hard deadlines

All Portsmouth schools will be closing early tomorrow in anticipation of the tropical-storm-force winds from Hurricane Earl, according to a note distributed on the District listserv this afternoon:

We will be dismissing our schools early tomorrow due to the weather forecast. The dismissal times will be as follows:

PHS – 12 noon
PMS – 12:30 PM
Elementaries – 1:30 PM

Afternoon kindergarten is CANCELLED. Morning kindergarten will run as scheduled.
All athletics and after school activities are CANCELLED, including the PAY Program.

There was a conference call this afternoon with RIEMA. The severe wind and rain is currently predicted to hit at 5:00 PM. This schedule will enable us to have everyone home safely by 3:00 PM. I am notifying families now so that particularly those with young children can plan and make sure someone is at home to meet their children.

Attached is information on the Portsmouth Middle School Shelter, should anyone need emergency shelter.

Please continue to listen and watch for further updates. If the weather forecast takes a turn for the worse, further cancellations are possible.

Editorial note: I'm really, really sorry about the headline. Sometimes I can't help myself.

With three-quarters of respondents saying Portsmouth's town web site made content hard to find and 70% giving it failing grades for meeting their needs, the survey results reported today by the Portsmouth Economic Development Committee (EDC) couldn't be much harsher. The entire release from the EDC is worth quoting at length. (Editorial note: For your own sanity, don't click on the link to the Town site — it will load up an insane nest of 90's-era frames with a pointless, lumbering Java navigation bar.)

The Portsmouth Economic Development Committee recently concluded a web-based survey regarding our town website; Our thanks to the many people who responded to this survey.

The survey was developed by Portsmouth Economic Development Committee to solicit all citizens input regarding the current town website with a view towards redesigning the website and making it more user-friendly. During the 4 months the survey was active, 158 people responded. The results of the survey were recently forwarded to the Town Council with a recommendation that they provide the Town Administrator with the resources necessary for a complete upgrade of the Portsmouth Town website.

Highlights of the survey results indicate that 75% of the survey responders concluded that the information they were looking for on the current Town website was either very difficult to find or not found at all, 70% rated the website 5 or less on a scale of 10 in meeting their needs, 60% indicated that a full-featured website would reduce their need to visit the Town Hall, and 84% agreed that a modern, easy to use website was important for the Town.

In addition to the survey questions, respondents were asked for their recommendations on improving the website. The general theme of many comments was the desire and need to allow more public access and participation in Town government through an upgraded Town website. Features that are considered to be key to an effective town site are:

• Emergency instructions, information and data. Immediate Up to date to emergency and other important information can be posted as well as “pushed” to Town citizens via blog, Facebook or Twitter feeds.
• Online payments. (For taxes and other Town fees)
• On-line renewals (e.g., Town and Transfer Station sticker renewal)
• Online access to Records. (e.g., Birth, death certificates, etc.
• Online access to necessary forms and applications
• Posted public documents. (Both final and in draft form while being updated)
• User Friendly Searches. Clear and user-friendly website search ability with links to other important external sites (State, other communities, school department, etc.)
• Video Streaming. Streaming and on-demand videos of Town Council, School Board and other important public meetings
• Local Links. Links to local news, Committee meetings, sports schedules, etc.
• Position statements. (e.g. by Town leaders and candidates for office on controversial or upcoming issues such as budget, policies or initiatives)
• Backup reference Information. Posted backup reference material provided to Town officials for all public meetings
• Comments and Suggestions. Ability for citizens to send comments and suggestions to Town officials from the website

Based on the survey results, the EDC concluded that the Town website is in need of major work to be even minimally effective. A full-featured and more user-friendly Town website will benefit all Portsmouth residents by allowing direct access to Town documents, ordnances, meeting agenda and minutes, and Town officials. An updated website will also facilitate the payment of fees and taxes and provide a much needed vehicle for rapidly communicating important information to the public during emergencies. These changes will also enhance Portsmouth’s ability to attract new businesses and residents, since the first impression potential visitors will have of Portsmouth is likely to be from our website.

An attractive and multi-featured website need not be expensive. The Town Administrator has already taken the initiative to improve the website by requesting the assistance of the ri.gov in creating website templates for Portsmouth. We will hopefully see the results of this effort in the next few months

The complete Website Survey report to the Town Council can be found on the PEDC website at www.portsmouthriedc.com

E. Doug Smith
Member, PEDC

Editorial: We've got a bunch of Web-savvy folks in town. If you had to do it on the cheap, it would take a team to port this thing to a modern content management system like, say, Drupal, but after that one-time effort, it becomes possible to distribute content entry, snap in modules to add new features, and leverage out-of-the box Web 2.0 functionality. I think the Council might consider forming a technology committee to take a look at this.

Portsmouth school finance director Mark Dunham explains restricted funds.

There were just 6 people in attendance at the Portsmouth School Finance subcommittee meeting tonight, and despite the somewhat theatrical buildup given in the Newport Daily News (who didn't bother to send a reporter) there were no secret pots of money discovered, no moment where a school committee member leaped up and said, "Aha! It was Colonel Mustard, in the Conservatory, with the Candlestick."

Rather, it was a prosaic but instructional two hour meeting in which Finance Director Mark Dunham walked through spreadsheets describing each of the restricted accounts (Federal Title I, Title II, Title IV, IDEA, state Article 18), while Asst. Supt. Colleen Jermain, and Supt. Susan Lusi provided any necessary backup on the nature of the fund and the and its restrictions.

Finance subcommittee chair Mike Buddemeyer explained why he wanted everything in so much detail. "I only want to do this once," he said.

At the end of the meeting, the subcommittee voted to direct the administration to produce the same reports on a quarterly basis for the school committtee's review. I would urge anyone who still has questions to watch the tape on Channel 18.

Full disclosure: I am a candidate for Portsmouth School Committee.

John McDaid (D), candidate for Portsmouth school committee with former Hathaway principal Dr. Christina Martin. Photo by Andrew Katzman.

Dr. Christina Martin, recently retired principal of Hathaway Elementary school, announced her support for John McDaid in the Portsmouth School Committee race. The ten-year veteran of Portsmouth's schools issued the following statement:

"John McDaid is a perfect candidate for the Portsmouth School Committee. He is truly schooled in the strengths and challenges of the school department, the sort of in-service training that all school committee members need to make informed decisions."

"During the last four years I have seen John's commitment to the education of his son, Jack, a student at Hathaway, and to all Portsmouth students."

"He is a proven communicator who has covered Portsmouth on his local news blog, where I've often read his coverage of school committee and town council meetings."

"John is a knowledgeable and committed participant in the process of leading our schools into the future. He was a participant in the Future Search workshop -- held at Hathaway -- which developed a strategic vision for the schools. As an appointed member of the facilities committee, he came to Hathaway with the engineers and we toured every corner of the building as they were developing their recommendations."

"His service on the district technology committee shows his dedication to the improvement of our schools. He worked with many teachers -- not just at Hathaway -- to assist in implementing the district's new web site. And I worked with him directly on the search team for our technology integration specialist and found him to be a thoughtful and engaged participant."

"Elected officials are charged with making decisions that impact the lives of all of us, so they need to really know the nuts and bolts of the organizational life intimately. John brings a deep understanding of the challenges and an admired dedication to the schools — he will make a great school committee member."

"I am honored to receive this significant endorsement," McDaid said. "Dr. Martin has been a leader in Portsmouth education for a decade, and as principal of Hathway, her tireless efforts on behalf of our children have earned her the respect of students, parents, and the community."

John McDaid is running as an endorsed Democratic candidate, on a slate with David Croston, Andrew Kelly, and Marge Levesque.

Related links
John McDaid campaign Web site: http://johnmcdaid.com
See the announcement on Portsmouth Patch

Full disclosure: It's pretty clear that I'm in candidate mode from here to November. And yes, this one is from a press release.

Teacher of the Year Kim Cunningham with PPEF president Helen Furriel (l) and treasurer Donna Manning. Photo by Paul Gallagher.

At the Portsmouth teacher orientation this morning, the Portsmouth Public Education Foundation (PPEF) announced their 2010-2011 PPEF Educational Excellence Grant Recipients and their 3rd Teacher of the Year Award recipient, Kim Cunningham of Portsmouth High School.

This year's Teacher of the Year award was sponsored by NewportFed, and nominations were accepted throughout the month of May from the Portsmouth community. Cunningham, in addition to the award, received a $1,000 unrestricted grant from PPEF at the presentation this morning.

Thirteen Educational Excellence grants were awarded totaling $8,743 to teachers in Melville Elementary School, Portsmouth Middle School, and Portsmouth High School:

Elaina Amaral (PHS): Whales – Up Close and Personal;
Kimberly Hancock (PHS): Real World Reading;
Leanne Gordon Perry (PHS): Anatomical Modeling;
Diane Roth (Melville): Center Stage + Math;
Kathleen Beebe (PHS): Enhancing Science Labs;
Sandy Oxx (PHS): Using E-Readers in the Classroom;
Rose Escobar (PHS): Tribute to My Hero;
Donna Powell, Sue Roklan, Valerie Seveney, Bryn Weymouth (Melville): Lights Camera Action – Building Reading Fluency;
Alison Ernest (PMS): Listen to This;
Richard Price (PMS): Listen and See the Music of America;
Carol Strakosh (PMS): Poetry in Performance;
Sharon Raposo (PMS): Building the Skills of Autistic Children
Kimberly Hancock, Marilyn Thompson, Michelle Beaulieu (PHS): Reading SOS, Strategies for Older Children.

In addition to PPEF fundraising, the foundation received community support to help fund these grants. A generous donation came from the Dr. Robert A. Davidson Charitable Fund from proceeds earned in a public concert the held this past January. A Civic Support Grant sponsored by Sen. Charles Levesque and another grant by the Barton J. Carroll Foundation also helped fund this year's grant awards. A new memorial grant, the William "Jay" Humphrey Jr. Memorial Grant, was also created in memory of former PPEF President, Jay Humphrey, who passed away this year.

Grant recipients from the last school year will also get to showcase their projects in the upcoming Fall Social on October 21, 2010, which will be held at Green Valley Country Club in Portsmouth. This event is open to the general public and hosts a silent auction to raise additional funds for future grants.

PPEF would also like to welcome three new board members to PPEF: Eileen LaCazette, Ellen Toner, and Bruce Jones. They bring tremendous talent to our organization and we look forward to a strong future with their contributions.

PPEF is an independent non-profit organization whose mission is to improve, promote, sponsor, and enhance the educational experiences of public school students. PPEF awards grants directly to teachers for events, activities and projects that are not financed by the school or town budget. Since 2001, the foundation has awarded 131 grants totaling over $68,589.00. Learn more at the PPEF web site

Full disclosure: I am a PPEF board member. Yes, this is from a press release.

The awesome science fiction web site io9 posted a list of "strange" sf, and I'm chuffed that my 1995 story "Jigoku no mokushiroku (The Symbolic Revelation of the Apocalypse) made the cut. You can, of course, read it here.

Why is this story strange? Well, possibly because the point-of-view character is a sentient elevator? Maybe this would be a good time to mention that I'm working on a sequel, called "Jigoku de hotoke."

This was a pleasant surprise. I've been so swamped with work and campaign stuff these past few weeks that I didn't even catch the mention (I have io9 set in my newsreader, and truth to tell, often have to make do with scanning headlines). Didn't spot it until it showed up in my referer logs.

Thanks to Jason Sanford for the list, and to Annalee Newitz for the pickup.

Presenters Jo Eva Gaines, Michael Browner, and Joyce Williams at the annual commemoration service.

Over a hundred were gathered in tents in yesterday's heat at the Patriots Park memorial just off Rt. 114, as Portsmouth paused to remember the contributions of the Black Regiment. The African-American slaves who earned their freedom by serving in this Continental Army regiment were honored for their service in the fight for America's independence.

"This was not just a victory in the gradual securing of their own freedom," said guest speaker Michael Browner, Jr., a social studies teacher from Newport, "But in the fight for freedom and justice for all Americans."

Browner stressed that the struggle the Black Regiment fought was far from over. "In 2010, we still need a regiment who are willing to work tirelessly to address some of the same hardships as those men we celebrate here today."

And he made an explicit connection to his own work as a teacher. "I am on the front line of the battle for public education," said Browner, stressing the need for committed families, and supportive communities to provide educational opportunities.

He recounted what he had said to two of his former students. "I have a dream that you will stay in school, and I will keep you there by any means necessary," said Browner, adding, "That's a quote from Martin, Michael, and Malcolm."

The yearly event was sponsored by the RI NAACP and The RI Black Heritage Society, VFW Post 4487, the United Veterans Council of Newport County, and American Legion Post 7. Newport school committee chair Jo Eva Gaines was the mistress of ceremonies. The Salve Regina community band played the Battle Hymn of the Republic, and the RI National Guard provided a bugler and rifle salute as the wreath was laid at the memorial by Charles Newton, Capt. Shirley Hill, and NAACP Newport County president Joyce Williams. Williams also presented Browner with thanks from the organization for his speech at the event.

Local Portsmouth figures attending included state Sen. Chuck Levesque, Town Councilor Jim Seveney, and former Councilor Bill West.