In his first year on the job, Superintendent of Martha’s Vineyard Schools Matt D’Andrea visited all the Island schools, spoke to school stakeholders, and reviewed test data. At an All-Island School Committee meeting last week, Mr. D’Andrea presented a report of his findings, broken down into sections.
“The Island schools are strong and well-supported,” Mr. D’Andrea said in the report. “The Island community is proud of the school system, and supports it both financially and through participation in district committees and school events.”
Mr. D’Andrea is participating in the Massachusetts New Superintendent Induction Program, along with 25 other new superintendents across the state. The program focuses on helping new superintendents develop a comprehensive strategic plan for their school districts. That involves gaining pertinent information about the district, including studies and test data, spending time visiting schools and principals, interviewing stakeholders, and reviewing initiatives of the district. The gathered information and findings are then compiled into a report.
The various headings included teaching and learning, management and operations, family and community engagement, and professional culture.
The teachers across the Island are hard-working and dedicated, and seek opportunities to develop as professionals, he said. The Island values small class sizes, supporting the arts, having both a traditional and a Career and Technical Education high school, and a 21st century science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) curriculum.
On elementary assessments, all the Island schools outperform the state in the subject areas tested. “Scores on MCAS at the elementary schools show that three-quarters of the students consistently perform in the Proficient or Advanced category in English Language Arts,” he said. “Math and Science both have impressive results, with students scoring in the 60- and 70-percentile ranges across the three years studied.”
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) data for students receiving special education services in the elementary schools show they also also outperform students across the state, he said, with moderate to strong growth each year.
Student test scores at the high school level are also good, with 96 percent of students scoring Proficient or Advanced on the MCAS English Language Arts assessment, and math scores in the 85 to 90 percent range. There is room for improvement, however.
“Student Growth Percentages at the high school have been on the lower end, and further examination of assessment data indicates that a greater emphasis needs to be placed on our special education population in both ELA and Math,” he said.
Writing scores on the MCAS at both the elementary and high school level outperform the state.
Stakeholders did express concern with the lack of preschool education on the Island, however. “Many have expressed a concern for our 5-year-olds who are arriving in kindergarten without having attended preschool,” he said. “These students are beginning their education at a disadvantage.”
Cost concerns
Many also had concerns with the Island schools’ facilities. “Several facilities studies have recently been completed at the high school,” he said. “The results show that the high school is in need of a new HVAC system and requires significant work on the building envelope. Additionally, the CTE wing of the building is in great need of upgrades. Possible options for renovating and upgrading our high school facilities are currently being considered.”
Another major concern surrounds escalating budget increases for some of the school districts on the Island. Per-pupil expenditures in 2014 were $22,662 for Edgartown, $19,650 for Oak Bluffs, $21,249 for Tisbury, $25,312 for Up-Island, and $26,076 for the high school. In comparison, per-pupil expenditures for Nantucket, Nauset, and the state average are $20,012, $17,723, and $14,519, respectively.
“Many town officials expressed a desire that the new superintendent closely oversee the budgets,” Mr. D’Andrea said.
He said the partnerships between the schools and organizations such as the Island Wide Youth Collaborative, Martha’s Vineyard Community Services, and Youth Task Force are strong and valued.
“There has been a history of drug and alcohol abuse on the Island that has been reduced through a partnership between the schools and these organizations,” he said. “The rate of use by the Island youth is regularly surveyed and addressed through education and treatment. The police have a presence at the schools and work closely with administrators and staff to ensure the safety of students, staff, and facility.”
Growth in ELL
He noted that the number of English Language Learners (ELL) on the Island has increased significantly over the past few years. The majority of ELL students speak Portuguese in the home and are of Brazilian descent, he said. Over five years, the number of ELL students rose from 73 to 208. “The vast majority of this growth has occurred at the primary level in the down-Island towns of Tisbury, Oak Bluffs, and Edgartown,” he said.
In the schools, staff have argued that greater consistency across the districts would be beneficial, the superintendent noted: “Teachers have expressed an interest in collaborating with colleagues both at the same grade level and/or department, and across grade and subject areas.”
Teachers also reported that the high cost of housing on the Island is a concern, citing that some sort of transition plan to assist new teachers would be beneficial. The Island Housing Authority recently completed a survey of Island teachers about their housing situations. Just over 70 percent reported being satisfied with their current living situation, just over 20 percent said they were somewhat satisfied, and under 10 percent said they were not satisfied. About 10 percent said they were considering leaving the school district because of housing challenges, about 15 percent were not sure, and just under 80 percent said they were not. Popular suggestions included offering temporary housing options, a loan program, or dorms.
Mr. D’Andrea said he will use the information he gathered to develop a strategic plan “to build on the great work that has been accomplished and is currently being done in the public schools on Martha’s Vineyard.”
