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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1982-04-13 School Committee Minutesl .� SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES APRIL 11, 1982 Call to Order A regular meeting of the Reading School Committee was called to order by Chairman Landers at 7:32 p.m. on April 13, 1982 in the Central Office Conference ?'.00m. All members were present (Mrs. Philbrick arrived about an hour late because of another meeting). Superin- tendent Wells and Assistant Superintendents Munnelly and Winslow were also present. There were eight visitors, among them representatives of the Citizens Advisory Council, The Red Sneakers School and The Daily Chronicle. Executive Session Immediately after the call to order Mr. Allen moved, seconded by Mr. Garrowav, to go into executive session to discuss a matter which could adversely affect the character and reputation of a person and to discuss matters pertaining to bargaining and negotiations. The motion carried on a unanimous roll call vote. The Committee returned to open session at 7:58 p.m. Approval of Minutes of March 29, 1982 Mr. Nigro moved, seconded by Mr. Allen and it was unanimously voted to accept the minutes of the meeting of March 29, 1982. Bills and Payroll Warrants for bills and payrolls were authorized as follows: Bills March 26, 1982 - General Expense - Total - $38,307.30 April 9, 1982 - General Expense - Total - $54,931.21 April 16, 1982 - General Expense - Total - $44,814.23 Payrolls April 8, 1982 - Teachers - Total - $280,486.95 April 9, 1982 - Weekly - Total - $23,271.23 April 16, 1982 - Teachers - Total - $267,864.28 April 16, 1982 - Weekly - Total - $23,003.31 Citizens' Input There was no citizens' input. Bids Mr. Garroway moved, seconded by Mr. Coco, and it was unanimously voted, on the recommenda- tion of the Administration, to award the contract for installation of new oil burners to the low bidders as follows: Combustion Services Co. of New England - burners for Coolidge Junior High at $10,200 and buner for Reading Memorial High School to J. A. Marino Auto- matic Heating at $12,123. The total of the contracts is $3,477 under budget. Mr. Coco moved, seconded by Mr. Nigro, and it was unanimously voted, on the recommendation of the Administration, to award the contract for aluminum bleacher planks to the low bid- der, Amer -Craft Co., Inc., of Winchester, in the amount of $10,723 = $2,777 under budget. These will be installed on the visitors' side of the High School rootball field. SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES April 13, 1982 Mr. Coco moved, seconded by Mr. Allen, and it was unanimously voted, on the recommendation of the Administration, that contracts for general school supplies be awarded to various companies, as enumerated on the document B -3 -1 (c), dated April 8, 1982. I Mr. Garroway moved, seconded by Mr. Coco, and it was unanimously voted that, on the recommendation of the Administration, contracts be awarded for science supplies to various companies as enumerated on documend B -3 -1 (d), dated April 9, 1982. Mr. Coco moved, seconded by Mr. Nigro, and it was unanimously voted that, on the recommend- ation fo the Administration, the contract for furnishing and installing exterior doors at Reading Memorial High School Field House be awarded to the low bidder, Lawrence Plate and Window Glass Co., of Lawrence, at $6,989 = $2,011 under budget. Red Sneakers School - Request for Approval of Program Chairman Landers stated that last year the School Committee granted approval to the Red Sneakers School for one year and the School has re- applied for approval for another year. Dr. Wells noted that the law is not clear on approval of private schools as it states that the School Committee must approve them but does not state whether it must be done annually or once. He added that the School is just one year old and a small operation. He said the Administration recommends granting approval for another year. Dr. Munnelly added that the approval last year was for kindergarten and first grade - there are 11 kindergarten children and six first graders. Mr. Garroway said that he agreed to giving another year's approval for grade one but would like to request that the overall schope of services for grade two be reviewed before it starts in the fall. Dr. Munnelly said that the School has submitted its curriculum for second and third grades and that their long range plan and the competency of the staff carries out the five points alluded to in his memorandum as suffiecient to comply with the State Law. Mr. Coco moved, seconded by Mr. Nigro, and it was unanimously voted that the Reading School Committee approve the Red Sneakers School as a program that meets the compulsory laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for two _years for the first grade and one year for the second grade. Reading Association of Secretaries and Clerks Mr. Garroway, as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Bargaining and Negotiations, stated that he wished to bring the public up -to -date on negotiations with the Reading Association of Secretaries and Clerks (RASC). He said a two -year contract, with a 6.5% increase for both years, coupled with adjustments to address inequities, has been ratified by the School Committee and RASC. He then recommended that the Chairman sign the contract subject to all adjustments being appropriately signed off and subject to any and all financial schedules being approved. The Chairman, on behalf of the entire Committee, thanked the Subcommittee for a job well done. Financial Statements the Committee `e of of the Expense and Salary Accoun *_s cratPmenf fo March 31_ 1982 111C VVll LLtlltLCC made lav v and the Account Balances Statement of March 31, 1982. SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES APRIL 13, 1982 Mr. Garroway, noting that there was a balance of $52,484.62 in the Cafeteria Revolving Account, asked if it appeared that this account would need additional funds before the fiscal year ended. Mr. Winslow replied that his last conversation with Food Services Director Mrs. Duerr led him to believe that this would not be necessary. Dr. Wells alerted the Committee to the fact that an additional $24,000 or more surplus was expected in the fuel account, over and above the surplus amounts previously announced, as well as $60- 80,000 from various other accounts. He added that the Administration may seek School Committee approval to use surplus funds to purchase two terminals which would be of help with attendance records and report cards. He also said that he was about to recommend a major reorganization of the High School Administration and also the Data Processing Department. Chairman Landers remarded that the Committee should be giving some thought to ways of spending the surplus funds in the best interests of quality education in Reading. Mr. Nigro requested a change in the format of the Account Balances Statement so that it will present a clearer financial picture. Middle School Advisory Committee The Chairman said that he was gratified to hear that the Middle School Advisory Committee has been formed. Dr. Munnelly explained that the first meeting of the Committee had to be postponed because of the snow storm but has been rescheduled for April 15th. Mr. Allen remarked that there was a lack of representation from Coolidge Junior High School on the Advisory Committee. Dr. Munnelly said that the plan was to have committee members who could commit the necessary time, so the selection was made from volunteers. He added that a special effort will be made to communicate with the Coolidge parents and P.T.A. He also mentioned that there were al lot of interested people, in addition to the members of the Advisory Committee, who want to play a role and they are expected to have strong input. Occupational Education - Request for Federal Grant Dr. Munnelly spoke on a two -part Federal Grant Proposal of $10,967 for a stand -alone word processor, transcriber and peripheral equipment and $3,240 for an electronic cash register. The State has tentatively earmarked $14,207 (down about $7,000 from past years) for Reading and encouraged the submission of a proposal. Dr. Munnelly said this would be "seed" money for equipment to develop occupational education programs. Mr. Allen moved, seconded by Mr. Coco, and it was unanimously voted to endorse the two - part occupational education proposal for a grant of $14,207. Creative Art for Kids, Inc. Dr. Wells spoke about the Creative Arts for Kids, Inc. (CAK) request to continue in- school classes on Wednesdays at Barrows and Eaton Schools and to add in- school classes on Tuesdav in one or two other schools, depending on the clustering of students. He mentioned the high energy of the group, the growth which has taken place and the quality of the program, adding that the Administration highly recommended that the School Committee support this request. Mr. Coco moved, seconded by Mr. Allen, that the School Committee grant the request of the CAK for continuation of their program of in- school violin and cello lessons during the school day. The motion carried 4 -0, with Mrs. Philbrick and Mr. Garroway abstaining because of their envolvement with CAK. '? SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES APRIL 13, 1982 School Facilities Policy - Subcommittee Report The Chairman introduced this agenda item by saying that the Town has outgrown its playground facilites as usage has increased. He added that each year "the School Department had tried to accommodate as many people as want to use facilities but this year the situation is further complicated by the refurbishing of the football field. He added that a subcommittee composed of Mr. Coco and Mrs. Philbrick had drown un a draft of a new proposal for use of school facilities and would like feedback from other Committee members. Mr. Coco said that the problem was not just related to the School Department, but also to other departments, as there are not enough outdoor facilities to go around. He added that the Subcommittee has met three times and has written the first draft of a rewrite of present policy. He then proceeded to point out the changes. The draft was discussed at length. Also discussed were the administration of policy, restriction of use of facilities and the possibility of a master schedule for all Town outdoor facilities. Chairman Landers concluded the discussion by requesting the Subcommittee to act on the suggestions given during the discussion and ocme in for a first vote at the next meeting. He also asked Mr. Allen, as liaison to the Recreation Committee, to discuss with that body the possiblility of a master schedule for all Town fields. He then asked Dr. wells if the two -weeks delay would impact the application which have been submitted. Dr. Wells replied that he felt there would be no problems with spring scheduling but he was con- cerned about summer and fall scheduling. Other The Chairman announced that the School Committee had received an invitation from Adult Education Director Donald Welford to attend the annual Adult Education Exhibit on April 14th, 7 -9 p.m. Chairman Landers also said that the School Committee has been invited to attend the Teenager of the Month Banquet, sponsored by the Wakefield Lodge of Elks at 7:00 p.m. Resignations Mr. Coco moved, seconded by Mr. Allen, and the Committee voted unanimously to accept the resignation of Mrs. Anne C. Vincent, formerly assigned to the Highland School and on child- rearing leave ofr the 1981 -82 school year, effective March 29, 1982. Mr. Coco moved seconded by Mr. Allen, and it was unanimously voted to accept the resignation of Mrs. Nancy M. Madden, who held a 3/5's physical education teacher position at the Eaton School, effective April 4, 1982. Appointment Mr. Garroway moved, seconded by Mrs. Philbrick, and it was unanimously voted to appoint Mrs. Judith A. Riley as a replacement kindergarten teacher at Birch Meadow School for the remainder of the year on step M -8 - $17,305 - pro rated. Adjournment i On a motion by Mr. Garroway, seconded by Mr. Allen the Committee unanimously voted to adjour at 10:28 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Robert S. Wells. Secretary