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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-01-14 School Committee Minutes Reading Public Schools Reading, Massachusetts Regular Meeting of the School Committee Open Session Date: January 14, 2013 Time: 7:00 p.m. Place: Superintendent’s Conference Room School Committee Members Present Staff Members Present Karen Janowski John Doherty, Superintendent Chuck Robinson Mary DeLai, Assistant Superintendent Chris Caruso Patty de Garavilla, Assistant Superintendent Rob Spadafora Lisa Gibbs Hal Croft Maham Ahmed, Student Representative Visitors: Cathy Giles, Killam Principal Barbara Jones, Reading Chronicle Karen Callan, Barrows Principal Joanne Senders, Reading Advocate Craig Martin, Coolidge Principal Karen Herrick, Fincom member RPS Budget Parents Barry Berman, Fincom member I.Call to Order Chairperson Janowski called the School Committee to order at 7:00 p.m. She reviewed the agenda and welcomed guests. II.Recommended Procedure A.Public Input (I) Mr. Coram encouraged the community to attend the Coolidge production of The Wizard of Oz this weekend. Reports (I) 1.Student Maham Ahmed shared that the RMHS students were preparing for midterm exams next week and the Model UN Club will be participating in the Harvard Conference. 2.Liaison January 14, 2013 Mrs. Janowski shared information from the Human Relation Advisory Committee. The st Committee is sponsoring the MLK Celebration scheduled for January 21. 3.Assistant Superintendent Ms. DeLai shared information on the new legislation signed into law by the Governor on Friday that will require fingerprinting of all school employees. The law is scheduled to go th into effect on September 13. She will be determining the financial impact on the district as more information becomes available. 4.Superintendent Dr. Doherty shared information on a student athlete that was omitted from the list handed out to the School Committee at the last meeting. He also shared that four members of the RMHS band and color guard recently performed at half time of the National Championship Football game in Miami. They were selected to participate as members of the “Best of the Best” band and color guard. The Superintendent will be a leader in the upcoming Real World Problem Solving activity with all juniors participating. This activity will be in lieu of taking traditional midterm exams. Dr. Doherty reassured the School Committee that, in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy, that all safety and security procedures are continually reviewed. The district is also holding unannounced lockdown drills in all buildings during January. Three buildings have held them so far. B.Continued Business C.New Business FY14 Budget Presentation Dr. Doherty thanked Ms. DeLai for developing a clear, concise and transparent budget document. He went onto present an overview of the FY14 budget development process and calendar. The Superintendent set the context in the development of this budget. He reviewed the district vision which is a model of educational excellence in preparing students for an ever-changing complex society. He next reviewed the Theory of Action to fulfill the district vision as well as the strategic objectives and initiatives for the district. He explained the impact of the district enrollment trends reminding the School Committee that we are expecting a large freshman class in the fall which will impact staffing. Addressing the social-emotional needs of our students, implementing the Common Core Standards and Educator Evaluation tool, and the need for continued improvement and innovation are all key elements in the development of this budget. Ms. DeLai explained that the foundation budget is defined as the minimal level of funding to provide an adequate education to the children in Massachusetts districts. It is updated each year for each district based on enrollment profiles and inflation. The foundation budget establishes January 14, 2013 the “required net school spending” for a community – minimum funding a community must allocate to education. She went on to explain the state education aid. The figure for a community’s “local contribution” is calculated based on its “ability to pay”. The ability to pay is based on per capita income and equalized property values. She reviewed Chapter 70 funding which represents 22% of actual net school spending in Reading. Mr. Robinson asked if the flat increase to Chapter 70 funding was based on guidance from the Town or State. Ms. DeLai said information was provided by the Town manager and not the state. Dr. Doherty added that Representative Brad Jones indicated the percent increase would be close to zero. Ms. DeLai continued her presentation reviewing the per pupil spending information. Mrs. Janowski feels it is important to share the disparity in per pupil spending. She asked where Reading ranks in the state for Per Pupil Spending? rd Ms. DeLai responded that Reading ranks 293 in the state for per pupil spending yet our student achievement is in the top 25%. Ms. DeLai briefly reviewed Special education funding and comparisons to comparable communities. More information will be provided on Thursday evening. Mr. Spadafora asked where we were trending in terms of per pupil spending. Ms. DeLai responded that we have ranked in the same percentile for 5 – 10 years. He then asked what is our cohort? Who are we comparing ourselves to? Ms. DeLai then provided a financial overview including discussion on revenues, accommodated costs, school non-accommodated costs and a summary. Mr. Robinson asked why the figure represented in the benefits section of accommodated costs is different than the figure discussed during the Financial Forum. The need for additional staffing at the high school due to a multiyear trend of increasing enrollment, significant investment in curriculum materials as well as the planning, development and training time required for the implementation of the Common Core, a significant increase in out of district tuitions and the funding of all contractual step and cost of living increases are the FY14 budget drivers. Mr. Robinson asked about the need for increased staffing to accommodate the large incoming th grade 9 class when no additional staffing was added for the 8 grade class. He would like to know how it impacted the students at the middle school. Dr. Doherty explained that the middle school model is different from the high school and adding staffing would have had an impact on the middle school model which is heterogeneous sections. The high school has multiple sections and levels and adding staff would allow for the maintenance of class sizes. January 14, 2013 thth Mrs. Janowski asked what impact the disparity in class size between 7 and 8 grade had on teaching and learning. Chair Janowski called a brief recess at 8:18 p.m. The meeting was called back to order at 8:24 p.m. FY14 Administration Cost Center Dr. Doherty reviewed the makeup and functions of this cost center. He indicated that the Central Office staff has provided support for not only the central office administrators. The responsibilities have included support for the METCO, Health Services, Athletics, Extended Day, and Adult Education. He went on to review the roles of each office within the Central Office. The Superintendent outlined the major administration initiatives for this budget which include the leadership for implementation of the Common Core Curriculum, Educator Evaluation, District Determined Measure, Technology initiatives, the development and implementation of a long range plan to transition to full day kindergarten and expanding the preschool program, address building issues at the Killam School, develop a system to evaluate resource allocation and to re-allocate resources based on student need, develop a system to measure performance and connect expenditures to performance measures, review and revise personnel procedures and policies and to strengthen the human resources systems to better support staff. Ms. DeLai reviewed the staffing and Administration cost centers Mr. Spadafora asked about the grant writing line item on page 87. He asked if it was possible to create a position of Revenue Officer to be shared with the town that would look for grant opportunities. What are other communities doing for grants? He feels it is important to seek other revenue sources. The Superintendent indicated that we are very aggressive pursing the grants that are available. The federal and State grant opportunities are drying up. The district did receive a grant from a private foundation for the Project Lead the Way initiative. Reading does not qualify for many of the grants available. Mrs. Janowski asked if we would miss out on opportunities if we did not fund this position. Mr. Spadafora asked if there would be grant opportunities to address the student achievement of the sub-groups that are struggling. Mr. Croft addressed concerns regarding student social/emotional health and would like to know if funding could be increased for additional positions. Dr. Doherty indicated that additional positions to address the social/emotional needs of students are not included but the School Committee could discuss funding those positions listed in the budget. th Mr. Croft asked if the budget includes additional staffing for the incoming 9 grade. January 14, 2013 th Dr. Doherty said that the increase of 4.6 FTE is specifically for the incoming 9 grade. The budget also includes a 0.5 FTE Social Worker position at the high school. Approval of Field Trips (out of order) Mr. Croft moved, seconded by Mr. Robinson, to approve the annual RMHS Drama Club trip to Broadway in New York City in May 2013. The motion carried 6-0. III. Routine Matters a.Bills and Payroll (A) b.Approval of Minutes (out of order) Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr. Spadafora, to approve the open session minutes dated November 26, 2012. The motion carried 5-0. c. Bids and Donations Award of Contract (out of order) Mr. Croft moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs, to authorize the Superintendent to enter into contract with Advanced Maintenance Services of Beverly, MA for the Town Building Custodial Services contract. Ms. DeLai indicated that this was a rebid due to the fact that the previous low bidder was unable to meet the performance bond conditions. The motion carried 6-0. Donation (out of order) Mr. Croft moved, seconded by Mr. Spadafora, to accept the donation of $900 from The Friends of Boys Swimming to be used to support the coaching assistant position for the boys swim team. The motion carried 6-0. Mr. Croft moved, seconded by Mr. Robinson, to accept the annual donation in the amount of $50 Lueders Environmental, Inc. to be used for district professional development. The motion carried 6-0. Mr. Croft moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs, to accept a donation in the amount of $489.76 from Mr. Mark Dwyer to be used to for the future maintenance of the 9/11 Memorial. The motion carried 6-0. Calendar IV.Information V.Future Business January 14, 2013 VI.Adjournment Mr. Croft moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs, to adjourn. The motion carried 6-0. Meeting adjourned at 8:46 p.m. NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as stated in the posted meeting agenda not the order they occurred during the meeting. ___________________________ John F. Doherty, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools