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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-02-28 School Committee Minutes1 , ' , READING SCHOOL COMMITTEE Reading, Massachusetts REGULAR SESSION February 28, 2000 Chair Twomey called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Present were School Committee Members Cavicchi, Keigley, Twomey and Williams. Also present was Superintendent Harutunian. Chair Dahl arrived during executive session. EXECUTIVE SESSION Ms. Cavicchi move to enter into executive session for the purpose of conducting strategy sessions in preparation for negotiations with the Custodians and Maintenance Workers, Cafeteria Employees, Association of Secretaries and Clerks, Educational Assistants and Nurses and to discuss the possible sale or lease of real estate. To return to regular session at approximately 7.30 pm Mr. Twomey seconded the motion. The vote was 4 -0 Ms Cavicchi, Mr. Kei ley, Mr. Twomey and Ms. Williams. CALL BACK TO ORDER Ms. D'Antona and Student Representative Sarah Hardin arrived at 7:30 p.m. Chair Dahl called the meeting back to order at 7:35 p.m. . Chair Dahl thanked Mary Williams for her years of service on the School Committee. He stated that she will be missed by the Committee. CITIZEN'S INPUT There was no citizen input. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT Dr. Harutunian advised that last Thursday night he, Tim Twomey, liaison to School Building Committee and Susan Cavicchi attended the CPDC hearing regarding the Dividence Road site. He stated that the principals have begun the process of visiting newly constructed schools and they would be forwarding a summary of their visits to him and to the architect. Dr. Harutunian advised that at the last School Committee meeting the Committee approved an hourly rate for the architect to continue to work on the project. He stated that due to a new process required by the attorney general's office we would be posting the architectural work in the central register for bid tomorrow. Dr. Harutunian stressed to the Committee that in order to meet the March l" deadline the Committee needed to approve the programmatic plan at the new school and at Barrows. He stated that preliminary approval would be needed for the schematic drawings for Barrows and the REGULAR SESSION -2- February 28, 2000 new school. He stated that Mr. Johnson had submitted four alternative plans and that he would be forwarding them to the architect for review and had requested that the architect provide a list of pros and cons for the plans. Mr. Twomey stated that he had found the CPDC meeting to be extremely useful. He thanked the CPDC for providing the Committee with the list of issues they thought the Committee should address as the project moves forward. He stated that CPDC had requested that another CPDC meeting at approximately 25% development of the project. Mr. Shubert of the CPDC stated his appreciation for being given the opportunity to attend this evening's meeting and express concerns of the CPDC. Mr. Shubert reviewed each of the items noted by the CPDC. Selectmen Hines arrived at 8:15 p.m. Mr. Twomey moved to direct the Administration to forward to the architect the list of CPDC's 17 items outlined in the memorandum of February 25, 2000 and also to forward the list to the Town Manager to work to address town issues and to have the architect report back to the Committee. Ms. D'Antona seconded the motion The vote was 6 -0 Ms. Cavicchi, Mr. Dahl, Ms. D'Antona, Mr. Keigley, Mr. Twomev and Ms. Williams. Mr. Johnson questioned whether there actually was flexibility in the developing the plan through June 1St Sid Bowen advised that modifications can be still be made through June 1St Mr. Shubert left the meeting at 8:25 p.m. to attend the CPDC meeting. Mr. Bowen discussed the schematic diagrams and programmatic issues with the Committee. Chair Dahl opened the meeting up to input from the audience. Mr. Johnson reviewed the options he had designed. Ms. Cooper asked why we are creating a larger library and not reducing the size as stated by MASS recommendation. and members of the audience. Mr. Bowen stated that libraries are being broken into spaces and the spaces are more focused on education and helping students find resources REGULAR SESSION -3- February 28, 2000 Ms. Williams moved to endorse the preliminary schematics for Barrows and for the new school. Ms. Cavicchi seconded the motion. The vote was 6 -0 Ms. Cavicchi Mr. Dahl, Ms. D'Antona, Mr. Keigley, Mr. Twomey and Ms. Williams Ms. Cavicchi moved to approve the preliminary programmatic plan for Barrows and the new school as stated in the February 25, 2000 document. Mr. Twomey seconded the motion. The vote was 6 -0 Ms. C_ avicchi, Mr. Dahl, Ms. D'Antona, Mr. Keigley, Mr. Twomey and Ms. Williams. Dan Guirini from Flansburgh & Associates discussed the preliminary design of the new school, including the type of structure, effort to maximize natural light, passive heating issues, green building issues Dr. Harutunian stated that the principals will be visiting several post and beam buildings to get a feel for the type of environment it creates. Dan Guirini stated that the new school is designed to add four additional classrooms if necessary in the future. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT Dr. Harutunian thanked Mrs. Elaine Ward for her donation to the Parker Middle School. Dr. Harutunian discussed the process used for the incident that occurred with the hockey team. Dr. Harutunian discussed the information relative to a problem that occurred at the Coolidge Middle School involving practice test questions for the 1999 MCAS test. Dr. Harutunian advised that he had approved a request for the RMHS football team to play a league game on Sunday, October 1, 2000. Dr. Harutunian distributed information from the Town Manager regarding how Reading compares to other Massachusetts communities in regards to the average tax bill. Summary of the Superintendent's Evaluation February 2000 Harvey J. Dahl, Chair The Policy The School Committee shall evaluate the superintendent twice annually. The purpose of the January evaluation is to give the School Committee the opportunity to appraise the Superintendent's performance early in the budget cycle and before contract negotiations with the Superintendent. The Evaluation Instrument The instrument, which was revised in February of 1998, consists of a series of inquiries -- 59 in total - -that are divided into five categories of evaluation criteria. These criteria include: Educational Leadership; Personal Characteristics; Relationship with the School Committee, Professional and Administrative Staff, Students and the Community; Planning and Organization, and Business and Finance. Each query may be described by the evaluator with categories labeled -- unsatisfactory, satisfactory (marginal, average, above average), outstanding, or not applicable. The form includes space for comments on each specific question. The Process Each member of the school committee received a copy of the evaluation instrument. They were asked to rill it out and return it directly to the chair. The results were tabulated and the individual comments were compiled into the report of the school committee chair. In the event that a member of the committee used conventions Gke a double check or pluses, these too were included in the final evaluation. Also included are several narrative comments made by individual members. The report is then discussed in open session. Each member has the opportunity to add any further thoughts or observations to the report or to focus on any items of particular interest. The report reflects the collective view of the School Committee and the individual evaluations are to be considered an integral part of the cumulative report. The Performance of the Superintendent It would be unfair to categorize this evaluation as anything less than exceptional. In almost every category included in this evaluation instrument, Dr. Harutunian's performance was ranked as outstanding by a clear majority of the Committee. While summarizing the results, 1 was impressed by the consistency of the evaluation. The School Committee members appear to be quite satisfied with Dr. Harutunian's performance in all aspects of his job. In the following section a brief discussion will highlight the committee's evaluation in the individual categories surveyed by the instrument. Educational Leadership The committee clearly recognizes Dr. Harutunian's performance as the educational leader of the Reading Public Schools. In 22 out of 23 categories, members of the committee rated the Superintendent's performance as either above average or outstanding. To this reviewer, the Committee appears to agree with Dr. Harutunian's vision for the Reading Public Schools and by their reviews, recognize the effort and ability he has directed at attaining his goals. For instance, the Committee feels the Superintendent has been very aggressive in upgrading the School system, and rated his performance in these category as outstanding. The Committee feels that Dr. Harutunian has sensible ideas, good visibility in the community, and a primary concern that the school system is operated for the benefit of the students. The Superintendent has demonstrated solid management skills in organizing and utilizing the abilities his staff to achieve the educational success expected by this Committee, and promoting curriculum changes required by the Commonwealth. Overall, the Committee is more than satisfied with Dr. Harutunian's performance as the educational leader of the Reading Public Schools. In programs as diverse as upgrading school buildings to organizing curriculum across all grades and schools, Dr. Harutunian has demonstrated the kind of leadership that has affected positive change in the Reading Public Schools. I would suggest that to understand the nature of these general comments, any interested citizen of Reading should take the time to review the detail of the review and read the individual comments and narratives. Personal Characteristics It is indicative of the Committee's feelings about Dr. Harutunian's personal leadership qualities that all members ranked him outstanding in his ability to demonstrate personal leadership conducive to harmonious relationships with the Committee, professional and administrative staff, students and the public. Dr. Harutunian is able to make decisions in difficult situations while remaining true to his convictions. In almost every category, Dr. Harutunian's performance was rated outstanding or above average; and in several areas individual members were enthusiastic in their comments. Dr. Harutunian presents a positive professional image of the Reading Public Schools to the public, and the Committee continues to recognize this. He does consider the Committee's suggestions when making decisions, is always available to parents and the public, and seeks their input in formulating his decisions. Relationship with the School Committee, Professional and Administrative Staff, .Students and the Community. The Superintendent's ability to communicate frequently with the School Committee was recognized by its members. The Superintendent is very effective in communicating the needs of the schools to the public and has generated enthusiastic support for his programs from the community. The members of the Committee consistently ranked his performance as outstanding in this category. He is frank with his staff when required by the situation, but supportive when necessary and maintains a good working relationship with staff at all levels. In addition, Dr. Harutunian maintains a strong relationship with the leadership of all bargaining units. Dr. Harutunian has done a tremendous job at building consensus among the Committee, his staff and the community for his educational programs, which has positively affected the opportunity for success of these programs. Planning and Organization In the area of Planning and Organization, the Committee rated the Superintendent's performance as above average and outstanding in all categories. Dr. Harutunian gets high marks for planning to meet the needs of the school system both educationally and financially. His administrative staff appears well organized and effective. His use of the administrative council (the individual principals) keeps them fully engaged in the decision process and keeps decisions at the appropriate level of the organization. Dr. Harutunian continues to get outstanding marks on his ability to keep the School Committee informed on a regular basis of any new developments in the schools or current administrative actions. Business and Finance The Superintendent continues to do an outstanding job of guiding the budget process and planning for the fiscal needs of the school system. He understands all aspects of the budget and is able to present it in a manner that indicates priorities and promotes comprehension. The budget he prepares continues to focus on meeting the educational needs of the students, while dealing with increasing enrollments, legal requirements of Special Education, and mandates from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He has worked hard to share resources with the municipal side of town government in order to keep as many resources as possible "in the classroom." Conclusion This is a review that the Superintendent should be proud of receiving. Likewise, the Town of Reading should be proud of the accomplishments of its Public School System, due in large part from the excellent stewardship of Dr. Harutunian. However, concern is clear from this reviewer that to achieve continued success in the area of business and planning, the Superintendent will need additional help. The position of Business Manager was eliminated with the required budget cuts in the early 1990's, and the Superintendent office has functioned well as a result of the collaboration with the Town Accountant and Treasurer. However, the demands on the Superintendent are such that without suitable assistance in the future, the ability to continue this level of performance may be questionable. The School Committee continues to place heavy demands on Dr. Harutunian, and we must be ready to assist him with the necessary assistance if we are to expect a similar level of performance in the future. REGULAR SESSION -4- February 28, 2000 SUPERINTENDENT'S EVALUATION Chair Dahl read his summary of the Superintendent's Evaluation, a copy of which is attached to these minutes. The Committee thanked Dr. Harutunian for his dedication to the schools. Chair Dahl stated that in the next year the Committee has to come up with some type of creative way to bring more make more administrative help available to Dr. Harutunian. ADJOURN At 11.10 p.m. Ms. Cavicchi made a motion to adiourn from regular session and reconvene into executive session. Not to return to regular session. Mr. Twomey seconded the motion The vote was 6 -0 Ms. Cavicchi, Mr. Dahl, Ms. D'Antona, Mr. Keiglev and Ms. Williams. Respectfully submitted, Harry K. Harutunian, Ph.D. Superintendent of Schools