WILBRAHAM — At its June 13 meeting, the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Committee approved the modified program of studies for Wilbraham Middle School, following its review by the Curriculum Subcommittee.
School Committee member Lisa Murray reviewed the changes to the program of studies for the full committee, noting that the largest changes will impact students’ scheduling. Murray explained that students’ days will be focused on English language arts, science, math and social studies as the core subjects with 58 minutes of study per day.
“This will result in 30 to 35 more hours of core instruction for the year,” she said.
Another significant change to the schedule included the addition of a “What I Need block” that will allow students time to access tier two interventions during the day, Murray stated. Other changes were replacing the creative writing course with a journalism course as well as reorganizing STEM and Spanish courses as related arts courses.
Superintendent evaluation
School Committee member William Bontempi also read a summary of the evaluation of Superintendent John Provost conducted by the Superintendent Evaluation Subcommittee. The review looked at Provost’s work since he joined the district two years prior.
Within the rating system, the subcommittee rated Provost based on four levels: unsatisfactory, needs improvement, proficient and exemplary. Under this system, the evaluation looked at instructional leadership, management and operations, family and community engagement, and professional culture as the main sections for review.
Across all four sections, the subcommittee rated Provost “proficient.” The evaluation’s overall rating for Provost was also “proficient.” In his announcement of these ratings, Bontempi stated that the subcommittee noted his “wealth of experience, calm demeanor and thoughtful intentional approach to leadership” as components that led to their ratings.
Concerning areas in need of improvement, the subcommittee recommended that Provost explore greater visibility in the community, focus on providing “data driven [information] and evidence-based decisions,” and “build support” with others to address shared goals.
Bontempi also highlighted that Provost’s work was “proficient plus,” meaning it was on the higher side of the level 3 rating. “I would like to make note of that because it wasn’t like it was a 2.7 that was rounded up to a 3. It was 3.2, 3.3, 3.3, 3.3,” he said, stating that while Provost did not meet his four goals, he made “a lot of significant progress.”
After the evaluation was presented, School Committee members made additional comments expressing their appreciation for Provost’s work with Sherrill Caruana noting that “nothing’s too small” for Provost and that she was “delighted that [Provost was] such a hard worker.”
Similarly, Sean Kennedy stated that he was “really so happy with [Provost’s] humanity” and said Provost should “just keep doing what you’re doing.”
The School Committee unanimously accepted the formal evaluation.
