Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-11-07 School Committee Minutesor q Q' t� Town of Reading Meeting Minutes TOWN CLERK ~''DING. MASS. Board - Committee - Commission - Council: School Committee 201b DEC 21 P 1: 42 Date: 2016-11-07 Time: 6:30 PM Building: School - Memorial High Location: Superintendent Conference Room Address: 82 Oakland Road Session: Open Session Purpose: Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: Jeanne Borawski, Chuck Robinson, Elaine Webb (arrived at 6:55 p.m.), Linda Snow Dockser, Gary Nihan Members - Not Present: Others Present: Superintendent John Doherty, Assistant Superintendent Craig Martin, Director of Finance Gail Dowd, Director of Student Services Carolyn Wilson, Student Representatives Alex Nazzaro & Mario Cutone, Al Sylvia, Reading Chronicle, RTA President Eric Goldstein, RPS teachers, Wood End Principal Joanne King, RMHS Assistant Principal Mike McSweeney, Parker teacher Donna Martinson, Coolidge teacher Laura Warren, Wood End teacher Keri DiNapoli, Killam teacher Tonia McGuire, Instructional Coach for ELA Tricia Stodden Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Linda Engelson on behalf of the Chair Topics of Discussion: I. Call to Order Chair Borawski called the School Committee to order at 6:33 p.m. Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Dr. Dockser, to enter into executive session to discuss strategy with respect to non -represented personnel (Superintendent's contract) and return at 7:00 p.m. The roll call vote carried 4 — 0. Mrs. Borawski, Mr. Robinson, Dr. Nihan and Dr. Dockser. The Chair called open session was called back to order at 7:05 p.m. II. Recommended Procedure A. Public Comment There was none. B. Consent Agenda Page 1 1 Mr. Robinson asked the Committee if there were any consent agenda items that they would like removed. There were no requests. Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Dr. Nihan, to approve the consent agenda as presented. The motion carried 5-0. - Minutes October 13 & 24, 2016 - Parker Field Trip — Quebec - Donations to RMHS — Band Parents Organization, Friends of Reading Wrestling & Hilary McCarthy C. Reports Student Representative Mario Cutone reported that the football team will be playing in the sectional finals on Friday night at Lincoln Sudbury. Student Representative Alex Nazzaro reported that the RMHS Drama production of "The Wedding Singer" will take place over the next two weekends. She also reported that the boys and girls soccer teams suffered tough- overtime losses in the MIAA tournament. Liaison's Report Dr. Snow Dockser reported on the presentation she, Dr. Doherty, Mrs. King and Mrs. Marchant gave at the annual MASC/MASIS Conference. The presentation focused on Social -Emotional Learning. She learned a lot and was thrilled to participate. Dr. Dockser said she attended the Mental Health First Aid training that was held recently. Mrs. Webb reported on the RCASA Board meeting. Discussion about opioids and substance abuse took place. She reminded the public that on November 30Ih RCASA will host a showing of the film "Breaking Points" in the Endslow PAC. She also mentioned the recent Financial Forum and encouraged the public to attend. Director of Finance Ms. Dowd handed out the FY18 budget calendar to the -committee. It is to be used as a guide and includes the key dates during the budget development process. Director of Student Services Mrs. Wilson reported on a Wilson Reading professional development workshop that was attended by several members of our staff. Teachers from Winthrop and Winchester also attended. Teachers from Parker, Joshua Eaton and the high school have been working with the consultant from the Landmark School developing strategies. Mrs. Wilson reported that the SEEM Collaborative has been having difficulty hiring BCBAs and we are looking for other vendors which may be more expensive. Page 1 2 The recent dyslexia workshop hosted by the SEPAC was attended by over 80 people. The next meetings are November 30, December 8 and December 136'. Mrs. Wilson handed out her latest update from the Walker Report recommendations which addresses transition planning between levels. The process will begin in November. Assistant Superintendent Report Mr. Martin reviewed the professional development opportunities available to staff during tomorrow's in-service day. Superintendent's Report Dr. Doherty spoke about the recent Financial Forum. He felt there was an excellent discussion regarding the FYI budget. He reviewed the Fincom's decisions which included assumptions on state aid (2.5%) and health insurance (7.5%) increases. If the increases are higher, additional funding will be taken from free cash. There will be a shift of .25% capital plan expenditures to the operating budget. He next reviewed the payout for the RMHS settlement — up to $2.2M of free cash, $800,000 remaining funds from the construction account and the balance to be borrowed. The Fincom also increased the use of free cash from $700,000 to $1.2M for the FYI budget. Dr. Doherty announced that we are looking for volunteers to be budget parents and he will be hosting office hours. The office hours will afford the community an opportunity to share concerns. He attended the second Annual Science Expo held at Coolidge. There were 28 projects presented by elementary and middle school students on open ended topics. The kids did a great job. He thanked Eileen Manning and Marianne Downing for organizing this event. D. New Business Literacy Update Mr. Martin provided an overview of the presentation. The ELA standards go across content areas and overlap; students learn by doing. Tricia Stodden, ELA Curriculum Coach started by saying that students are bombarded by data every day and need to figure out what to do with all this information. The literate person of the twenty-first century is a student that meets the standard readily undertaking the close, attentive reading that is at the heart of understanding and enjoying complex works of literature. Improving literacy skills for all students is a focus area in the District Improvement Plan. Literacy instruction is broken into three areas; foundational skills, reading comprehension and writing, building agency and independence through volume, stamina and engagement. Ms. Stodden reviewed some instructional goals which include increasing knowledge of grade -level reading and writing expectations, valuing writing process over product, developing effective mini -lessons that are focused, Page 1 3 short and increase student transfer, and modeling and demonstrate proficient reading strategies that push past literal comprehension levels during interactive read aloud. We are creating a classroom of writers. Students participate in reading and writing every day for a good amount of time. Writing needs to be taught like any other basic skill, with explicit instruction and ample opportunity for practice every day. Young_ writers need to be immersed in a listening and storytelling culture where their voices are valued and heard. Children will become better writing partners and better writers if they are encouraged to contribute their stories, opinions, thoughts and ideas to a community of writers. For children to write well, they need opportunities to read and to hear texts read, and to read as insiders, studying what other authors have done that they could try. Wood End teacher Keri DiNapoli and Killam teacher Tonia McGuire shared how the workshops look at the elementary level. They have been able to work collaboratively sharing ideas and approaches to reading and writing. The use of the writer's workshop approach is beneficial to the students. While students are working independently the teachers can hold mini -lessons or work with small groups. This allows the teachers to work with students at different levels adjusting teaching styles to meet the needs of the students. Mrs. DiNapoli said that in her 4th grade class the students are looking at character development by looking for patterns in their reading. She is also teaching the students to hold book discussions. These discussions have led to great interchange of thoughts and ideas. Ms. McGuire spoke about the writing piece. She said the writers workshop approach is a powerful tool. The writers workshop gives students a choice, they are strategic providing -the students a feeling of confidence and enthusiasm for writing. The students have clear- achievable goals. The ability for teachers to work collaboratively across the district is vital to the success of this approach. Parker teacher Donna Martinson and Coolidge teacher Laura Warren shared the middle school approach. Mrs. Martinson started off by saying that the grade 6 teachers are _seeing results from the -elementary work. The emphasis on reading at the middle school level is building stamina as well as life-long readers- encouraging eadersencouraging a high volume of independent reading, close reading, annotation of text, discussion and writing about text with the Great Books Roundtable and _exploring our literary heritage with core works. All middle school students are reading the same core texts. Mrs. Warren shared the writing side which has an emphasis on building writing stamina, giving the students the tools to write across curriculum and differentiating writing instruction through mini -lessons and conferencing. There is a higher level of rigor with the new standards. Both teachers emphasized the ability to -collaborate is very important to the success of their students. The two middle schools are working together with the same goal of providing the tools for the students to be able to write across the curriculum and become life-long readers. Page 1 4 They finished up by sharing the work being done in the ELA PLC which includes collaboration to align curriculum and instruction, -examine student work, share best practices, conduct text -based discussions, unpack curriculum, examination of student performance data and extending their professional development to sustain and align their practices in both middle schools. Mrs. Borawski was impressed by the passion exhibited by the presenters. Mrs. Webb asked about homework. Mrs. Warren indicated that students have time in class to work on it but there is some writing homework. Mrs. Martinson added that homework assignments allow for revision and editing time. Dr. Dockser asked how the wide range of abilities is handled. Ms. Stodden shared that it is a challenge using the kindergarten' approach as an example where there is story time, the students then draw pictures and finally use labels. Mrs. Borawski followed up and asked about areas of improvement. Ms. Stodden indicated that she has worked a great deal with the K — 2 teachers, using teacher readers and has changed the pacing in the first four months of kindergarten. Mrs. Borawski thanked the group for this very informative presentation. School Committee Vacancy Mrs. Borawski indicated that she would contact the Board of Selectmen chair to post the vacancy left by the resignation of Mrs. Joyce. Mrs. Borawski called a brief recess at _8:48 p.m. The meeting was called back to order at 8:57 p.m. Ballot Question 2 Discussion Mrs. Webb wants to see the resources put into the public schools. She feels money is being siphoned off and put into Charter Schools. Dr. Dockser feels there is a lack of oversight on the spending of public money in the Charter Schools. She is against raising the cap. Mr. Robinson will support -the teachers and -vote no on the question. He feels that in his role as a school committee member it is his job to support a sustainable budget, good policies and leadership and not to focus on ballot questions. Dr. Nihan supports the need for Charter Schools but he is concerned about the funding component. Erin Calvo Bacci asked what the difference was between the money leaving for charters versus vocational schools. Dr. Nihan replied that the vocational schools support a need we do not offer and there is a representative from Reading on the Northeast Voke School Committee. Page 1 5 Dr. Doherty added that funding for Charter Schools comes from the Chapter 70 funding. The vocational school budget is not part of the school department budget. Mrs. Borawski does not feel that raising the cap will hurt Reading and will abstain from the vote. Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Dr. Dockser, that the Reading School Committee opposes the passage if Question 2 which would raise the cap on MA Charter Schools. The motion carried 4-0-1. Mrs. Borawski abstained. Superintendent and District Goals Dr. Doherty reviewed the District Improvement Plan process indicating that there is one goal with four focus areas. He also said that his goals are aligned with the District Improvement Plan. The four focus areas related to the goal are: A — Closing the Achievement Gap: This will be achieved by focusing our energy and effort in identifying and implementing evidence based instructional practices and intervention. B — Literacy: We will improve literacy instruction in all subject areas across the district by providing teachers with time and training, timely supervision and coaching, evidence based tier 2 interventions and clear expectations and pacing charts. C — Mathematics Practices: We will improve mathematics instruction across the district by providing teachers with time and training, timely supervision and coaching, evidence based tier 2 interventions and clear expectations and pacing charts. D — Social Emotional Learning: We will focus our energy and efforts in identifying and implementing evidence based instructional practices and interventions which will improve social emotional learning for all students. In addition to the above focus areas, communication will be embedded in the goal. The measurement towards progress is a three-year process. Dr. Doherty went on to review the Superintendent's Evaluation Process. He went on to review his Student Learning Goal (Closing the Opportunity Gap). During the 2016-19 school years he will lead the staff of the Reading Public Schools to address the academic, social -emotional and behavioral health needs of each of our students through a comprehensive multi -tiered system of support framework of _data, systems and practices. This implementation will be done through the four focus areas in the District Improvement Plan. His Professional Practice Goal is communication. During the 2016-18 school years, the Superintendent will work with the schools and community to increase visibility and enhance two-way communication with parents and the community. Mrs. Borawski asked if the goals were reasonable within the budget restraints. Dr. Doherty feels that most are, we have a set of systems that existing resources Page 1 6 should allow us to move forward. There are critical areas that the district needs to address and budgetary restrictions may mean that these areas will be all we focus on. Dr. Nihan is impressed with the goals but is concerned with teacher morale. Dr. Doherty addressing that concern is a big part of his communication plan by providing useful feedback and being more visible throughout the district. Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mrs. Webb, to accept the Superintendent and District Goals as presented. The motion carried 5-0. Quarterly Personnel Report Mrs. Borawski has asked that this report be included to update the committee on the status of positions in transition. Dr. Doherty thanked Interim HR Administrator Jenn Bove for putting together the list. Most of the hiring was done over the summer. At this point in the year, it slows down. He reviewed the reasons for resignations and said there are a few vacant positions, mostly paraeducators, at this time. Mrs. Borawski asked about the exit interview/survey and asked that information be shared at a meeting at the end of the year. E. Old Business FYI Budget Update Chair Borawski asked the committee to share their guiding principles for the upcoming budget season. Mrs. Webb would like to minimize the impact on the juniors and seniors by keeping programs and sections available to students. She also feelsthatthe focus should be on the core programs as best as possible. This may mean an increase -in class size. She stated that this is the beginning of a difficult conversation. Dr. Dockser read the following: In creating this budget, we must try our hardest to: 1) Retain the structures which will best promote the emotional — social — behavioral health of each and every child so that they can learn and be inspired for this life journey. Learning does not stop here, as portrayed in our vision, goals, and questions — that is why the MTSS framework and collaborating PLC's are vital to promote the safe and healthy education of each child. To be specific about this, there are frameworks and positions within our schools that support our students, teachers, and administrators in this whole -child -quest — such as the Middle School Model; such as PLC's and Curriculum Coaches; such as Team Chairs, and collaborative work across the disciplines, grades, and schools. Page 17 2) In preparing our budget, we need to acknowledge that our responsibility is to ALL children with their diverse backgrounds, needs, interests, and strengths. This means that we need to maintain our programs in art, music, drama, and course choices that enable students to find their strengths like language, robotics, and engineering, and we need to continue to make challenging courses available to those who want to pursue their passions. Mr. Robinson does not want to see increases in fees and offsets. The budget needs to be sustainable, therefore no gimmicks should be used to develop it. He would also like to preserve classroom teachers. Mr. Nihan shared that everything is on the table and should be student centered. It is important to keep class size, particularly K-3 low, make data driven decisions and before adding anything new look at evidence based data. Mrs. Borawski said that the committee must be aware of state and federal mandates. She would like to focus on academic achievement with equity across the levels. She also agrees the budget must be sustainable going forward. III. Routine Matters a. Bills and Payroll (A) Warrant 51718 10.27.16 $104,076.17 Warrant S1719 11.3.16 $457,482.23 Warrant P1710 11.4.16 $1,575,233.81 b. Calendar IV. Information V. Future Business VI. Adjournment Adjourn Mrs. Webb moved, seconded by Mr. Robinson, to adjourn. The motion carried -0. The meeting adjourned at 10:20 p.m. NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as stated in the posted meeting agenda not the order they occurred during the meeting. In F. Dohe , Ed.D. Page 18