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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001-06-06 School Committee Minutes READING SCHOOL COMMITTEE Reading, Massachusetts 4W Reading, COMMUNITY MEETING June 6,2001 CALL TO ORDER At 1 02 p.m. Chair Cavicchi called the Community Meeting to order at the Town Hall Conference Room. Present were School Committee Members Cavicchi, Dahl, Griset and Russo. Also present were Superintendent Ilanuunian and approximately 16 members of the public. Chair Cavicchi stated that the School Committee had scheduled four community meetings to listen to any issues members of the community may have. Mr. Beech stated that he believes that the reason the override failed is that 55%of the population cannot afford higher taxes. He stated that his assessment went up 21% and of the 11 homes on his street only five of the owners are working couples who can afford the increase. Mr. Griset thanked Mr. Beech for his comments. He stated that he understood that the majority of the town did not vote in favor of the override. Mr. Griset stated that although he voted in favor of the override he recognizes that it is time to move forward and to work towards creative solutions to the issues facing the town. Mr. Brown stated that he felt that the disconnect between the School Committee and the public is an issue of credibility of the Superintendent. Mr. Brown Listed issues he felt were issues of credibility with the Superintendent. Mr. Dahl asked Mr. Brown if he felt the superintendent had moved the district forward in education and if the superintendent had credibility as an educational leader and with the students. Mr. Brown stated that the Superintendent may be 100% with the students but he felt he needed to bring the budget issues out to the town people. Ms. Cavicchi stated that all the issues brought up by Mr. Brown have been addressed in the past and asked if the group wanted the Superintendent to respond to those issues again. It was the consensus of the group that the Superintendent not respond. 4 4 COMMUNPIY MEETING 2 June fi 2001 Mr. 'Fucker stated that he has been watching the School Committee meetings and reading the papers and he feels there are a lot of silent voters that want the School Building Committee to bring forward alternatives to the complete renovation of the high school. He stated that he did not believe that a $50 million high school project would ever pass. He stated that by presenting only one option the School Building Committee was essentially saying I'm smart and you are stupid. He stated that the attitude needs to change. Mr. Tucker asked why the project could not be done in stages and questioned the SBA regulations and requirements for reimbursement for renovations. Dr. Harutunian advised that he had written to the SBA to ask if the project would be reimbursable if done in stages and was waiting for a response from the SBA. He then outlined the regulations of the SBA and talked about the formula changes. Mr. Dahl stated that he agreed with Mr. Graham in bringing forward only one solution to the high school project but that after listening to Mr. Tucker he could understand that it may be advantageous to bring more of the options that were reviewed by the School Building Committee to town meeting so that they could see that options had been explored. Monette Verrier asked about the status of the new school. She stated that the override is not an issue of parents of children versus seniors. She stated that there is another segment of the community, working professionals without children in the public schools. She stated that the Committee must reach out to that segment of the community also. Ms. Venter asked how many teachers would need to be hired to staff the new school. Mr. Dahl advised that many of the staff for the new school would come from existing staff. He stated that teachers would be moved from other elementary schools to free up art, music and computer space. Dr. Hamtunian advised that the ten-taxpayer lawsuit is over but the appeal to the order of conditions is still pending. He estimated six to twelve months before the appeal is resolved and then 18-22 months after ground is broken before the school is opened. Mr. Tucker asked about the enrollment controversy and which numbers are correct numbers. He also asked why RMHS could not house grades 8-12 rather than 9-12 in order to free up space at the lower grade levels. ( COMMUNITY MEETING 3 June 6 2001 w Dr. Harutunian stated that the school department had used NESDEC for enrollment projections in the past. He stated that Dr. Mandell wrote that the NESDEC figures were not accurate and that MISER should be used for enrollment projections. Dr. Harutunian advised that the school department then requested enrollment projections from MISER and the MISER projections came back higher than the NESDEC projections. Dr. Mandell then stated that the MISER figures were not correct and wants the DRA figures used. Dr. Harutunian stated that information is available on why the high school could no longer house 2,000 students. He stated that the reasons included changes in special education and the fact that the campus has been closed and students are talking more classes. He stated that he would be happy to provide that information and the SBA regulations to Mr. Tucker. Mr. Beech stated that the Friday before the override vote there was an article in the newspaper regarding the$60 million for a high school renovation. He stated that the article was one of the reasons he voted no, he stated he feels like he is not being given the entire financial picture. He stated that he believed a$5 million override is needed and does not want to be nickled and dimed to death, he wants the facts. Ms. Carrick stated that perhaps Mr. Brown's concerns with the Superintendent's credibility should be addressed in a forum with a mediator. She then stated that she was advocating for full time nursing coverage at all seven schools. She discussed the issues she has had with her son's allergies and lack of nursing coverage at the schools. Monette Verrier asked what the current nursing coverage is. Ms. Carrick advised that it are 5.8 nurses for 7 schools. Tony Rickley stated that the word credibility should not be tossed around liditly. He stated that credibility should not be used when we are referring to a difference ofopinion. Ile asked that the School Committee use their influence with the School Building Committee and have more than one plan presented to Town Meeting for the high school. Dr. Harutunian responded to Mr. Brown's issues of credibility. He stated that in a town with so much civility he is surprised at the number of personal attacks against him and the School Committee. I ony Rickley stated that if he were to hire a superintendent he would expect that superintendent to get as much money as possible for the schools and that is what Dr. Harutunian has done. Mr. Rickley also stated that he does not believe in general overrides and he would prefer to see a debt exclusion override put on the ballot. 4 COMMUNITY MEETING 4 June 6 2001 Ben Nichols discussed fire access at the new school and fencing around the new school area. Dr. I-tarumman advised that an underlayment is planned for access for the new school. Dr. Harutunian advised that he would forward an access plan to George Perry, Chair of the Forest Commission, Dr. Harutunian advised that fencing is an add on alternate being considered. Tom Ryan thanked the School Committee for scheduling these meetings. He stated that he felt the meeting times and locations were good choices. Mr. Ryan stated that there is a feeling of elitism in town government and that must end. Mr. Ryan stated that the scare tactics used by town officials need to stop and town officials need to begin paying attention to the voters and listen to what they are saying. He stated that the high school is a major investment and options must be given to the voters to review. Mr. Russo stated that he wants to end the disconnect. He agreed with Mr. Ryan that the School Building Committee needs to bring more than one option forward to renovate the high school. Gail Woods stated that she does not like to be lectured, is not stupid and is annoyed that no budget presentation was made at town meeting for the school budget. She stated that the Committee missed a great opportunity to explain the budget to the people at town meeting. Tony Riekley stated that Dr. Harutunian is an advocate for the schools. Hisjob is to get the most money possible to operate the schools and he does that. Mr. Griset stated that he appreciated Mr. Ryan's comments regarding an attitude of elitism and agreed that the notion that town officials must educate the public is in fact backwards; the voters must educate town officials. Mr. "Iticker stated that the enrollment issue must be resolved once and for all. He stated that the conflicting letters to the editor regarding enrollment have only further divided the community and the School Committee needs to resolve the issue. Ms. Woods stated that she feels the School Committee needs to present long-term goals to the community. The community cannot afford to repair or replace everything at once and the long-term goals will give the community the opportunity to prioritize items. Mr. McDonald stated that the School Building Committee's attitude is total arrogance and that the School Building Committee needs to be disbanded. He stated that no one is sure with the new state formula what Reading's reimbursement will be and we need to move forward cautiously. He also suggested more collaboration between town boards would help end the divide of the community. COMMUNITY MEETING 5 June 6,2001 4 Ms. Cavicchi and the School Committee thanked the public for attending the meetings. The meeting ended at approximately 3:45 p.m. spectfully su itted. Harry K. Harmunian, Ph.D. Superintendent of Schools