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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1988-06-20 School Committee MinutesREADING PUBLIC SCHOOLS Reading, Massachusetts F SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES CALL TO ORDER JUNE 20, 1988 Chairman George Shannon called the regular meeting of the Reading School Committee to order at 7 :35 p.m. in the Conference Room of the Superintendent's Office at 34 Gould Street. All members were present except Nancy Drane. Also present were Superintendent Robert J. Munnelly; Assistant Superintendents Lynn M. Bak and Ronald A. Winslow; R.T.A. President, Peter Greene and R.T.A. members, and a reporter from the Chronicle. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Barbara Philbrick made a motion to approve the Minutes from the June 6, 1988 meeting. Margaret Cowell seconded that motion. The vote was 5 -1 with Carol Lyons abstaining due to her absence at that meeting. BILLS AND PAYROLLS The warrants for Bills and Payrolls were as follows: BILLS: June 20, 1988 - General Expense - $53,273.44 June 27, 1988 - General Expense - $55,813.96 PAYROLLS: June 17, 1988 - Weekly - $46,717.24 June 24, 1988 - Weekly - $54,139.08 June 16, 1988 - Teachers - $355,085.85 SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS Cathy Powell is Reading's Early Childhood Coordinator and was present at the School Committee meeting to share with School Committee members the highlights of this past year's Early Childhood program. The focus of her presentation was on the goals of the program and the implementation of activities, including the Early Childhood Workshop Series, which took place to meet those goals. Samples of printed information were introduced and passed out for the review of all School Committee members. A few of the topics which were addressed by Cathy pertaining to the Workshops for the 1987 -1988 school year were: MINUTES 2 SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS (cont.) JUNE 20, 1988 - Speech and Language Development in the Young Child with Louise Ward; - Creative Ideas with Children's Literature with Beverly Maffei; - Enriched Play Activities with Rosemary Bransfield; - Positive Approaches to Difficult Behaviors in the Young Child with Constance Rosenberger and Lynn Hallen; - Creative Movement and the Learning Experience with Rae Pica; - Developing Positive Attitudes in Our Children and Ourselves about School with Catherine Powell; - Parenting in the 80's: Is Stressed and Stretched the Only Way to Go? with Grace.Pantano; - Finding and Assessing Day Care Programs with Gwen Hooper; - Working with the Gifted and Talented Pre- School /Primary Child with Diana Reeves; and - School's Out: Now What? with Linda Braun. There was a period of questions and discussion. Mr. Shannon then thanked Cathy and complimented her on her informative presentation and the progress to date with this new program. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT Dr. Munnelly informed School Committee members of some "current events." They were as follows: - Dr. Munnelly attended a recent appreciation coffee for the Understanding Handicaps program at which 170 volunteers were recognized for their contributions to the 3rd and 4th grade children of Reading. The organization was also gearing up to carry out awareness workshops for over 250 adults, who comprise half of the staff of the school system. Dr. Munnelly thanked Director Rachel Baumgartner and her corps of leaders, including Judy LeBlanc and all other volunteers, for their great work. The new Understanding Handicaps brochure was made available to all members of the School Committee and the public. - Dr. Munnelly and Richard Coco attended an impressive ceremony where five young people graduated from the Reading Memorial High School's SEEM program, which took place on June 15, 1988. Parents expressed pleasure with the first year's progress of that program. The number of students, Dr. Munnelly informed, will decrease to around ten next year, and consequently, the program can be carried out with only one staff person. Mr. Coco expressed his pleasure at having been in attendance at the graduation and the excellent way it had been put together and presented. TUITION WAIVER Dr. Munnelly recommended that the School Committee approve Kristen MINUTES 3 TUITION WAIVER (cont.) JUNE 20, 1988 Troy to be a student at Reading Memorial High School for her senior year, so she can be with her friends and graduate from the high school in June of 1989. Dr. Munnelly also recommended that the tuition required for non - residents, as shown in policy JECB, be waived due to her family circumstances. The circumstances are as follows: Miss Troy has attended the Reading schools and has been at Reading High for three years. This winter, she lost both of her parents in a two -month period of time. The aunt who is assuming guardianship resides in Medford. The family necessity which dictated a Medford guardian calls for special consideration. Reading Schools will not assume transportation responsibilities. Mr. Coco made a motion to approve the recommendation of Dr. Munnelly to waive the tuition required for non - residents for Miss Kristen Trov. The motion was seconded.bv Barbara Philbrick. The vote was 5 -1 with Mr. Shannon abstainin ART EVALUATION Dr. Munnelly informed School Committee members that Reading's art staff has been examining the art program in the schools as part of a five -year Curriculum Evaluation cycle. In addition to the usual look at goals and implementation, four outsiders were invited to visit our schools, peer into all aspects of the program and write a frank report on what they found. The art staff has utilized these reports as bright- lighted mirrors which help the staff closely examine the program. The evaluation report, reflecting the observations of the staff, was presented to the School Committee by Art Director, Susan Wheltle. In the winter of 1988, four consultants were invited to evaluate the curriculum organization of staff and resources of the Reading Public Schools' Art program. Evaluators were: Mr. John E. Thayer, III; a museum curator, Ms. Robin McGoff; Director of Art at Quincy Public Schools, and working as a team, Ms.- Judith Burton; Chairman of the Department of Art Education, Boston University, and Edward F. Leary; Dean of the School of Visual Arts at Boston University. In separate visits over the course of two and one -half months, they visited each school, viewed student work, interviewed art faculty, administrators and students, and observed classes in action. The four individual written reports the evaluators submitted varied widely in their significant points, and in some areas, the opinions expressed were diametrically opposed. Evaluators were substantially in agreement, however, on four strengths in the present program. First, all indicated that the general climate of the Reading Public Schools provided a favorable environment in which an art program can flourish, and second, they felt that resources, supplies, facilities and equipment were excellent to I•ITNUTES 4 JUNE 20, 1988 ART EVALUATION (coast.) adequate. There was a general consensus that the art faculty was committed to helping students of all abilities to produce and understand visual art (though there was disagreement about the appropriateness of some of their means). And, finally, evaluators felt that the department had been largely successful at establishing and maintaining collaborative programs with cultural institutions and with artists from the community. As weaknesses, nonetheless, three reports expressed the opinion that the time devoted to inter - disciplinary work at the elementary (and to a lesser degree at the middle school) level, precluded a genuinely sequential program in art as a discipline in its own right. Lastly, all evaluators expressed concern at the low enrollments at the high school, and one report suggested that the high school situation might be improved if the art faculty systemwide worked together on defining and adopting a sequenced curriculum which stimulated a higher degree of personal interpretation among students at all levels. A period of questions and discussions began. Mr. Shannon thanked Susan for her informative and in -depth report and evaluation. SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING SCHEDULE Dr. Munnelly prepared a draft of tentative School Committee meeting dates from July to December. Dr. Munnelly stated if changes were necessary, revisions to the list could be made now or as needed. The tentative dates were as follows: - July 11, 1988 - Gifted /Talented discussion with staff; - July 25, 1988 - Gifted /Talented discussion with administration; - August 29, 1988 - Calendar; - September 12, 1988; - September 26, 1988; - October 3, 1988; - October 24, 1988; - November 7, 1988; - December 5, 1988; - December 19, 1988. PORTABLE CLASSROOM FOR BARROWS SCHOOL At the last meeting, Dr. Munnelly mentioned that SEEM had asked Reading to set up a Learning Disability class for elementary school -age children. This grouping of students would be substantially separate, as shown in Prototype 502.4, and would be staffed by a teacher freed up by the reduction of one teacher in the SEEM program at Reading High. The school system does not have any extra classrooms in the elementary or middle schools, so Dr. MINUTES 5 JUNE /.U, i�7oc PORTABLE CLASSROOM FOR BARRUWS (cont.) Munnelly felt the need to explore various sorts of alternatives. Dr. Munnelly informed that the best solution to be offered is to add a classroom to Barrows by re- locating one portable classroom from the Pearl Street site to the flat area near the kindergarten classroom at the left side of the building. Dr. Munnelly produced an aerial picture of the Barrows School to clarify that site. There would be a regular class of students in this self- contained classroom, which will be electrically heated and have a toilet. The L.D. class can be placed in a room inside the Barrows building and students can be mainstreamed easily. Costs will be $10,000.00. A total of $5,500.00 was included from the high school Special Education budget for a window in the S.O.C. classroom, but this repair /renovation will not be needed and the funds can be used to offset the costs of the portable. Another $4,500.00 will have to come from other parts of the 1988 -1989 budget which cannot yet be identified. This proposal for a portable meets with the approval of Principal'Papandreou and Special Education Director Alexanian. Stan Nissen made a'motion to approve the authorization to. proceed with the re- location of a portable classroom from Pearl Street to the Barrows School, with costs not to exceed $10,000.00. The motion was seconded by Carol Lyons. There was a period of questions and discussion. The vote was unanimous. COLLECTIVE BARGAINING COUNSEL'S CONTRACT Dr. Munnelly presented Attorney Allan Drachman's proposal as the collective bargaining counsel for Reading Schools for 1988 -1989. Dr. Munnelly recommended that since Reading is in the midst of negotiations, and Mr. Drachman is doing a nice job, the agreement with him be renewed at the suggested rate. Barbara Philbrick'made a motion to approve the recommendation of Dr. Munnelly and accept the contract with Allan Drachman as shown on Attachment B -3 -a. Mr. Coco seconded that motion. The vote was unanimous. SUPERINTENDENT'S EVALUATION At the next School Committee meeting, Mr. Shannon and Mr. Nissen will carry out the quarterly evaluation of the Superintendent. Both members have asked that all other School Committee members get Evaluation forms. Mr. Shannon and Mr. Nissen then talked about the process for the July 11, 1988 meeting. Dr. Munnelly informed the Sch000l Committee that he will be preparing a "look- back" report about his goals for the year, and will be discussing this with Mr. Shannon for review with the rest of the School Committee on July 11, 1988. MINUTES 6 JUNE 20, 1988 SUPERINTENDENT'S EVALUATION (cont.) Mr. Shannon and Mr. Nissen agreed on the date of July 1, 1988 for the Evaluation forms to be completed by all School Committee members, so that on July 7 and 8 reviews with Dr. Munnelly could take place. A period of questions and discussions followed. A review of all materials is set for the July 11, 1988 meeting. CHAPTER I GRANT PROPOSAL Ms. Bak gave a summary on the Chapter I Grant Program proposal recommended for the 1988 -1989 school year. The federal /state allocation for Reading, based on the numbers of Aid -to- Dependent - Children recipients, totals $60,924.00. Ms. Bak informed that some new interpretations of federal guidelines will permit Reading to give Chapter I tutoring services to children in all elementary schools this year. Ms. Bak also informed that there are 213 children to date in this program and Claire Flynn of the Barrows School is the coordinator. There was a brief period of questions and discussion. METCO AND STATE BUDGET CRISIS Ms. Bak and Dr. Munnelly are trying to re- program the METCO effort in line with a possible budget cut brought on by the State funding crisis. If level- funded, the Reading METCO program may have to operate on $294,000.00 instead of $318,000.00. Dr. Munnelly informed that he is meeting with State officials and METCO central officials and people from Wakefield. Dr. Munnelly posed the preliminary idea of Reading and Wakefield METCO children bussing together, if a bussing pattern can be worked out. Such savings may be the help the program needs to get through this crisis. There was a short period of questions and discussions. GIFTED AND TALENTED UPDATE Ms. Bak briefly updated the School Committee on the Gifted and Talented program. Lynn, the principals and staff have been meeting and conferring with parents about the Gifted and Talented program for the future. Ms. Bak solicited input from parents and teachers alike via questionnaire. Lynn gave a summary on the planning and implementation of that process. There was a short period of comments and discussion. MIT ?UTES 7 JUNE 20, 1982 PERSONNEL ISSUES - Mr. Winslow recommended the hiring of a Maintenance Secretary for Maintenance Director, Larry Moore due to the abundance of clerical duties needing to be attended to at the Maintenance Garage. Stan Nissen made a motion to approve the recommendation of administration for the authorization of a Maintenance Secretary for Director, Larry Moore, as shown on Attachment D -2 Barbara Philbrick seconded that motion. There was a period of questions and discussion. The vote for that motion was 5 -1 with Mr. Coco abstaining due to him not feeling it necessary to trade off a custodian for a secretary, especially with all the attempts to cut overhead. ELECTION OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE OFFICERS Each year, in anticipation of the new fiscal year, the School Committee elects a Chairman and Vice - Chairman. The Superintendent took the gavel to receive nominations. They were as follows: Richard Coco recommended George Shannon for'the nomination of Chairman for the 1988 -1989 year. The recommendation was seconded by Barbara Philbrick. The vote was unanimous. Carol Lyons recommended Stan Nissen for the nomination of Vice- Chairman for the 1988 -1989 year. The recommendation was seconded by Barbara Philbrick. The vote was unanimous. RE- APPOINTMENTS Stan Nissen made a motion to approve the recommendation of administration to approve the re- appointments, as shown on Attachment D -1. The motion was seconded by Margaret Cowell. The vote was unanimous. Stan Nissen made a motion to approve the recommendation of administration to approve the re- appointments, as shown on Attachment D -2. The motion was seconded by Margaret Cowell. The vote was unanimous. Barbara Philbrick made a motion to approve the recommendation of administration and approve the re- appointments and increases for Confidential Secretaries. The motion was seconded by Carol Lyons. The vote was unanimous. Carol Lyons made a motion to approve the recommendation of administration and approve the re-appointments and increases for nurses, as shown on Attachment D -3. The motion was seconded by Barbara Philbrick. The vote was unanimous. Carol Lyons made a motion to ap2rove the recommendation of administration and approve the re- appointment and increase for Cafeteria Director, Cathy Cook, as shown on Attachment D -3. The motion was seconded by Barbara Philbrick. The vote was unanimous. MINUTES 8 JUNE 20, 1986 RE- APPOINTMENTS (cunt.) i Stan Nissen made a motion to approve the recommendation of administration and approve the re- appointment and increase for Maintenance Director, Larry Moore, as shown on Attachment D -3. The motion was seconded by Carol Lyons. The vote was unanimous. LEAVES Stan Nissen made a motion to approve the recommendation of administration for an extension of unpaid leave -of- absence for child- rearing purposes for Bonnie Katz for the 88 -89 school year. The motion was seconded by Richard Coco. The vote was unanimous. Stan Nissen made a motion to aDorove the recommendation of administration for child- rearing leave for Susan Robison, commencing November 28, 1988 to December 16, 1988. It is also noted for the record that Mrs. Robison will be on eight -week maternity leave, commencing October 3, 1988.through November 25, 1988. The motion was seconded by Richard Coco. The vote was unanimous. RESIGNATIONS Mr. Coco made a motion to approve the recommendation of administration for the resignation of Dr. Eugenia S. Ware, effective the close of school this year. The motion was seconded by Barbara Philbrick. The vote was unanimous. Mr. Coco made a motion to approve the recommendation of administration for the resignation of Donna Ryan, effective August 31, 1988. The motion was seconded by Barbara Philbrick. The vote was unanimous. Mr. Coco wished it to be noted that the School Committee members wish Donna Ryan the best of luck and happiness in her future endeavors. OTHER BUSYNESS Mr. Winslow tabulated the painting bids and recommended F & P Contractors in the amount of $28,500.00, to the School Committee as the lowest bidder. Stan Nissen made a motion to approve the recommendation of Mr. Winslow and award F & P Contractors, being the lowest bidder, the painting contract, in the amount of $28,500.00. The motion was seconded by Carol Lyons. The vote was unanimous. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business in regular session, the Committee unanimously voted to move into Executive Session at 10:30 p.m., without returning to regular sessions again that night.