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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1986-11-03 School Committee Minutes 35 READING PUBLIC SCHOOLS Reading, Massachusetts SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES NOVEMBER 3 , 1986 Call to Order Chairman Cliff Allen called the regular meeting of the Reading School Committee to order at 7:35 p.m. on November 3, 1986 in the Superintendent's Conference Room at 34 Gould Street. All members of the School Committee were present. Others in attendance were Superintendent, Robert S. Wells, Assistant Superintendents, Robert J. Munnelly and Ronald A. Winslow, Jay Dumas, Director of Summer School, Staff Members, Claire Flynn and Jeff Cryan, parents, and a reporter from the Chronicle. Approval of Minutes of October 20 , 1986 A motion was made by Mr . Nissen , seconded by Mr . Shannon , to approve the Minutes of the Meeting of October 20, 1986 . The vote was unanimous. Bills and Payrolls Warrants for bills and payrolls were approved as follows : Bills November 7 , 1986 - General Expense - $34 , 159 .26 November 14 , 1986 - General Expense - $75 ,705 .26 Payrolls November 7, 1986 - Weekly - $30 , 324 . 87 November 14 , 1986 - Weekly - 32 , 380 .50 November 13 , 1986 - Teachers - 358 , 600 . 02 Citizens ' Input Mrs . Kendra Cooper asked to be recognized and stated that since there was no item on the Agenda regarding her question of having the Agenda sent to the Chronicle early enough to be printed, she wondered if the School Committee Members had any objections to that? Cliff Allen stated the members had no objections , and when he did check on that question, he found that copies of the Agenda have always been available to the Chronicle in time for them to print it, but it has been their decision not to do that. Mrs . Cooper also had some questions on the School Committee Policy on Field Trips. She stated the current policy only required that when private cars are used, the plans only need the approval of the School Principal, and also require that he inform parents that 36 READING SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES NOVEMBER 3 , 1986 private cars will be used. Mrs. Cooper felt the School Committee might want to consider some revisions to this policy that would take into account the liability on the parents using their cars and also the safety factor for the children. She stated in light of the accident that had recently occurred in Lynnfield, involving 11 students going to a field hockey practice in one car, as well as a recent Birch Meadow First Grade field trip to Lancaster, MA in which three classes were transported entirely in private cars , she felt she wanted to bring this policy to the attention of the School Committee. School Highlights Dr. Wells stated there would be a report on the Summer School Program presented by Jay Dumas, Director of the program, along with staff members Claire Flynn and Jeff Cryan. He then introduced Mr. Dumas to the committee. Mr. Dumas briefly reviewed the program with the School Committee, and stated it was a three—part program which was described in materials the committee had been given before the meeting. He stated not all the courses were listed in the brochure, because of changes in requirements , etc . , some courses had been added or deleted , but that the attendance in classes in the Summer Program was at 95% this year. Mr. Dumas stated one of the most popular courses was in its fourth year, "Computers for young People Course" , which had been designed by Jeff Cryan . He stated he felt very fortunate in having the assistance of Claire Flynn and Jeff Cryan and that the Town also benefited because of their participation, and wanted to thank them publicly for their contribution over the years . Mr. Dumas then introduced Claire Flynn who would describe her part of the summer program. Mrs . Flynn stated that she received recommendations from teachers for students to attend the Summer Program and each teacher filled out a profile on each child. She stated this gave the classroom teacher in the program some idea of the needs of the child , and some indication of the kinds of materials needed for the class . The program provides three basic elements: a basic skills program in reading , mathematics , and writing for students in grades 1 through 8 ; a credit program for high school students ; and an enrichment program for students at all levels. Mrs. Flynn stated they had tried to make the program as interesting as possible by reading Rudyard Kipling stories , and participating in a reading project , which took the children through the whole process of selecting a story, reviewing it , and eventually making a book out of it . Mr. Jeff Cryan then spoke about his course in which he had worked with 15 highly motivated students who had chosen to come to the summer computer course. Each student had his own computer to work with which made it possible for them to learn computer basics and also some logo. He stated working with two different languages gave the students some insight into what programs were about. Mr. Cryan also stated the students had worked on applications, and a 37 READING SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES NOVEMBER 3 , 1986 few had gone on to data base management. He noted that every student also gets 20 minutes of typing skills practice. In the last couple of weeks , each student gets to work on individual projects which they select. Mr . Dumas then asked if the Committee had any questions , and stated he felt both Mr. Cryan and Mrs . Flynn had given a good picture of all aspects of the program and invited them to visit the classes next summer. Mrs. Philbrick asked if Mr. Dumas had any request from parents with students younger than fifth grade to participate in the enrichment area? Mr. Dumas stated he did and makes it a point to investigate things like that. He stated he invited teachers to pose ideas on this point and was looking for something in the sciences for these younger students for next summer. As there were no further questions, Cliff Allen thanked Mr. Dumas , Mrs. Flynn and Mr. Cyran for their informative presentation. Phonathon — R.M.H.S. Dr. Wells explained to the School Committee that Mark Piechota, Principal of the High School , notified him that the Reading Scholarship Foundation was planning to sponsor a Phonathon to raise funds for scholarships and were requesting permission to have R.M.H.S. students take part in the effort. He stated the committee would have to vote to waive the School Committee Policy which prohibits students from soliciting to raise funds . Dr . Wells then read Policy KIA. He stated after reviewing the request, he and Mark Piechota were recommending that the waiver be granted. Carol Lyons made a motion, seconded by Mr. Shannon, to waive the School Committee Policy KIA, Solicitation of Funds , in order for students at R.M.H.S . to participate in the phonathon sponsored by the Reading Scholarship Foundation for the purpose of raising funds for scholarships . Mr. Shannon stated, if he remembered correctly, this was an annual event, and there had been no problem with it . Dr. Wells stated he had, unfortunately, found that this was the second year this event was to take place, and for some unknown reason, permission had not been requested previously . Mr. Coco stated that in 1985 parents of band members had asked the committee to allow students to solicit funds , and the committee has supported Policy KIA and would not allow it . He stated he felt that if this waiver was given, many more groups would be requesting the same approval and, therefore, he felt uncomfortable about supporting the waiver. Mr. Nissen 38 READING SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES NOVEMBER 3 , 1986 stated the Policy only prohibited soliciting by school organizations, and technically, the Scholarhship Foundation might not be considered a school organization. He stated, therefore, there was some question in his mind as to whether they needed permission for the phonathon. Mr. Nissen stated if the committee wanted to include other organizations , perhaps the Policy should be rewritten more specifically. Mr. Shannon stated that when this event occurred in the past , it was done on the weekends, and banks and other businesses allow parents and students to use their offices for the phonathon. He stated this benefits a very large group and is performed away from the school premises . Dr. Wells then stated -he would not have recommended this waiver, if it was to sell magazines, etc. , but he was told each student and parent had a list of phone numbers to call and none of the lists were duplicated. Because of this , he felt it would not create a nuisance. A vote was taken on the motion, and the waiver was granted by a 4-1 vote, with Mr. Coco voting in the negative. Bids - Telephone Service Mr. Winslow reviewed Enclosure B-3-b with the School Committee for new telephone service for the Central Office and the Reading Memorial High School. This enclosure listed the tabluation of bids for the lease purchase of equipment plus maintenance after Warranty. He stated that two bids had been received , one from AT&T and one from Sonitrol. Mr. Winslow reviewed the figures on the list . He then informed the School Committee that the specification stated that the vendor must be the manufacturer and installer of the equipment who can provide maintenance services after installation. Mr. Winslow stated Sonitrol is an authorized TIE distributor, and it is TIE who manufactures the equipment . He stated after conferring with Ted Cohen, it was recommended that the bid not be awarded to Sonitrol as they were not manufacturers and did not meet the specifications , leaving AT&T as the only eligible bidder. Mr. Winslow stated he had contacted some of the bidders who had received specifications and requests for bids and who had not submitted bids . He stated some indicated their equipment was more sophisticated and too costly, Nynex had lost the specifications , and other companies could not be reached. Mr. Winslow also noted that present rental telephone equipment rates had been increased in February, and it was likely that it could be increased again this year . He stated that the lease purchase figures were firm. Mr. Winslow stated the administration was recommending acceptance of the AT&T bid for Lease/Purchase for a 60-month period in the amounts listed on Enclosure B-3-B. 39 READING SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES NOVEMBER 3 , 1986 Mr. Nissen made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Philbrick, that the School Committee enter into a Lease-Purchase Agreement with AT&T for a new telephone service in the Central Office and Reading Memorial High School, in the amounts listed on Enclosure B-3-b for a 60-month period, including cost of Maintenance after Warranty. Mr. Nissen asked how long the Warranty Period was. Mr. Winslow indicated that it was for a year. Mr. Nissen stated, therefore, we would be paying a Maintenance Fee from year 2 through 5, which would be approximately $16 ,000 over the 5-year period. This would be over and above what we are paying now, minus any increase that occurred in the rental rates for present equipment. Mr. Nissen stated it would take approximately 10-years to reach the break-even point, and at that time, the equipment might again be obsolete. Mr. Nissen then asked if there were any specific needs at the High School that should be addressed. Mr. Winslow stated presently the High School still had a rotary dial system, and was inadequate. He stated the new Merlin system would offer many new features that could be utilized such as conference calls and interoffice features. Mr. Shannon indicated he was uncomfortable about supporting this award. He felt although administration had sent out five bid requests, only one of the two bids received was qualified under the Specifications. He then asked if it were possible to re-bid. Mr. Nissen asked if we rejected all the bids , would it be possible to remove the restriction stating the award must be given to a manufacturer? Cliff Allen noted that it was MASBO who had suggested we go with the manufacturer. There was a long discussion on the possibility of re-bidding. Carol Lyons asked if there were some serious objections to removing the restriction. Mr . Winslow stated that when you deal directly with the manufacturer, you eliminate the middle man, and it is possible to handle repair problems with a minimum amount of inconvenience. Mr . Shannon stated that perhaps this new service was not cost effective , and we should look at it in another year. If , at that time, we needed additional lines , it could be brought before the committee. Mrs. Philbrick asked if the need for a new system was critical or could it wait for 4 to 6 weeks . Mr. Winslow indicated that although it was not critical , there would be some costs involved in a delay as the present system needed repairs which would have to be done. Mr. Shannon stated he did not think there was a critical shortfall in the present system. Mr. Allen stated perhaps we could make better use of this money. A vote was taken on the original motion to approve the low bid for the new service, and it was defeated. Mr. Nissen made a motion, seconded by Mrs . Philbrick , that the School Committee instruct the administration to go out for bid 40 READING SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES NOVEMBER 3 , 1986 again, and remove the restriction in the specifications that the bidder must be the manufacturer of the equipment. Mr. Shannon stated he felt it was not cost effective to re-bid this item, and he would be unable to support the motion. Mr. Allen stated he would like to get some figures on the cost of repairing the present system. A vote was taken on the motion to re-bid, and it was defeated with 4-2 vote, with Mr. Nissen and Mrs. Philbrick voting in favor. Mr. Allen requested that the administration obtain some costs for repairing the present telephone system, in order to bring it up to date. Financial Statements Cafeteria Statement - Mr. Winslow reviewed the Cafeteria Statement with the School Committee noting that there was a loss for this month' s statement. He stated this was because of accumulated expenses of summer, and also, equipment such as the new exhaust system located near the walk-in refrigerator, is purchased at that time. He stated Cathy Cook had assured him that despite some monthly statements showing losses , the finances for FY87 would end with a profit. Account Balances - Mr. Winslow reviewed the Account Balances with the School Committee . He indicated that at the bottom of the page there were three payments indicated from Chapter 188 , Professional Development and Minimum Wage Adjustment which had been received and were part of the current budget in the Salary Account. He stated that there was a deficit in Project 87-246-211, but the Grant had been written, and the funds were being processed and on the way. - Expense and Salary Account - Mr. Winslow reviewed the Expense and Salary Account with the School Committee and stated that operating expenditures were 71% depleted , but the oil account was still untouched. He stated that overall , 29% of the the budget was expended. Roof Repairs - Progress Report Mr . Winslow stated that the roof over the cafeteria at the High School had been completed, and the front areas of the roof at Joshua Eaton were also completed, but negotiations were ongoing for the slate work. He stated that he was to meet with the roofer and the insurance company the next day, but the roofer was ill and the meeting was cancelled. Mr. Winslow stated the roofer would be available on the following Tuesday, and at that time they would discuss the costs for repairs so that a claim could be submitted to the insurance company. He also stated, that the roofer had not been paid any money, up to this date. 41 READING SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES NOVEMBER 3 , 1986 Library Media Center Dr. Wells indicated this request was an alternate to the joint venture that the administration had hoped to have with the Public Library. Presently, he stated, there was a part-time Teacher-Aide . in the computer center. Dr. Wells stated the administration and Mark Piechota would like to expand the operation at the center so that students could use the facilitiy as they would the library, keeping it open until 8 p .m. He stated initially they would expand the hours from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. to work out any problems . Dr. Wells stated they would like to hire a person to work in the center from 3:30 to 8:00 p.m. , 4 nights weekly, to assist students and supervise the operation of the center during those hours. He noted this would be a non-union position. Mrs . Philbrick asked if in the job description, under responsibilities, we did not already employ some college students to act as aides, or was this someone additional? Dr. Munnelly stated that there would be a search for work study students from surrounding colleges. Carol Lyons asked if this person would be able to answer questions on work that the students would be doing? Dr . Wells stated it was not necessary that this person be an instructor or a high-powered computer expert, but would have to have some knowledge about the equipment. Mr. Coco then suggested .hat under Specifications , Item 2, the word "comfort" be changed to "experience" . The committee agreed. Mr. Shannon asked how the salary rate had been decided. Dr . Munnelly stated that this person would not be as experienced as a high-tech person , but somone who could manage people issues and see that the equipment was used effectively. Mr. Shannon asked if this rate was in line with what colleges paid for similar positions . Dr . Munnelly stated there had been no comparisions on which to base the salary figure. Mr. Coco moved, seconded by Ms . Lyons , to accept the draft copy of the job description for a High School Computer Resource Center Manager, but change the word "Manager" in the title to "Operator" , and also change the word in Item 2 , under Specifications , to "experience" instead of "comfort" . The vote was taken and the motion was unanimously approved. Absenteeism Verification System Mr. Winslow stated that a survey had been made of the Absenteeism Verifications Systems at all the schools , and the Principals felt the systems were working effectively. He stated one of the only problems had been with parents who did not routinely call about their children ' s absences , but letters and stickers had been sent home with the children to encourage the parents to use the system when the children were to be absent. Mr. Coco stated he aas happy to see that the system was working and that the parents were being notified that they also must be diligent to insure its success . 42 • READING 'SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES NOVEMBER 3 , 1986 Dr. Wells stated he would like to inform the School Committee that the previous weekend, Dr. Munnelly has been a Panel Chairman at the -22nd Annual MASC/MASS Joint Conference on the subject, "Textbooks: Are They Really Necessary?" which had been held on -:the Cape. --Dr. Munnelly then briefly reviewed with the School _Committee his participation on the Panel. _ _Appointments - _Dr. _Munnelly stated that the administration was recommending that - CathrynCremens-Basbas, --teacher -at Joshua Eaton -School, --be appointed to the vacancy of Assistant Principal, caused by the ' resignation of Bob Penta. Dr. Munnelly stated Kate was taking - administrative courses to prepare for a leadership career -and is presently carrying out an administrative internship in cooperation with Don Farnham. A motion was made by Mrs. Philbrick, seconded by Mr. Shannon, to appoint Cathryn Cremens-Basbas , as Assistant Principal at the Joshua Eaton School, for the remainder of the 1986-87 School Year and also for the 1987-88 School Year, effective November 5, 1986 . The vote was unanimous. Dr. Munnelly then stated the administration was recommending the appointment of Mrs. Ilene R. Grinker to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Bob Penta at the Joshua Eaton School. He stated that all 4 elementary principals had been involved in the interviewing and agreed that Mrs. Grinker was the most qualified candidate. A motion was made by Mrs . Philbrick, seconded by Ms . Lyons , to approve the appointment of Mrs . Ilene R. Grinker, 21 Woodward Rd . , Framingham, as Grade 5 teacher at Joshua Eaton School , at Step M+30-7, $31,872 pro-rated, effective Nov. 5, 1986 . The vote was unanimous. At 9 : 20 p.m. , Mr. Shannon made a motion, seconded by Mr. Coco, to go into. Executive Session in order to discuss Bargaining and Negotiations issues and strategy with respect to Litigation. The - vote was unanimous . At 10 :22 p.m. , the School Committee voted to adjourn in Executive Session.