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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-05-08 School Committee Minutes01H O� Town of Reading s Meeting Minutes VO s. .a CLIVtU T01VN CLERK READING, MASS. Board - Committee - Commission - Council: School Committee Building: School - Memorial High Address: 82 Oakland Road Purpose: Open Session Attendees: Members - Present: 1011 JU'129 P 0 40 Time: 7:00 PM Location: Superintendent Conference Room Session: Open Session Version: Final Jeanne Borawski, Chuck Robinson, Linda Snow Dockser, Gary Nihan, Nick Boivin Elaine Webb Members - Not Present: Student Representatives Cutone Others Present: Superintendent John Doherty, Director of Finance Gail Dowd, Assistant Superintendent Craig Martin, Director of Student Services Carolyn Wilson, Student Representative Alex Nazzaro, Reading Chronicle Reporter Al Sylvia, Selectman John Arena & Barry Berman, Technology Intergration Specialists Meg Powers, Kathy Santilli, & Chuck Strout, Parker Principal Ricki Shankland, Barrows Principal Heather Leonard, SEPAC member Alicia Williams 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 7:00 p.m. and reviewed the agenda. Public Hearine on School Choice Chair Borawski opened the public hearing. Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Dr. Snow Dockser, pursuant to the provisions of G.L.c. 76 & 12B that the School Committee of Reading, following a public Mr. Boivin asked for the rationale of opting out of School Choice. Dr. Doherty explained that under the law School Department's may opt to allow out of district students to attend their schools. Reading is unable to accommodate additional students because of enrollment concerns. Page I 1 The motion carried 6-0. Chair Borawski closed the public hearing at 7:05 p.m. II. Recommended Procedure A. Public Comment Barry Berman addressed his remarks in response to a recent Letter to the Editor by a RMHS graduate outlining the need to address the social emotional needs of all students, sharing some of her experiences while attending the Reading Public Schools. Mr. Berman encouraged the School Committee to look at the health/wellness of all our students as the FY19 budget discussions begin later this year. Before moving on to the evening's agenda, Mrs. Borawski shared that it was Alex Nazzaro's last meeting as Student Representative. She praised Ms. Nazzaro for being an articulate, intelligent contributor and it has been a pleasure to work with her for these two yews. She wished her luck next year at Holy Cross. B. Consent Agenda Mr. Robinson asked the Committee if there were any consent agenda items that they would like removed. Mr. Boivin asked to have the RMHS field trip to the Czech Republic and Poland removed. Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mr. Boivin, to approve the consent agenda as amended. The motion carried 6-0. - Approve a RMHS Field Trip to the Metropolitan Opera in 2018 - Accept a Donation to Wood End - Approval of Minutes (April 25, 2017) Approval of RMHS Field Trip — Czech Republic & Poland Mr. Boivin had concerns regarding the student/chaperone ratio, insurance and illness. Dr. Doherty indicated that this field trip, as with all school sanctioned field trips, follows the field trip guideline with a 10:1 ratio. The insurance is through the travel company, Explorica and if any student became ill during the trip the field trip protocol would be followed. Dr. Nihan followed up asking about student drinking because in some countries the drinking age is lower than in the U.S. Dr. Doherty said that this is a School department trip and the students are bound by all rules, regulations and policies. Mr. Boivin moved, seconded by Mrs. Webb, to approve the RMHS field trip to the Czech Republic and Poland in the summer of 2019. The motion carried 6-0. Page 1 2 C. New Business — (out of order Report on Communication and Website Roll -Out Dr. Doherty introduced Technology Integration Specialists Meg Powers, Kathy Santilli and Chuck Strout who will present on the website roll-out. Dr. Doherty provided an overview of the communication changes that are occurring. The change is being driven by the Communication Audit that was conducted in October 2015. Since the audit our schools and district have included social media and enhanced newsletters as part of communication tools to parents and the community. This year the district transitioned to an integrated cloud based student information management system, communication portal, and website system. As part of the District effort to improve communication, Dr. Doherty sends out a weekly newsletter, maintains a blog and Twitter and Facebook accounts and weekly email updates on activities in the district are sent. The Superintendent has held 49 weekly office hour sessions to date with over 100 visitors. He feels these opportunities are very valuable as an outreach for parents and community members. There have been over 360,000 visits to our website since August. Mr. Boivin asked that a link to the Communication Audit be added to the website. Dr. Snow Dockser thanked Mrs. Wilson and SEPAC Board Member Alicia Williams for updating the SEPAC page. She also mentioned the importance of the Pathways/Joumey newsletters by providing insightful information to educational practices. Mrs. Borawski appreciates the importance of the Superintendent's Office Hours to connect with people. She also pointed out that the shift to cloud services was cost neutral. Dr. Doherty said there was a cost savings. Website and Plus Portal Meg Powers shared that feedback from the audit cited dissatisfaction with Edline. The parents felt it was difficult to maneuver and there was not enough information. By moving to Cloud Services at Redikeq software updates are done automatically and backups are done regularly by Cloud Services, our state reporting process has also been streamlined by allowing immediate access to data and help us trouble shoot any issues, all users have remote access and we can access all modules. We are no longer paying for each module which is a cost savings'for the district and all modules are compatible. Kathy Samilli continued with an overview of the website. The main pages of each school and district website provides general school information. The individual pages are continually being updated. The Plus Portal is specific to students and requires a log -in. Additionally, there is a teacher and parent portal. Teachers can access gradebook and track attendance and lunch counts in a more efficient manner. Parents are provided with greater access of information on their children's progress as well as school events. Page 1 3 Mr. Robinson wants to be sure that the teachers are using the portal effectively. Dr. Doherty said that when we rolled out the website, training was provided and teachers were given a level of expectations. Training is on-going. Mr. Boivin asked the following questions: How is Rediker paid for this service? We pay Rediker based on the number of modules and schools. Are we at risk if they increase their rates? We have been a customer of Rediker since the 1980's and they have always provided excellent customer service Do we have an annual contract? Yes Can parents set alerts? No Can teachers see their student's performance over past years through the portal? Not through the portal. Mrs. Webb asked if the administration has access to historical information. Ms. Powers indicated that the principals and guidance counselors have a higher level of access to information and can access historical information. Mr. Strout added that guidance and principals have had access through Admin Plus. Mr. Boivin followed up by asking if the portal is used as a tool to guide pacing and curriculum. Mrs. Shankland said the teachers use their prep time to discuss curriculum and pacing. She added that dialogues that occur between teachers is a more important tool when addressing the needs of students. Mr. Strout also said that the portal has a lesson plan tool that allows teachers to enter their lesson plans and they will be permanently accessible. New Course Request Process Mr. Strout provided an overview of the New Course Request Process at the high school. This year the course selection was done online. Teachers first input recommendations, then the students input their course requests followed by parent approval and comment and finally guidance reviews and approves the requests. The guidance staff met with all high school students during this process. Once course selection was completed the data was sent to Admin Plus, with guidance processing the special cases at which point the scheduling could begin. Mr. Strout said it took 3 weeks to complete the process. The advantages of using the PlusPortals for scheduling includes all stake holders get to state their preference/recommendation, all information is documented and available for reference, it is accurate and faster. The student app is very popular allowing student's instant updates of information; the parent app provides the information parents are looking for and requesting and the teacher's app is allowing them to build their curriculum online. What it looks like in our schools Page 14 Mrs. Leonard pointed out that the PlusPortal looks different at the elementary level. Mrs. Shankland thanked Kathy Sawilli, Meg Powers and Marcia Grant for work they have done to date to launch the website. Incoming communication is happening via email, the portal system, surveys, phone calls and input forms. The portal is being used for outgoing communications to share information about classroom happenings, school events, sharing of resources and more. Most of the mass communications are saved in the portal allowing parents to access them at any time, information specific to students do not need to be available to the public. Homework and class materials are available to students through the portal and at the secondary level, grades are updated about every two weeks. All our schools and district are using social media in the form of Facebook, Twitter, blogs, school and district webpages and newsletters/newspapers as a means of communication. Opportunities for two-way communication are available through orientations and transition meeting, conference and team meetings, school councils, principal coffees, and the school WASH committees. Dr. Nihan asked if there has been an increase in parent inquiries regarding grades. Mrs. Shankland said no there were not. Dr. Snow Dockser asked whether volunteerism was declining. Mrs. Leonard said that more parents are working outside of the home so the ways they are volunteering is changing so they do so in many ways and there are a wide range of opportunities. Mrs. Borawski asked about student privacy and protection. Dr. Doherty said there are protections in place for all data at multiple levels SEPAC board member Alicia Williams asked about the unpopulated areas of the website and are there methods to identify pages that are visited more than others. Dr. Doherty shared that the websites are maintained and updated by the administrative teams and are slowly being updated. Dr. Doherty reviewed the direction the district will move to continue to improve communication with the parents and community which include local cable information sessions, Parent University, the formation of the RPS Communication Advisory Council and a school community survey. Reports Student Representative Student Representative Naz aro reported on the upcoming senior activities. May 1911 is the last day of school for seniors which will be followed by finals, the prom, boat cmise/all-night party and class day. The RMHS Scholastic Awards night will be held this week with the induction of the new National Honor Society members. Senior Awards Night takes place next week and the spring band and choral concerts are coming up. Liaison's Report Page 1 5 Dr. Snow Dockser reported that the Human Relations Advisory Committee will be meeting Thursday and encouraged residents to attend. She also attended the Elder Services Workshop and the Reading Police Open House is on Saturday. Mrs. Borawski reported that Town Meeting wrapped up Thursday night approving the FY2018 budget She thanked Dr. Doherty for his work and the thorough presentation. Director of Student Services Mrs. Wilson shared that 30 students from Reading participated in the Special Olympics in Malden last week. It was a great event. She also reported that the DESE has completed their mid-cycle review and she hopes to have the report sometime this summer. There are currently two Team Chair vacancies in the district and there was a presentation by two of our school psychologists who shared information on their role and duties. Lastly, she reported that the SEPAC By -Laws Subcommittee will be meeting this week and she is addressing concerns that have arisen with one of our transportation providers. Sunerintendent's Report Dr. Doherty reported on a graffiti incident at the high school and read the following email sent by Principal Baler. "Good afternoon, RMHS Community - 1 am disappointed to report that last week several students discovered a swastika drawn on a floor the in a foreign language class room. These students quickly scribbled out this hurtful symbol and then reported it to an adult, who then informed school administration. At Reading Memorial High School, we strive jor all students and staff to work towards promoting and attaining—not only the core values ofscholarship and perseverance -but also the core values ofrespect and responsibility. As a result, while there is certainly plenty of room for respectful disagreement and debate here at RMHS there is absolutely no place for hate of any kind in our school community. We are committed to helping students to express themselves honestly and authentically but to also do so in a respectful way that allows for growth but also makes all of our students feel safe and important.....even in disagreement. Obviously, the work ojpromoting tolerance, acceptance, and respectful debate is an ongoing process with young adults and presents itself often in unpredictable ways that fall beyond the scope and sequence ojour daily curriculum. At RMHS, however, we hope to capitalize on these teachable moments—although painful and uncomfortable—and help bring students to a place of mutual respect regardless of each other's differences. Regarding this unfortunate act of bias, we have been investigating the situation and will eventually issue discipline to the student or students involved, as well as education and restorative justice. Our guidance counselors and administrators have also been having discussions with and offering support to students who may have seen this symbol and asking them jor input on improving issues of respect Page 1 6 and tolerance. From these early conversations, we hope to reach out to different departments and fend regular reoccurring places to insert these themes of acceptance in a way that makes it an ongoing part of our daily academic and social life. Lastly, in the next couple of weeks, we will be meeting with student leaders and each of the grade level classes to review and hopefully adopt a student -driven message pledging respect and tolerance from every member of the RMHS Community. Although these messages of bias and hate may unfortunately occur from time to time, RAMS stands united --in spite of our individual differences --ready to accept everyone as a member of our proud community and to stand up for those who may be rejected ­even if only by a few. Ifyou have any concerns regarding bias or discrimination, please contact your children's guidance counselor or administrator immediately. Thank you all for your support ofour RMHS Community. Respectfully, Adam Bakr, Principal Reading Memorial High School Adam. bakr@readi ng. k12. ma. us 781-944-8200x809" He stated that the protocol recommended by the Anti -Defamation League is being followed and the investigation is on-going. Mrs. Webb appreciated Mr. Bakr's email and there are many important aspects including using this incident as a teachable moment with a student driven message. Selectman John Arena asked what the protocol was. Dr. Doherty said there is an internal investigation, communication to the community and how we will move forward. D. Old Business Superintendent's Evaluation Process Superintendent Doherty provided a brief overview of the final piece of the Superintendent's Evaluation process including the timeline and form to be used. He said the evaluation process begins tonight. Committee members will have until May 22nd to complete their initial evaluation. These documents should be sent to the Superintendent and the Chair. Individual meetings will be set up with each committee member to discuss the evaluation. The final individual summative evaluations are due June 5ih and should be sent to the Superintendent and Mrs. Borawski who will be compiling the composite evaluation document this year. Dr. Doherty will have additional data related to the District Improvement Plan later in May. Mr. Boivin asked for links on the website to the school committee presentations as they connect to the goals. He would also like information on what has been identified for improvement and the outcomes. He next requested information on Page 1 items that we are not doing — what is being set aside. His fear is that there is too much going on. E. New Business Appointment to Collaboratives NEC Appointment Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mrs. Webb, to appoint Superintendent John F. Doherty as the Reading Public Schools' representative to the Board of Directors of the Northshore Education Consortium for the 2017-2018 school year. Dr. Doherty said he has been on the Board for 8 years. Mr. Robinson asked what the guidelines were. Dr. Doherty responded that the representative must be the Superintendent or a School Committee member. The motion carried 6-0. SEEM Appointment Mr. Robinson 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 SEEM Collaborative for the 2017-2018 school year. The motion carried 6-0. III. Routine Matters a. Bills and Payroll (A) Warrant S1744 4.27.17 $271,533.42 Warrant 51745 5.4.17 $231,032.23 Warrant P1723 5.5.17 $1,483,751.92 b. Calendar IV. Information/Correspondence Chair Borawski pointed out additional information in the packet for this meeting. V. Future Business VI. Adioumment Adjourn Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mr. Boivin, to enter into executive session to discuss strategv with respect to collective bargaining, and to not return to Page 1 8 open session. The roll call vote carried 6-0. Mr. Boivin, Mrs. Webb, Dr. Nihan, Mr. Robinson, Dr. Snow Dockser, and Mrs. Borawski. The meeting adjourned at 9.38 p.m. NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as stated in the posted meeting agenda not the order they occurred during the meeting. )o D�oherty,Fd.D. Page 1 9