REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT
To the residents of Farmington and Middleton:
It is with great pride that I write my third annual report for you. We have much to celebrate this year with our varsity girls’ volleyball team becoming state runners-up, two very successful in-service days put on by our own teachers, the stabilization of the Farmington Learning Academy, the successful negotiation and implementation of two collective bargaining agreements and the continued progress on our Strategic Plan.
As two small communities, we have also faced many unique challenges. You should be very proud that the School District has risen to these challenges and is overcoming them. I am so very grateful for the “Come together and get the job done” attitude of your communities. Even though we have had intense and complex financial discussions this year, we all have still the students’ best interests at heart and are all working towards providing them with the best education possible. For that I am very grateful. I am also grateful for Ruth Ellen Vaughn, my Assistant Superintendent and Carolyn Rioux of Municipal Resources Incorporated. Without their expertise and support, I would not have been able to develop an accurate and lean budget that is before you.
We also have faced tough requirements from the State Department of Education in terms of complying with the State’s Technology Plan and in writing competencies for all of our high school courses. We are implementing both initiatives this year. It is enjoyable to see our students and teachers learn how to create digital portfolios of their best work.
Just recently, we received our New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) scores. We have made good gains in reading in the lower elementary school with eighty percent of our students being proficient or proficient with distinction in reading. In terms of mathematics, seventy four percent of our third grade students are proficient or proficient with distinction in math. As curricular content increases in complexity, our scores dip. Presently, we are implementing a new math series and a reading series to help students be more successful in those two areas in the upper elementary school and middle school. We won’t be satisfied with our scores until every child is proficient in these two areas.
In other important areas, we successfully negotiated a union contract for the custodians, and it is on the ballot this year. Our facilities have been used heavily this year. Besides sports and community events, we sheltered many people during the ice storm. We were open around the clock providing shelter for not only people but for their pets as well. We served food, offered showers and entertained individuals displaced because of no electricity. We opened school as quickly as possible so that even if children did not have power in their homes, they could come to school, be warm and have a hot meal.
We instituted the Alert Now system to notify parents and staff in the event of a snow cancellation or an emergency. This system was very helpful when we had to deal with the frozen pipes that burst at Valley View Community School. With the expert leadership of our facilities director Scott Mooers, his custodial crews and the help of many teachers and paraprofessionals, we were able to clean up and get school up and running, only missing one day.
In closing, I would like to publicly thank Ruth Ellen Vaughn, Carolyn Rioux, Susan Pleau, Cynthia Sparks, Jeff Keene, Clayton Lewis, Mike Lee, Kathy Tetreault, Joel Chagnon, Joshua Olstad, Susan Roy, Ginny Phinney, Scott Mooers, Bonnie Telles, Shirley Moulton, Diane Pitre, Officer Tilley and all our wonderful teachers, paraprofessionals, secretaries, custodians, bus drivers and food service personnel for their efforts on behalf of students. I also want to thank the members of the Farmington School Board—Ken Dickie, Rich Cilley, Dave McGuigan, Penny Morin and Joe Pitre—and the Middleton School Board—Terri Laughy, Ken Garry, Andrea Bowden, William Griffin, and Kim Galimberti—for all of their hard work over many, many evenings during the year. Additionally, I want to thank our Towns’ Budget Committees for the respectful and collaborative budget season. Finally, I want to thank each and every taxpayer for your continued support of our students, faculty and facilities.
Respectfully submitted,
Michelle A. Langa
Superintendent of Schools – SAU 61
Superintendent
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