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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-05-19 School Committee Minutes _ Town of Reading 4.1 Meeting Minutes 1 F 21 Board - Committee - Commission - Council: School Committee Date: 2014-05-19 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: Linda Snow Dockser John Doherty, Superintendent Hal Croft Craig Martin, Assistant Superintendent Elaine Webb Mary DeLai, Assistant Superintendent Jeanne Borawski Chris Caruso Chuck Robinson Andrea Nastri, Student Representative Conner Traugot, Student Representative Members - Not Present: Others Present: Al Sylvia, Reading Chronicle John Arena, Board of Selectmen Barry Berman, Finance Committee Demetra Restuccia, parent Rebecca Liberman, parent Chuck Strout, RMHS teacher/Robockets Team Coach Caitlin Mahoney, RMHS Robockets Team Andrew Sack, RMHS Robockets Team Tim Fitzgerald, RMHS Robockets Team Chirag Patel, RMHS Robockets Team 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. Public Hearing on School Choice Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr.Robinson, pursuant to the provisions of G.L.c. 76 & 12B that the School Committee of Reading,following a public Page i 1 hearing,hereby withdraws from its obligation to enroll non-resident students in Reading Public Schools during the 2014-2015 school year for the following reason: General District Enrollment. Dr. Doherty indicated that each year the School Committee must vote to participate or not participate in the School Choice program. This program allows districts to enroll students from other towns. If the District chooses to participate it may determine the grade levels that will be accepted in the program. The Superintendent's recommendation is to not participate due to district enrollment concerns. Ms. Restuccia,parent, asked for clarification regarding School Choice as a result of the Reading Patch article. The motion carried 6-0. Mr. Croft called a brief recess to move up to Main Street for the RMHS Robockets Team demonstration. The meeting recessed at 7:14 p.m. The Robockets Team demonstrated the functions of the robot they had built for their competitions this year. Mr. Croft called the meeting back to order at 7:25 p.m. New Business(out of order) RMHS Robotics Team Presentation Caitlin Mahoney explained what First Robotics is. She described it as a varsity sport for the mind. For many the first introduction was as participants as part of the First Lego League introduced in Reading in 2007. Students that participate on the Robotics team are mentored by professional engineers. The team is required to build and compete with a robot of their own design. There is a criterion on which the robot is required to meet. The task requires the team to use more than math and science skills. All aspects of learning are incorporated. Tim Fitzgerald continued describing the make-up of the team. Last year's team consisted of 18 students and 5 mentors and this year the numbers have grown to include 30 members and 8 mentors. They are hoping to expand on those numbers for next year. Chirag Patel shared how it all started. As previously stated,many of the team members were introduced to this activity through the First Lego League that was started in the elementary schools in 2007. In the summer of 2012,this group of students entered RMHS and started the team as a continuation of the First Lego League. Last year the group did more tinkering than planning and organizing to compete in competitions. The team had a very good first year ranking 12th at the Boston Regional Competition and competing in the World Championship in St. Louis. This year the team changed their image becoming more organized to include more designing and planning. The developed specialized teams including design, mechanical, pneumatics,programming and electrical to more effectively construct Page 12 their robot. They have also turned towards community outreach for both financial and the promotion of the STEM fields. The team has continued to be successful in competitions this year winning the Rhode Island event,reaching the quarterfinals at the Northeastern University event and a strong showing at the NE championships. Andrew Sack reviewed the Robotics team spending for the two seasons. The majority of their funding has come from corporate sponsorships. Families,friends and benefactors make up the rest. A goal for the 2014-15 year is to focus on interaction with industry sponsors. Ms.Mahoney said in order for the program to grow they will need to recruit more and larger sponsors, find larger spaces to work and practice in,build a practice robot, and increase funding to do more. They are also reaching out to the elementary and middle schools to promote STEM to those levels with community service opportunities. Mr. Patel continued with ideas to grow the program including a Robotics course offering at RMHS that would extend opportunities beyond the Project Lead the Way offerings and the possibilities of holding a competition at RMHS. Finally they shared dates of the upcoming events and encouraged the public to attend the free events to see what the RMHS Robockets Team has to offer. The School Committee thanked the group for presenting this evening. A. Public Input(I) Mr. Croft announced he will be stepping down from the School Committee and June 2nd would be his last meeting. He thanked everyone for the opportunity to serve and thoroughly enjoyed his tenure. He also shared that the Boy's Track 4 x 400 relay ran the third fastest time in the state at a recent meet. Mrs. Liberman asked for an update on the math curriculum, measures of effectiveness and summer geometry. Mr. Martin said that the individual buildings have held curriculum nights and the administration and staff has been using state assessments and the district determined measures throughout the year. He also said that there will be a summer geometry offering. Mr. Arena stated he was quite impressed by the Robockets team presentation and is glad that there is a forum for students gifted in areas other than athletics. He also wanted the School Committee to know that he and the Board of Selectmen will work collaboratively on the Early Childhood Center project. B. Reports Students Ms.Nastri reported that the Select Chorus was invited to perform at the recent MASBO Conference by Ms. DeLai. She said it was a wonderful time. The Drama Club went on its annual Broadway trip. Students had the opportunity to Page 13 go to two shows. The seniors are preparing for the end of year activities and the juniors are taking on leadership roles in the school. Mr. Croft thanked Mr. Traugot for his two years of service to the School Committee and wished him luck at Duke University in the fall. Mr. Traugot reported on the recent Awards nights. The Scholastic Awards Night, which Mr. Traugot hosted,was for the induction of new National Honor Society members,the Century Club and College Book Awards. The Spring Awards Night was held last week and honored students in all grades. He said that the students appreciate the acknowledgement of hard work and sometimes feel it is overlooked. The Spanish Honor Society was currently presenting its honors this evening. Mr. Traugot thanked the School Committee for the opportunity to serve. He learned a great deal about the Reading Public Schools and accountability. He will take these lessons with him. Sub-Committee Dr. Snow Dockser shared that she and Dr. Doherty visited several kindergarten classrooms. She was thrilled to observe that the curriculum standards are being introduced and taught in age appropriate ways. The students were engaged and energetic. She was also impressed by the teacher—paraeducator collaboration in the classroom. She also attended her first girl's lacrosse game and she was impressed by the passion, stamina and good sportsmanship displayed by the girls and that they won the Middlesex League Championship. The RMHS Choral Concert was held last week. Superintendent Dr. Doherty stated that it is a great time of year with celebrations and performances. He attended several events including the band and chorus events. Our band has grown over the years to include several different ensembles and this year during the Chorus concert there was an intergenerational performance; adults and students performing together. C. Continued Business FY14 Budget Update Ms. DeLai updated the Committee on the FY14 budget status. She also spoke of the creation of a Special Education Stabilization Fund. This fund would allow districts to set aside funds to address unanticipated special education costs. She said Winchester and Lexington were investigating this option and there is a House Bill pending. The School Committee would need Town Meeting approval to establish the fund. Page 14 Elementary Enrollment Update Dr. Doherty updated the Committee on the elementary enrollment to date. He also cautioned the Committee that his office receives calls on a daily basis from families moving into town with elementary age children. He pointed out areas of concerns and said that we have very limited full day kindergarten spaces available. Early Childhood Center Update&Discussion Dr. Doherty reviewed the next steps that include a possible Financial Forum over the summer to discuss all capital projects. There will be geo-technical and traffic studies performed on the proposed Oakland Road parcel. The traffic study will most likely be done in the fall when the traffic will be at its optimum. Mr. Robinson would like to reconvene all parties once the Administration receives the results of the studies. Mrs. Borawski &Dr. Snow Dockser said it is important to continue to inform the community of the need for the Early Childhood Center. The suggestions of neighborhood coffees and a revamped Working Group were made. Mrs. Webb added that the community needs to understand that programs that bring our students back to the district need space. This positive initiative contributes to the district space issues. II. Recommended Procedure D. New Business Appointment of the Superintendent to the Collaborative NEC Mr. Caruso moved,seconded by Dr. Snow Dockser,to appoint Superintendent John F. Doherty as the Reading Public Schools' representative to the Board of Directors of the Northshore Education Consortium for the 2014-2015 school year. The motion carried 6-0. SEEM Mr.Caruso moved,seconded by Mrs. Borawski,to appoint Superintendent John F.Doherty as the Reading Public Schools' representative to the Board of Directors of the SEEM Collaborative for the 2014-2015 school year. The motion carried 6-0. Dr. Doherty said the School Committee will also need to approve the Articles of Agreement for both collaboratives at a future meeting. Page 15 Executive Session The Chair shall declare that executive session is necessary to protect the negotiating and litigation positions of the body. Mr. Caruso moved,seconded by Mrs. Borawski,to enter into executive session to discuss strategy with respect to litigation, Collective Bargaining, and the approval of minutes and to return to open session at approximately 9:40 p.m. The roll call vote was 6-0. Mrs.Webb,Mrs.Borawski,Dr. Snow Dockser,Mr. Robinson,Mr. Croft and Mr. Caruso. The open session adjourned at 9:10 p.m. The Chair called open session back to order at 9:58 p.m. Superintendent's Goals&Evaluation The Superintendent reviewed the process and asked the Chair to appoint a member to collect the information and create the final report. Mrs. Webb volunteered to oversee the process. Dr. Doherty asked if all members should participate in the process. Mr. Robinson said we can leave that up to the individual. Mrs. Borawski asked if it was an all or nothing process or could the new members evaluate based on areas they were comfortable. The answer to the question was that evaluating on areas that new members were comfortable was acceptable. Inter-municipal Agreement Ms. DeLai provided an update on the current agreement regarding the shared Food Service Director position. We are currently in a one year contract and both districts would like to continue the arrangement. The arrangement is working out very well. She also said the Board of Selectmen will also need to approve this contract which is scheduled to be done at the meeting on May 27th• Ms. DeLai will attend that meeting. Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mrs.Webb,to authorize the Superintendent to enter into the proposed Three Year Inter-municipal Agreement between the Reading and Wakefield Public Schools. The motion carried 6-0. Director of Finance& Operations Qualities It was decided to defer this agenda item until June 2nd Dr. Doherty suggested that the School Committee interview the finalists at a meeting on June 9th and vote to appoint either that evening or at the meeting on June 16t. III. Routine Matters Page 16 a. Bills and Payroll (A) The following warrants were circulated and signed. Warrant S1446 5.8.14 $194,957.03 Warrant S1447 5.15.14 $308,496.07 Warrant S1447E 5.14.14 $17,921.00 Warrant P1423 5.9.14 $1,338,105.53 b. Approval of Minutes c. Bids and Donations Mr. Caruso moved,seconded by Mrs. Webb,to accept the donation from the Friends of Reading High Baseball in the amount of$3,239.15 to be used to support a coaching assistant. The motion carried 6-0. Mr. Caruso moved,seconded by Mrs. Borawski,to accept the donation from the Coolidge School Science Olympiad Support Group in the amount of$1,000 to be used to support the head coach's stipend. The motion carried 6-0. Mr. Caruso moved,seconded by Mrs. Borawski,to accept the donation from the Reading PSST in the amount of$2,925 to be used to support two instructor positions as part of the RMHS Drama program. The motion carried 6-0. d. Approval of Minutes Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr.Robinson,to approve the open session minutes dates April 23,2014. The motion carried 6-0. Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr.Robinson,to approve the open session minutes dated April 29, 2014. The motion carried 6-0. Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr.Robinson,to approve the open session minutes dated May 6,2014. The motion carried 6-0. Calendar IV.Information V. Future Business VI.Adjournment Mr. Caruso moved,seconded by Mrs. Borawski to adjourn. The motion carried 6-0. The meeting adjourned at 10:10 p.m. Page 17 NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as stated in the posted meeting agenda not the order they occurred during the meeting. .i 11�i J F. Doherty, 1:d.D. Page 18