Notes from the Superintendent's Office

This fall has brought us a harvest of positive growth here in the Truro Central School District. We have several new students who have greatly enriched our community, district and classrooms. We have several new staff who have joined us, bringing refreshing new ideas and energy!
Our School Council has effected positive changes in our food service program and are continuing to work on other ways that we can improve the meals that we serve so that they are nutritious and appetizing.

This fall has also brought the MCAS results and while many communities and the media feel compelled to post the results as if it is a measure of their success and effectiveness of their instruction. For example the recent article in the Banner in which Wellfleet compared their fifth grade scores to Eastham and Truro as if it represents their place in the Race to the top.  As with all statistics, they can be used in various ways, in this case comparing their 5th grade scores to neighboring fifth grades scores. True Wellfleet did score higher. However when comparing our sixth grade scores to Nauset and Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School they look like this:

English Language Arts                                   Truro  15 of 551                                      Nauset      110 of 551                              CCLCS 148 of 551

Math                                                      Truro    25 of 551                           Nauset 112 of 551                               CCLCS 196 of 551

Obviously Truro scores well above our neighbors if we select sixth grade statistics to be presented for public consumption.
This is one of the problems in making MCAS score comparisons. Another method for identifying a school’s success might be a broader look at the curriculum offered, as well as the “end result.” For example this year’s president of Nauset’s National Honor Society is a Truro Central School Graduate. And I will go out on a limb by saying that I believe that an analysis of students who are in the top 10% of each class would clearly demonstrate that a large percentage of Truro Central School graduate’s names will appear on that list.

This fall we have also seen many comments in the press regarding Truro’s contribution to the Nauset district and in some cases the accusation has been made that we are not paying our “fair share.” As you know we tuition our students to both Nauset and Provincetown. In 2009 when the tuition agreements were negotiated the issue of payment of our “fair share,” was front and center during that process. The rate and formula for that rate reflects a mutually agreed upon rate which covers the cost of Truro students and then some. It may appear to some who were not part of that process that there is an inequity that is clearly not the case. In addition to the mutually agreed upon tuition rate, Nauset also changed the high school and middle school start times which saved purportedly saved Nauset $90,000 in transportation costs, however, it increased Truro’s costs by $65,000 per year. Truro sends the Nauset Region over 1,000,000 per year to educated Truro students, the students they receive contribute to the Nauset region in a positive way across academics, the arts and athletics, raising the  region’s  MCAS scores, as well as providing highly talented artists and athletes.

We are proud of the contributions being made by our students and if there is a funding issue in the region, presenting Truro as the problem is not fair to the students and is simply not accurate. 

Meanwhile back at TCS we continue to work with our students and families to provide the most complete and comprehensive educational program possible. Our enrollments continue to rise and our quality of services continue to improve. In this climate of consolidation and regionalization Truro is a living example that small is beautiful.