TESTIMONY BY
COLLEEN MAE WILLIAMS, INSULAR SUPERINTENDENT – ST. CROIX BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE
JUNE 30, 2015
Good afternoon, Honorable Chairman, Senator Clifford Graham, members of the Committee on Finance, other members of the 31st Legislature present, and persons in the listening and viewing audiences. I am Colleen Mae Williams, Insular Superintendent for the District of St. Croix. I am here to provide testimony in support of the Department of Education’s Fiscal 2016 Budget. My testimony today, will highlight the major accomplishments, initiatives, and challenges of schools in the District of St. Croix.
During the 2014-2015 school year, the following Major Accomplishments occurred in the St. Croix District:
Two elementary schools, Pearl B. Larsen and Ricardo Richards, were recognized nationally as 2014 Blue Ribbon Schools by U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, for exemplary academic achievement.
The Virgin Islands Daily News Award was presented to John H. Woodson Jr. High School for being Voted Best Public Middle School on St. Croix, and Ricardo Richards Elementary School was also Voted Best Elementary School on St. Croix.
The Elena L. Christian Jr. High School Rocketry Club members participated in the Team America Rocketry Challenge in Washington, D.C., and were able to make a presentation of their rockets to the President of the United States, the Honorable Barak Obama. As a result of their presentation, the Rocketry Club was invited to participate in the Team America Rocketry Challenge Convention in Nevada.
English Language Acquisition services are provided through English as a Second
Language (ESL) instruction at eight schools in the District. During the 2014-2015 school year, 237 English Language Learners were provided services. To support the technology needs of students receiving ESL services, the Rosetta Stone software is used to provide online computerized assisted instruction in reading, listening, speaking and writing. In order to address our District’s ESL teacher needs, two teacher preparation programs were funded through the Territories and Freely Associated States Education Grant (T&FASEG). These programs are: Project REACT (Reinforcing ESL Education Approaches and Content Knowledge of Teachers) a Master’s Degree program with the Turabo University of Puerto Rico. A total of 15 participants started the program in February 2015, and are scheduled to complete this program in May 2016. The second
Visit us at: www.stx.k12.vi Tel: (340) 773-1095
www.vide.vi Fax: (340) 773-4624
Office of the Ins
ular Superintendent
#2133 Hospital Street
program, which is being done in conjunction with the University of the Virgin Islands, will provide 22 participants with Undergraduate certification in ESL. This program started in May 2015, and participants will conclude their course of study in December 2015.
As part of the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) Dual Enrollment Program, selected high school students take college courses for credits while enrolled in their respective senior high schools. To date, three students from St. Croix Central High School (CHS) and one student from the St. Croix Educational Complex have successfully completed their spring semester.Three students who successfully completed their senior year in the fall, became early admissions students at UVI, and five students from CHS will be participating in the Dual Credit program at UVI in the Fall 2015 semester.
St. Croix Educational Complex 2015 graduating senior and co-valedictorian Sojourner Ferguson was selected as a National Presidential Scholar among top students in the United States, and is currently attending a Scholars program in our nation’s capital. St. Croix Central High School graduating senior Kobe Sutton, has been accepted at the
prestigious United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and will begin basic training and pursue a college degree while in attendance.Graduating senior, Raheem Knight, was selected as a finalist for the National Merit Scholar Award. Only 1600 students in the nation receive this honor based on their results on thePreliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT).
Members of the St. Croix Educational Complex Track and Field Team were stand outs at the Pan-American Youth Games and the 61st Annual Poly Relays. History was made when Nia Jack won gold and set a Pan- American Youth record, and Rodney Griffin won silver and bronze in the 400m and 200m respectively. This team currently holds 27 school records in track and field events, and of the twenty-nine members of the team, sixteen are honor roll scholars.
Central High School 2015 Valedictorian, Bria James, represented her school at the Junior Statesman of America Winter Conference, and she also represented the St. Croix District in the Poetry Out Loud Territorial Competition. She was also an award recipient in the 2015 Laws of Life Program hosted by the Community Foundation.
Fifteen district schools participated in the 10th Annual Revival of Quadrille. This event provides district students the opportunity to engage in activities that preserve and promote the history and cultural customs of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
John H. Woodson Jr. High School and the St. Croix Central High School Jazz bands were the opening acts at Sunset Jazz with Dion Parsons.
Two of our District’s Special Education students were selected to attend a mainland trade school and college after attending the annual College Tour sponsored by the Division of Special Education.
Students in the district have successfully participated in the Learn to Swim Program held at the Country Day/Good Hope pool, participated in the Roseway Sailing Program and historical field trips with the National Park Service.
In collaboration with the National Park Service and the “Who Lived Here Project,” 4th grade students at the Ricardo Richards Elementary participated in a two year research project which culminated in 2015, and produced QR code readers on two local landmarks, in Christiansted: Government House and Fort Frederik.
AVID, Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a program that trains educators to use proven practices to prepare students for success in high school, college and career, especially students who are traditionally underrepresented in high education. John H.
Woodson Jr. High School, has been recommended as a Model Site by AVID Consultants based on work advancements achieved during the 2014-2015 school year.
The John Hopkins’ Center for Talented Youth Program conducted testing to select junior high students for participation in their summer program.
Several of our elementary schools continue to be recognized for their academic and student-centered activities: Charles H. Emanuel Elementary School was recognized as a Model School for Positive Behavior Intervention Systems (PBIS); Eulalie R. Rivera Elementary School was recognized for National Achievement by Achieve3000; Lew Muckle Elementary School’s 6th grader Makayla Todman represented the U.S. Virgin Islands at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, where she advanced to the third round of the preliminaries; andas part of their annual Community Service Project, 6th grade students at Ricardo Richards Elementary School were recognized by the American Cancer Society, American Red Cross and the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital for their philanthropic contributions.
Our Career and Technical Education Center (C-TEC)through its connection with The National Academy Foundation (NAF)has successfully implemented the Academies of Finance, Hospitality and Tourism, the CISCO I.T., and Health Science. Students in the C-TEC Culinary Arts Program continue to excel in local programs such as “A Taste of St. Croix,” and culinary arts competitions at Frenchman’s Reef. C-TEC currently has a five year accreditation for secondary programs, and has also been granted post-secondary accreditation with stipulations. The Administration of C-TEC is preparing an
Articulation Agreement to present to the University of the Virgin Islands as part of the stipulations for their post-secondary programs. Our Career and Technical Education Center is moving forward by adding academies in high demand career pathways and college credit through an Associate’s Degree dual credit program through UVI. In keeping with advancements in technology, Academy courses are available to students on line. In July 2015, a team of C-TEC instructors will participate in the Year of Planning at the National Academy Foundation Convention.
The St. Croix District will continue to provide opportunities for all our stakeholders to remain actively involved in Education through the following collaborations:
Continue our partnerships with the St. Croix Foundation and the Community Foundations in the areas of Gifted and Talented Programs, the AVID Program’s growth to our high schools, and student participation in writing and public speaking activities such as “Laws of Life.”
Continue our work with the University of the Virgin Islands and other mainland institutions of higher learning to provide opportunities for our students to receive dual credits and career and technical national certifications.
Partner with our local PTSA leadership to promote and support active parental participation in our schools, to increase the use of the parent portal in our student information system and to facilitate greater student attendance in gateway grades such as Kindergarten, 7th grade and 9th grade to improve students’ academic success. Increase our partnerships with government agencies and private corporations to foster
the development of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) opportunities for our students and teachers.
Continue to provide opportunities for our students and schools to interact with our cultural community stakeholders so that there is a greater understanding and appreciation for our cultural heritage, traditions, and history.
Upcoming training for our Professionals and Support Staff will include:
Teacher and Leader Effectiveness Training to provide strong leadership and effective classroom instruction.
Job embedded training for Administrators on Learning-focused Supervision. Job embedded training for Teachers on Planning and Preparation, Classroom
Environment, Professional Responsibilities and Instruction.
Continued support for Teachers in the use of the Common Core State Standards and best practices,so that significant increases occur in informational writing in all content areas and mathematical instructional rigor increases.
Opportunities for Support Staff members to receive certification in CPR/First Aid, and Department of Homeland Security and VIPD training for School Monitors.
The major challenges faced by the St. Croix District are:
Certified and highly qualified Teachers in the areas of Mathematics, Science, Foreign Languages, Fine Arts, English/Language Arts (ELA), English Language Learners (ELL), Special Education and Career/Technical Areas.
Funding challenges in the following areas continue to plague the District: Textbooks and textbook adoptions for Language Arts, Mathematics and the Sciences; Technology resources for classrooms and computer labs; Maintenance of schools and upkeep of activity centers; and the recruitment of certified maintenance workers.
Increasing the participation of students in the School Lunch Program continues to be a challenge. Every effort will be made during the upcoming school year to turn this program around so that the district receives increased funding from reimbursable meals. The shuttering and relocation of schools as a result of lack of systematic maintenance
and a viable funding source. For the 2015-2016 school year, the Elena L. Christian Jr. High School and Evelyn M. Williams Elementary School will not be opened to students, faculty and staff. Elena L. Christian Jr. High School will be relocated to the Charles H. Emanuel Elementary School (CHEES) location, and students, faculty and staff of
CHEES will be merged into the Alfredo Andrews Elementary School. The faculty, staff and students of the Evelyn M. Williams Elementary School will merged into two area elementary schools; Claude O. Markoe Elementary School and Eulalie R. Rivera Elementary School. All stakeholders have been informed of these plans through
meetings with PTAs, Unions, Administrators and Faculty and Staffs of affected Schools and press releases from the public relations division of the Department of Education. The relocation of library resources and equipment began today at Charles H. Emanuel
Elementary School and Elena L. Christian Jr. High School.
Through this medium, I thank this august body for the opportunity to share the accomplishments, initiative and challenges in the St. Croix district, and to support the Department of Education’s Fiscal 2016 Budget request.
