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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1985-06-03 School Cimmittee Minutes • 63 READING PUBLIC SCHOOLS 1 Reading, Massachusetts SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES JUNE 3 ,1985 Call to Order Chairman Allen called a regular meeting of the Reading School Commit- tee to order on June 3 , 1985 , at 7: 34 p. m. , in the Central Office Conference Room. All members were present except Mr. Lewis , who arrived at 7: 48 p. m. Also present were Superintendent Wells and Assistant Superintendents Munnelly and Winslow. There were eight visitors including Barrows School Principal Charles Papandreou and first grade Teachers Nancy Cleary, Priscilla Delong and Barbara Hendricks , Mrs. Eileen Woods , teacher of the gifted and talented , and representatives of the Finance Committee and Daily Chronicle. Approval of Minutes of May 20 , 1985 On a motion by Mr. Coco, seconded by Mr. Nissen, the minutes of the meeting of May 20 , 1985 were unanimously approved. Bills and Payrolls Warrants for bills and payrolls were approved as follows: Bills May 31 , 1985 - General Expense - $23 ,216 . 40 June 7 , 1985 - General Expense - $20 ,564 . 57 Payrolls May 30 , 1985 - Teachers - $326 , 486. 18 May 31 , 1985 - Weekly - $26 , 351.21 June 7 , 1985 - Weekly - $26 , 475 . 16 Citizens ' Input There was no citizens' input. School Highlights This segment of the agenda was presented by Mr . Papandreou , Mrs . Cleary, Mrs. Delong and Mrs. Hendricks, and featured units of the social studies curriculum dealing with "China" and "People. " Through the use of slides , examples of the students' work and verbal explan- ations they demonstrated a multi-facetted approach to learning. The various disciplines merged , i . e. , art , music , reading, spelling, writing , with the social studies units on China as the students learned about the art , music, architecture , etc. , of the Country, as 64 READING SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES JUNE 3 , 1985 well as its history and geography as they read books and wrote brief book reports. This unit culminated in a tea, Chinese style, replete with chop sticks, as the three first grades gathered together sur- rounded by their oriental art work. For the unit on "People" the sixth graders shared their study of the elderly people of the Community with the first grade classes. The first graders tried to find out what life was like for the elderly when they were their age, and made comparisons to their lives. In an effort to better understand the elderly, the youngsters read many books on the topic. Again the various disciplines were merged to provide the children with a comprehensive learning experience. First graders drew pictures of themselves as they look now and how they expect to look in 70 years. One of the highlights of this study unit was a picnic with elderly people at the Senior Citizens' Center. On behalf of the School Committee, Chairman Allen thanked the Princi- pal and Teachers for their interesting presentation. Designer Selection Policy - Administrative Guidelines Mr. Winslow briefly went over proposed Administrative Guidelines for Policy DJCA - Designer Selection Policy (voted May 20, 1985 ) with the Committee. Mrs. Philbrick moved , seconded by Mr. Coco, and it was voted unani- mously that the School Committee accept the Administrative Guidelines for Policy DJCA - Designer Selection Policy, as delineated on Document B-2-a. Bids - General Supplies Mr. Winslow recapitulated the tally of bids for general supplies, noting that the low bid was recommended in all cases where the item met specifications and adding that if these bids are accepted there will be a balance of $26 ,070 . 75 in the 2300 Account in FY86 for purchasing those supplies which do not lend themselves to the bidding process. Total of recommendations for awards to various companies are: Crimson Paper Company - $13 ,458.78 , General Binding Company - $125 , J. L. Hammett - $7 ,768 . 63 , Lake Systems - $773 .70 , New England School Supply - $5 , 215 . 90 , Standard Duplicator - $2 ,355 , Henry S. Wolkins Company, $15 ,609 . 24 , for a total of $45 ,306.25. Mr. Coco moved , seconded by Mrs. Philbrick, and it was voted unani- mously that the School Committee , on the recommendation of the Administration, award contracts for general supplies for materials and companies as listed on Document B-3-a-1. Bids - Interior and Exterior Painting After briefly recapitulating bids for interior and exterior painting at Parker Middle School , Barrows School and Eaton School, Mr. Winslow recommended the low bidder - B & P Painting of Lynn, at $9 ,850. He 65 READING SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES JUNE 3 , 1985 noted that this amount was $50 over the amount allocated for this work in the budget. Mr. Nissen moved, seconded by Mr. Shannon, and it was voted unani- mously to award the contract for interior and exterior painting as described on Document B-3-a-2 to the low bidder, B & P Painting for $9 ,850. Bids - Science Supplies Following a brief discussion of bids for science supplies for the High School and two Middle Schools , Mr. Coco moved, seconded by Mrs. Phil- brick, and it was voted unanimously that, on the recommendation of the Administration , the School Committee award contracts for science supplies to low bidders Chem Scientific , Fisher Scientific , Frey Scientific, Sargent-Welch and Southern Biological for amounts as shown on Document B-3-a-3. Superintendent's Evaluation - Progress Report on Annual Goals for 1984-85 Dr. Wells noted that School Committee Policy called for a review and progress evaluation of the Superintendent' s annual goals in June. His first goal is concerned with the declining enrollment at Reading Memorial High School, developing long-range plans for the academic Programs, staffing needs and utilizing of space in anticipation of an enrollment of 900-1,000 students. Addressing this goal, the Superintendent said that in March he had presented a plan to the School Committee, which they accepted, for closing a cluster of six rooms in the High School in September, which he feels is a good start. He added that although nothing has been done about renting the space there have been some inquiries about it from groups interested in day care programs. He said he hopes what is done regarding surplus space next year will be in the same area as the rooms to be mothballed this year. He added that Principal D'Orlando is doing all he can to help accomplish this. Regarding long-range plans for academic programs , Dr. Wells said that some of the Staff have been working with a Four-Town Collaborative exploring such ideas as combining classes with small enrollments from different towns , education by television, networking , etc. He noted that there are many stumbling blocks , such as local autonomy, sched- uling , etc. , and that not much headway has been made. To date the only actual collaboration is a "Programming Program" with the Town of Lynnfield. Dr. Wells said there has been discussion about major changes in home economics offerings for the next year or two. He added that there has not been much change in the High School offerings but noted that Com- puter Science courses have been influencing students in the scheduling of their classes. Goal #2 - developing a program to meet the needs of gifted and 66 READING SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES JUNE 3 , 1985 talented children, a screening and evaluation process to identfy them, and in-service training programs for the staff to prepare them for proper use of the screening process - was reviewed next . Dr. Wells said although he had not - for purely economic reasons - originally recommended a program for the gifted and talented , he felt good about this goal. He noted that the School Committee had accepted the pro- posed Program in March and shortly thereafter appointed a teacher for this Program, Mrs. Eileen Woods, who was present to tell what has been accomplished to date. Mrs. Woods reported that initially she met with the Elementary School Principals to work out locations and scheduling. Next she set up . advisory committees in each school , whose role is to select the talent pool , after teachers have made nominations, and to keep her informed. Supplies and materials have been ordered and two Town-wide in-service workshops have been held, featuring videotapes of programs for the gifted and talented in action. She said that her next step was to meet individually with staff members to discuss the selection process. Packets of information on the program will be distributed to teachers and they will have the opportunity to examine the materials ordered. Mrs. Woods added that she is now putting together a "mentor list" . Continuing, she said that a pilot program was started in each of the Elementary Schools late in April. Mrs . Woods reviewed the three main parts of the enrichment triad - I . Exploration activities , II . Group training process skills, and III . In-depth investigation. She said she is planning an orientation for parents in the fall and a continuation of in-service training for teachers . She concluded by saying the Program is not one of isola- tion, but for children who have a special gift, adding that she is confident it will affect all learners. After a question and answer exchange with School Committee members Dr. Wells thanked Mrs. Woods and said that everything is going even better than anyone had expected thanks to her efforts and the response of the staff. Mr. Nissen said he was really pleased with the progress made and other Committee members agreed. Chairman Allen then asked for comments on the Superintendent' s progress report on his annual goals . Mr. Nissen asked Dr. Wells if his goals would be the same next year. Dr. Wells replied that he didn ' t know but that obviously he wants the gifted and talented program to continue and the declining enrollment issue must still be faced . Mr. Coco commented that in the six years he has been on the Committee the process of evaluating the Superintendent has moved along very well , that he was very positive about the mid-year review, and that the gifted and talented program is moving very well and progress apparently is being made on closing part of the High School. Mr. Nissen was also positive about both goals. The Chairman said he had the same good feelings he had at the mid-year review , and that obviously everyone was pulling in the same direction. He added that although they might not have all the answers everyone is going in the right direction and not concerned with how hard they must work . Concluding , he said he feels the quality of rirs. Woods ability is 67 READING SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES JUNE 3 , 1985 reflected in the positive calls he has received from parents. Proposal - RMHS Librarian Position Dr. Wells said that Mrs. Silva' s retirement as a full-time librarian at the High School has given the Administration a chance to rethink the staffing situation, adding that the location of a computer center in the library complex opens up the possibility of utilizing that facility in the late afternoon and early evening. In line with this , the Superintendent said he had discussed with Mrs. Barbara Fish , Head Librarian of the Public Library, the possibility of sharing a position between the High School Library and the Public Library. Dr. Munnelly explained that employing a professional librarian, whose job description, hours and work year correspond to those of librarians at the Public Library, would enable the High School Library to offer more flexibility in its services. School Committee members had questions about how arrangements would be worked out with the Public Library, the hours anticipated for a pro- fessional librarian , whether there should be a person with more knowledge of computers and whether further staffing would be needed to maintain extended hours. Dr. Munnelly said perhaps there would be money remaining in the budget, as a librarian is paid less than a teacher, to hire another person with more computer knowledge, and that the staff would probably include some aides. A proposed job descrip- tion which had been presented to the Committee was discussed briefly. Dr. Munnelly said the Administration is suggesting the transfer of about $20 ,000 from the School Budget to the Town Library Budget for a permanent contract arrangement by which the Library would supply the High School Library with a professional reference librarian for 35 hours a week when school is in session . That librarian would be jointly supervised by the Library Director and the High School teacher/librarian. Chairman Allen asked if the Administration had received sufficient comments from the Committee to proceed and Dr. Wells replied in the affirmative , adding that the next step would be to interface with the Public Library Trustees . Financial Statements Noted for the record were the Cafeteria Statement for April and the Salary and Expense Accounts and Account Balances Statements for May. Leaves Mrs . Philbrick moved , seconded by Mr . Shannon , and it was voted unanimously that , on the recommendation of the Administration, Mrs. Sandra Martin-McCarty, SEEM teacher at Eaton School , be granted an educational leave of absence without pay for the 1985-86 school year. Mrs. Philbrick moved , seconded by Mr. Shannon, that, on the recom- 68 READING SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES JUNE 3 , 1985 mendation of the Administration, Mr. Thomas Myslicki , physical education teacher at Reading Memorial High School , be granted a leave of absence without pay for the 1985-86 school year. Noted for the record was a letter from Mrs. Claudia (Bowe) Crocker, physical education teacher at Coolidge Middle School , stating she will be on maternity leave starting September 3 , 1985. Mr. Coco moved, seconded by Mrs. Philbrick, and it was voted unani- mously, on the recommendation of the Administration, to grant to Mrs. Alice Blacker, cafeteria worker at Killam School, a personal leave of absence without pay from June 3rd until the end of the current school year. Appointment Mr. Nissen moved , seconded by Mrs . Philbrick , and it was voted . unanimously, on the recommendation of the Administration, to appoint Ms. Diane Ketlak, 119 Playstead Road, Medford, to the guidance/psy. chologist position at the Coolidge and Parker Middle Schools ( re- placing Mrs. Margo Vangeli) for one year at the rate of M+30, Step 7. Recess-Reconvention of Meeting At 9 : 10 p. m.the Chairman declared that the meeting would be in recess while the Committee conducted a private hearing on the possible sus- pension of a teacher. Chairman Allen reconvened the meeting at 11:00 p. m. Mr. Coco moved, seconded by Mrs. Philbrick, that the School Committee grant the request of Mr. William Webb, teacher at Birch Meadow School, for leave without pay for personal health reasons , under Article 14 of. the Contract between the Reading School ,Committee and the Reading Teachers Association , for the balance -of the current school year. The motion carried on a 5-1 vote , with Chairman Allen casting the negative vote. Executive Session - Adjournment At 11 :02 p. m. Mrs. Philbrick moved , seconded by Mr. Shannon , that the Committee enter into executive session to discuss matters pertaining to bargaining and negotiations. The motion carried on a unanimous roll call vote. The Committee remained in executive session until they adjourned at 11 : 19 p. m. Respectfully submitted, Ao- - 4) Robert S. Wells, Secretary