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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-12-14 School Committee MinutesReading Public Schools Reading, Massachusetts SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES DECEMBER 14, 1996 CALL TO ORDER Chair Susan Cavicchi called the special session to order at 8:29 a.m. at Endicott College. All members were present. Superintendent Dr. Harry K. Harutunian and Associate Superintendent Dennis Richards were also present. ROLE OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE TO INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS Chair Cavicchi suggested the School Committee should avoid rudeness. Mr. Twomey believes the School Committee needs to work together as a team. Issues need to be discussed and resolved at the School Committee table. Ms. D'Antona referred to the Massachusetts School Committee Association Code of Ethics as a helpful guide for School Committee member behavior. Mr. Stohlman raised the example of the discussion of the capital plan. He indicated that the Code of Ethics is a tool to prevent School Committee members from disrupting votes once they are taken. He believes School Committee members should be able to have discussions with the public on issues before the School Committee. This, he believes, improves the decision making process. Mr. Cummings suggested we need to distinguish between the free flow of information and the intentional or unintentional disruption of School Committee decisions. Mr. Stohlman said it is important to have a minority report if there is a difference of opinion. Disagreement is a good thing because it tempers decisions. Being disagreeable is a bad thing. Mr. Cummings agreed but indicated that sometimes minority reports are given without the audience being clear that the comments are a minority opinion. Mr. Twomey indicated that a School Committee person's role changes from an advocate to a decision maker when the person become a School Committee member. Mr. Twomey asked members to consider how hard you want to push on one issue without consideration for the ramifications in other areas. SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES 2 DECEMBER 14, 1996 Mr. Spadafora commented that School Committee meetings, when there are less than unanimous votes, are usually filled with debate. He believes that once the decision is made, hopefully in the best interest of children, he tries to move onto other issues. Mr. Twomey commented that a School Committee member can vote against a motion and nonetheless be in favor of the goal. Sometimes he will abstain when he wants to be clear to the audience that he is opposed to a motion but in favor of the goal. Mr. Twomey indicated that sharing information with other School Committee members is fine as long as it does not go beyond three School Committee members. Mr. Stohlman feels that it is okay for School Committee members to speak with the Chair as long as the Chair does not pass information among other members. The Superintendent indicated that sharing information is fine but polling on potential votes is not. Mr. Cummings said School Committee members can not advocate for an issue with another member. Mr. Stohlman disagreed. The Superintendent agreed to investigate the issue. Mr. Stohlman made the point that the School Committee can not vote away its right to discuss an issue nor can it restrict the right of an individual member to advocate for an issue. Ms. D'Antona pointed out that a School Committee member using the public to bring pressure on the School Committee to change a vote is only one avenue for affecting change. Mr. Stohlman indicated that he did not ask people to write letters to the School Committee regarding RMHS but that he does listen to constituents who have concerns about the condition of RMHS. He does not feel that it is wrong for a School Committee member to actively advocate for an issue outside of a School Committee meeting. Mr. Spadafora indicated that if a School Committee member has a problem with the actions of the another member, he or she should talk to the Chair. ROLE OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE TO THE SUPERINTENDENT Mr. Twomey said it is very important to keep the Superintendent informed. Chair Cavicchi said she always listens when someone calls her about an issue. Then she calls the Superintendent and feels comfortable because she believes the issue will be addressed by him. Mr. Twomey feels that the School Committee focuses on policies and the Superintendent focuses on the implementation. Communication works both ways well. The Superintendent asked if there is anything he or the administration can do to help the School Committee do a better job? SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES 3 DECEMBER 14, 1996 Mr. Cummings said that the Superintendent should be more comfortable with less than unanimous votes. Ms. D'Antona indicated that it is important to respect less than unanimous votes because sometimes it is natural that disagreements will have an impact on the final decision. The Superintendent wants to be sure that all members feel they are being treated equitably. The Superintendent asked if the School Committee wants to go out with spouses for dinner on the night a new Chair is elected. None of the School Committee members objected. The Superintendent will move forward with plans for the dinner sometime in June. The Superintendent asked if the School Committee wants to set a time limit for meetings. Ms. D'Antona does not want a time limit. Mr. Twomey feels comfortable with the Chair being strong in his or her administrative role. Ms. D'Antona asked if the School Committee wanted to come to closure on the discussion regarding School Committee "ground rules" discussed during the day's meeting. The School Committee did not come to agreement on Ms. D'Antona's question. ROLE OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE WITH THE BUDGET COUNCIL The Superintendent asked for comments on: 1. Role of the Budget Council with the Town's budget 2. Role of the Budget Council with Capital Plan 3. Role of the Budget Council with School Committee Budget Ms. D'Antona asked that minutes be kept of the Budget Council meetings. Mr. Twomey thinks the flow of information during the Budget Council meetings is helpful. He does not want to get involved in the detail of the Town's budget. He thinks we need to come up with a process for prioritizing needs. Mr. Cummings is pleased with the Budget Council process of last year. He said it helps to see the bigger financial picture and the Finance Committee played the role of mediator well. Mr. Twomey believes the Budget Council sees the School Committee as being a responsible advocate for its position. He hopes that the School Committee will retain that respect during this year's budget process. SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES 4 DECEMBER 14, 1996 The Superintendent wanted to know if the School Committee wants to pursue having a Budget Council meeting to discuss revenue, free cash and capital. The School Committee agreed that the Superintendent should provide the Budget Council with all of the School Department budget information and then present a summary at a Budget Council meeting. SUPERINTENDENT'S EVALUATION FORM Ms. D'Antona indicated that the subcommittee is still in the process of preparing a draft of a new instrument for evaluating the Superintendent. She and Mr. Twomey recommended that the School Committee use the past process this year. Chair Cavicchi asked the School Committee to turn in the Superintendent's evaluation to her by December 28. ROLE OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE WITH THE SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE Mr. Cummings mentioned that money for the Coolidge architect is coming out of the School Department capital money and therefore the School Committee should hire the architect. Mr. Stohlman added that in the past the School Building Committee has always hired architects. Mr. Cummings and Mr. Stohlman asked that the School Committee meet with the School Building Committee to discuss roles. ADJOURN At 1:25 p.m. Mr. Spadafora motioned to adjourn. Mr. Twomey seconded the motioned. The vote was unanimous. Ms. Cavicchi, Mr. Cummings, Ms. D'Antona, Mr. Spadafora, Mr. Stohlman and Mr. Twomey. Respectfully submitted, Harry K. Haruttunian, Ph.D. Superintendent of Schools