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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-08-29 School Committee Minutes c Town of Reading RECEIVED - , : Meeting Minutes TOWN CLERK fig` READjtjG, MA. Board - committee - commission - council: 2115 SEP 24 PM 1' 59 School committee Date: 2019-08-29 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, Jeanne Borawski, Tom Wise, and John Parks Members - Not Present: Superintendent John Doherty Others Present: Chief Financial Officer Gail Dowd, Assistant Superintendent Christine Kelley, Director of Student Services Jennifer Stys, Human Resources Administrator Jenn Bove, RPS Principals, Director of Facilities Joe Huggins, and Director of Athletics Tom Zaya Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Linda Engelson on behalf of the Chair Topics of Discussion: L Call to Order Chair Robinson called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. Mr. Robinson took a moment to acknowledge the passing of Nelson Burbank. A. New Teacher Introductions Mrs. Kelley shared information on the New Teacher Induction program that took place last week. There were 35 new teachers that participated in the 4-day program. Mrs. Kelley thanked all that presented and is looking forward to a great year. Human Resources Administrator Jenn Bove thanked the Central Office leadership team, principals and directors for their hard work in preparing for the new year. She introduced RMHS Assistant Principal Craig Murray who recognized the new teachers at the high school. Mr. Murray is also a new administrator at the high school and wanted to share that the RMHS community has been very welcoming. Mrs. Marchant introduced the new teachers at the Coolidge Middle School. Mrs. Leavitt introduced the new teachers at the Barrows School. Page 1 1 Mrs. Ippolito introduced the new teachers at the Joshua Eaton School. Ms. Leveque introduced the new teachers at the Killam School. Mrs. Hendrix introduced the new teachers at the Birch Meadow School. Dr. King introduced the new teachers at the Wood End School. Ms. Bostwick introduced the new teachers at the RISE Preschool. Dr. Stys introduced the new district and special education staff. Chair Robinson called a brief recess at 6:33 p.m. The meeting was called back to order at 6:35 p.m. B. Public Input Mr. Robinson called for public comment. Marianne Downing,Heather Drive,wanted to commend the Central Office staff for their work over the summer. She wanted to share that community members are pleased that music has been added back to the RISE Preschool. C. Consent Agenda Mr. Robinson asked if the committee wanted any items removed from the consent agenda. There were no items removed. - Accept a Donation to RMHS Boys Hockey - Accept a Donation from the Barrows PTO - Accept a Donation from the Birch Meadow PTO - Accept a Donation from Friends of RMHS Cheering - Approval of Minutes(July 11,2019) Mn. Borawski moved seconded by Mr. Wise,to approve the consent agenda. The motion carried 6-0. D. Reports Liaisons Dr. Snow Dockser reported on the following events and activities that occurred over the last several weeks. Dr. Dockser participated in two days of professional development which included a Cultural Competence class and the MTA Equity course. She also participated in the Birch Meadow Urban Improv activity. She went on to thank all those that helped make the Annual METCO Pool Party a success. Dr. Dockser updated the committee on the recent Ad-Hoc Committee meeting where discussions continue around the mission and structure of Human Rights Organization. The RCASA update included a reminder of the annual meeting that will take place on September 2511 at Jordan's IMAX Theater and the YRBS presentation at the September 121h School Committee meeting. She reported on the recent Select Board meeting at which they addressed underaged Page 1 2 drinking. She added that although there is a continued high rate of underage drinking,there has been a decrease attributed to the RPS policies and interventions in place. The Young Women's League has made a donation toward the cost of the William James Interface Program and DA Marian Ryan has helped defray the expense of Narcan by donating 16 doses across the district. Mr. Robinson reported that the Select Board has voted a proclamation in honor of Nelson Burbank which will be presented at the first home football game. Mr. Robinson has been asked to sit on the Police Chief Search Committee. Mrs. Webb reported that the HRAC Ad-Hoc Committee has low resources and participants. Mr. Wise reported that at the Select Board meeting the paving of Route 28 was discussed. Mrs. Dowd understood that most of the paving work would be done at night. Chief Financial Officer Mrs. Dowd reported that the Financial Forum scheduled on September 18`has been cancelled. E. Old Business Adopt the School Committee Operating Protocols Mrs Borawski moved seconded by Mr. Parks to accept the revised School Committee Operating Protocols. Mr. Wise suggested some grammatical changes to the document. Dr. Snow Dockser feels teachers should be supported and offered a suggestion under roles to add to the a bullet by adding the word teacher. Mrs. Borawski felt that advocating for resources covers support for teachers. Mrs. Webb shared that the document is not meant to spell everything out. Mr. Robinson offered the following addition to the 4th bullet—provide teachers and staff with appropriate resources. Mr. Wise felt teachers are appropriately covered in the 5"bullet. Mr. Robinson feels it is a good document to start and we should embrace what we have. Discussion continued on the operating protocols. The following suggestion was made to add to the agenda section,bullet 4—after Mission;add Vision,or District Goals to. A suggestion was made to revise the second paragraph under Information Requests to read Except as otherwise provided by Law or Policy, including Policy GBD, under...... Page 1 3 Mrs Borawski moved seconded by Mr. Parks to accept the revised School Committee Operating Protocols as amended,The motion carried 6-0. Capital Plan Update Director of Facilities Joe Huggins and Mrs. Dowd updated the committee on the FY19 Capital Plan close-out and will review the upcoming work. Mrs. Dowd shared that the September I I"Finance Committee meeting will cover items from the cancelled Financial Forum and the Permanent Building Committee will present at the September 12i° School Committee meeting. Mr. Huggins reviewed work done in the schools as it related to Capital spending including carpet replacement,boiler replacement, security study design phase and Turf II replacement. Turf II is currently under construction. The Town engineering Department is overseeing the project and we hope to be done by the end of October. Mrs. Dowd shared that we continue to work with the consultant on the elementary space study and will have an update later in the fall. She went on to say that, working with the Town Manager,we have applied for a $75,000 State grant to be used to support the Security Study. Mr. Huggins reviewed some of the work to be done under the FY20 Capital Plan. Mr. Robinson appreciates all the hard work and positive approach taken by the Central Office staff. F. New Business Summer Update Mrs. Dowd began by saying that the buildings looked great and are ready to go for the new school year. She added that the cleaning contract went out to bid and we were able to award the contract to the current cleaning company. Mr. Huggins reviewed the facilities staff and the repairs and cleaning done over the summer. Mrs. Dowd referred to the letter that was included in the packet as well as on the Town website, regarding annual water testing. She visited each school and worked with kitchen staff reviewing the flushing process. The school drop-offs were discussed. Adjustments will be made, and the drop-off process will continue to be monitored. We will also monitor the bus schedule to determine if adjustments in pick up times can be made. Dr. Stys shared that the ESY program was very successful under the leadership of Assistant Director Allison Wright. She is working with SEPAC on their meeting schedule and hopes to have her Entry Plan posted on the website soon. Page 1 4 Mrs.Kelley thanks Mrs. Dowd, Mr. Huggins and facilities for the tremendous job they did preparing for the opening of school. The opening meeting for staff was held on Monday. Thirty-five new teachers participated in the Induction program. We were able to offer professional development opportunities for staff over the summer as well as opportunities for teachers in their first three years. The RISE Preschool held orientation today and we have been able to move families off of the Extended Day waitlist. Mrs. Dowd added that we have prepared a bid for outside vendors to offer enrichment programs as Extended Day options. Mrs. Kelley continued sharing that curriculum guides are posted on the Learning &Teaching page of the website. Work continues on the middle school curriculum guide and we will be beginning the elementary social studies guides soon. Middle school math will have a pilot unit rolled out based on the current curriculum. Behavioral Health Coach Lauren Sabella is now a Mental Health First Aid, Open Circle and Restorative Justice trainer for the district. Data Coach Corntey Fogarty has begun looking at the MCAS data. Chair Robinson announced that there would be no executive session tonight. II. Routine Matters a. Bills and Payroll (A) Warrant S1955 6.30.19 $187,916.21 Warrant 51956 7.25.19 $71,497.39 Warrant 52003 7.17.19 $170,528.54 Warrant S2004 7.25.19 $109,731.62 Warrant S2005 8.01.19 $84,208.52 Warrant S2006 8.08.19 $314,604.44 WanantS2007 8.15.19 $108,075.97 Warrant S2008 8.22.19 $78,468.67 Warrant 52009 8.28.19 $378039.68 Warrant P1926 6.28.19 $1,370,443.92 WarrantTLS19 6.17.19 $1,060,195.30 Warrant P2001 7.12.19 $1,112,960.11 Warrant P2002 7.26.19 $1,160,446.51 Watrant P2003 8.09.19 $1,186,763.09 Warrant P2004 8.23.19 $1,145,084.79 b. Calendar Mrs. Webb reviewed the upcoming calendar. III. Information/Corresnondence Page 1 5 IV.Future Business Mr. Wise offered items for future agendas. One being Decoding Dyslexia. Mrs. Kelley said we will be presenting on that subject. The second being an article written by Emily Hanford—Hard Words. Mrs. Kelley would like to have the Humanities coach come to discuss this. Dr. Dockser asked that a discussion on the School Committee brochure be on the agenda for a future meeting. V. Adioumment Adjourn Mr. Parks moved seconded by Mn.Webb to adjourn. The motion carried 6-0. The meeting adjourned at 8:37 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: Page 1 6