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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-01-08 School Committee Minutes OF$ ('° 4`�' ■ Town of Reading E r a =f Meeting Minutes %.INCOBJ4A Board - Committee - Commission - Council: School Committee Date: 2015-01-08 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 Jeanne Borawski Martha Sybert, Director of Finance Chuck Robinson Carolyn Wilson, Director of Student Services Gary Nihan Craig Martin, Assistant Superintendent Chris Caruso Elaine Webb, arrived at 5:35 p.m. Members - Not Present: Others Present: Adam Bakr, RMHS principal Doug Lyons, Parker principal Sara Burd, District Administrator of Support Services Andrea Nastri, Student Representative Chris Copeland, RTA President Mark Dockser, Fincom Reading Public Schools Budget Parents Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: John F. Doherty, Ed.D. Superintendent Topics of Discussion: I. Call to Order Chair Caruso called the School Committee to order at 5:31 p.m. Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mrs. Borawski, to enter into Executive Session to discuss the discipline or dismissal of, or complaints or charges brought against, a public officer, employee, staff member or individual and to return to open session at approximately 7:00 p.m. The roll call vote carried 5-0. Mr. Robinson, Mrs. Borawski, Mr. Nihan, Mr. Caruso and Dr. Snow Dockser. The meeting adjourned at 5:32 p.m. The open session meeting was called to order at 7:06 p.m. Chair Caruso welcomed guests and reviewed the agenda. II. Recommended Procedure Page I 1 A. Public Input (I) Chair Caruso called for public input. There was no public input. B. Reports Students Student Representative Nastri reported that the Wrestling Team had an impressive win and the planning for Mr. RMHS has begun. The event will be held in March. Sub-Committee Dr. Snow Dockser attended the recent T.R.R.F.C.C. assembly at Killam and presented information on the upcoming Martin Luther King celebration that will be held on January 19tH C. Continued Business Continued Discussion on Elementary Space Solutions Dr. Doherty updated the School Committee on the kindergarten and space needs for the 2015-16 school year. He reviewed the proposed timeline which will hopefully end in a Special Town Meeting on February 231d Ms.Nastri left the meeting at 7:10 p.m. Superintendent Doherty continued by saying that the School Committee will be presenting the details of the modular classroom option to the Finance Committee on January 14th and again at the Financial Forum on January 21St. The Board of Selectmen will vote to authorize a Special Town Meeting at that time. The Superintendent also said he was putting together the lottery guidelines in the event that the funding is not approved. The tentative date for the lottery will be on February 24th. Mrs. Borawski asked if all buildings will need to have a lottery. Dr. Doherty said at this time Killam, Eaton and Barrows are the three buildings with high enrollment numbers. The Superintendent reviewed the current registration numbers and cautioned the Committee that these numbers will increase between now and the beginning of the school year. He went on to review the classroom needs for the next five years based on current enrollment numbers and historical trends. He reviewed the solution to the space issues if 4, 5 or 6 modular classrooms were used. Six classrooms would provide adequate space for all kindergarten programs,the Grade 1 classes at Joshua Eaton, and move music classes at Joshua Eaton and Killam from the stage to a classroom. If the modular classrooms are not approved and we have to hold a lottery, approximately 80 families will not have access to full day kindergarten. These Page 12 families may opt to attend private kindergarten and return to us as first graders. This will also impact the FY16 budget decreasing the full day kindergarten and extended day offsets. Ms. Sybert presented information on the modular classroom cost, site options and site preparation. She reviewed the possible locations for the modular classrooms at Barrows, Joshua Eaton and Killam, sharing that this information is preliminary. Mrs. Colon, Director of Facilities, met with George Zambouras and Glen Redmond to review these options and due to code changes the locations at the schools may be tricky. Ms. Sybert and Mrs. Colon have reached out to Scott Dunlap, Ai-3, to discuss the possible classroom locations at the three buildings. The School Committee members asked clarifying questions regarding the lifespan, cost, and safety procedures for the modular classrooms. Mr. Robinson asked about the status of the modulars that the Sutton Public Schools may have available. Dr. Doherty said they would be auctioning them and has not heard when that auction would be held. Mr. Caruso pointed out that this is a five+year solution and it will allow the time that the Space Needs Working Group will need to develop a long term solution. Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mrs. Borawski, to direct the Superintendent to pursue a short term solution that will requires the purchase or lease of 6 modular classrooms at an approximate cost of $966,000. The motion carried 6-0. Chair Caruso called a brief recess at 8:12 p.m. The meeting was called back to order at 8:19 p.m. D. New Business FY16 Budget Presentation Dr. Doherty thanked the administrative team and Ms. Sybert for their hard work during the budget development process. He went on to present an overview of the FY16 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 strategic objectives and district goals; all of which were a guide to the development of this budget. He reviewed district enrollment trends which show that our enrollment is increasing. He also reviewed the Special Education enrollment and other high needs subgroups enrollments. He described two scenarios: 2.5% base budget vs. 4.7% level funded budget. The budget being presented is a 2.5% base budget as directed by the Finance Committee. Page 13 Superintendent Doherty then provided a financial overview including discussion on revenues, accommodated costs and per pupil spending information. Dr. Doherty briefly reviewed Special Education spending and comparisons to comparable communities. Our Special Education spending is lower than several surrounding communities because we are investing in in-district programs when possible rather than outplacing students. In many cases these programs are in the best interest of the child and have been very successful. The FY2016 budget drivers include increases in salaries, special education tuition increases and anticipated increases in natural gas costs when our contract concludes in June 2015. This budget does not account for any unanticipated special education placements, additional paraeducators or special education teachers. Dr. Doherty went on to outline the increases and decreases represented in the FY16 Superintendent's Recommended Budget. Salaries represent the largest increase. Within this category there are 6.0 FTE restructured positions that will require no additional funds and includes reduction in substitutes and regular education paraeducator hours. Looking at Contract Services there will be a reduction in Special Education Legal and Consultation Services, non-mandatory bussing and grant writing services. One of the restructured positions will be for a Board Certified Behavior Analyst which will allow for the reduction in the consultation services. Reductions in the Materials, Supplies and Equipment areas will result in a decrease in the building per pupil budgets. These funds will be used for technology replacement. Reductions in district professional development will allow funding for the K-8 Literacy and Math coaches and replacement of technology hardware. This budget accounts for increases in special education tuition and transportation due to increases in out of district placement costs, a reduction in circuit breaker and special education transportation costs. Grant and revenue offsets will be used to supplement energy and utility costs. Increases in special education and RISE tuitions will be used to accommodate the decrease in circuit breaker and the reduction in regular education paraeducator hours. FTEs at the elementary level will allow for the addition of a Grade 1 teacher to accommodate the large kindergarten class at Joshua Eaton. Dr. Doherty reviewed the budget by cost center and category. He also reviewed a list of unfunded budget requests and other items the budget is not able to address. He pointed out that there are no staffing cuts in this budget but cautioned the School Committee that if the FY17 budget has the same limitations, the district will face staffing reductions. Mrs. Webb asked about the increase in the number of students eligible for free and reduced lunch. Ms. Sybert indicated that the state's data collection method is better now and our numbers may have been that high but families were not familiar with the process. Mr.Nihan asked about the cut in substitute teacher funding after increasing the substitute rate in the current budget. Dr. Doherty indicated that this reduction will not affect the need for substitutes due to illness. Page 14 Mrs. Borawski asked what percentage the circuit breaker funding covered for the out of district placements. Dr. Doherty said approximately 70—75% and it had been lower in previous years. Dr. Snow Dockser is concerned in the proposed increase in athletic and extra- curricular fees and has asked that participation rates be monitored. Mr. Robinson added that the parents already contribute a lot financially supporting athletics and activities. Dr. Doherty said it was the goal of the administration to avoid major personnel cuts in this budget. FY16 Administration Cost Center Ms. Sybert presented the Administration Cost Center. She outlined the major administration initiatives for this budget which include the leadership for implementation of the Common Core Curriculum, Educator Evaluation, technology initiatives, common assessments, 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 procedures and policies and to strengthen the human resource systems to better support staff Ms. Sybert went on to review the staffing, cost center by function and object. Budget drivers for this cost center include salaries, an increase in legal services needed for ongoing personnel issues, a decrease in grant writing services, decreases in supplies and materials due to a transition to a paperless environment, reductions in dues and memberships, an increase in employee recruiting expenses and an increase in employee benefits due to an increase in the number of employees eligible for 403 (b) contributions and an increase in the match to $175. III. Routine Matters a. Bills and Payroll (A) The following warrants were circulated and signed. Warrant P1514 1.2.15 $1,448,587.91 Warrant S1527 12.24.14 $264,777.85 Warrant S1528 12.31.14 $195,550.54 Warrant S1529 1.8.15 $28,904.06 b. Minutes (A) c. Bids and Donations ( A ) Donations CMS Science Olympiad Support Group Page 15 Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mrs. Borawski, to accept the donation in the amount of$1,000 from the Coolidge Science Olympiad Support Group to be used to support the Science Team coach's stipend. The motion carried 6- 0. MLK Celebration Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mr. Nihan, to accept the donation in the amount of$2,500 from the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation to be used to support the MLK Day celebration activities. The motion carried 6-0. d. Calendar IV.Information V. Future Business VI.Adjournment Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mrs. Borawski, to adjourn. The motion carried 6-0. The meeting adjourned at 9:40 p.m. NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as stated in the posted meeting agenda not the order they occurred during the meeting. ► l► , I I 1 y ,. \ F. Doherty, Ed.D. Page 16