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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1982-05-10 School Committee MinutesSCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES Call to Order MAY 10. 1982 The regular meeting of the Reading School Committee was called to order by Chairman Landers at 7:30 p.m., on Monday, May 10, 1982, in the Central Office Conference Room. All members were present, as were Superintendent Wells and Assistant Super- intendents Munnelly and Winslow. Mr. Garroway was not present. There were eight visitors present, among them Pupil Personnel Services Director Dr. Alexander Alexanian and members of his staff, and representatives of the Citizens Advisory Council and the Daily Chronicle. Approval of the Minutes of April 27, 1982 Mr. Coco moved, seconded by Mrs. Philbrick and it was unanimously voted to accept the minutes of the meeting of April 27, 1982. Bills and Payrolls Warrants for bills and payrolls were authorized as follows: Bills May 7, 1982 - General Expense - Total $55,385.15 May 14, 1982 - General Expense - Total - $24,346.85 Payrolls May 6, 1982 - Teachers - Total - $282,752.65 May 7, 1982 - Weekly = Total - $28,797.11 May 14, 1982 - Weekly - Total - $21,388.33 Citizens' Input There was no citizens' input. Second Vote - Revised Policy, Rules and Regulations on Use of School Facilities Mr. Coco moved, seconded by Mr. Nigro, that the revised policy for Use of School Facilities (KG), as amended, be accepted for second vote Mr. Allen moved, seconded by Mr. Coco for discussion purposes to amend the policy by deleting from Section B.I. the words "with the exception fo the Reading Memorial High School Varsity Football Field." The amendment lost on a 4 -1 vote, with Mr. Allen casting the only affirmative vote. The main motion carried on a 4 -1 vote with Mr. Allen casting the only negative vote During the discussion which preceded the above votes Mr. Coco stated that he and Mrs. Philbrick, who comprise the Policy Sub - committee, met again to discuss the input of the School Committee and made some minor changes in the draft which re- cieved the first vote at the April 27th meeting. He then went over the changes. Mr. Allen felt an exception should not be made of the Varsity Football Field (B.1.) because other language in the policy allows the Administration to use its discretion F F � 't.. _, f the other embers was that the as to proper use of a facility. lase consensus vi ate- �+ �-+ m�.u� condition of the field should be observed for about a year before considering a change in the policy as drafted. `cJ F ti ccc�f 1 SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES MAY 10, 1982 Following the votes Mr..Coco thanked Mrs. Philbrick for working with him on the policy and Chairman Landers complimented the Subcommittee for a job well done. Bids - R. M. H. S. Varsity Football Field This item was taken out of order on the agenda to accomodate Mr. Philip G. Christiansen, Consulting engineer for the project. Mr. Christiansen informed the School Committee that he felt it would only be necessary to resod the center of the football field (approximately 25 %) instead of the entire field as originally planned. School Committee members questioned the reasons for the change in his recommenda- tions. Mr. Christiansen said that his initial estimate was a rough one and gave the fol- lowing reasons for the change in his recommendations: after looking the field over he found it wasn't necessary to sod the entire area because of the condition of the field, therefore he felt it would be the best use of the available funds to do only the center; as the remaining portion would drain, and with the instal- lation of a sprinkler system and proper maintenance and fertilizing, the entire field would be in good condition; this route makes it possible for the field to be used this fall; any portion damaged by work on the running track would be repaired by the contractor (work would not be near the newly sodded area); and the remaining funds could perhaps be used for field lighting. Further, he assured the Committee that the recommendation to sod only a portion of the field did not reflect that he expected the running track to cost more than he had estimated; in fact, he expects to come under the estimate because the price of asphalt has gone down recently. Mr. Christiansen vouched for the reputation of J. Farmer & Co., Inc., the low bidder of seven received. When Mr. Christiansen was asked if he had reviewed the differentials among the bidders he replied that the Board of Public Works had bid the project. Following a lengthy discussion, Mr. Allen moved, seconded by Mrs. Philbrick, that the School Committee award the bid for refurbishing the Reading Memorial High School Varsity Football Field to the low bidder, J. Farmer & Co., Inc., of Middleton, for $13,362.75, using the "sod option." The motion carried 4 -1, with Mr. Coco casting the negative vote because he felt Town Meeting approval of funds implied a full, not partial, restoration of the varsity football field. Mr. Allen moved, seconded by Mr. Nigro, and it was unanimously voted, to award the contract for refurbishing the Reading Memorial High School Practice Field to the low bidder, J. Farmer & Co., Inc., for $48,148.15. Work is expected to start in about two weeks. Mr. Winslow expressed his apprecia- tion for the help and cooperation of the Board of Public Works in bidding the pro- ject, working on the details, and their offer to monitor the work, all of which makes it possible to refurbish the fields for the above amounts. Special Needs Education Review Dr. Wells said that the Special Needs Education Review was placed on the agenda to keep the School Committee abreast of the progress of this Program, which has t- 1.,..., r't- ,....r...- -7AA t., 1,1 1, -A b., tl,e Ctat° Tonicl�t „rP in 1Q7L ✓Cell in pld--C SlIILC 4114 k1 LCL / VV Waj CJLG�✓ll.�l .1 -b �`'�” "" He then introduced Dr. Alexanian, who in turn introduced Staff Members Mrs. Barbara Kelley, of Joshua Eaton School, Mrs. Sheila Richardson, of Parker Junior High school, and Mrs. Susan Robison, of R.M.H.S., all of whom are Resource Room teachers. SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES MAY 10, 1982 nn7 Mrs. Kelley then spoke on the Child Study Team (CST) approach at the elementary level The CST consists of a resource room teacher, reading specialist, school psychologist, building principal and classroom teacher(s). In most cases it is the classroom teacher who refers a child to the CST. The child is then observed in the classroom, followed by some basic testing, or screening, and a meeting of the CST to discuss results. Depending on test results the next step is either (1) to make suggestions to the teacher as to how best adapt teaching methods to the child's particular learning style or (2) if testing does not fall within average limits, to do more in depth testing. If this, in turn, shows the need for direct services an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) is written in an effort to remediate weak area(s) and capi- talize on the child's strengths, as well as determine the child's best learning style so that he /she may experience learning successes. Mrs. Richardson then explained the evaluation process involved in writing an IEP - written by an evaluation team composed of the CST and the child's parents. She described the first, or intake, meeting (with parents to find out what child is like at home), the second meeting - a sharing with the parents of test results and observations, and the third meeting, when the IEP has been completed, as well as the follow -up by the resource room teacher, and the annual IEP review. Mrs. Richardson also spoke of the transition meetings which take place when children with special needs move from elementary to junior high and then to high school. She also went into the role of the resource room teacher as a consultant and bridge with classroom teachers and dealt with the different ways in which children may process information, according to their learning style. Mrs. Robinson spoke on the Common Planning Team (CPT) approach used in the High School to help meet the needs of students with a variety of learning styles. The CPT approach was developed in a workshop aimed at fulfilling the need of lower ability students to achieve success. It centers around a group contract which de- tails what the teacher expects of the students, e. g., attendance, punctuality, etc. The class day is divided between Glasswork and individual work, and quality, rather than quantity, of work is stressed. At weekly meetings the resource room teacher and classroom teachers share motivators and methods, evaluate the student's progress and plan interdisciplinary projects. Commenting in general about the Special Needs Program, Dr. Alexanian emphasized the efforts made thoughout the System to create a strong formal alliance with par- ents. In answer to questions from School Committee members, Dr. Alexanian and his staff said they found classroom teachers generally cooperative, as people usually are when the mysticism is erased from special education; that the transition from elementary school to junior high school is smoothed through team meetings, preven- tion and developmentally based services, and consultations; that most special needs are recognized well before junior high level; that monitoring continues when an IEP has been completed; and that principals allow a certain amount of in- school time for sharing and consulting among CST members. At the conclusion of the review Chairman Landers thanked Dr. Alexanian and his staff members for their excellent presentation. Budget Recommendations - Salary Account Dr. Wells said that because of ongoing negotiations some "fine tuning" of the salary SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES MAY 10, 1982 budget must be accomplished in executive session, but some negotiations and could be voted in open session. He noted this year would be $20,000 (well below comparable funds in which is allocated to Austin Preparatory School, and recom Committee vote to expend $12,000 for regular education and education under the Curriculum Workshop category. categories do not affect that block grant funding the past), $3,000 of vended that the School $2,000 for special Mr. Allen moved, seconded by Mr. Nigro, and it was unanimously voted, to allocate $12,000 for regular education and $2,000 for special needs cirriculum workshops (2000 series) for FY83. On Dr. Wells recommendation, Mr. Coco moved, seconded by Mr. Nigro, and it was un- animously voted, to allocate $6,000 for a remedial, or maintenance, summer school program for FY83. Dr. Munnelly emphasized that in addition to the maintenance program, 10 or 12 enrichment courses will be offered, and duly publicized, on a self supporting basis. Dr. Wells said he was requesting that the School Committee authorize the purchase from FY82 surplus funds of data processing equipment - two terminals, two printers and two modems - one of each for the two Junior High Schools. He added that these would be for business use, i.e., attendance records, report cards, etc. Mr. Allen moved, seconded by Mr. Nigro, and it was unanimously voted to expend $6,800 from FY82 surplus funds for the purchase of data processing equipment as follows: two terminals, two printers, and two modems. Mr. Coco commented that he felt some of the surplus funds should be returned to the Town Treasury. The Chairman said that this had been discussed during budget deliberations and that the School Committee had instructed the Administration to expend all avail- able funds. At this point Mr. Nigro inquired about the direction the system was going on data processing, in terms of curriculum. Dr. Munnelly replied that there is a full -scale committee, with representatives from all schools and special education, studying this and they will report in the spring with specific plans and expectations. Information and Proposals Chairman Landers reminded members of a joint meeting with the Citizens Advisory Council scheduled for Thursday, May 13th, in the High School Conference Room. The Chairman said that Dr. Wells had received a request from the Cemetery Trustees to have the High School Band perform at the dedication ceremonies for the new Charles Lawn Cemetery on Sunday, June 20th. Dr. Wellls added that School Committee policy necessitated a vote to allow a Sunday performance. Mr. Allen moved, seconded by Mrs. Philbrick, and it was voted unanimously to author- ize participation in the dedication ceremonies for Charles Lawn Cemetery by those Band members who are available and willing. SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES Financial Statements MAY 10, 1982 The following financial statements were noted for the record: Account Balances as of April 30, 1982; Expenditure of Surplus Funds as of April 30, 1982; Cafeteria Statement as of March 1982; and Cafeteria Statement - comparison of September 1981 through March 1982. During a brief discussion of surplus of $300,000 has been that the cafeteria was doing a profit. Mr. Coco inquired Mr. Winslow replied that the cafeteria workers had not be, surplus funds it was noted that the previously stated increased by $50,000. Mr. Nigro said it was noteworthy better - although participation is down - it is making as to the status of the food management services bids. bid time had to be extended because negotiations with an completed. Memorandum of Agreement - Use, Maintenance and Scheduling of Athletic Fields Regarding the memorandum of agreement between the Board of Public Works, School Committee and Recreation Committee, Chairman Landers said he now feels it is time to centralize the scheduling, use and maintenance of all Town -own athletic fields. He asked for a consensus from members on pursuing something along the lines of this document (c -3) with representatives of the two other boards, to be reviewed by the entire School Committee and a formal vote taken in October. After a brief discussion it was the consensus of the Committee to agree to sup- port the concept for further study. The chairman then appointed Mr. Coco to represent the School Committee on this study. Leaves Mr. Coco moved, seconded by Mr. Allen, and it was unanimously voted to grant leaves as follows: To Mrs. Sharon A. CHecrallah, SEEM teacher at Birch Meadow School, a child rearing leave for the 1982 -83 school year. To Mrs. Maureen McCabe, High School Spanish teacher, a child - rearing leave for the 1082 -83 school year. To Mr. Michael F. Harney, Industrial Arts teacher at R.M.H.S. a child - rearing leave for the 1982 -83 year. To Miss Pauline Cynkus, a SEEM teacher at the Killam School, an academic leave of absence for the 1982 -83 school year. Mr. Allen moved, seconded by Mrs. Philbrick, on the recommendation of the Adminis- tration, to grant Joseph Ruderman, a custodian at R.M.H.S., an 18 - day extensinn of paid sick leave. The motion carried 4 -1, with Mr. Coco casting the dissenting vote. Resignation Mr. Coco moved, seconded by Mrs. Philbrick, and it was unanimously voted, to accept the resignation of Mr. Joseph Allosso, physical education teacher at Pearl Street School, effective as of May 4, 1982. "(). SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES MAY 10, 1982 Appointment Mr. Coco moved, seconded by Mr. Nigro, on the recommendation of the Administration to appoint Mrs. Agnes Lingren as a guidance secretary at R.M.H.S., starting i June 17, 1982, at an hourly rate of $6.41. She replaces Mrs. Janice Gromyko, who is retiring. The motion carried 4 -0. CHairman Landers abstained because he knows Mrs. Lindgren. On the recommendation of the Administration, Mr. Coco moved, seconded by Mr. Allen and it was unanimously voted to appoint Mr. Scott W. McGrath of Wilmington to an Industrial Arts position at R.M.H.S. for one year, effective in September 1982, at Step B -4 - $14,700, to replace Mr. Harney. Executive Session - Adjournment At 10:34 p.m. Mr. Coco moved, seconded by Mrs. Philbrick, to enter into executive session to discuss matters concerning collective bargaining and real property. The motion carried by a unanimous roll call vote. THere was a brief recess until 10:37. The Committee remained in execut4ive session until it adjourned at 12:35 a.m. Respectfully submitted, ��-S' K/ AAe4 Robert S. Wells, Secretary