Start Strong data stable, school board told

Results of the state Start Strong assessments that students took during the fall show that the data is stable, with some increases and very few decreases, Assistant Superintendent Tara Rossi told the Board of Education at its meeting Jan. 19.

“What that shows us is that we’re in a place where we’re not substantially falling in terms of the skills that students are being asked to master so hopefully we’ve regrouped from a few years of challenging disruption ... ,” Rossi said.

“We think we’re back at a stable situation where we can regroup and see how long it takes for our students to recoup the information that was lost over the last few years.”

The district is revising its plans for serving English Language Learners, which is a growing number in Sparta, because of the results, she added.

Rather than showing how many students meet a benchmark, the Start Strong results show the percentage of students who need more support, some support or less support in English, math and science in various grades.

The Start Strong assessment first was given last spring.

Rossi said the staff this year is looking at how every student is doing academically as well as socially and emotionally, not just the students referred for intervention as in past years.

District Audit

Kathryn Mantell, a partner in the Nisivoccia accounting firm, reported on the district’s audit for the 2021-22 school year.

“At the end of the day, I think that everyone here does a really good job,” she said.

Superintendent Matthew Beck pointed out that there were no audit recommendations for the second year in a row.

”It really shows how astute our business staff is,” he said.

A facility assessment report executive summary has been posted on the district’s website, Beck said. It shows the cost of providing each building with regular maintenance and repairs.

The restroom renovation at Alpine Elementary School is under way. Some asbestos pipes discovered during construction have been removed and air-quality tests showed no problems, he said.

Livestreaming meetings

Board president Kurt Morris proposed an end to livestreaming the board’s meetings to save $8,000 a year. Most of the cost is for overtime pay, he said in answer to a question.

Board member Lauren Collier strongly opposed the move.

She noted that there is no cost to post recordings of the meetings on YouTube, and she suggested seeking volunteers to do the technical work.

”There’s many parents that cannot get here ... and they want to remain informed,” she said.

Chad Wood, a Sparta High School senior who is a student representative to the board, agreed with Collier.

“I think it would be a step in the wrong direction to get rid of recording the meetings,” he said, adding that student volunteers may be available to help.

Morris agreed to withdraw his motion while the district looks into whether volunteers are available.

300th win for coach

Beck congratulated Sparta High School boys basketball coach Brian Brennan on his 300th career win.

High school girls basketball players Brynn McCurry and Ally Sweeney were nominated for the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Game, he noted. Sweeney also scored her 1,000th point in the game against Morris Hills in December.

Wood said the high school has revived a literary partnership with students at Alpine. High school students will sign up for times to read stories and teach lessons on leadership and good character to Alpine students.

Board members approved resolutions:

• To pay $112,000 for professional services from Di Cara/Rubino Architects for the partial roof replacement project at Sparta Middle School.

• To purchase seven pre-K libraries for $11,751. The money was provided by the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund enacted by Congress as a response to the coronavirus pandemic.

• To purchase instructional materials from Academic Therapy Publications in the amounts of $2,778 for Grade 4 and $7,306 for Grade 5 for small-group instruction to meet the needs of a diverse group of students. ESSER funds also will be used for these purchases.

The board approved these retirements, all effective July 1:

• Loni Bach, a music teacher at Sparta High School, after 30 years with the district.

• Jennifer Caputo, a teacher at Helen Morgan School, after 24 years with the district.

• Sam Slobodzian, a health and physical education teacher at the high school, after 32 years with the district.

The board approved these appointments:

• Siobhan Monaghan as a special-education teacher at Mohawk Avenue School, effective Jan. 2, for $61,795 a year.

• Madeline McMullan as a language learning disability teacher at Helen Morgan School, effective March 2, for $61,795 a year.

Board members approved these grants from the Sparta Education Foundation:

• $17,802 for five Promethean Active panels for classrooms at Mohawk Avenue School.

• $7,915 for novels for the Helen Morgan School fourth-grade English Language Arts curriculum to reach a diverse population of students.