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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-08-30 School Committee Minutes FR Town of Reading Meeting Minutes U I J ioard - committee - commission - council: 1111 OCT -3 PM I: 35 School Committee Date: 2018-08-30 Time: 6:00 PM Building: School - Memorial High Location: School Library Address: 62 Oakland Road Session: Open Session Purpose: Open Session Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: Chuck Robinson, Linda Snow Dockser, Elaine Webb, Nick Boivin, Sherri Vanden Akker, and Jeanne Borawski Members - Not Present: Others Present: Superintendent John Doherty, Director of Finance Gail Dowd, Director of Student Services Carolyn Wilson, Assistant Superintendent Christine Kelley, Student Representative Maura Drummey, Human Resourses Administrator Jenn Bove, RPS Principals and New Teachers, Director of Facilities Joe Huggins, Town Manager Bob LeLacheur, At Sylvia - Reading Chronicle Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Linda Engelson on behalf of the Chair Topics of Discussion: I. Call to Order Chair Robinson reviewed the agenda and called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. A. Introduction of New Teachers Mr. Robinson welcomed the administrators and new teachers and said this event is a favorite of the School Committee. Dr. Doherty provided an overview of the Induction Week activities. Ms. Bostwick introduced the new RISE Preschool staff. Ms. Marchant introduced the new teachers at the Coolidge Middle School. Mrs. Shankland introduced the new teachers at the Parker Middle School. Mrs. Boynton introduced the new teachers at Reading Memorial High School. Dr. Doherty introduced new Barrows principal Beth Leavitt. Ms. Leveque introduced the new teachers at the Killam School. Page I 1 Mrs. King introduced the new teachers at the Wood End School. Mrs. Hendrix introduced the new teachers at the Birch Meadow School. Mrs. Ippolito introduced the new teachers at the Joshua Eaton School. Mrs. Kelley introduced the new district staff. Mrs. Wilson introduced the new district Special Education staff. Dr. Doherty commended the principals for their efforts in hiring new staff over the summer. He also thanked Human Resources Administrator Jenn Bove for her tireless work processing the new hires. Mr. Robinson called a brief recess at 6:20 p.m. Mr. Robinson called the meeting back to order at 6:21 p.m. B. Reorganization Chair Robinson handed the gavel over to the Superintendent. Superintendent Doherty thanked Mr. Robinson for his leadership over the past year. He then asked for nominations for Chair. Mr. Boivin nominated Mrs. Webb, seconded by Dr. Snow Dockser, for the position of Chair for the 2018-19 school year. The roll call vote carried 6—0. Mr. Boivin, Dr. Vanden Akker, Mrs. Borawski, Mr. Robinson,Dr. Snow Dockser and Mrs. Webb. Dr. Doherty congratulated Mrs. Webb and turned the gavel over to the new chair. She asked for nominations for Vice Chair. Dr. Vanden Akker nominated Dr. Snow Dockser, seconded by Mr. Robinson. for the position of Vice-Chair for the 2018-19 school year. Mr. Boivin nominated Mrs. Borawski, seconded by Dr. Vanden Akker,for the position of Vice Chair for the 2018-19 school vear. Chair Webb call for a vote on the nomination of Dr. Snow Dockser for the position of Vice Chair. The roll call vote carried 5— 1. Dr. Vanden Akker, Mrs. Borawski, Mr. Robinson.Dr. Snow Dockser and Mrs.Webb. Mr. Boivin voting against. C. Public Input There was no public input. D. New Business Summer Update—Facilities cage 1 2 Mr. Huggins said it was a very busy summer for his department and reviewed the work that has been done. E. Old Business FY2019 Capital Plan Dr. Doherty said that for over a year there have been discussions about space needs at our elementary schools which are driven by both enrollment and programs. The number of special education programs in our district have increased steadily since 2005 and this year families opting for full day kindergarten is at 89%. We continue to maintain and make upgrades and updates to the Killam School but there are things that cannot be done without triggering some other thresholds required by law. Over the past year, Dr. Doherty and Mrs. Dowd have been working with the School Committee, Town Manager, Mr. Huggins and the Permanent Building Committee to determine the best course of action to address the needs of all the elementary schools from a learning and teaching prospective and how does it play into enrollment. Where does Killam fit into the Master Elementary Plan? We have not had an enrollment study done in several years. Mrs. Dowd will review the first steps in the process. She will present two requests to begin the process of assessing elementary enrollment as well as the overall elementary space needs in the district. If these requests are approved by the School Committee, the request will be reviewed and presented as part of the overall Capital Plan review as part of November Town Meeting. The first request is to repurpose$20,000 for existing door work at two elementary schools for the enrollment study. The Facilities Department routinely maintains these doors and feels there is no need to replace them at this point. The second request is to reassign the funds currently in the Permanent Building Committee tine,that were earmarked for capital projects from the override, to fund an Elementary Master Plan Study. Mr. Robinson wanted to emphasize that the Permanent Building Committee was formed a year ago and these requests being made tonight are a result of their recommendations. Mrs. Webb shared the importance of having this committee in place as a resource as the district moves forward with the recommendations resulting from the Elementary Master Study. Mr. LeLacheur clarified why the override funds were placed in the permanent Building Committee line with the intent to address the elementary space needs and will ask that these funds be moved into a separate line item that could be called Elementary Space Study. The funds will be used for the same purpose. Mrs. Borawski asked how doors and windows came to be on the capital plan and is the work being put off. Mr. Huggins said doors and windows are a target of the Page 1 3 capital plan. He said we have been able to do the repairs in house allowing us to save a great amount of money. Mr. Boivin asked why do an enrollment study at this time. With all the development in the community wouldn't it be wiser to wait. Dr. Doherty said communities generally have enrollment studies done every 7— 10 years. We have not had one done since the early 2000s. The enrollment study will took at future developments and housing and how they will impact schools. This is a very good time to have this done. A key element of the Master Plan study is an enrollment study. The enrollment study will project forward allowing us to see trends. Mr. Boivin asked how $20,000 was determined as the cost. Dr. Doherty indicated studies may range from $15,000 - $20,000 and decided to use the high end. These numbers are based on historical costs for districts our size. Mrs. Dowd shared that once the funds are approved, we will seek 3 written bids and follow the procurement laws because the cost would be over $10,000. Dr. Vanden Akker asked for clarification on what an enrollment study looks at. Mrs. Dowd said it will be the best estimate based upon population trends, housing etc. It will identify needs and bubbles. Mrs. Borawski wanted to ensure that any study will take into account the modular and how it connects to the Locker Report. Dr. Doherty shared that there may be some information that can be used from the Locker Report which was done in 2011. This report was not a comprehensive drill down report. It was enough to give us information for the next steps. The report served a useful purpose at the time, but a lot has happened since it was done in our district as well as in education. Our special education programs have increased, full day kindergarten and preschool enrollment has also increased. Dr. Snow Dockser moved, seconded by Mr. Boivin, to approve the shift of funding from existing door work to complete a School Enrollment Study in the amount of$20,000 within the FV19 Capital Plan. Mrs. Webb said the $20,000 is currently in the capital plan and Mrs. Dowd added that the funds are allocated to the schools. Mr. Boivin is not opposed to an enrollment study but feels he is uninformed regarding the costs of the study. He would like to wait until the Spring Town meeting. Dr. Doherty shared that the$20,000 can only be used for the doors at the two schools without Town Meeting action. Mrs. Webb said we continue to talk about programmatic and space needs. We need to take the time to do the study and master plan before we encounter other issues. The Permanent Building Committee made it clear that these are important steps to take to move forward. Page 14 Mr. LeLacheur reiterated what Mr. Huggins had said regarding the door repairs we have made and the funding is not needed. Mr. LeLacheur feels the money should be given back and if the School Committee wants to use it for another purpose they can ask Town Meeting. This money cannot be used for other items. Dr. Vanden Akker asked how the Locker Report and other studies will dovetail with the proposed plan. Dr. Doherty clarified that the Locker Report was not an enrollment study and the work done as part of the St. Agnes project were driven by programmatic needs rather than enrollment. Mr. Boivin asked if there would be money available if repairs needed to be made to doors or windows if you approve the shift of funds. Mr. LeLacheur said that the money being discussed could only be used for the two buildings it was allocated for. If unanticipated repairs were needed the Facilities Department has funds available to address the needs. Redident Marianne Downing asked why the enrollment piece of the Locker Report is not sufficient. Dr. Doherty responded that the report did not take into account any new housing and developments in town. Dr. Vanden Akker is comfortable with this action. Mr. Boivin feels the money should be giving back to the town and it is an improper use of this money. He would like to have a separate discussion. Dr. Doherty said an enrollment study must be done prior to doing any master plan study. The motion carried 5-1. Mr. Boivin voting against. Dr. Snow Dockser moved, seconded by Mr. Boivin, to request additional funding to perform an Elementary Master Plan Study in the amount of $207,500. Mrs. Dowd began by saying this would be Phase II after the enrollment study has been performed. The information will be used to do a complete study to determine space needs, effective use of space to meet the needs of our students. The Permanent Building Committee has strongly recommended that a complete plan be completed prior to coming before the stakeholders. Mr. LeLacheur added that the Permanent Building Committee will require a complete,thoroughly investigated and professional proposal before they will consider action. Mrs. Webb asked Mr. Huggins to share what is involved with the proposed study. Mr. Huggins said the vendor will look at the conditions of the existing buildings, the age, use, condition of the systems, maintenance, access to and traffic flow Page 1 5 around. He said the process is very comprehensive. The Permanent Building Committee has an assessment tool that will be given to the vendor to use. The Facilities Department will start to use the assessment tool at our elementary buildings including all the data they have gathered through their systems. He feels the Master Plan Study may take at least 6 months to complete. Mrs. Webb asked if the dollar amount was sufficient. Mr. Huggins shared that he has spoken to a couple of vendors and they feel the cost is within an acceptable range for an Elementary Master Plan Study. Mr. Robinson asked about the timeline for the enrollment study. Mrs. Dowd explained that after Town Meeting approves the funding, we will develop the specs requesting quotations through the procurement process. We could also begin the process for the Master Plan Study at the same time. There are pieces of the planning study that can take place at the same time as the enrollment study such as building conditions, space and program needs. Mr. Robinson asked about the ramifications if we waited to start the Master Plan process and just digested the enrollment study. Dr. Doherty said because of the door and window piece we are coming to the committee for two separate requests. If this piece didn't exist we would be coming to the committee with one request for the total amount for the planning study which would include an enrollment study. Mr. Boivin asked if the $207,500 was the total amount of the override for capital. Mr. LeLacheur said it was and was allocated to the Permanent Building Committee line for the purpose of the enrollment and elementary master plan study. He added that the town side has three capital projects that have gone through the planning study process. Members of the committee asked clarifying questions. Mrs. Downing asked for clarification on what schools would be included in the planning study. The answer was PreK— 5. Mr. Berman shared lessons learned during the override process and heard from the community overwhelmingly that they want everything on the table at the onset of any project like this. He also encouraged all groups to continue to work together. Mr. Boivin offered an amendment to the original motion that reads: "and provide the public with supporting documentation commensurate with other Reading Building Projects in conjunction with the Office of the Town Manager." This amendment was seconded by Mr. Robinson. Mr. LeLacheur said we have a procurement officer and all projects over$25,000 would go through the Town Manager and the Procurement Officer. He added all documents are public. Mr. Robinson referred to the amendment saying we are required by law to make documents available. This was confirmed by the Town Manager. Mrs. Webb asked for a vote on the amended motion. Page J 6 The motion failed 1 —5. Mrs. Webb, Dr. Vanden Akker,Dr. Snow Dockser, Mr. Robinson and Mrs. Borawski voting against. Dr. Snow Dockser reread the original motion. The original motion carried 6-0. F. Consent Agenda Mrs. Webb asked if the committee wanted any items removed from the consent agenda. Mrs. Borawski asked that the August 8, 2018 minutes be removed. Approval of RMHS Switzerland Field Trip Accept a Donation from the Wood End PTO Accept a Donation from the Reading Cooperative Charitable Foundation Mrs.Webb moved,seconded by Dr. Snow Dockser, to approve the consent agenda as amended. The motion carried 6-0. Mrs. Borawski proposed two changes to the August 8`^ minutes. She would like the paragraph on page 6 that began Mrs. Borawski reported..... The committee already voted on that report in a set of previous minutes. Mrs. Webb asked for a motion to strike the paragraph identified by Mrs. Borawski. Mr. Robinson made the requested motion. The motion carried 5- 0-1. Dr. Vanden Akker abstaining. Mrs. Borawski moved that the following section be removed - midway on page 4—midway on nage 5 up to Jams for Jake—"additional information for packet from Erica McNamara" feeling this information was not read or discussed at the meeting. Dr. Snow Dockser explained that she said during her report she was also including other information that she would not read in the interest of time but would submit as part of the minutes. Mr. Boivin offering a friendly amendment, seconded by Mrs. Borawski, to remove the identified paragraph from the meeting minutes and include it as additional information. The motion carried 5-0-1. Dr. Vanden Akker abstaining. G. Old Business Second Reading and Approval of Revised Policy JICH—Alcohol Tobacco and Drug,Use by Students Prohibited Dr. Snow Dockser moved,seconded by Mr. Boivin, to accept the second reading of revised policy JICH—Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drug Use by Students Prohibited. Mrs. Webb began the second reading. Page 1 7 Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mrs. Borawski, that the committee forego the further reading of the policy. The motion carried 6-0. Dr. Doherty reviewed the revisions made since the first reading. The original motion carried 6-0. Second Reading of Revised Policy EBC—School Safety Mrs. Webb moved,seconded by Mrs. Borawski,to accept the second reading of revised policy EBC—School Safety. Dr. Snow Dockser began the second reading. Mrs. Webb moved, seconded by Dr. Vanden Akker,that the committee forego the further reading of the policy. The motion carried 6-0. Dr. Doherty reviewed the revisions made since the first reading. The original motion carried 6-0. H. Reports Mrs. Webb introduced new student representative Maura Drummey. Student Ms. Drummey reported on the recent freshman orientation and the first day of school activities at the high school. She also reported that athletics begin next week, and auditions will be held for the fall musical "Mamma Mia". Liaison Dr. Vanden Akker reported on the recent Select Board meeting. The Board formally condemned the acts of hate at the Parker Middle School earlier in the spring. The Select Board also reorganized at their meeting. Dr. Snow Dockser reported on the following: Our best wishes go to Erica McNamara, Director of RCASA, who has accepted and already started a new position as Program Director for Student Mental Health and Wellness at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. We will miss her and appreciate all of the vital work she has done since the founding of RCASA. Ms. McNamara's and Outreach Coordinator, Julianne DeAngelis's award- winning work was reported at the last School Committee meeting. As part of the SAMHSA's NATIONAL 2017 Recovery Month Award earned by RCASA, a representative was invited all expenses paid to Washington DC in September. Because neither Ms. McNamara nor Ms. DeAngelis can attend, our own School Committee Member, Sherri Vanden Akker has asked to accept the award on RCASA's behalf. Page 1 8 Dr. Vanden Akker will also be the keynote speaker for the RCASA Annual Meeting on September 27th. The next RCASA meeting is next Thursday, Sept. 13 from 5:30—6:30 at the Police Station. Friends of METCO Pool Party Despite stormy weather during the day on August 22nd, the skies cleared in time for the annual Friends of METCO Pool Party and BBQ. About a hundred folks gathered to enjoy swimming, dinner, and each other's company! Thank you to the Elementary School PTOs and all of the families who contributed the food and life guard funding; to Swim Coach Lois Margeson for her wonderful life guarding; and to all of the staff and families who attended and made the event so fun! Stay tuned for more information about the Friends of METCO Chorus and other upcoming events. She also reported on the staff welcome back meeting that she attended. Mrs. Borawski also attended the staff welcome back meeting. The SEPAC will hold their first meeting on September I I" and on September 18" there will be a presentation on the Parker Program review. Also, on September 18"there will be a Special Education Meet & Greet. The SEPAC will also be updating their website and all this information can be found there. Mrs. Borawski updated the community on the 375 ^Anniversary Celebration which will occur from May 31 —June 15, 2019. The committee continues to work on community event fundraisers such as an open mike night (Oct. 6ih) and their 3rd trivia night (Nov. 9th). The group will have a table at the Street Faire and encourage the community to stop by, say hi, or consider volunteering. Director of Student Services Mrs. Wilson reported on the September I8`h SEPAC meeting which will be a facilitated listening session and presentation of an action plan. A full presentation will be done at the September 20" School Committee meeting. Assistant Superintendent Mrs. Kelley reported that this is her 31" first day as an educator and 1" in Reading. She shared how impressed she was with the level of caring and welcoming exhibited during the opening of school and added that the schools look terrific. I. New Business Summer Updates Curriculum l Iodates Page 1 9 Superintendent Doherty shared that we were able to purchase a tremendous amount of curriculum materials using FYI money. Purchases included science focused on the high school and grades K—2 as well as elementary literacy Professional Development/Curriculum Development The Superintendent updated the committee on the professional development activities including the New Teacher Induction program which was 4 days of training for the new teachers in the district and work associated with the RADAR grant(with SEEM). Curriculum work and lesson planning occurred at the high school level. Twelve staff members participated in a Responsive Discipline book club at Joshua Eaton and core values work was done at Killam. The elementary schools developed elementary social-emotional teaming standards to align with Open Circle and other curriculum areas and at the middle school level, the Advisory Program was revised based on feedback from last year, a social emotional learning standard was developed to align with Advisory and the Math teachers worked on grade 8 curriculum due to the collapsing levels. The teachers also went through the Envision Math Program and prepared areas to pilot this year. Special Education Training and Updates Special Education trainings over the summer included Landmark training for the high school Bridge Program staff in the areas of teaching algebra, reading comprehension and visualizing and verbalizing. At Joshua Eaton training and professional development included Lively Letters, Wilson Reading, Read Naturally and Summer Planning and curriculum work was done by the RMHS Learning Center staff. The RISE staff collaborated on curriculum planning time and specialized teaching for preschool. This year 293 students were recommended for the program with 202 opting to participate. The five-week program, overseen by Assistant Director of Student Services Allison Wright,was housed at Birch Meadow, Coolidge and the RISE Preschool with 71 staff members providing the services. Allison Wright surveyed the staff for feedback and we have debriefed this summer with ideas for improving next summer. Human Resources Human Resources Administrator Jean Bove and her staff worked tirelessly over the summer hiring teaching and support staff for the start of the school year. We still have some positions open. We have hired the School Business Assistant and are in the process of hiring an Interim Director of Student Services. Technologv The Technology Department replaced and added several hundred computers for students and staff. They also added 7 new computer carts and new networking hardware in the schools. There were also upgrades made to the wireless network, security systems and the firewall. School Safety Page 1 10 Several staff members participated in an active shooter exercise with police and fire at the Killam School. In addition, work was done revising the Emergency Operations Manuals for all schools and a newly formatted safety calendar was created. The second SRO was hired and will be stationed at Parker. Other Dr. Doherty finished up by saying the first two days of schools were amazing. We will be hosting officials from the USDOE Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services on September 14ih. They will be here to visit the RISE Preschool and our special education programs. The district will once again hold Parent University with the date to be determined and the results of the PRIDE Survey will be presented at a future meeting. if. Routine Matters a. Bills and Payroll (A) Warrant S1908 8.23.18 $113,295.54 Warrant 51909 8.30.18 $141,311.71 b. Calendar IIL Information/Correspondence IV. Future Business V. Adjournment Adjourn Dr. Snow Dockser stated to protect the bargaining position of the board and moved,seconded by Mrs. Borawski, to enter executive session to discuss strategies with respect to collective bargaining,the approval of minutes and not to return to open session. The roll call vote carried 6-0. Mrs. Borawski. Dr. Snow Dockser,Mr. Robinson, Mr. Boivin,Dr. Vanden Akker and Mrs. Webb. The meeting adjourned at 9:28 p.m. NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as stated in the posted meeting agenda not the order they occurred during the meeting. Link to meeting video: https://voutu.be/c7sINF5o2UY Joh I. Doherty, Ed.D Page 11