Concord -Carlisle Regional School District

Adult & Community Education

2006-2007 Annual Report

~ The “lighted schoolhouse” for the entire community ~

Director

Courtland Booth

Senior Secretary

Mary Zellner

CCHS Night Coordinator (part-time)

Deborah Jancek

Music Registrar (part-time)

Deborah Levine

Advisory Committee 2006-2007

James Saltonstall, Chairperson

Nancy Beecher Jean Ford Webb

Eleanor Garvey Berni Jenkins

Deborah Stoessel Joan Turner

School Committee: Becky Shannon

Contents

1. Cost Recovery Accomplished

2. The Purpose of Community Education

3. An Active Year of Educational Service Delivery to the Community

4. Community Education Revenues & Expenses

5. Partnerships with Community Organizations

6. Community Outreach

7. Staffing & Accountability

8. Finances

9. Next Year and Beyond

1. Cost Recovery Accomplished

Concord-Carlisle Adult & Community Education achieved 100% cost recovery in 2007. Community service initiatives were curtailed or eliminated, staffing was reduced, course fees were increased, and donations and volunteer contributions were encouraged. The department was successful in generating sufficient fees and donations to pay for all instructional costs associated with its programs and services, and for the first time funded the salaries for the department’s two full time personnel. A total of 102% of the operating costs was raised through extraordinary efforts by staff, volunteers, and the 206 part-time members of the community education faculty.

2. The Purpose of Community Education

Concord Carlisle Adult & Community Education provides opportunities for lifelong learning to the citizens of the school district and surrounding towns. It responds to community needs and interests with our communities' talents and resources, calling upon local people to develop and coordinate programs and services for children, adolescents and adults throughout the year.

Community Education provides for extended-day educational programs for citizens in Concord and Carlisle. It promotes and supports school and community learning projects that cannot be funded or presented in traditional ways. Adult & Community Education is both a program of classes and educational events and a process that connects local citizens with each other and their public schools in ways that are creative, educational and cost effective.

3. An Active Year of Educational Service Delivery to the Community

More than 2,400 people participated in one or more fee-based educational classes and programs in Concord-Carlisle Schools during 2006-2007 (2007). A total of 317 courses had sufficient enrollments and revenues that enabled them to be conducted. There were 4,114 enrollments. In addition, several dozen free community events attracted well over 2,000 people, and upwards of 10,000 individual lessons and tutorials were provided during the period.

Many popular courses were offered again, to new students, and some like the reading groups and current events classes were modified to meet today’s interests. Courses such as CPR and computing were updated to remain current with new standards. New courses, including Asian Art, “Bones for Life,” Business Ethics, Taiko, and Experiential Journaling provided students of all ages with learning opportunities that connected them with their local schools.

Most classes were held at Concord-Carlisle High School between September and June, where evening classroom space is available when other school and town needs are met. Before-school classes were held in Concord’s elementary schools, and other public and private facilities and outdoor sites in the school district accommodated more specialized classes. CCHS community classes met after regular school hours, when the facility was open for other purposes such as cleaning and K-12 activities. This scheduling controlled costs, minimized custodial needs, and kept fees to local citizens as reasonable as possible.

Summer community education programming was more limited, and focused on enrichment for children with arts and crafts, music, science and study skills classes and workshops. The schools also host other cooperating town and community organizations and programs during the summer months.

Adults who enroll in continuing education classes were the largest group of students served by Adult & Community Education. K-12 students made up 46% of the course enrollments in 2007.

Most community education courses and events offered by the school district are open to the general community, while some were geared to specific audiences such as senior citizens, young parents, and public employees. Fifty-six percent of the enrollments were from Concord residents, up slightly. Fifteen percent of the enrollments were by Carlisle residents, representing little change. Non-residents were encouraged to participate (on a space-available basis only), and paid an additional $3 for every course registration. Non-resident revenues helped the department achieve its cost-recovery goal and made possible the current breadth of course offerings that were available to our residents.

Two hundred and six part-time community educators provided instructional services in 2007. The faculty included professional educators and highly-qualified non-traditional teachers. They are instructional subcontractors, generally paid in the $25-30/hour range, for classroom time only, contingent upon student fees. The faculty make Community Education possible for the district, with their talent, enthusiasm, and commitment to continuous learning programs in our public schools.

The March 2007 Global Warming Symposium was one of the more significant educational events. About 500 people attended a day-long series of presentations, exhibits and films about carbon output and climate change. School groups, town departments, state and federal agencies, and private individuals and companies participated. The event was conceived and orchestrated by the volunteers of the Adult & Community Education Advisory Committee, and it was fully funded by donations.

Enrollments by category, 2007

K-12 Enrichment (various instructional categories)	1,879
Arts, Literature & History	418
Health, Wellness, Exercise	279
Personal Finance, Business, Careers	108
Home Improvement, Domestic Arts	152
Parent Education	176
First Aid, CPR, Safety Education	336
Languages (Adult) & Communications	306
Sports, Outdoor Education, Dance	134
Computing (classroom & online)	165
Nature & Environment	161
Total enrollments 2006-2007	4,114

4. Community Education Revenues & Expenses

The department completed its third year without administrative and clerical budget support and achieved a $14,308 positive operating margin (2%). This restored half of the FY06 operating deficit of $28,503. Continued cost-cutting included termination of the part-time person who helped with course marketing, and technology upgrades were postponed. The Director reduced his role in community-school activities that do not produce funds, such as emergency planning activities and school-business collaborations. Evening and weekend rentals to out-of-district groups were not restored to previous levels. New fees were assessed for training programs teachers and staff. Other school functions, such as evening staffing at the high school campus and supervision of the student radio station remained in place.

The department increased fees for community classes wherever possible, as always, and held constant the stipends paid most community education teachers. Information about the fee increases implemented over the past decade was provided to the Advisory Committee and administration and in turn to the School Committee. The fees are in line with, or somewhat higher than, those of many programs in surrounding school districts that have more ample and varied non-budget resources to contribute to revenues and salaries.

The department received grant support from the Concord-Carlisle Community Chest.
It provided tuition assistance on 50 occasions for district residents who were sought assistance in paying their course fees.

An article and vote at the 2007 Concord Town Meeting recommended that the department’s salaries receive consideration in the school budget. The Regional School Committee held a public hearing in December 2006 where citizens voiced support for the program. The School Committee also convened a Task Force in the spring to examine the program and develop recommendations to identify and address any issues.

2006-2007 Revenues by category

Fees for instructional services	$658,824
Interest (credit card tuitions, offset by charges)	$16,703
Contract Instructional Services	$1,753
Instructional supplies resale	$5,331
Building Services Charges	$4,820
Grants for Programs	$21,493
Donations	$5,306
Inter-department reimbursement	$7,812
Other all sources (Symposium, Cultural Council, etc.)	$1,122
Total	$723,164

2006-2007 Expenses by category

Teachers & instructional support	$499,981
Administration	$74,196
Secretarial/Clerical/Supervisory	$77,450
Building Services Overtime	$4,290
Instructional supplies & materials	$12,478
Office supply	$2,070
Printing & postal	$18,357
Professional Development	$75
Equipment	$3,814
Equipment Maintenance & technology support	$2,383
Publications & Memberships	$977
Bank Transaction Charges (offset by interest)	$11,122
Mileage, Refunds, Other	$1,664
Total	$708,857

5. Partnerships with Community Organizations

Community Education fosters school-community connections. These collaborations make possible high-quality educational programming that the Director could not develop alone. Dozens of successful collaborations are evident in each semester's courses and programs.

In 2007 Adult & Community Education worked with more than 40 community agencies, school and town departments, and private organizations, developing and hosting those workshops, seminars, and other educational outreach programs that did not require significant cost recovery. Among the projects that were continued was "T³" which helped teachers respond to the social needs of at-risk youth. Another was emergency preparedness training for the community, offered in conjunction with the Concord and Carlisle first responders and the American Red Cross, and conducted strictly on personal time.

5. Community Outreach

The department strives to inform the citizens of the school district about its community education services. A course bulletin is published and mailed to every home in the school district four times annually. There is regular information in local newspapers. An interactive website provides details on all courses and 24/7 course registration (www.ace.colonial.net). A daytime office at the Ripley School, and an evening office at CCHS are staffed and provide assistance to students (and other school visitors). Mary Zellner is the full-time day-time senior secretary and Deborah Jancek is at CCHS each night. Deborah Levine is the secretary for the music lesson program, and works 10 hours per week. The Advisory Committee provides two-way communications, supporting efforts by the schools and local citizens to work on behalf of community learning.

6. Organizational Structure

The Director reports to the Assistant Superintendent of Schools, as called for in the organizational structure of the Regional School District. The Director worked a full-time schedule for 12 months, paid with department revenues for a 190 day contract period. The Assistant Superintendent supervises the Director and participates in goal-setting, program and financial oversight, and ongoing communications about Community Education.

The Adult & Community Education Advisory Committee is appointed by the Regional School Committee to provide public oversight specifically for the program. It helps establish sound priorities for Adult & Community Education and monitors its progress, and has a School Committee Liaison to foster regular two-way communications. The Director reports each month in public session, in detail, on every aspect of the department and its educational service delivery and financial affairs.
The Advisory Committee also conducts various community service projects. Three members of the Advisory Committee may represent Carlisle and six may represent Concord, for a total complement of nine members.

8. The Year Ahead

The major challenges for 2007-2008 are to continue the excellent community education programs, support our teachers and students, encourage greater Carlisle participation, achieve 100% cost-recovery again, restore essential staffing, and respond to forthcoming directives from the School Committee. Communication with and reporting to the administration will be expanded.

We look forward to continued collaboration with, and service to, every stakeholder in local public education.

10.10.07