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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-09-12 School Committee MinutesReading Public Schools Reading, Massachusetts RECEIVED TOWN CLERK Regular Meeting of the School Committee { Ca , M t� SS- Open Session 2011 OCT - 3 P 2: 32 Date: September 12, 2011 Time: 7:00 p.m. (Open Session) Place: Superintendent's Conference Room School Committee Members Present Chuck Robinson Karen Janowski Lisa Gibbs Hal Croft Chris Caruso David Michaud Staff Members Present John Doherty, Superintendent Mary DeLai, Director of Finance & Operations Patty de Garavilla, Assistant Superintendent Alison Elmer, Director of Student Services Visitors: Joe Huggins, Director of Facilities Sue White, RMHS French teacher Emiline Festa, RMHS French teacher Sara Burd, Behavioral Health Specialist Erica McNamara, RCASA Director Garrison Doodlesack, Student Representative Ashley Testa, Student Representative I. Call to Order Barbara Jones, Reading Chronicle Joanne Senders, Reading Advocate Matt Casey, Reading Patch Chairperson Robinson called the meeting to order at 7:32 p.m. He reviewed the agenda and welcomed guests. II. Recommended Procedure A. Public Input (I) Reports I 1. Student Ms. Testa shared that the beginning of school has gone smoothly. Everyone seems to be adjusting. Mr. Doodlesack shared that the seniors held their first activity, a breakfast which also went very well. September 12, 2011 2. Liaison Mrs. Janowski enjoyed the events held this past Sunday which included the Reading Street Faire, the Understanding Disabilities Jail & Bail fundraiser and the 9/11 Memorial dedication. Mr. Caruso thanked Mr. Mark Dwyer for the great job he did establishing the Kevin McCarthy 9/11 Memorial. He also was impressed with the new Memorial Wall. 3. Superintendent's Report Dr. Doherty also mentioned the activities in town on Sunday. He thanked Mr. Dwyer for a fabulous job orchestrating the design and construction of the Kevin McCarthy 9/11 Memorial. Dr. Doherty handed out an updated elementary enrollment. He reminded the School Committee that we have no empty classrooms in our elementary schools. He reviewed the district enrollment. We have seen increases at the elementary and high school levels. 4. Assistant Superintendent The Extended Day Program will be up and running for its second year. Currently there are 260 students enrolled in the program at the 5 elementary schools and RISE. The program has doubled in enrollment from last year. There are 25 -30 families taking advantage of the special early morning option and the afterschool enrollment has increased by 40 -60 students. B. Continued Business C. New Business (out of order) RCASA Presentation Dr. Doherty introduced Ms. Erica McNamara. She introduced Ashley Testa who is the President of the RCASA Student Club at RMHS. Ms. Testa reviewed the four leadership groups of RCASA and the make up of each group. The groups include the Board of Directors, Executive Board, RCASA Youth Group as well as the Student Club. The RCASA Youth Group is involved in many community projects and educational activities. The Student Club allows for students that want to be involved but can not commit to the Youth Group. The Club is a way to reach out to all students at RMHS. She went on to share portions of the Open Letter to the Community Letter in response to the recent tragic events and to address concerns that have been raised in light of these events. Ms. McNamara invited the community to attend the upcoming Community Dialogue to be held in the Field House on September 21St. The format will be small group discussions and sharing of ideas. She also reminded the community of the RCASA annual meeting on October 6th in the Performing Arts Center at Reading Memorial High School. The RCASA Student Club will be receiving the U.S. Presidential Service Award for their work in substance abuse education. September 12, 2011 Approval of Field Trips French Exchange Ms. Sue White and Ms. Emeline Festa presented information on the upcoming French student exchange in October and presented information on the proposed trip to France in the spring. The French Exchange Program has been running in Reading for approximately 20 years and occurs ever other year. She shared a sample itinerary and said there are 26 students corning from France and Reading will have about 20 students going to France in the spring Ms. White introduced Sarah Hildreth, a senior at RMHS. Sarah was part of the last exchange and found the experience very rewarding. She said it was a great way to learn about another country and culture out of the classroom. The experience has sparked her interest in the French culture. She endorses this trip. Mrs. Janowski moved, seconded by Mr. Caruso, to approve the RMHS field trip to France as part of the French Exchange program in April, 2012 as outlined in the Superintendent's memorandum dated September 8, 2011. The motion carried 6 -0. Mrs. Janowski and Mr. Croft inquired about opportunities for students that can not afford to go on this type of field trip to have the same cultural experience. Metropolitan Opera Dr. Doherty gave a brief overview of this proposed field trip. Dr. Jeff Ryan has led the group of juniors and seniors to the Metropolitan Opera for the past several years. Mrs. Janowski moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs, to approve the RMHS field trip to the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in March 2012 as outlined in the Superintendent's memorandum dated September 8, 2011. The motion carried 6 -0. Eastern Europe & Italy Dr. Doherty gave a brief overview of this proposed field trip. Dr. Jeff Ryan has led the group of students to Europe for the past several years. Mrs. Janowski moved, seconded by Mr. Michaud, to approve the RMHS field trip to Eastern Europe and Italy in the summer of 2013 as outlined in the Superintendent's memorandum dated September 8, 2011. Mr. Croft indicated that there is a wealth of opportunities in our area. Dr. Doherty reminded the School Committee that the schools do provide many field trip opportunities. The School Committee may not be aware of these day trips because they do not have to vote to approve these trips. The motion carried 6 -0. September 12, 2011 Behavioral Health Task Force Recommendations Dr. Doherty and Sara Burd, District Behavioral Health Coordinator presented the recommendations of the Task Force. Mrs. Burd was a member of the state committee to develop recommendations for the social - emotional well being of children. The report will be presented to the Senate in late October with the hope of funding for this initiative. The Behavioral Health Task Force met several times over the summer. It is made up of over 30 staff and RCASA members. Using the DESE guide on behavioral health the committee developed an assessment tool with a series of recommendations and next steps. The Superintendent described why behavioral health is important. The research indicates a correlation between social - emotional well being and substance abuse. The task force was established to continue Race to Nowhere discussions, to assess the current behavioral health of our district using the Behavioral Health Framework and to provide a list of recommendations that will be used as a starting point for discussions with the community. The concerns addressed by these recommendations are a whole community issue. Dr. Doherty went on to provide an overview of the six Behavioral Health and Assessment Categories. He indicated that the district and school leadership will work to create a supportive school environment. The district will seek avenues to provide professional development opportunities and access to resources for administrators, teachers and staff in the areas of student behavioral health. Academic and non - academic approaches that enable all students to learn and that promote success in school. The Superintendent feels it is important to identify those children that are at risk and address the whole child not just the academics. The Task Force also recommends that policies and protocols are established that provide a foundation for schools to implement and support work that promotes behavioral health. He also feels that collaboration with families in order to increase schools' capacity to improve students' behavioral health. Dr. Doherty reviewed the guiding principals to ensure that our students social - emotional being as well as academic needs are being met. It is important to provide an array of services and programs throughout the continuum of students needs including: (1) prevention and promotion for all students, (2) early intervention for at -risk students, (3) intensive intervention for students with serious needs, and (4) crisis intervention for students with acute needs. Students' behavioral health has a major impact on learning therefore it is important to have a positive and supportive school environment which reduces the prevalence of challenging, dangerous, and disrespectful behaviors. These behaviors can lead to risky behaviors. Behavioral health needs are best addressed when the staff has the tools and training to meet the needs of all behaviors and students. It is important that the training is consistent throughout the district. The Superintendent again emphasize that this is a community issue and it is important that all stakeholders in the lives of our students be involved in the planning and evaluation of programs and services. Dr. Doherty reviewed the recommendations of the Task Force. He indicated that the district and mission may have to be reviewed to ensure that they are supporting the behavioral health of students. In addition, the data collection systems will need to be improved so the collection information is easily accessible. Work needs to be done to improve reentry plans of students that have been out of school for extended periods of time. A district -wide set of protocols for all staff to identify students in need of behavioral health support. Opportunities for staff and parents to discuss the Task Force recommendations should be provided. Social emotional curriculum should be a part of all students' schedules. It is important to educate high school parents and September 12, 2011 students about making realistic choices for course offerings that provide balance in their lives. The district should review homework policies and set up and implement a set of guidelines for each level about homework. Collaboration with families and communities should include opportunities for open candid discussions in a World Cafe format, better use communicating via Edline and brainstorm a "Community Campaign" to promote behavioral health once the recommendations have been established. Mrs. Janowski asked how children at risk are identified. Mrs. Burd indicated that development of a consistent set of guidelines is important to address the needs of our students. Mrs. Gibbs asked how the plan implementation would be funded. Dr. Doherty and Mrs. Burd indicated that the district is looking at the current resources and ways to use those resources more effectively. Dr. Doherty indicated that the recommendations may be implemented in a similar manner to the Superintendent's transition plan. Mrs. Gibbs also inquired about possible grant opportunities. Mrs. Burd is hoping the state may be able to fund the DESE imitative. Killam Elementary School Building Renovation Project Ms. DeLai and Mr. Huggins presented the proposed plan for renovating the Killam School to improve accessibility. The services of two architectural firms have been engaged to identify the needs, what needs to be done and how much it will cost. The accessibility issues at Killam are factors in any work to be done at the school. The window replacement had to be shelved because the value of the project was more than 30% of the assessed value of the building. The estimated cost of the work required to make the building accessible would be approximately $1.8 million. Work includes reconfiguring the toilet areas, sinks in classrooms, doors, cafeteria and stage area, the sunken areas, entrances and exits, signage, courtyard access, parking and sidewalks and dispensers. Main Office renovation/expansion, window replacement and gymnasium floor replacement are additional improvements the district would like to be made. The Killam Main Office is the smallest in the district and does not provide adequate work and reception areas. Ms. DeLai reviewed two possible scenarios and the costs of each. She went on to review the window and gymnasium floor replacement projects and costs. The cost to perform all the proposed improvements is approximately $4.1 million. A portion of this project may be reimbursable at the same rate as the Green Repair projects. A complete Statement of Interest will need to be filed with the MSBA in December. Ms. DeLai indicated that we have a lot of the information available as part of the Green Repair grant process. She reviewed the timeline which included a presentation at the November Town Meeting. FY12 — FY13 Capital Plan Ms. DeLai and Dr. Doherty have met with the Town Manager and Assistant Town Manager regarding the Capital Plan. They have been asked prioritize any changes to be made in the FY12 and FYI Capital Plan. Ms. DeLai reviewed the Capital Requests. Mr. Robinson asked if it was possible to present the Killam Building Renovation project at the Financial Forum. September 12, 2011 III. Routine Matters • Bills and Payroll (A) • Approval of Minutes Mrs. Janowski moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs, to approve the open session minutes dated August 29, 2011. The motion carried 5 -0 -1. Mr. Michaud abstained. • Bids and Donations Donations Dr. Doherty explained that the donation for the band is from one of the Drum and Bugle Corps. that used our facilities and worked with the Marching Band this past summer. Mrs. Janowski moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs, to accept a donation in the amount of $1,000 from the Drum Corps Associates, Inc. to be used to the RMHS Band program. The motion carried 6 -0. Calendar Dr. Doherty told the School Committee that the October 3rd meeting will be moved to September 26th. He also reminded the School Committee of the Community Dialogue on September 21St Mr. Caruso asked if anyone dropped in to the Office Hours. Mrs. Janowski said one gentleman attended. IV. Information V. Future Business VI. Adjournment Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs to adiourn. The motion carried 6 -0. Meeting adjourned at 9:25 p.m. NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as stated in the posted meeting agenda not the order they occurred during the meeting. John l . Doherty, D. Sup e ntendent of chools