

assistance of the 2012 Referendum Accountability Committee, all referen-dum spending is being carefully monitored to ensure that taxpayer-approved funds are used as promised and are being maximized to positively impact student achievement, school climate, and facility upgrades.

Elementary Behavior Intervention and In-School Alternative Alternative to suspension programs are necessary to increase student engagement and promote achievement. Elementary interventionists fund-ed by this initiative help maintain a positive school climate and reduce the number of out of school suspensions. In addition, in-school interventions provide an increase in instructional time for all students as the needs of disruptive students are addressed. All elementary schools in the District are fully staffed with interventionists again this year.

Secondary Alternative to Suspension Program and Peer Court Brandywine Community School again provides secondary alternative tosuspensionservicesforthe2014-2015schoolyear.Lastyear,BCSsup-ported 636 referrals from six secondary schools. Although Peer Court is

no longer supported, the District is in discussions for a pilot peer mediation program at Mount Pleasant High School.

Secondary Transition Mentoring Program for 6th and 9th Grade Stu-dents Transition from elementary to middle and middle to high school has shown to have a significant impact on the grades, discipline referrals, sus-pension out of school, expulsions, and absenteeism of 6th and 9th grade students. Individual schools have transition programming in place, such as the highly successful transition nights that occur at middle and high schools each spring. Feeder schools, such as Springer Middle and Brandywine High Schools, also have supports in place to strengthen the transition between grade levels.