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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-03-24 School Committee MinutesOF q c Town of Reading Meeting Minutes `° -RECEIVED' ��s'9'1m0A4�P�C I OWN CLERK ,DING, M,�SS. Board - Committee - Commission - Council: School Committee tvI14 APR —I P 2, 3S Date: 2014 -03 -24 Time: 7:00 PM Building: School - Memorial High Location: Superintendent Conference Room Address: 82 Oakland Road Purpose: Open Session Session: General Session Attendees: Members - Present: Karen Janowski Chris Caruso Lisa Gibbs Jeanne Borawski Hal Croft Chuck Robinson John Doherty, Superintendent Craig Martin, Assistant Superintendent Mary DeLai, Assistant Superintendent Alison Elmer, Director of Student Services arrived at 7:05 p.m.) Conner Traugot, Student Representative Andrea Nastri, Student Representative Members - Not Present: Others Present: Eric Sprung, Birch Meadow Principal Melissa Milner, Beth Slater & Carole Casavant, Birch Meadow Teachers Grade 5 students from Birch Meadow Dan Ensminger, Selectman John Halsey, Candidate for Board of Selectmen Kevin Sexton, Candidate for Board of Selectmen and Early Childhood Working Group Mark Dockser & Brian Heslin, Elementary Working Group Elaine Webb, Phil Vaccaro & Linda Snow Dockser, Candidates for School Committee Jim Cormier, Chief of Police Scott Dunlap, Ai -3 Mary Mahoney, KBA Al Sylvia, Reading Chronicle Joanne Senders, Reading Advocate Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: John F. Doherty, Ed.D. Superintendent Topics of Discussion: I. Call to Order Page 1 1 Chair Croft called the School Committee to order at 7:03 p.m. He reviewed the agenda, announced the meeting was being recorded and welcomed guests. Mr. Robinson arrived at 7:05 p.m. II. Recommended Procedure A. New Business (Out of Order) Birch Meadow Principal Eric Sprung provided an overview of the grade 5 trip to Camp Bournedale this past fall. This trip was originally planned to ease the transition to middle school for Birch Meadow and Killam fifth graders. The trip proved to be a great teambuilding and educational experience. Mr. Sprung turned the meeting over to the Birch Meadow students who provided an overview of the trip. Birch Meadow students Ben Anderson and Heather Campbell shared their experience at Camp Bournedale. They participated in team building activities, slept in cabins, went on a lobster boat, dissected a shark and studied beach ecology. They both had a good time and felt the trip was worthwhile. Birch Meadow students Kiara Tangney, Gracyn Raf ise, Stephen Needham and Heather Campbell shared pictures of the activities the group participated in. Like their peers, they thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Team building demonstrations were expertly handled by Samantha Lyons, Joanna Coram, Mia Plansky, Keegan Lee, Brendan Wilcox and Emily Clarkson. They shared three trust building activities the groups did at the camp. The presentation ended with a short video and final thoughts by Aisling Fantasia, Mason Wiese, Sally Gresh, Olivia Rossetti and Tommy Weld. The video included pictures of the shark dissection, coastal ecology education, the lobster boat experience, sleeping in cabins and making new friends. Mr. Sprung told the group that the trip exceeded all expectations and is asking the School Committee to approve a trip next fall for all Reading fifth grade students. Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs, to approve the proposed fifth grade field trip to Camp Bournedale in the fall of 2014. Mr. Caruso asked the students if this was their first overnight experience and if they liked it. Many students said it was and it was a fun. There were many parent chaperones and those not on the trip were well informed about the trip. Mrs. Janowski asked how the team building activities have continued throughout the year. Page 1 2 Mr. Sprung responded by saying the elementary principals continue to work with the middle school principals to ease the transition of the students to both middle schools. Mrs. Gibbs expressed how proud she was by the level of maturity exhibited by our students. Mr. Croft called for the vote on the motion. The motion carried 6 -0. Mr. Croft called for a brief recess at 7:18 p.m. The meeting was called back to order at 7:22 p.m. B. Public Input (I) C. Reports I) 1. Student Ms. Nastri reported that the sophomores were busy this week with the MCAS testing and the Sophomore Semiformal. The Senior Class held its annual Mr. RMHS fundraiser this week. It was a great show. Mr. Traugot reported that the RMHS Science Team finished in 101' place, their highest ever, at the state competition and the Robotics team won the district competition. The RMHS Band held its annual New Orleans Night and the Hockey team won the state championship. He said it was great to see the student support at the game. The senior class held its annual dodgeball tournament. It was a lot of fun. The NHS members participated in game night at the Senior Center. He also reported on Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's visit to Reading last week. 2. Liaison 3. Assistant Superintendent Mr. Martin followed up on the Secretary's visit indicating that the teachers felt their input was truly valued during the roundtable discussions both with Mr. Duncan and the teacher ambassador fellows. 4. Superintendent Dr. Doherty reported on the visit of the United States Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan's visit to the district on Wednesday. Mr. Duncan commented on how Reading has a culture of collaboration between the staff and community. This collaboration is a key element in the success we have as a district. D. Continued Business (Out of Order) Page 1 3 Early Childhood Center Presentation Dr. Doherty provided an overview of the work done to date including the Locker Report, Woburn St. option and the vetting of options by the Early Childhood Working Group. The Locker Report provided data indicating that adding onto our existing schools was, in the most cases, not a feasible option. The Administration next looked at purchasing and renovating the property on Woburn St. to house the Early Childhood Center. Through community meetings and discussions with town officials it was determined that this site would not be suitable due to traffic and neighborhood concerns. The Early Childhood Working Group was formed to explore options for a location of an Early Childhood Center. During the process over 30 options were explored which were reduced to approximately 10 options that the group felt were feasible. The Working Group was very insightful during discussions. Once the number of options was reduced, the Architects were brought in to work with the group and to determine the feasibility of each proposed option. Dr. Doherty said the options presented by the Architects are conceptual drawings only. The next steps would include the cost to do a design study once the School Committee approves a design option and cost of the schematic designs. The Finance Committee will need to vote on the appropriation at their meeting on Wednesday night. Mr. Dunlap reviewed the two favored scenarios and the parking associated with the options. After the feedback from the last meeting, the architects reviewed the parking plans addressing concerns from both town and community officials. Mr. Dunlap said the site would need to have 121 parking spaces based on the Town of Reading Zoning By -Laws. The Town officials have asked not to include the spaces on Oakland Road in the revised parking design. Mr. Dunlap reviewed the new parking layout which includes the use of the Oakland Road parcel, extending the current North Lot and the area adjacent to the Superintendent's Office and RISE. The School Committee asked clarifying questions. Concerns regarding the extension of the North Lot and restraining wall were addressed. Mr. Dunlap indicated that the restraining wall had been rebuilt during the high school project and there are no issues with it. Mr. Robinson asked about the cost of the parking lots. He felt the cost was high. Mr. Dunlap indicated that the cost includes site work, fill and building of the lots. Mrs. Janowski wondered if the Working Group would have chosen this site if they knew the construction cost of the parking lots. Mr. Sexton shared that the Working Group chose this site because it was the best option because of the building needs. Mr. Dunlap added that this site was the most cost effective of all the options. Ms. DeLai also said that all sites considered had parking concerns. Mr. Heslin of the Working Group felt it is best to do this now. He was hoping the parcel would be a feasible option but it was not. Page 14 Mr. Mooney, RMHS staff member asked about the parking for staff. Dr. Doherty said it has yet to be determined and we are currently assuming the assignments will remain the same but cautioned that could change once the design stage moves forward. Mr. Robinson addressed Option 10 that included the relocation of the Central offices. He is not comfortable with this option and would like a more definitive answer to how the space will be used. Dr. Doherty said that the spaces could fill different needs including classrooms, project space, meeting areas and special education office space. Mrs. Gibbs asked the Superintendent if it would be beneficial to have all Central Office Administrators in the same space. Dr. Doherty said it would allow for collaboration but housing the Office of Learning & Teaching in the high school also has its advantages. Mr. Ensminger asked who would be overseeing the spending on the project. Mr. Caruso indicated that the School Committee has not had discussions on establishing a School Building Committee at this point. Mrs. Janowski asked Chief Cormier about traffic flow on the site. Chief Cormier said that his department receives calls regarding parking and traffic concerns from all our schools but the high school. Currently the setup works well. The traffic and parking is a major concern at this time and how it will impact the neighborhood. He also said that the School Department has been very receptive to the concerns being expressed. Mr. Traugot felt that increased traffic will present a safety issue in the area of the high school Dr. Doherty said these concerns will be researched during the design phase. PreK -K will have different start times from the high school. We currently have RISE parents dropping off their children on the campus. All aspects that were looked at in the Woburn St. study will be looked at again for the high school site option. Mary Mahoney, KBA, reviewed two options for the design phase. Option A would be design advancement to 100% schematic design to provide for building occupancy in the Spring 2017. The cost for this option would be $485,000. The disadvantage to this approach would be that commencement of design development after Town Meeting would result in a Summer 2015 bidding period (not ideal due to mid -year schedule) with construction start Fall 2015 and building occupancy for the Spring 2017. Option B would provide for design advancement to 100% design development to provide for building occupancy in the Fall 2016 at a cost of $985,000. By advancing the project documents to design development level with partial site construction documents, a more reliable and time sensitive cost estimate would be produced and the efficiency of the combined design efforts would advance to a level at which Project approval at Page 15 Town Meeting 2014 would result in a Spring 2015 bidding and construction start in the Summer 2015. Ms. Mahoney feels it is better to go out to bid earlier in the year because contractors like to plan for the year. Mr. Robinson said there should be fewer uncertainties with new construction but felt that the site development presents many unknowns. Ms. Mahoney agreed and there will be a need to do a full geotechnical/topographical survey. Mr. Dockser asked how many months it would take to develop the documents under Option A. He wondered if it would be in the best interest of the town not to wait until the Fall Town Meeting and hold a Special Town Meeting to accelerate the process. Ms. DeLai indicated that we are required to go through the procurement process for the OPM and Architect. Ms. Mahoney said this process could take 6 — 8 weeks after Town Meeting approves the appropriation. Mr. Halsey feels there should be transparency throughout the process and would like the public to have an opportunity to hear about the proposed project prior to Town Meeting. School Committee members reiterated that we have been discussing this space issue for two years and have been very transparent. Jen Hillery, parent, thanked the Superintendent on his quick response to her request for information on this subject. She appreciates the work being done to keep Reading at high educational standards as well as how the space concerns affect our children educationally. Mrs. Janowski asked what the impact would be if the project was delayed until the Fall Town Meeting. Ms. Mahoney said the whole process would be delayed six months and you would risk increases in costs. It would be best to start construction in June after the students get out for the year, which would allow for a plan to be developed and be in place by the time the students returned in the fall. Mrs. Gibbs said it is time to pull the trigger. She understands it is a difficult decision. Mrs. Borawski expressed her gratitude to the Working Group for the work they did vetting the options. She also feels the community should have an opportunity to ask questions over the next month. The Superintendent agreed and will schedule some public forums prior to Town Meeting. Mrs. Janowski was concerned that the Committee only received this information two weeks ago. Mrs. Gibbs disagreed and said this information was presented on February P Page 1 6 Mr. Caruso reviewed the two options. Option 2 is PreK -K only and Option 10 is Pre -K -K and Central Office. Mr. Robinson stated he was not comfortable voting for Option 10 at this point. Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mrs. Janowski, to forward Option 2 for the design study for the Early Childhood Center. Mrs. Janowski could not support Option 10 without a more defined use of the Central Office space. Mr. Croft called for the vote on the motion. The motion carried 5 -1. Mrs. Gibbs voting against. Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mrs. Janowski, to request that the April Town Meeting authorize an appropriation in the amount of $485,000 for a design study for the Early Childhood Center. Mr. Caruso asked if we opted for Option B would we be able to open in the Fall 2016. Ms. Mahoney stated that spending the additional money would provide for a more advanced design. Both options would provide answers to the geotechnical and topographical challenges of the site. Mrs. Janowski is hesitant to move forward prior to Town Meeting. Mr. Breslin said this is the time to move. Delaying the project is not an option; doing so we take the risk of escalating construction costs and it will effect Chapter 70 funding. Mr. Sexton shared that the public would have an opportunity to ask questions at Town Meeting. Mr. Robinson cautioned the group that we must be aware of cost flow considerations. Mr. Croft called for the vote on the motion. The motion failed 2 -4. Mrs. Gibbs, Mr. Caruso, Mrs. Janowski and Mr. Croft voting against. Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs, to request that the April Town Meeting authorize an appropriation in the amount of $985,000 for a design study for the Early Childhood Center. The motion failed 3 -3. Mrs. Janowski, Mrs. Borawski and Mr. Robinson voting against. Mr. Robinson reminded the Committee that that they will be requesting an additional $485,000 for the budget in addition to this request. Mrs. Janowski said we are asking a lot of the citizens and will not support either amount. Page 1 7 Mrs. Borawski agreed that we are stretching our request to Fincom. Mr. Croft made it clear that opting for Option B we would be further along with a clearer cost estimate for contractors to bid and the timetable would be more favorable. Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs to reconsider the original motion. The vote was 4 -2. Mrs. Janowski and Mrs. Gibbs voting against. Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs, to request that the April Town Meeting authorize an appropriation in the amount of $485,000 for a design study for the Early Childhood Center. The motion carried 4 -2. Mrs. Janowski and Mrs. Gibbs voting against. E. New Business FY201 -2024 Capital Plan Ms. DeLai reviewed the Capital Plan requests. Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs, to amend FY2014 -2024 Capital Plan to insert in FY2014 a new food service cargo van at an estimated cost of $32,000. Mrs. Janowski asked if it was possible to purchase a pre -owned vehicle. Ms. DeLai has not investigated it but does not feel it would be an appropriate choice due to Board of Health concerns. Mr. Croft called for the vote on the motion. The motion carried 6 -0. Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mrs. Janowski, to request that Town Meeting authorize an appropriation in the amount of $32,000 to fund the purchase of this vehicle in the current fiscal year. The motion carried 6 -0. Naming of Facilities Update Mr. Caruso shared information from the Naming Sub - Committee's meeting. There are three nominations this year. The group had discussions only and would like the School Committee to consider reviewing its policy. He mentioned that the Sub - Committee liked the idea of an Educator Hall of Fame. Dr. Doherty said the School Committee would need to provide direction to postpone or modify its policy. Mrs. Gibbs supports modifying the policy but this decision should not affect this year's nominees. Page 1 8 III. Mr. Caruso added that the applications varied in the amount of information provided and the Sub - Committee would like to have a template created to place all nominations on the same playing field. Mrs. Gibbs read a clarifying statement regarding the Fredrick Wales nomination. Approval of Field Trips Coolidge Science Team Mrs. Caruso moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs, to approve the Coolidge Science Team trip to the National Competition in Florida May 14 —18, 2014. The motion carried 6 -0. Mr. Caruso congratulated the Coolidge Science team on this accomplishment. Routine Matters a. Bills and Payroll (A) The following warrants were circulated and signed. Warrant S 1438 3.13.14 $145,087.85 Warrant S1439 3.20.14 $190,133.53 Warrant P1418 2.10.14 $1,370,852.40 Warrant P1419 2.24.14 $1,386,542.05 Warrant P1419M 2.24.14 $236.00 b. Approval of Minutes Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mrs. Janowski, to approve the open session minutes, as amended, dated March 10, 2014. The motion carried 6 -0. Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr. Robinson, to approve the open session minutes, as amended, dated March 20, 2014. The motion carried 6 -0. c. Bids and Donations Accept Donations Enrichment Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mrs. Janowski, to accept a donation in the amount of $2,000 from the Parker PTO to offset the cost of an enrichment program for the middle and high school students. The motion carried 6 -0. RMHS Library Page 1 9 Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr. Robinson, to accent a donation in the amount of $1,000 from the RMHS PTO to be used for the Library needs at RMHS. The motion carried 6 -0. Calendar IV. Information Mrs. Janowski asked to include the amount of money in donations the district has received from parent and outside groups in the budget presentation to the Finance Committee. V. Future Business VI. Adjournment Mr. Croft announced that the executive session is necessary to protect the bargaining position of the body. Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr. Robinson, to go into Executive Session to conduct strategy with respect to collective bargaining and not to return to open session. The roll call vote was 6 -0. Mr. Caruso, Mr. Croft, Mr. Robinson, Mrs. Janowski, Mrs. Gibbs and Mrs. Borawski. The meeting adjourned at 9:56 p.m. NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as stated in the posted meeting agenda not the order they occurred during the meeting. F. Doherty, Ed.D. rintendent of Schools Page 1 10