Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-02-22 School Committee Minutes .,aA R , -1 c: , Town of Reading i'� �' j i Meeting Minutes ,; ice,: Board - Committee - Commission - Council: School Committee Date: 2016-02-22 Time: 7:00 PM Building: School - Memorial High Location: Superintendent Conference Room Address: 82 Oakland Road Session: Open Session Purpose: Open Session Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: Chuck Robinson, Elaine Webb, Jeanne Borawski, Gary Nihan, Julie Joyce Members - Not Present: Linda Snow Dockser Others Present: Superintendent John Doherty, Assistant Superintendent Craig Martin, Director of Finance Martha Sybert, Director of Student Services Carolyn Wilson, Student Representatives Alex Nazzaro and Carl Gillies, RTA President Chris Copeland, Chronicle Reporter Catherine Spinelli Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Linda Engelson on behalf of the Chair Topics of Discussion: I. Call to Order Chair Robinson called the School Committee to order at 7:02 p.m. II. Recommended Procedure A. Public Input Chair Robinson asked for public input on items not on the agenda. There was none. B. Consent Agenda Mr. Robinson reviewed the consent agenda and asked if any members would like any items removed from the consent agenda. • Approval of Two RMHS Field Trips—Color Guard to NH&EpiD Trip to NYC • Approval of Two RMHS Donations—Reading Clergy Association & Kohl's Associates in Action for MLK Celebration • Acceptance of SEEM &NEC Annual Reports & Financial Statements • Approval of Minutes—January 21 & 25, 2016 Page I 1 Mrs. Borawski moved, seconded by Mrs. Joyce,to approve the consent agenda. The motion carried 5-0. C. Reports Student Ms.Nazzaro reported on the following: • The upcoming high school drama presentation of"The Nerd" • The Student Council is working with students creating this year's version of the lipdub • Students just returned from vacation • Course selection has been completed and the Guidance Counselors are meeting with students individually reviewing the selections • The high school Robotics team will be hosting and participating in an upcoming competition in the field house • The Chorus will be playing laser tag Mr. Gillies reported on the following: • Future Freshman Night will take place this week • The boys swim team finished 10th in the state meet with just 8 swimmers • Boys hockey has a big week coming up • Paul Chong and Chris Doncaster had outstanding performances in the recent state meet • Boys basketball is preparing for the upcoming state tournament Liaisons Mrs. Joyce mentioned the Board of Selectmen meeting that is scheduled for Tuesday night. The location has been changed to the Parker Middle School and on the agenda is discussion of a possible override. Mr. Robinson read the following report from Dr. Snow Dockser. RMHS Drama: Around the World in 80 Days: Many thanks to visiting director Bill Endslow and the Drama Club for another inspiring production. I am so proud of the drama and arts nurtured and celebrated in our district, and thank our talented educators,parents, and students along with all of the generous donations from community businesses who make support the arts in Reading. SEPAC: Last week's SEPAC meeting was a very helpful blend of presentations, administration, and advice. The presentations by Pupil Services Director Carolyn Wilson and Kelly DiCato illuminated the processes involved in planning the Special Education Summer "Extended School Year"Program, as well as the Transitions between grades and buildings for each student. The information presented reflected consideration of Page 12 both feedback and input from parents, along with the communication of realistic expectations for each program. The questions of parents were informed, caring, and thoughtful, reflecting parent's desire to collaborate with the program for the benefit of their children. Parents were encouraged to share their specific concerns with their IEP Teams and Team Chairs. You can find copies of the PowerPoint presentations on Edline. The meeting ended with the ratifying of the updated SEPAC Bylaws—a labor of love and a lot of time invested by the SEPAC Bylaw subcommittee. A huge shout out goes to the parents working together to bring the SEPAC back to life. I feel honored to be the liaison to this committee of involved parents and the staff with whom they work. HRAC: Next meeting is on Thursday, March 3. It will be the beginning of discussions related to the mission, bylaws, and history of committee—everyone is welcome. If you are interested in attending METCO Lobby Day on March 15th Tuesday at the State House in Boston starting at 9,please contact Jason Cross, Reading METCO Director for more information. Mrs. Webb reported on the upcoming Taste of Metro North being held on March 2nd at North Reading High School and reminded everyone to vote on Tuesday. Director of Student Services Mrs. Wilson spoke about the recent SEPAC meeting. She said there were about 20 people in attendance and the discussion surrounded the Extended School Year offerings and the program structure as well as building to building transitions. Mrs. Wilson was supported by the team chairs and Extended School Year coordinator Kelly DiCato. Assistant Superintendent Mr. Martin shared that the annual Blue Ribbon Conference will be held on April 15th and an email has gone out to all districts in the state with the information. Superintendent Dr. Doherty updated the Committee on the status of the Parker Principal Search. He said there was a talented pool of 47 applicants and he will announce the four finalists on Tuesday. The finalists will spend the day at Parker on Monday meeting with students,teachers, staff,the district leadership team and the community. The open microphone sessions begin at 6:30 on Monday night. He hopes to appoint the next principal by mid-March. Page 13 He next updated the Committee on the Birch Meadow search. The application deadline is this Friday. The Screening Committee has held its initial meeting and will meet again next week to develop the questions for the candidates. Dr. Doherty thanked the Facilities Department for staying on top of the recent cold spell ensuring we only experienced minor issues with freeze ups. The next School Committee meeting will feature a variety of presentations surrounding the topic of MTSS. D. Old Business Update on Late Start Dr. Doherty shared that the Middlesex League Superintendents have met and have agreed to move the start for high school students to later times in the next few years. To that end, the Superintendent will be establishing a Late Start Working Group that will research changing the start and end times for our schools for the 2017-18 school year. He reviewed the make-up of the group and the timetable. He hopes to have the Working Group present its findings at a School Committee no later than November 2016. Dr. Doherty pointed out that the final decision will be the School Committee's. Dr. Jessica Kaufman, Killam parent, spoke in favor of a later start time and would like to be involved with the Committee. Mr. Robinson encouraged her to email the Superintendent. FY16 Budget Update Ms. Sybert updated the Committee on the status of the FY16 budget as of January 31, 2016. The Chair expressed concerns over the high balance at this point and would be hesitant to return such a large amount to the Town at the end of the fiscal year. Ms. Sybert clarified that this balance is fluid and over the course of the next quarter it will change with changes in personnel (ie: maternity leaves, leaves of absence, etc.). E. New Business Communication Audit Presentation Dr. Doherty reviewed the goal of the communication audit which was to assess the effectiveness of current communication and public relations effort in the Reading Public Schools, solicit and evaluate key facts, opinions, concerns and perceptions of representatives from various internal and external audiences important to the success of communication and to suggest strategies and tactics for enhancing communication with audiences and improve the management of communication, engagement and public relations activities. Page I4 The National School Public Relations Association(NSPRA)met with a variety of stakeholders over the course of two days in October to gather information to assess the District's communication practices. Key findings of the discussions with the focus groups include that the strengths of the Reading Public Schools include quality education, dedicated and caring staff, there is a culture of openness and responsiveness and parent and community support. Challenges include concerns about financing and budgeting, expectations for quality programs and operations and engaging parents and stakeholders. Dr. Doherty pointed out that some of the expectations may be unrealistic. The Superintendent went on to review the district's communication strengths which include building level and communication between leaders and stakeholders, School Committee and Superintendent transparency and an improved use of electronic communication and social media. There is effective use of school and district newsletters, Twitter and Facebook accounts and the Blackboard Connect system to inform the community of district and school events and happenings. Communication challenges and needs include the lack of a coordinated plan and strategy for communication, outreach to community members and the perceptions about input and feedback from staff and stakeholders. The focus groups also expressed their dissatisfaction with the Edline. Staff and parents expressed concerns over the ease of use and limitations in posting of information. Mr. Robinson asked how long the district has used Edline. Dr. Doherty said it was about 14 years. At that time Edline was cutting edge technology, but over time the system has not kept up with the changes in technological advances. The district is currently looking into several different vendors that can provide an integrated solution. We currently use several different products which at times do not communicate well. Dr. Doherty hopes to find a product that will have a neutral budgetary impact. Dr. Doherty went onto review the recommendations from the NSPRA. 1. Develop a strategic communication plan: Align with the District Action Plan. The District Leadership Team is currently working on this - recommendation. It is also recommended to create a Communication Advisory Council to help with the development of the strategic communication plan and guide the communication program. 2. Develop and Adopt a School Committee Policy on communication: The School Committee currently has several policies on this subject and just updated their Public Input Policy. 3. Expand a culture of communication in the school district: Continue to build on the success of the superintendent's blog and newsletters, communicate the rationale behind decisions and report the outcomes on all issues and progress of initiatives, add information to committee agendas on how issues will be communicated and use an action grid to report outcomes. The District Leadership team is currently using an action grid for their meetings and has found it to be effective. It is also recommended that there is a continued commitment to visible leadership and offerings for opportunities for public input. We should also review our crisis management procedures regularly to ensure that the RPS protocol meets standards for communication protocols. Dr. Doherty pointed out that he Page I 5 and several others will be attending a two day workshop on emergency management procedures. 4. Consider Strategies and tactics to enhance internal communication: Offer professional development for staff in communication, media relations, customer service and ambassadorship. We currently provide this type of opportunity for all of our new teachers as part of the new teacher induction program. 5. Strengthen efforts to connect with and engage parents and other stakeholders: This can be accomplished by making the schools the focal point in getting district news to parents and other stakeholders, continue to hold community forums, create a"brand" for RPS that communicates the district's culture of excellence, invite parent leaders to contribute their skills and ideas to address communication challenges, reach out to empty nesters and senior citizens and continue to maintain a good relationship with local media. 6. Plan to upgrade and redesign the district website: As indicated earlier the district is exploring the possibility of upgrading/changing the district website vendor. 7. Plan to make more effective use of social media: Continue to expand and diversify social media content,highlight RPS social media accounts to solicit and enhance two way communications and develop a policy and guidelines for social media use. 8. Formalize the communication function: This recommendation presents a budgetary concern. The recommendation is to explore the option of creating a position dedicated to communication. The recommendation includes the possibility of reaching out to colleges and universities for interns and reaching out to community members that have a background in communication or public relations. Dr. Doherty reviewed the next steps. We will first focus on Recommendations 1, 2, 3 & 5 including a review of the District Action Plan goal 5 and revise it based on the Communication Audit report,review options to upgrade the current Learning Management and website and offer a community forum to present the audit findings. Birch Meadow Principal Search Dr. Doherty reviewed the search process and timeline. Mrs. Borawski moved, seconded by Mrs. Joyce,to approve the Birch Meadow Principal Search process and timeline as presented. The motion carried 5-0. III. Routine Matters a. Bills and Payroll (A) Warrant S1631 1.28.16 $79,853.53 Warrant S1632 2.4.16 $238,922.97 Warrant S1633 2.11.16 $119,290.75 Warrant S1634 2.18.16 $205,127.96 Page I6 Warrant P1616 1.29.16 $1,487,416.01 Warrant P1617 2.12.16 $1,487,575.84 b. Calendar IV.Information V. Future Business VI.Adjournment Mrs. Borawski moved, seconded by Mrs. Joyce to enter into executive session to discuss strategy with respect to possible litigation, collective bargaining and the approval of minutes and not to return to open session. The roll call vote carried 5-0. Mrs. Borawski, Mrs. Joyce,Dr. Nihan, Mr.Robinson and Mrs. Webb. The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m. NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as stated in the posted meeting agenda not the order they occurred during the meeting. Al, )ice! Jo 1. Doh"rty, Ed.?. Page I7