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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-01-16 School Committee Minutesi� Town of Reading Meeting Minutes s3g,,Ht4Rq� Board - Committee - Commission - Council: School Committee Date: 2014 -01 -16 Building: School - Memorial High Address: 62 Oakland Road Purpose: Open Session Attendees: Members - Present: Hal Croft Karen Janowski Chuck Robinson Lisa Gibbs Jeanne Borawski Chris Caruso Members - Not Present: Time: 7:00 PM Location: Superintendent Conference Room John Doherty, Superintendent Mary DeLai, Assistant Superintendent Craig Martin, Assistant Superintendent Alison Elmer, Director of Student Services Andrea Nastri, Student Representative Conner Traugot, Student Representative Others Present: Sarah Marchant, Coolidge Principal Kevin Higginbottom, RMHS Principal Debbie Butts, RISE Preschool Director Joanne King, Wood End Principal Reading Budget Parents Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: John F. Doherty, Ed.D. Superintendent Topics of Discussion: I. Call to Order Chair Croft called the School Committee to order at 7:06 p.m. He reviewed the agenda, announced the meeting was being recorded and welcomed guests. II. Recommended Procedure A. Public Input (I) Mr. Croft asked for public input. Geoffrey Coram, Coolidge parent, encouraged all to attend the Coolidge Middle School production of "Suessical the Musical" this weekend. Page I 1 Reports I) 1. Student 2. Liaison 3. Superintendent Superintendent Doherty thanked the Barrows principal Heather Leonard, the staff, Reading Police and Fire for the outstanding job they did handling the two evacuations to Austin Prep. He went on to thank the staff at Austin Prep for making their school available for our students at very short notice. 4. Assistant Superintendent Ms. DeLai shared with the audience that the source of the carbon monoxide had been identified. A faulty piece of kitchen equipment has been identified as the source of the problem and has been taken offline until it can be repaired or replaced. Since Tuesday, the Facilities staff has tested all of the equipment to be sure all were in working order and the building had been monitored and readings taken each morning and throughout the day. Additional carbon monoxide detectors have also been installed at Barrows. B. Continued Business C. New Business FYI Budget Presentation Dr. Doherty thanked Ms. DeLai for developing a clear, concise and transparent budget document. He went onto present an overview of the FYI budget development process and calendar. The Superintendent set the context in the development of this budget. He reviewed the district vision which is a model of educational excellence in preparing students for an ever - changing complex society. He next reviewed the Theory of Action to fulfill the district vision as well as the strategic objectives and initiatives for the district. Addressing the social- emotional needs of our students continues to be a top priority. The Massachusetts Tiered System of Support (MTSS) is a multiyear process. We have a good structure in place with leadership teams in every building. The A.L.i.C.E training and implementation will improve the safety protocols and procedures. Students who feel safe in school are better learners. We continue to implement the Common Core Standards for math and literacy. We are in the third year of Educator Evaluation tool and continue to improve the process. The use of time, communication, and resources to support staff to improve collaboration is also a priority in this budget. The development and implementation of a long range plan for expanding early childhood education is also ongoing. Ms. DeLai explained that the foundation budget is defined as the minimal level of funding to provide an adequate education to the children in Massachusetts districts. It is updated each year for each district based on enrollment profiles and Page 1 2 inflation. The foundation budget establishes the "required net school spending" for a community — minimum funding a community must allocate to education. She went on to explain the state education aid. The figure for a community's "local contribution" is calculated based on its "ability to pay ". The ability to pay is based on per capita income and equalized property values. She reviewed Chapter 70 funding which represents 22% of actual net school spending in Reading. Ms. DeLai continued her presentation reviewing the per pupil spending information. Reading ranked 293`d in the state for per pupil spending last year and we have dropped to 305th yet our student achievement is in the top 25% if the State. Ms. DeLai briefly reviewed Special Education funding and comparisons to comparable communities. More information will be provided at our next meeting. Ms. DeLai then provided a financial overview including discussion on revenues, accommodated costs, school non - accommodated costs and a summary. There is not sufficient revenue to support the proposed budget. The FY2015 budget drivers include increases in salaries, special education tuition increases and the addition of 5.5 FTE positions to address student needs and compliance with new DESE regulations for English Language Learners. Dr. Doherty stated this is a maintenance budget not a budget that will allow growth. During the budget discussion with staff and administrators a list of budget requests was developed. Dr. Doherty reviewed the requests and explained the reasoning and the cost. He indicated that the requests were listed in no particular order. Mrs. Janowski asked the Superintendent to develop a prioritized list. Dr. Doherty said he would have the prioritized list for the meeting on January 27th FYI Administration Cost Center Dr. Doherty reviewed the makeup and functions of this cost center. He indicated that the Central Office staff has provided support for not only the central office administrators. The responsibilities have included support for the METCO, Health Services, Athletics, Extended Day, and Adult Education. He went on to review the roles of each office within the Central Office. The Superintendent outlined the major administration initiatives for this budget which include the leadership for implementation of the Common Core Curriculum, Educator Evaluation, District Determined Measure, Technology initiatives, the development and implementation of a long range plan to transition to full day kindergarten and expanding the preschool program, address building issues at the Killam School, develop a system to evaluate resource allocation and to re- allocate resources based on student need, develop a system to measure performance and connect expenditures to performance measures, review and revise personnel Page 1 3 procedures and policies and to strengthen the human resources systems to better support staff. Ms. DeLai reviewed the staffing and Administration cost centers Mr. Croft asked what was included in the Human Resources portion of the cost center. He was told that salary, advertising, reemployment physicals, professional group dues and School Spring application system are what are included in this portion of the cost center. Mrs. Borawski asked if 2.5% COLA is the number that is typically used for salary increases for non - represented staff. She was told it was. Mr. Robinson asked about a salary survey that the town was conducting and if we should be included it that survey. He was told the Town uses a classification system the has steps, we do not use that system and we are able to collect data on salary from the professional organizations that we belong to. Mr. Croft complimented the administration on the detail provided in this budget and was happy to set data on high school class sizes. Mrs. Janowski pointed out that we had a number of hospitalizations and that speaks to the non - academic areas that need to be addressed during the development of the budget. III. Routine Matters a. Bills and Payroll (A) The following warrants were circulated and signed. Warrant 51430 1.16.14 $263,852.64 b. Approval of Minutes c. Bids and Donations Accept Donations Accept an Anonymous Donation Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr. Robinson, to accent a donation in the amount of $10,000 from an anonymous source to be used to support districtwide professional development activities. Mrs. Gibbs pointed out that this was an extremely generous donation. She added that she is grateful for the many donations the district receives on a weekly basis. The motion carried 6 -0. Page 1 4 Accept an Anonymous Donation Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mrs. Janowski, to accent a donation in the amount of $2,000 from an anonymous source to be used to support innovative technology at RMHS. The motion carried 6 -0. Accept Donation from Friends of Reading High Swimming Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mrs. Janowski, to accept a donation in the amount of $1,200 from the Friends of Reading High Swimming to be used to support the coaching assistant for the boys' swim team. The motion carried 6 -0. Calendar IV. Information V. Future Business VI. Adjournment Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr. Robinson, to adiourn. The motion carried 6 -0. The meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m. NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as stated in the posted meeting agenda not the order they occurred during the meeting. o F. Doherty, U.D. perintendent of Schools Page 1 5