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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-04-06 School Committee Minutes Oo 7. t 0.�, Town of Reading IrtMeeting Minutes \s3 pP��' 9 lNCOikT Board - Committee - Commission - Council: School Committee Date: 2015-04-06 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 Craig Martin, Assistant Superintendent Chuck Robinson Martha Sybert, Director of Finance Gary Nihan Carolyn Wilson, Director of Student Services Elaine Webb Chris Caruso Members - Not Present: Andrea Nastri, Student Representative Carl Gillies, Student Representative Others Present: Christine Kelley, REF president Nancy Dieselman, REF Grants Committee Chair Christine Downey, REF treasurer Janet Faulkner, REF Board Laura O'Neil, REF Board Lisa Gibbs, Samantha's Harvest Rob Gibbs, Samantha's Harvest Samantha Gibbs, Samantha's Harvest Nancy Docktor, SC candidate Steve Zessis, SC candidate Al Sylvia, Reading Chronicle Karen Janowski, Resident 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 7:01 p.m. Chair Caruso welcomed guests and reviewed the agenda. II. Recommended Procedure A. Public Input (I) Chair Caruso called for public input. Page I 1 There was none. B. Donations (out of order) Samantha's Harvest Mr. Caruso welcomed Rob, Lisa& Samantha Gibbs who are here to present the annual donation on behalf of Samantha's Harvest. Mrs. Gibbs thanked Mr. Caruso for his service on the School Committee. She continued stating that this donation is made annually to be used for professional development. Mr. &Mrs. Gibbs had met with Superintendent Doherty and Mrs. Wilson to discuss what has been happening in the district to ensure that the mission of Samantha's Harvest and the district align. Samantha's Harvest works to raise awareness by providing funding for programs and organizations that directly enhance the lives of individuals with Down syndrome. Mrs. Gibbs pointed out that the donation will be used to support professional development for the Student Services Department but is not limited to special education staff. Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mrs. Webb, to accept a donation in the amount of$3,500 from Samantha's Harvest to be used to support the Student Services Department professional development. The motion carried 6-0. Mr. Caruso thanked the Gibbs for the years of generosity and support of the Reading Public Schools. Reading Education Foundation Mr. Caruso welcomed members of the Reading Education Foundation who were at the meeting to present a check as part of the Grant program. Mrs. Webb thanked the group for all their hard work and support of the Reading Public Schools. Mrs. Christine Kelley, REF president, provided a brief overview of the organization and introduced the members of the board who were at the meeting. REF holds two major fundraisers each year, the Festival of Trees, which has developed into a great community event, and the Imagination Celebration which will be held on May 2"d. As part of the Imagination celebration there will be an online auction. REF is also hoping that the Teacher Tribute program, which is in its second year, will become another major fundraiser. Mrs. Nancy Diesleman, Grant Committee Chair, provided an overview of the grant awards. The Grants Committee received grant requests totaling $53,000. Each grant proposal was reviewed and the writers brought in to defend the grant proposal. REF was able to fund $40,000 this year. They saw a decrease in requests this year but would like to encourage staff to submit proposals. Page 12 Mrs. Borawski shared that each grant awarded may start out impacting one school but the information and materials that have been made possible through the funding tends to be shared throughout the district. Dr. Snow Dockser thanked the REF board for all they do to benefit the Reading Public Schools. Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mr. Nihan, to accept a donation in the amount of$40,117.09 from the Reading Education Foundation as part of the grant program. The motion carried 6-0. Chair Caruso called a brief recess at 7:22 p.m. The meeting was called back to order at 7:25 p.m. C. Reports Liaisons Mrs. Borawski reported on a MASC workshop she attended entitled"Beyond tests: What really matters". Dr. Snow Dockser reported that the portraits created as part of the MLK Day celebration will be presented during the annual Artsfest event on April 14th from 6:20—6:30 p.m. She also reminded the community that the HRAC is looking for new members as well as anyone interested in volunteering. Mr. Robinson reported on the recent RCASA Board meeting. Director of Finance Ms. Sybert reported that she should be receiving the cost to repair the retaining wall at RMHS in the next couple of weeks and that the modular bid documents are ready. She said several packets have been requested and a walk-through will be held this week. D. Continued Business FY15 Budget Status Update Ms. Sybert reviewed the FY15 budget status as of March 31, 2015. She said there has not been significant change since the end of the last quarter. E. New Business Approval of the Last Day of School Superintendent Doherty recommended June 25th as the last day of school. Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mr. Nihan, to accept the Superintendent's recommendation to set June 25,2015 as the official last day of school. The motion carried 6-0. Page 13 Superintendent's Evaluation Process—Goals Update Superintendent Doherty updated the School Committee on the status of his goals. He pointed out the progress made in his five goals. Goal 1 —(Student Learning Goal—Learning & Teaching): Superintendent Doherty thanked Mr. Martin and the teacher leaders for their role in the significant progress made in this goal which includes the creation of PLCs, work with the Northeast District& School Assessment center to develop strategies to move the district out of Level 3 accountability status, the creation of the Joshua Eaton Task Force, the formation of a district IT Governance team, DDM implementation and a Special Education Audit to determine methods to improve services. Goal 2—(Professional Practice Goal—Capacity Building): Progress made in this area includes the training of teacher leaders,the formation of a PD Committee, the creation of a District Action Plan working with the DESE Planning for Success and the continued improvement in the use of the Educator Evaluation tool which includes teacher/student surveys. These surveys were conducted at no cost to the district by Panorama(DESE vendor) and will provide data for teachers and administrators will use this data/feedback for professional growth. Goal 3 —(District Improvement Goal: Implementation of MTSS): We have made great strides in implementing the MTSS strategy. The district secured two grants to fund RCASA, Mental Health First Aid Training, and the implementation of MTSS. A districtwide MTSS team has been created and all of our buildings have created MTSS teams to create strategies in addressing educational and social- emotional needs of our students. Additionally, a new health curriculum is being implemented grades 3 — 8 as well as the continued improvement in school safety and security procedures and the administration of the YRBS which will provide data for the administration to use to make recommended changes. Goal 4—(District Improvement Plan Goal—Addressing Space and Program Needs): The formation of the Early Childhood Working Group looked at possible solutions to the space needs of the Reading Public Schools. A short term solution (modular classrooms) will be used to address the space needs in the elementary schools affording the Working Group time to work on a long term solution. Goal 5 (District Improvement Plan—Communication Plan): addresses the development of a comprehensive communications plan for the district. The effectiveness of this plan will be measured by stakeholder surveys, the quality of the communication plan, and noticeable improvements in district and school communication. Superintendent Doherty would like to create a strategic plan for communication. The Superintendent is reviewing Communication Audit proposals. He also will discuss with the School Committee the possibility of the formation of a District Governance Program. Approval of Coolidge Field Trip Page 14 Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mrs. Borawski, to approve the Coolidge Science Team trip to the National Science Competition at the University of Nebraska in May. The motion carried 6-0. The Chair congratulated the team and wished them luck at the national competition on behalf of the Committee. III. Routine Matters a. Bills and Payroll (A) The following warrants were circulated and signed. Warrant S1541 4.2.15 $266,014.75 b. Bids and Donations (A) Donations RMHS BPO Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Dr. Snow Dockser,to accept a donation in the amount of$1,800 from the Friends of Reading Football to be used to support a coaching assistant for the 2014 season. The motion carried 6-0. c. Minutes Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mr. Nihan, to approve the open session minutes as revised date March 26,2015. The motion carried 6-0. d. Calendar IV.Information Mr. Robinson thanked Mr. Caruso for his years of service to the School Committee and town. Dr. Doherty thanked Mr. Caruso for all the support he received during his tenure. Mr. Caruso read a brief statement and thanked the residents of Reading and the teachers, administrators and staff of the Reading Public Schools. V. Future Business VI.Adjournment Mrs. Borawski moved, seconded by Mrs. Webb, to adjourn. The motion carried 6-0. The meeting adjourned at 8:03 p.m. Page 15 NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as stated in the posted meeting agenda not the order they occurred during the meeting. ki w ileadW F. Dohert , Ed.D. Page 16