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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-11-07 School Committee MinutesReading Public Schools � ' EO -� RE r EI Reading, Massachusetts TOWN CLERK 2E " DII IG, M +SS. Regular Meeting of the School Committee Open Session 2041 DEC-] p 12:05 Date: November 7, 2011 Time: 7:30 p.m. Place: Superintendent's Conference Room School Committee Members Present Karen Janowski Hal Croft David Michaud Chris Caruso Visitors: Karen Callan, Barrows Principal Staff Members Present John Doherty, Superintendent Patty de Garavilla, Assistant Superintendent Mary DeLai, Director of Finance and Operations Alison Elmer, Director of Student Services Richard Davidson, Wood End Principal Barbara Jones, Reading Chronicle Kathy Santilli, District Technology Specialist Joanne Senders, Reading Advocate Heidi Murray, Birch Meadow Teacher Donna Martinson, Parker Teacher I. Call to Order Vice - Chairperson Janowski called the School Committee to order at 7:32 p.m. She stated that Mr. Robinson and Mrs. Gibbs were unable to attend this evening's meeting. She reviewed the agenda and welcomed guests. II. Recommended Procedure A. Public Input (I) Reports I 1. Student Mr. Doodlesack and Ms. Testa shared that the recent Halloween dance was well attended and a big success. They also shared that RMHS athletic teams are finishing up their season. They reminded everyone of the presentation of the RMHS Drama production of Thoroughly Modern Millie and an upcoming band competition. The Student Representatives left the meeting at 7:37 p.m. November 7, 2011 2. Liaison Mr. Croft said he attended the recent REF gathering. He said that the group is enthusiastic and feels that the foundation is a perfect tool to increase funding. He also attended the Joshua Eaton Veterans Day celebration. Mr. Caruso updated the committee on the Ad Hoc Committee on Amplified Sound. Mrs. Janowski reported that the Human Relations Advisory Committee will be coming out of hiatus. 3. Superintendent's Report Dr. Doherty shared that he presented at the recent Masscue conference. We also had several teachers attend this conference. He will be attending the annual MASS /MASC Joint Conference in Hyannis. Dr. Doherty reminded everyone about the upcoming RMHS Drama production and that RMHS was honored with inclusion in the College Board Advanced Placement Honor Roll. The Athletic Department has once again won the Division B Sportsmanship Award and several students collaborated on the winning video message as part of the MIAA video /essay contest. 4. Assistant Superintendent Mrs. de Garavilla reported on the recent MA State Summit she attended with government, business and education officials promoting 21" century skills, critical thinking, creativity and problem solving. She also attended a workshop on a hands -on science program called Lead the Way at Worcester State and visited a school in New Hampshire that has the program in place. Assistant Superintendent de Garavilla also reported that she, Sara Burd, Diane Ketlak and Mary Guilani testified at the State House to support the Behavioral Health bill. Dr. Robert Macy presented a workshop on coping with stress and anxiety. The presentation was well attended and he shared information on how families can present a safe environment, how educators can provide safe environments and resiliency skills. 5. Director of Finance and Operations Ms. DeLai submitted the FYI 1 End -of -Year report. She next updated the School Committee on the Birch Meadow window project. The windows have arrived and construction has begun. She thanked the Facilities and Technology staffs for transforming the gymnasium into temporary classrooms. The Killam Roof work is completes except for the clerestory. That work should begin in the next day or so and should be done by the end of November. Mr. Caruso thanked the parents at Birch Meadow and Killam for their patience. November 7, 2011 6. Director of Student Services Ms. Elmer shared that the iPads are now being used by our students. We have 5 carts to transport the iPads. She also recently attended a workshop focusing on Special Education Legal Issues. B. Continued Business (Out of Order) Review of the Naming of Facilities Policy Mrs. Janowski indicated that he would like to postpone this agenda item. She felt it would be better to review the policy when all members of the committee were in attendance. FYI Budget Update Ms. DeLai provided an update on the status of the FYI budget. C. New Business (Out of Order TAP Presentation Superintendent Doherty provided an overview of this evening's presentation and thanked Mrs. Murray and Mrs. Martinson for being here. He reviewed how the Teacher Evaluation Process has changed since 2003. The current tool focuses on growth and not compliance and is continually being refined to reflect best practices in education. He went on to outline the Early Adopter program. Reading is one of 11 districts selected as an early adopter. The current TAP document aligns very well with the regulations. The first year of the program is being used for goal setting and review of the educator rubrics. The new teacher assessment system is scheduled to be fully implemented for the 2013 -14 school year. He went on to explain that the goals of the new evaluation regulations are to promote growth and development of leaders and teachers, place student learning at the center using multiple measures of student learning, growth and achievement, to recognize excellence in teaching and leading, to set a high bar for professional teaching status and to shorten the timelines for improvement. The new tool will have a 5 -step evaluation cycle which allows for continuous learning beginning with self - reflection and self - assessment, goal setting, implementation, formative assessment/evaluation, finishing with the summative evaluation. The Superintendent next explained the Rubric Outline of Standards, indicators, and Elements. The educators can reference the rubric to develop goals and a plan of action. The development of goals should include Student Learning Goals and Professional Practice Goals. Attributes of a strong goal should be specific and strategic, measurable and monitored, action oriented and agreed upon, realistic and results oriented and time bound and tracked. These SMART goals should be aligned to the district /school goals. Mrs. Martinson felt that the Reading Public Schools TAP document is very well aligned with the DESE model. She and several TAP Committee members attended a recent workshop for the Early Adopter districts and felt great satisfaction that the work the group has done is so well aligned with the model. November 7, 2011 Mrs. Murray said that being a member of the TAP Committee has been a great collaborative experience. She likes the SMART goals although finds the SMART goal format to be more of a challenge. She especially likes the team collaboration that will take place to align goals with the team and curriculum outcomes. Both Mrs. Martinson and Mrs. Murray felt that Reading will be a smooth transition to the new document and are looking forward to working toward that goal. The Vice -Chair thanked them for sharing the information and their thoughts on the TAP document. Elementary Report Card Presentation Dr. Doherty thanked Mrs. Callan, Mr. Davidson and the Elementary report card committee for the work that began 2 %2 years ago to get the district to this position. He also thanked Kathy Santilli, Elementary instructional Technology Specialist, for being at the meeting and all of her hard work over a short period of time to ensure that the report cards were ready for the first marking period next week. Mr. Davidson indicated that the current report card is 26 years old and does not align with the Common Core or the current frameworks. The committee sought input from the staff and administration as they were in the development stages of the new standards -based report cards. The standards have been taken from the DESE Frameworks. He went on to thank the technology staff, Meg Powers, Marcia Grant, Kathy Santilli, Joe Cain and Matt Wilson, for all the work they have done. Mrs. Callan reviewed the elements of the new report card. Using a Standards -based system better communicates specific learning goals and expectations set by the state frameworks, it will increase the collaboration between parents and teachers to promote learning, will clearly communicate learning success as well as areas of challenge and provides a common language about student learning for parents, teachers and students. She then went on to review the standards and rubrics. The standards determine what our children should know by the end of the grade level, the new MA standards include the Common Core and the rubrics are descriptors of the indicators of progress for each standard. Mrs. Callan reviewed the indicators and what is expected of the student to master to achieve the indicator level (Exceeds the Standard, Progressing toward the Standard, Meets the Standard, and Beginning to develop the Standard) During the first marking period the teacher will be looking for the student to be meeting the standard. She then shared a sample report card. Instructional Technology is a new content area on the report card. The report cards will be e- mailed home to parents on November 15th, prior to the conferences. Mrs. Janowski thanked Mrs. Callan and Mr. Davidson for the information. Mr. Caruso feels that this new report card format is conducive to conversation at the parent /teacher conferences. Superintendent's Goals Dr. Doherty reviewed the Reading Public Schools Strategy for Improvement of Student Outcomes. There are four Strategic Objectives which include Learning and Teaching, performance management, investment and Development and Resource Allocation. From these four objectives, Strategic Initiatives are developed for area for a three year period. These November 7, 2011 outcomes align with the district mission and vision and are the basis for the District Improvement Plan. Dr. Doherty then shared that from these Strategic Initiatives he has developed three goals as part of his Educator Plan for the 2011 -12 school year. The Superintendent's Professional Growth goals include full participation in the DESE /M.A.S.S. Superintendent's Induction Program; attend the M.A.S.S. G21 Global Study sessions. Another focus will be the work with the Behavioral Health Task Force in developing a plan to address the needs of all students. Dr. Doherty shared the Standards and Indicators of Effective Administrative Leadership: Superintendent's Rubric. This rubric will be used as a guide to develop a new Superintendent's evaluation document. FYI Budget — Fees Ms. DeLai reviewed the current tuitions and fees and does not recommend any increases in the FYI budget. Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr. Croft, to approve all fees and tuitions as presented and outlined in the Superintendent's memorandum dated November 3, 2011. The motion carried 4 -0. Mr. Caruso requested that the Athletic Director attend a future meeting to discuss the athletic fees. Dr. Doherty suggested that Mr. Vaccaro provide the information during the budget process. Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr. Michaud, not to institute parking fees at Reading Memorial High School for students that drive to school as outlined in the Superintendent's memorandum dated November 3, 2011. Dr. Doherty reminded the committee that instituting a parking fee at RMHS was a suggestion at the Financial Forum as a revenue generation option. He does not recommend approving this fee. The motion carried 4 -0. III. Routine Matters • Bills and Payroll (A) • Approval of Minutes Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr. Michaud, to approve the open session minutes dated October 6, 2011. The motion carried 4 -0. Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr. Michaud, to approve the open session minutes dated October 17, 2011. The motion carried 4 -0. • Bids and Donations November 7, 2011 Donations Mrs. Janowski introduced Mr. Ken Hollingsworth who outlined the donations to be presented to the School Committee. He said the dedication event was great and well attended and thanked the committee and community for their support. Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr. Michaud to accept the following donations from the John Hollingsworth Group: • $250 to the RMHS Band; • $500 to the RMHS Math Dept. • $500 to the RMHS Wrestling; • $500 to the RMHS Cheerleaders; • $1450 (20% of balance) to the RMHS Hall of Fame • $1800 for the Hollingsworth Field sign The motion carried 4 -0. PSST Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr. Michaud, to accept a donation in the amount of $2,603.29 from PSST to be used to compensate two positions for the first half of the year as outlined in the Superintendent's memorandum dated November 3, 2011. The motion carried 4 -0. Wood End PTO Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr. Croft, to accept two donations from the Wood End PTO in the total amount of $277.26 to be used to purchase Library materials to benefit the students at the Wood End School. The motion carried 4 -0. Award of Contract Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr. Michaud, to authorize the Superintendent to enter into contract with Jupiter Electric Company of North Reading, MA for the Fire Alarm Panel Replacement at Town Hall as outlined in the Director of Finance and Operations memorandum dated October 26, 2011. The motion carried 4 -0. Calendar IV. Information V. Mrs. Janowski asked about the conditions of the school after the recent snow storm and if closing had been considered. Dr. Doherty said there was no reason to close and he had worked closely with DPW and the Town Manager. November 7, 2011 The School Committee was reminded of the upcoming Town Meeting. VI. Future Business VII. Adjournment Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr. Michaud to adiourn The motion carried 4 -0 Meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m. NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as stated in the posted meeting agenda not the order they occurred during the meeting. AFDohert Ed .D. �Ujermtendent o'f Schools