Amherst School Committee meeting, Tues, April 26th

Tonight, Amherst School Committee meeting
6 pm, ARHS Library

Agenda items include updates on the budget & on the elementary school building project. The full agenda is posted HERE.

Regional School Committee meeting, Tonight, 6 pm

Tonight's Regional School Committee (SC) meeting includes updates on the MS & HS consolidation plans & a discussion regarding possible later times for the MS & HS.

The SC meets at the Amherst Regional HS library, at 6 pm.  

The full agenda & meeting packet is here:  MEETING PACKET
http://www.arps.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_926729/File/4-12-16%20RSC%20Agenda%20Packet.pdf

Local Election on Tues, March 31st, Includes Race for School Committee Seats

The Amherst Town Election is tomorrow, Tues, March 29th.  Polling places will be open from 7 am to 8 pm.  

There are three candidates running for the Amherst School Committee seats being vacated by Rick Hood & Kathleen Traphagen.    

The candidates are:  (in alphabetical order)
Laura Kent, Vincent O'Connor, & Anastasia Ordonez

The candidates for School Committee, the Select Board, Charter Commission, among other offices have made recorded statements at Amherst Media.  The statements are available online. 

 Laura Kent:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx6KOXq9Htg
Vincent O'Connor:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DEBEqNsBjI
Anastasia Ordonez: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeQbqJEWd5o

Last week's Amherst Bulletin has an article on the School Committee (SC) candidates
(link here), statements from the candidates running for town boards & Amherst Town Meeting, & variety of letters to the editor about the election.   It is a good source of info to find out more.

The bottom of the ballot includes a question on Amherst town government & whether a Charter Commission should be established to explore changes to the structure of town government.
The question:
"Shall a commission be elected to frame a charter for Amherst?"

If the majority of voters vote Yes on this question, than a Charter Commission to explore issue will be created, & will be comprised of the top vote getters of the Charter Commission candidates.

For info on where to vote or to look at sample ballots, please visit the Amherst Town Clerk's web page or contact the Town Clerk, 413-259-3035, townclerk@amherstma.gov

Your vote counts! 

Amherst School Committees pass resolution regarding students opting out of statewide standardized tests

At their meeting last week, the Amherst Regional (MS&HS) & Amherst (elementary) School Committees approved a resolution regarding students' right to opt-out of state-wide standardized testing. The superintendent shared the language of the resolution in her weekly newsletter to families this past Friday.

Here is the resolution:
By law, students, in consultation with their families, have the right to opt out of state-wide standardized tests such as MCAS and PARCC.

Consistent with prior practice, students along with their families, who choose to exercise a student's right to opt out of these assessments -- either by a statement or a note from parents or guardians -- will not be subject to any form of negative consequences from the school district. Opting out will not have negative implications for grades or class placement of any individual student. High School students should be aware that Massachusetts regulations dictate that a passing score on the tenth grade level MCAS is a graduation requirement. Educators who choose to discuss the right to opt-out with their students or with parents shall not be subject to any form of retribution by anyone in the Amherst or Amherst Regional public schools.

We are pleased to reaffirm that free speech is a fundamental right of all members of our educational community.

School Committee Candidate Coffees & Other Events

There are 3 candidates running for the Amherst School Committee seats being vacated by Richard Hood & Kathleen Traphagen: Laura Kent, Vincent O'Connor, & Anastasia Ordonez.    

The candidates for School Committee, the Select Board, Charter Commission, among other offices have made recorded statements at Amherst Media.  The statements are available online:
Laura Kent:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx6KOXq9Htg
Vincent O'Connor:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DEBEqNsBjI
Anastasia Ordonez: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeQbqJEWd5o

There is an informal coffee with the School Committee candidates this morning, 11 am-1 pm, at Share (formerly Rao's) downtown. & another one of Friday, March 25th, also at Share, 11 am-1 pm.

The League of Women Voters is sponsoring a town candidates forum on Tuesday, March 22nd, 7 pm, Amherst Town Hall

The election for the Amherst School Committee and other local elected positions is Tuesday, March 29th.   Polls will be open from 7 am-8 pm.

Regional School Committee Mtg, Tues, Jan 26th

The agenda for tonight's Regional School Committee meeting (6 pm, in the ARHS Library) includes:
- a presentation & discussion about the proposed Middle School & High School consolidation
-  discussion of the the progress being made this year on the Superintendent's Goals and goals & actions described in this year's District Improvement Plan

The Regional School Committee is set to vote regarding the proposed MS & HS consolidation in March 2016.

The full agenda & packet of materials for tonight's meeting are available at this link:
http://www.arps.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_926729/File/Kim%20SC%20materials/RSCAgendaPacket1_26_16.pdf

The packet includes the district's 180-page report on 7-12 consolidation, & the District Improvement Plan & Superintendent's Goals, with mid-year updates & the progress made so far.