Jahnke, McMurry, Shiffrin
for Ithaca City School District
Restore Academic Excellence
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Return schools to good standing
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Academic performance as measured by state test scores has steadily declined over the past ten years. Whether we look at the data by school, by subject, by grade level, or by demographic group, every cohort has underperformed relative to its peers across New York State.
The declines are most acute in math, and in the early grades. A decade ago, our elementary schoolers were in the 88th percentile statewide in math proficiency. Last year, for the first time ever, they fell below the state average.
The chart below shows math proficiency across the district’s eight elementary schools relative to the state average. A figure of 20%, for example, means that 20% more of the school’s student body was proficient in math than the statewide average.
In 2013, six of the eight schools scored more than ten percentage points higher than the state average; last year only one did. The declines have been particularly acute at Fall Creek (down 35 percentage points), Belle Sherman (-23), and Cayuga Heights (-22).
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In order for students to learn at the highest levels, they need coherence. In the elementary schools, this means that students have access to great reading, writing, math, science, and social studies instruction every day. This also means that teachers from one grade to another know what their students learned in the previous grade level. When students go to middle school, this means that middle school teachers can confidently teach knowing that no matter what elementary school students attended, they received a common education that prepared them for middle school. Similarly, at the high school, this means that high school teachers can confidently teach knowing that at all middle schools students received a strong, common education that prepares them for whatever coursework and track students select so they can have fulfilling, productive lives.
Teacher Support
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To build an effective learning environment for students, we need our teachers to stay within the ICSD. This starts with ensuring our salaries are competitive with nearby districts, by conducting stay interviews, and by ensuring professional development is tailored to the individual needs of each teacher.
Here are the current teacher turnover statistics for the ICSD.
Teacher Turnover
ICSD teacher turnover rate: 18% annually (approx. 103 departures each of last three years)
Indicates sustained and serious attrition.Source: NYS Comptroller and ITA recordsNYS average turnover rate: 14%
Confirms ICSD exceeds state and national normsSource: NYSSBANational average turnover rate: 12%
Provides national baseline comparisonSource: K12 DiveDrop in tenured teachers (2015–2025): From 83% to 57%
Shows erosion of veteran workforce over the past decadeSource: ITA audit of member records
· Estimated cost of teacher turnover from 2023-2024 to 2024–2025:
o $1.57 million for 133 departures (ITA estimate)
o $1.21 million for the 103 departures (ICSD Exec. Team estimate)
Source: Learning Policy Institute turnover cost estimates, ICSD HR data, ITA member records
Recent three-year attrition total: 175 non-retirement teacher departuresReinforces that this is a persistent pattern, not an isolated year.Source: ICSD Proposal for ITA (“A Sustainable Approach to Teacher Compensation”)
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ICSD currently has an elective exit interview process. We will work to ensure that exit interviews are conducted for all teachers and staff leaving the district. When done correctly exit interviews provide valuable insight into the health of the school they are from and the district as a whole. We believe the lack of a formalized exit interview process is evidence of a broader lack of interest in proactively seeking improvements that could enhance teacher morale and district performance. Without this information it is difficult to make informed decisions that could help mitigate the high turnover we are seeing in the district. A standardized process will reveal trends related to salary concerns, workplace culture, and administrative support, and allow for necessary adjustments before they escalate into larger, more complex problems.
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The current adversarial relationship between administrators and teachers doesn’t help anyone. In successful school districts, there is a productive relationship where teachers can expect to have the curriculum, resources, training, and ongoing coaching and support to have classrooms where every student can thrive. How is it possible, for example, that the ICSD doesn’t even provide basic classroom supplies for students at the start of the school year?
Beyond basics, this means that teachers should have what they need to create safe classroom environments where every student is engaged and learning. This isn’t done through check-the-box 2-times a year evaluations from principals. This is done through instructional coaching and a culture of improvement grounded in EVERYONE working to ensure that all students are successful and learning.
Accountability
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Chronic absenteeism (CA), especially in early school years, has profound cumulative, negative effects on academic achievement and social development. The ICSD has a CA rate of 24%, rising to 38% among economically disadvantaged students. Among schools with similar demographics, this is one of the highest rates in the state. It is particularly high among elementary and middle school students: 23% are CA in our district, versus an average of 15% among comparable districts.
We cannot afford to be a laggard in chronic absenteeism, and we should not be satisfied with a return to the middle of the pack. Other districts in New York with significantly higher proportions of economically disadvantaged students – Canandaigua, White Plains and Ossining, to name but a few – have achieved very low CA rates. Canandaigua’s Early Warning Indicator program has resulted in a CA rate of just 7%. We propose studying best practices among low CA districts throughout the state to formulate a comprehensive, district-wide approach toward returning our more than 1,100 chronically absent students back to regular attendance.
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We will work to ban cellphones in all schools for the entire school day, sometimes referred to as “bell-to-bell”, whether New York State passes legislation as part of the annual budget or not. We want to ensure that students in school have synchronous, in-person interactions throughout the school day, which are more conducive to learning.
The school day should be a respite from social media. There is abundant data on the harmful effects of cellphones on teens and pre-teens, for example in the decrease in time spent with friends:
Source: American Time Use Study - www.bls.gov/tus/data.htm.
And in a sharp rise in depression and other mental health issues:
Source: U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health – https://www.samhsa.gov/data/data-we-collect/nsduh-national-survey-drug-use-and-health/national-releases/2021
Source: American College Health Association - www.acha.org/ NCHA/ About_ ACHA_ NCHA/ Survey/ NCHA/ About/ Survey .aspx?hkey=7e9f6752-2b47-4671-8ce7-ba7a529c9934
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Narrow the achievement gap
The Data
NY designates underperforming schools as:
CSI (Comprehensive Support and Improvement) - overall low performance across all student groups)
TSI (Targeted Support and Improvement - low performance among one or more subgroups).
PTSI (Potential TS) - at risk of a TSI designation if performance does not improve.
These designations are rare: only 3% of schools in the state were designated CSI last year, and 6% were designated TSI.
NY School Accountability Status
Further…
Underperforming districts have one thing in common: a high proportion of Economically Disadvantaged (ED) students. 73% of students in the average CSI district are ED, versus 37% in the ICSD.
The ICSD is - by far - the least Economically Disadvantaged school district in New York to receive a CSI designation.
Vote May 20th
Priorities
Reverse decline
Reverse the decade-long trend of declining academic performance in the district. #thedata
Reduce Absenteeism
Devote more resources to reducing our high rate of chronic absenteeism
Raise Achievements
Narrow the achievement gap between economically disadvantaged (ED) and non-ED students
Keep Grading
Ensure the district maintains a 0-100 grading system at Ithaca High School
Ban Phones
Ban cell phone usage during the school day