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The Citywide Parent Council meeting is tonight, 7:00 pm, at the Lowell High School TV studio (3rd floor, above the library).  This will be a taped event, and people are welcome to join the studio audience or watch the meeting when it is broadcast, beginning this weekend at 7 pm on channel 22. The topic is “Talking with Teachers,” and the meeting will include a panel of educators and parents discussing case studies of challenging situations. By examining how parents and teachers can approach difficult topics together, the taped meeting will aid constructive conversation around student issues. In addition to being broadcast later in the week, the taped meeting will also be used for training purposes.

Whether we keep our superintendent or lose her in July, there’s no question the Lowell Public Schools have made progress under the leadership of Dr. Karla Brooks Baehr. For the current school year, continuing that progress includes achieving priority goals from which her yearly $5,000 performance bonus is based. (At an annual salary of $155,000, with no add-on perks or annuities, Lowell’s superintendent is underpaid compared to what area towns and urban districts this size pay. She is also the only one whose contract includes a performance-based incentive.) To receive her bonus, she must achieve four of the five following goals:

• At the McDonough Freshman Academy, 80% of first-year freshmen will earn promotion to sophomore status—up from 75.2%; 85% of first-year freshmen who complete the year will achieve a 90% attendance rate—up from 78.8%; and 50% of freshmen who complete the remedial reading course will achieve at least two years’ growth in reading proficiency—up from 32%. (at least 2 of 3 met) 
• For grades 3-8, 60% of students without special needs who complete the “targeted reading intervention” program will move out of the at-risk reading category by the end of the school year—up from 44% last year.
• Middle school targeted instruction in math will result in a 5% increase in the MCAS comprehensive proficiency index (CPI) math scores for students in grades 6-8.
• Expanding the Parent Information Center, including development of a web-based Family Resource Guide, will result in at least 1,200 documented contacts with families focused on improving student attendance.
• And finally, the superintendent will develop a fiscally sound FY09 budget that provides the school committee with information and analysis necessary to allocate resources effectively toward achieving the district’s Five Year Goals.