Madison Middle School

By barsotti_p 　https://blogs.4j.lane.edu/madisonstaff/2023/03/04/march-3rd-2023/

Dear Madison Staff,

Here are this week’s updates:

MADISON INFORMATION        

• Staffing for 23/24: The overall gist for next year is that our certified staff is one less. Our classified staffing was cut by 0.25 hours for general EA staffing and +14 hours in special education. Finally, as we are a school identified by the state as a school in need of improvement (targeted school), the state is giving us an extra $60,000 to improve instruction. 
  • Certified Allocations
    • We received 18 FTE for classrooms. This is the one less FTE as this year.
    • Our SPED FTE licensed staff remains the same.
    • Our counselor FTE remains the same.
    • ELD staffing have not yet been shared.
  • Classified Allocations
    • We received 32.75 hours which is a reduction of 0.25 hour per day from this year. 
    • Our special education hours were increased from 26.5 to 35 hours. 
  • Next Year Enrollment Projections: 
    • 6th Grade = 137 Students
    • 7th Grade = 145 Students
    • 8th Grade = 137 Students
                    
• Safety Inspection this week: Reminder – we will be having our annual safety inspection this Thursday, March 9th. Please see the email from Peter dated February 15th if you need to review the guidelines prior to that.
• Budget Roadshow: The superintendent is beginning a series of “budget road shows” with the new finance director.  They will be at Madison on Tuesday, March 8 at 3:45ish pm in the Library.  The purpose is to share with regional staff about the budget process in 4j, how decisions are made and with what parameters and goals in mind.  In advance of the staffing season, I strongly encourage everyone to attend to ask questions and achieve a better understanding of 4j operations.
• OSEA Leadership Visit: An OSEA staffer and one of our OSEA chapter members will be visiting your school on Tuesday, March 7th, at 9:30am. It has been awhile since we have been able to visit and it is our intent to sit in the breakroom area and visit with our members as they take breaks/lunches. We will have benefits information, some fun giveaways to hand out, and want to check in with our members.

DISTRICT INFORMATION        

• Staffing Timeline: Here is the timeline for finalizing staffing for next year. Due to cuts in SPED classified staffing, it is likely we will see our first bumping process in the last 5 or so years. If you are impacted, I will connect with you in person.
  Feb. 28 – TLC: Staffing Discussion
  March 8 – Staff Displacement Forms Due to HR
  March 15 – Plans Due to HR
  March 24 – Staff notified of displacement
  April 3 – Deadline to notify HR of retirement
  April 11-27 – HR Job Expo for Licensed Staff
      
• Summer School Job Opportunities: If you’re interested in working summer school or KITS, check out the job postings on the 4J website. There are classified and certified postings up. They’re listed under KITS and SEAL. ESY hasn’t opened their postings other than lead teacher. Summer school will run from June 29-August 15. 

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND OTHER INFORMATION   

• Small Shifts to Increase Student Engagement: Guiding students to regularly direct their own discussions brings academic rewards as they gain confidence working independently on challenging tasks. This Edutopia article reminds us to:
  • Model what good discussions look like
  • Let students come up with ideas first
  • Focus on all students getting to participate
  • Don’t rush to clarify hard parts 
    

Looking Ahead:

We hope you have a wonderful week!

Peter and Gina