EAST LONGMEADOW PUBLIC SCHOOLS

2005

 

The 2004-2005 school year was a full year! Students and staff are taking advantage of educational activities, achievements and accomplishments. Our school children continue to score well on the state MCAS test. At the high school level of testing, 100% of our students pass the MCAS graduation exam--most do so during their junior year of high school, not their senior year--this is the highest percent in western Massachusetts.

 

Our school district continues to grow at a rate beyond the enrollment projections. Our town continues to grow; consequently, our school district population has sustained growth. This year, 21 new students came to our district. With this growth and the continued shrinking state and federal financial educational aid, the district is finding it increasing difficult to keep pace with the un-funded demands of state and federal mandates. Additionally, several teacher positions were cut from the district, increasing the number of students per classroom. First and second grades have class sizes of 27 students. Our fourth and fifth grades have similar numbers. At the middle school and high school many of the class sizes are 30 students or more.

 

Unlike when many of us attended school, the demands of special education, technology based education, statewide curriculum and high stakes testing mandates have forced educational issues to the local level and we are having to cope with them -at times sacrificing school programs and extra-curricula activities.

 

Our school district is experiencing a large number of retirements due to the state 'early retirement' incentives. We have been fortunate to continue to attract and hire quality applicants throughout our district. Many of our staff members have been invited to serve on state and national boards again this year. This certainly complements their professional expertise. We are all benefactors of their talents and achievements.

 

The School Committee went through changes of its own this year. One of our members chose not the seek re-election and another member resigned. As advocates for our childrens' education, the committee has sought the input of the community and continues to communicate with local and state level officials to influence a positive affect on our community's educational and fiscal responsibilities.

 

Future educational challenges and budget considerations will become paramount with the continued growth of our community and subsequent student population. Our current enrollment is 2,838 students. The graph below shows the past five years and the projected next five years of enrollment for our school district.

 

 

Finally, we have started our second five-year strategic school plan. This plan has been developed with the input from parents, community, staff and school committee. For more information on our schools, please visit our web pages at www.eastlongmeadow.org.