AMESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS

As the end of the school year approaches, I would like to share some of my thoughts about the progress we have made, as well as reflect on what I have learned as the leader of your public schools.

Teacher certification has been a goal foremost in my mind since becoming superintendent last summer. At that time we had 29 teachers who were not certified. I have insisted that we strive to get every employee properly certified in his/her respective area of teaching. This is imperative because the public deserves the assurance that we have the very best staff teaching their children. Certification is not a guarantee of excellence, but it is the minimum benchmark required of teachers. I am extremely delighted that our staff took the initiative to take care of their individual certification issues. As of this writing, we only have 8 out of a teaching force of 125 who are not certified. The staff is to be commended for this great achievement, not to mention the excellent collaboration established between the union leadership and the district in achieving this end result.

In the area of school performance, we received our final EQA (Educational, Quality and Accountability) report from the state. This report analyzed our school district from the years 2002- 2005. The state evaluated the district relative to factors that drive student performance. The findings suggest that we can do much more to improve student performance district-wide. Improvement in MCAS scores is an ongoing process. Although MCAS results will not be available until fall, we have begun several initiatives which I believe will result in improved student performance. These include analyzing the MCAS data to target very specific areas of weakness, training MCAS tutors and offering MCAS tutorials to students in the "needs improvement" category. I also believe an improved system for the evaluation of administrators and staff will lead to improved school performance.

Over the last year we have provided several opportunities for the community to dialog with us on a variety of topics, including pre-school and the Community School.

We offer monthly Superintendent Coffees, present a State of the District Address three times a year and sponsor monthly Superintendent/Student forums. We enhanced our level of commitment with several organizations on-island who provide enrichment opportunities for our students and staff, including the Maria Mitchell Association, the Nantucket Golf Club Foundation and Nantucket Memorial Airport. Next year we will provide a district newsletter at least three times a year. If you are not aware, PlumTV airs a variety of instructional programs initiated by our staff and children weekly during their This Week on Nantucket program.

I learned a great deal this school year, and I know how to improve the district. Tying goals to the Strategic Plan, I will clarify how decisions will be made in order to obtain some level of comfort as we progress. It's not about moving too fast or too slow, it's about doing what is the best thing for children and gaining trust in the process.

Having worked in several districts, I see the great potential in this system. We have wonderful students, a dedicated professional staff, beautiful facilities, a strategic plan and a supportive community. The current challenges that face the district did not materialize overnight and they won't be resolved overnight either. We are laying a solid foundation for success and I am confident that with the consistent hard work of staff and administration, along with the help of the School Committee and community, our schools will continue to improve. I appreciate the encouragement and commitment of the School Committee and the town and I look forward to leading the schools forward with your continued support.

- Dr. Robert Pellicone,

Superintendent Nantucket Public Schools