No preview available
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1985-06-24 Special Town Meeting MinutesX34 SPECIAL TOWN MEETING Reading Memorial High School June 24, 1985 The meeting was called to order by the Moderator, Stephen J. O'Leary, at 7:55 P.M., there being a quorum present. The Invocation was given by the Rev. David W. Reid of the First Baptist Church, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Robert I. Nordstrand asked for a moment of silence in memory of Frank Stevens who passed away recently. ARTICLE 1. Mr. Clifford D. Allen, Chairman of the School Committee presented the Reading Exemplary Teacher Recognition Awards to the following teachers: - Claire Flynn, Reading Teacher of the Alice Barrows Elementary School. - Leo Kenney, Biology Teacher of the Reading Memorial High School. These awards are made each year through the generosity of Dorothy and Arnold Berger. ARTICLE 1. The following letter, sent to Dr. John D. Delaney, Principal of the W. S. Parker Middle School, from William J. Bennett, Secretary of the United States Department of Education, was read into the record by Paul C. Dustin: "Please accept my warmest congratulations, and share them with your faculty, your students, and your community. Your school is one of 212 public secondary schools in the United States selected for recognition in the 1984 -85 Secondary School Recognition Program. Though the Department of Education confers this honor, in a sense we are acting as agents for a broadly- representative group of distinguished educators and laymen who reviewed many fine schools in order to select those that are uncommonly successful in a providing high quality education to all their students. Schools selected by the review panelists show steadfast dedication to achieving excellence and surmounting obstacles. It is my privilege to salute you, and through you, your school, for these outstanding achievements. During the next two months, Department staff will apprise you of our plans for a national recognition ceremony here in Washington, to which I hope very much that you will be able to come. There is nothing more precious than a first -rate school." ARTICLE 1. A presentation was made by Philip B. Pacino, Chairman of the Finance Committee, to Russell T. Graham, in appreciation for his service as Chairman and member of the Finance Committee. ARTICLE 1. On motion of Paul T. Dustin, the following report of the Finance Committee, presented by Philip B. Pacino, was accepted as a report of progress. FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT Mr. Moderator - Town Meeting Members: In this Special Town Meeting you will be asked to appropriate sums totaling $715,597 to complete the funding of Town Government for Fiscal Year 1986. The appropriations will mainly cover salary costs needed to fund union negotiation settlements and other salary increases. First let us see where we are in terms of whats been appropriated previously. FY 1986 Appropriations - Annual Town Meeting Budget $25,364,921 Special Articles 712,375 $26,077,296 READING EXEMPLARY TEACHER AWARDS "Honoring the Teaching Profession through recognition of the contribution of individual teachers" 1985 Winners of the Dorothy and Arnold Berger Award CLAIRE FLYNN Reading Teacher, Alice Barrows Elementary School LEO KENNEY Biology Teacher, Reading Memorial High School READING SCHOOL COMMITTEE Cliff Allen, Chairman Richard Coco Barbara Philbrick Wayne Lewis George Shannon Stanley Nissen Robert S. Wells, Superintendent of Schools Claire Flynn, now in her 25th year of teaching, still gets excited when children learn something new. It's this love of learning that Claire effectively com- municates to students and colleagues and makes her what Principal Charles Papandreau calls a quality, consummate professional. "She loves her job and she loves kids." Claire is a full -time teacher of reading at Barrows School. She is highly qualified and adept in promoting current educational practices at her school because of her intensive readings of current research and her continued interest in pursuing graduate level study. Her educational credits include a Bachelor's degree from Regis College, a Master's degree from Suffolk University, and addi- tional coursework at Boston College. "One must continuously strive to learn; learning is very important to me." During her 16 years in the Reading Public Schools, Claire has taught at Lowell Street and Highland Schools, and was a teaching assistant principal at Highland before it closed its doors in 1981. Her assignment as reading specialist is to coordinate all aspects of the reading curriculum. This brings her in constant contact with all teachers and with many students. Her effective interpersonal shills and extensive background in reading have earned her the collegial respect necessary for improvement and change. She does her job in a low keyed manner and everyone regards her as a competent and very effective teacher. Under her leadership, Barrows School has developed a reading curriculum which emphasizes literature. Claire initiated the Junior Breat Books program at the school and conducted monthly "Book Parties" where children explained and reviewed books they read. At Highland, she energized a Reading is Fundamental project which distributed reading books to children. Her experiences with the literature effort were the basis of her workshop presented to a Statewide audience this spring at the Annual Meeting Chapter I Federal Program in Hyannis. The most remarkable quality of Leo Kenney, Biology teacher and "curator" of the Vivarium at Reading Memorial High School, is that he gives freely of his time to the young people of Reading. Evenings, weekends, vacation breaks, or lunch hours, Leo is in the company of Reading youngsters, many times in private discussions but most often in groups, talking biology, conservation and wilderness issues, or the doings of the Massachusetts Herpetological Society, the statewide association of snake fanciers for which Leo has been active as member and president. The youngsters respond with enthusiasm to the interest Leo takes in them. Leo is also an excellent classroom teacher. High School Principal Leonard D'Orlando says of Leo, "He is an inspiring and talented teacher. Students gain excellent independent learning skills in his classroom. "According to D'Orlando, "Leo maintains a positive classroom environment and has high and well - understood expectations and on top of all of this, Leo has a great sense of humor. " Leo's classroom has a minimum of lectures, concentrating instead on challenging students to grapple with the unanswered questions of science. "It's not necessarily wrong not to know an answer, " Kenney will tell his students. "A student must use his intelligence and skill to seek out answers. " A visit to Leo's classroom will take you into a world of natural science collections and organisms, science equipment, books and periodical collections. This is Leo's 18th year of teaching - -his 15th at RMHS. He earned his B.S. from Boston College and has done graduate work at Northeastern, Sonoma State Col- lege in California, and at Harvard. In 1984, he was honored by Boston Universi- ty by being selected as a Science Fellow. CRITERIA FOR SELECTION AS AN EXEMPLARY TEACHER Individuals selected for the Exemplary Teacher Recognition Award represent the highest ideals of professional service and dedication to the youth of Reading. In particular, the recipients of the award share these qualities: Excellence in Teaching Commitment to students, both within and beyond the classroom Specific accomplishments and leadership activities which have contributed to the improvement of classroom instruction. SELECTION COMMITTEE FOR 1985 Mary Abegg Ruth Stanieich Louis Adreani Peter Moscariello Alan Alson Bob Munnelly Don Farnham The Reading Exemplary Teacher Award is made each year through the generosity of Dorothy and Arnold Berger Special Town Meeting Other Local Appropriations Offsets County Charges State Charges Water Resource Authority Overlay Reserve for Abatements June 24, 1985 $ 336,219 277,572 474,702 315,664 388,730 1,792,987 Gross Amount to be Raised $27,870,183 Less Receipts & Revenues Borrowing 204,000 Free Cash 0 Available Funds 1,344,000 Revenue Sharing 230,000 Stabilization Account 407,000 Local Receipts 5,240,000 State Receipts (Cherry Sheet) 5,440,468 $12,865,468 Amount to be Raised by Taxation $15,004,715 Maximum Levy Limit FY 85 $15,064,025 Plus 2.5% 376,600 Plus New Construction 210,000 15,650,625 Particular attention is called to the overlay reserve for abatement which the assessors have agreed to lower at this time by $50,000 in order to free up the funds to be used in other areas of the budget. Thus as we now move into this Special Town Meeting, we are placed in the following position. Maximum Levy Limit $15,650,625 To be raised from taxation from Annual Town Meeting 15.004 , 715 Further to be raised Pension cost of living adjustment available Total Available Appropriations requested Article 4 Article 5 Article 6 Article 7 Article 11 $ 453 1,347 706,052 7,245 500 $ 645,910 70,000 $ 715,910 $ 715,597 As you can see from this exhibit, if all articles are passed favorably, the budget would be at the maximum estimated level it could be at under the legal limits of Proposition 254. If for any reason any department needs funding beyond the amounts as proposed at this Special Town Meeting, then some very obvious tough decisions will have to be made as to the funding of those amounts. Service cuts might have to be made. Mr. Moderator, people say no FinCom Report is complete without some extra "Doom and Gloom ". This report, Mr. Moderator, will be no exception. The budget calculations for Fiscal Year 1986 as we saw earlier, includes certain items whose continuance into Fiscal Year 1987 is questionable. These items include Federal revenue sharing, which is expected to be discontinued; continued large increases in state aid and any possible effect of our Municipal Light Department's disagreement with one of your neighbors. Additionally, the Stabilization Fund, which has been used as a source of revenue the last 3 years to offset the restraints of Proposition 254 will not be available for that purpose in the future. With the adoption of the Fiscal Year 1986 Budget at Annual Town Meeting this year, the Stabilization Fund will become fully deleted. This, plus the other items mentioned before, could add up to a possible Million Dollar plus loss of revenue. A loss that would need to be made up in other areas of the budget calculations, be it expenditures or additional revenue. Finally, Mr. Moderator, I want to thank the people who all responded to the urgent call to serve on the FinCom for the coming year. It was very gratifying to know that in an age of apathy there are those who still care. 33�� Special Town Meeting June 24, 1985 ARTICLE 1. On motion of Paul C. Dustin it was voted to lay Article 1 on the table. ARTICLE 2. On motion of Philip D. LeBlanc it was voted that: Town Meeting instruct the Board of Public Works to consider the property at the foot of Salem Street, across from Wes Parkers, as the future site of the new Board of Public Works and report back at a public hearing before the Fall Town Meeting with their findings. This property was considered once before and dismissed. I make this motion for the following reasons: 1. At a cost of Three + Million Dollars for the Board of Public Works on the dump which will consume acres of this potentially valuable land, the figure of $350,000 per acre has been bandied about. We may be putting ourselves deeper into debt than needed and possibly reducing the net worth of the remaining land. One thing for certain, we will be out the sale price of this acreage and the annual taxes it would bring in if a private developer were to build on it, if Town Meeting is not familiar with the area. 2. Currently on Salem Street there are two large vacant brick buildings; the old flea market and Gallahue's Super Market, with a large paved parking lot in front of them. Both buildings appear to be in excellent condition and one has a For Rent sign on it. 3. We must take action on this "now ", or "by default" we may lose out on this potential site if a tenant signs a long term lease. If this happens, I fear again, "by default ", the Board of Public Works will be on the Dump, time will have run out. ARTICLE 2. On motion of Paul C. Dustin it was voted to lay Article 2 on the table. ARTICLE 3. On motion of Philip B. Pacino it was voted that Article 3 be indefinitely postponed. ARTICLE 4. On motion of Philip B. Pacino it was unanimously voted that the sum of Four Hundred Fifty Three ($453.00) Dollars be raised from the tax levy and appropriated to the Assessors' salaries, and that the Town revise the Assessors' salaries for Fiscal 1986, as previously set by Article 15, line item 17 of the Annual Town Meeting, in accordance with Chapter 41 of Section 108 of the Massachusetts General Laws, set effective July 1, 1985, to Nine Thousand Five Hundred Four ($9,504.00) Dollars. ARTICLE 5. On motion of Philip B. Pacino it was voted that the sum of One Thousand Three Hundred Forty Seven ($1,347.00) Dollars be raised from the tax levy and appropriated to the Treasurer's salary, and that the Town revise the Treasurer's salary for Fiscal 1986 as previously set by Article 15, line item 25 of the Annual Town Meeting, in accordance with Chapter 41 of Section 108 of the Massachusetts General Laws, set effective July 1, 1985, to Twenty Eight Thousand Two Hundred Eighty Two ($28,282.00) Dollars. 103 voted in the affirmative 1 voted in the negative 2/3 vote required ARTICLE 6. On motion of Philip B. Pacino it was voted that the sum of Seventy Thousand ($70,000.00) Dollars be transferred from Receipts Reserved for Appropriation (Pension Cost of Living) and that the sum of Six Hundred Thirty -Six Thousand Fifty -Two ($636,052.00) Dollars be raised from the tax levy and that paid sums totaling Seven Hundred Six Thousand Fifty -Two ($706,052.00) Dollars be appropriated to the various boards and departments of the Town for the purpose of funding salaries, and to fund other cost items that may be contained in agreements reached with the Town whether through collective bargaining or otherwise, as follows, each item to be considered a separate appropriation. SELECTMEN $4,183 BUILDING INSPECTOR $ 3,400 FINANCE COMMITTEE 101 FIRE ALARM 445 ACCOUNTANT 3,002 EDUCATION 433,938 ASSESSORS (Clerical) 3,693 BD. OF PUBLIC WORKS 44,340 COLLECTOR (Clerical) 3,333 WATER 19,556 TREASURER (Clerical) 2,447 SEWER 5,946 TOWN CLERK (Clerical) 1,942 LANDFILL 510 PERSONNEL BOARD 540 CONSERVATION 3,739 PLANNING BOARD 373 BOARD OF HEALTH 1,974 BUILDING MAINTENANCE 3,940 COUNCIL ON AGING 5,003 POLICE 65,739 VETERAN 725 PARKING TICKETS 148 CEMETERIES 6,229 SCHOOL TRAFFIC 2,383 LIBRARY 13,892 FIRE DEPARTMENT 73,523 CONT.RETIREMENT 1,008 Special Town Meeting �J June 24, 1985 ARTICLE 7. On motion of Philip B. Pacino as amended by Paul C. Dustin, it was voted that Seven Thousand Two Hundred Forty Five ($7,245.00) Dollars be raised from the tax levy and appropriated to the Northeast Regional Vocational School for the purpose of additional funding to meet its assessment to the Town. ARTICLE 8. On motion of Philip B. Pacino it was voted that the sum of Three Hundred Fifteen Thousand ($315,000.00) Dollars be raised from the tax levy and appropriated for the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority sewer assessment; such funds to be spent by and under the direction of the Board of Public Works. ARTICLE 9. On motion of Philip B. Pacino it was voted that the Town rescind remaining authorization for the Bond issue voted in Article 22 at the Adjourned Session of the Subsequent Town Meeting on November 13, 1980. ARTICLE 10. On motion of Philip B. Pacino it was voted that the Town accept the provisions of General Laws, Chapter 41, Section 69B, relative to the disposition of water revenue. ARTICLE 11. On motion of Philip B. Pacino it was unanimously voted that the Town accept the report of the Board of Public Works upon the laying out as a public way of the following private way known as Granger Avenue, under the provision of law authorizing the assessment of betterments, such highways being laid out in accordance with plans duly approved by the Board of Survey and filed in the office of the Town Clerk in accordance with the statutory requirements, and that the Town authorize the Board of Public Works to take such land in fee or rights of easements therein by eminent domain, under the provisions of Chapter 79 of the General Laws, as amended, or acquire said land in fee or rights of easement therein by purchase, gift or otherwise and to assess betterments therefore and that the Town vote to accept the public way laid out by the Board of Public Works as Granger Avenue, and that the sum of Five Hundred ($500.00) Dollars be raised from the tax levy and appropriated for the construction of said way, such sums to be spent by and under the direction of the Board of Public Works. On motion of Paul C. Dustin it was voted that this meeting stand adjourned sine die. Meeting adjourned at 9:30 P.M. 119 Town Meeting Members were present. A true copy: Attest Lawrence Drew Town Clerk