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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-10-01 School Committee Minutes e RECEIVED Town of Read#MV!N C L E R K F Meeting Mintlt .;.n ", ' w, MA, o .P OPwa _123 GCT 2u V 11. 46 Board - Committee - Commission - Council: School Committee Date: 2020-10-01 Time: 7:00 PM Building: Location: Address: Session: Open Session Purpose: Open Session Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: Chuck Robinson, John Parks, Tom Wise, Erin Gaffen, Carla Nazzaro and Shawn Brandt Members - Not Present: Others Present: Superintendent John Doherty, Assistant Superintendent Chris Kelley, CFO Gail Dowd, Director of Student Services Jen Stys, Glenn Koocher - MASC, Art Bettencourt - NESDEC Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Linda Engelson on behalf of the Chair Topics of Discussion: 1. Call to Order Chair Robinson opened the meeting and announced the School Committee was meeting in a virtual setting,fully remote via Microsoft Teams,practicing social distancing and in accordance with the Governor's suspension of certain open meeting laws. The meeting was being recorded and broadcast live on RCTV. The Chair called attendance: Mr. Parks—here Dr. Doherty—here Mr. Wise—here Mrs. Dowd—here Mrs.Nazzaro—here Mrs. Kelley-here Mrs. Gaffen- here Dr. Stys—here Mr. Brandt—here Mr. Robinson—here Mr. Robinson called open session order at 7:00 p.m. and reviewed the agenda. A. Public Inou[ Mr.Robinson explained that for public comment, please use the live chat feature on the Microsoft Teams link which will be posted on the Superintendent's Bing and sent out via Connect Ed prior to the meeting. In lieu of the live chat, you may send an email in advance of the meeting to schoolcommittee&readine.k 12.ma.us This email will be included in the next packet. Page I I B. New Business MASC Presentation—Superintendent Search Chair Robinson welcomed Glenn Koocher of MASC. Mr. Koocher began providing background information on MASC saying that since 1989, MASC has provided search consultant services to more the 150 districts across the state. Their goal is to assist the district identify the qualities we would like to see in the next Superintendent and bring the most qualified candidates to the interview table for our consideration. MASC will walk the School Committee through every aspect of the search process including the initial planning stages, recruitment and final selection. Mr. Robinson shared that the committee developed a list of questions in the following categories; (1)Access/Outreach to Potential Candidates, (2)Committee Composition, (3) Other. Mr. Robinson asked the following: Can you describe your outreach to candidates addressing your thoughts on expanding outside of Massachusetts as well as how you reach candidates who may not be looking for a change in their current position? Mr. Koocher replied that MASC maintains a database of possible candidates, they work with Aspiring Superintendent Programs, have contacts throughout New England,word of mouth and they mail notices of vacancies as well as post vacancies on their website. Please discuss how you approach a search when replacing a long-standing incumbent and how you tailor to the specific district you work with? Mr. Koocher said that Reading is in a good place to enter into a search. We have had a longstanding Superintendent and have no major concerns. MASC would work with the committee to develop a profile of qualities that we would like in the next Superintendent. Committee Composition: Please describe your approach to ensuring attendance and participation throughout the process for committees and public input including specific examples of your most successful approaches. Mr. Koocher described the process MASC would use to ensure participation from all stakeholders during the search. They would reach out to the community,faculty, staff, parents,and Town officials to gather input and interest in serving as a member of the search committee. The best search committees should be fair, inclusive of all stakeholder groups. There should be a minority of School Committee members on the search committee. MASC will facilitate the work of the Search Committee and all decisions on which candidates are to be moved forward to the interview round is decided by the Search Committee. Other: How many active searches do you currently have that you are working on—how do you assess overall capacity to take on additional searches. In the instance you have an applicant that is a candidate in multiple searches,how do you approach that situation. Page 1 2 MASC currently is conducting 2 searches. MASC will work with candidates applying to multiple communities, but it is rare for School Committee's to compete for candidates in multiple searches. Please describe a successful and an unsuccessful search including lessons learned as to what happened and how you addressed the situation and adjusted your processes going forward. Mr. Koocher referred to a recent successful search in which the School Committee was engaged and involved. If the search should fail, MASC will begin the process over again, look at appointing a possible interim and reach out to candidates that may not have applied originally. Given the current environment and what you know about Reading, what concerns would you have regarding successfully being able to execute this search? MASC has adapted their search process to carry out all elements of the search in a virtual environment, or a mix of virtual or in-person meetings. He does not feel there is anything that would keep candidates from applying. Please articulate how you facilitate focus groups and data gathering with the intent of gathering community, faculty,and administration feedback- including but not limited to community listening sessions,faculty sessions,and anonymous questionnaires. Please also expand upon how you collate and distill the information for the search committee. MASC will do online surveys as one way to gather data. In closing, Mr. Koocher said that they represent the School Committee and is proud of what they do. They will be accessible before, during and after the search and MASC stands on its record. Mr. Robinson thanked Mr. Koocher for the presentation. NESDEC Presentation—Superintendent Search Chair Robinson welcomed Art Bettencourt of NESDEC. Mr. Bettencourt began providing background information saying that NESDEC has been serving New England districts since 1946. NESDEC's Executive Search Program was started with the specific objective of widening the base of high-quality candidates available to school districts. Since the inception of the program NESDEC has conducted over 600 searches throughout New England. Mr. Robinson shared that the committee developed a list of questions in the following categories;(1)Access/Outreach to Potential Candidates, (2)Committee Composition,(3) Other. Mr. Robinson asked the following: Can you describe your outreach to candidates addressing your thoughts on expanding outside of Massachusetts as well as how you reach candidates who may not be looking for a change in their current position? Mr. Bettencourt replied that NESDEC has access to Superintendents across the state as well as New England. While providing other services to districts they are able to work Page 1 3 with staff and administration to develop relationships. NESDEC has access to a sophisticated database maintained by the National School Development Council(NSDC). NESDEC would do both hard and electronic outreach and develop a successful candidate profile. Please discuss how you approach a search when replacing a long-standing incumbent and how you tailor to the specific district you work with? Mr. Bettencourt indicated that he would use the stability of the position as well as sitting down with the current Superintendent as drivers in developing the candidate profile and direction for the future. Committee Composition: Please describe your approach to ensuring attendance and participation throughout the process for committees and public input including specific examples of your most successful approaches. Mr. Bettencourt said that community participation in the process is important. Focus groups would be held in a virtual platform and the screening committee would be representative of the stakeholders. Data provided through the focus groups, interviews and electronic survey for the qualities sought in the new Superintendent and the priorities for his/her attention once appointed will be used to create the candidate profile. Other: How many active searches do you currently have that you are working on—how do you assess overall capacity to take on additional searches. In the instance you have an applicant that is a candidate in multiple searches, how do you approach that situation. NESDEC's capacity to take on additional searches is fairly large and is not an issue. Please describe a successful and an unsuccessful search including lessons learned as to what happened and how you addressed the situation and adjusted your processes going forward. Mr. Bettencourt shared that most searches are successful. Unsuccessful searches are generally because the wrong candidate was chosen. If the search is unsuccessful,a new search would be conducted. Given the current environment and what you know about Reading, what concerns would you have regarding successfully being able to execute this search? Mr. Bettencourt said that COVID-19 has complicated matters,but they have a protocol in place. It is important to remain nimble. Please articulate how you facilitate focus groups and data gathering with the intent of gathering community, faculty, and administration feedback- including but not limited to community listening sessions, faculty sessions,and anonymous questionnaires. Please also expand upon how you collate and distill the information for the search committee. NESDEC will facilitate the focus groups and gather the data. Questions will be designed to target each group. The candidate profile is the key to a successful search. Mr. Bettencourt thanked the committee for the opportunity to present. Mr. Robinson thanked Mr. Bettencourt for the presentation. Page 1 4 Mr. Robinson told both firms that we hope to make a decision next week. Mr. Robinson said they were both very good presentations. Mrs. Dowd reviewed the next steps. She will begin reference checks tomorrow. There is a scorecard she will use to rate the proposals. The ratings are based solely on qualifications. Mr. Brandt like the regional reach NESDEC offered and feels comfortable with either company. Mr. Wise agreed with Mr. Brandt. Mrs.Nazzaro likes the national reach that NESDEC offers and feels either company would bring good results. Mr. Parks like the specificity of answers from NESDEC. Mrs. Gaffen also liked the regional and national outreach feeling it casts a wide net and feels there is not a bad choice. Mr. Robinson also agrees there is no bad choice but likes that NESDEC can be nimble especially in the world we are in. Mrs. Dowd asked for each school committee member for their choice for the scorecard. This rating is based on the presentation. Mr. Parks—NESDEC Mrs.Nazzaro—NESDEC Mr. Brandt—NESDEC Mrs. Gaffen—NESDEC Mr. Wise—NESDEC Mr. Robinson -NESDEC C. Consent Agenda(out of order) - Approval of Minutes(9.24.20) Mr.Wise moved,seconded by Mr. Brandt,to approve the consent agenda. The motion carried 6-0. Mr.Parks,Mrs. Gaffen Mrs. Nazzaro,Mr. Wise,Mr. Brandt and Mr. Robinson. D. Reports Director of Student Services No Report Assistant Superintendent No Report Chief Financial Officer No Report Page 15 Superintendent No Report Liaison Reports None E. Old Business Reopening Plan—Birch Meadow Transition Dr. Doherty explained that we need to look at the big picture as we begin the transition at Birch Meadow. Currently there are many temporary spaces particularly in special education. The completion of the Birch Meadow modular classrooms has been delayed a few days to October 15th, from the original completion date of October 9th. The contractor will allow the Facilities Department to assemble furniture and move in kindergarten boxes, beginning on October 13th. Because of this slight delay, we will be phasing in Grades I and 2 into the hybrid model, beginning on October 19th, instead of October 13th with the rest of the school district. This additional time is necessary for staff to arrange their classrooms, get trained on the technology for videoconferencing, and prepare for hybrid classrooms. October 9"will be a school day for Birch Meadow students, October 13 & 14e`will be remote learning days and October I6'" will be a full day teacher in-service day at Birch Meadow. Grade I and 2 will begin hybrid learning with Cohort A in person. The committee asked clarifying questions including balancing in person school days between cohorts, staffing issues and returning grades 3 —5 and high school students back into school. F. New Business Human Resources Role Dr. Doherty updated the committee on the search for an HR Director. We have not had much success attracting applicants. As a result of the conversation at the last School Committee meeting, Dr. Doherty has created the new job title of Human Resources Director which includes added responsibilities and a salary range based on experience. Mr. Wise would like to adjust the order of items in thejob description. Mr. Brandt agreed. Dr. Doherty said they could talk tomorrow. G. Public Comment (via live chat) None 1. Routine Matters a. Bills and Payroll (A) Page 16 Warrant 52112 9.17.20 $48,035.56 Warrant 52113 9.24.20 $441,915.17 Warrant 52114 10.01.20 $241,954.59 Warzaut 1`2106 9.18.20 $1,602,120.66 b. Calendar 2. Information/Correspondence 3. Future Business The committee would like to meet Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.to further discuss the selection of Superintendent Search vendor. 4. Adjournment Adiourn Mr. Parks moved,seconded by Mrs.Nazzaro,to adiourn. The roll call vote carried 6-0. Mr.Parks,Mrs.Gaffen,Mrs.Nazzaro,Mr.Wise,Mr. Brandt and Mr. Robinson. The meeting adjourned at 9:07 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://www.youtube.com/watch9v—wquLB O4m0 en ohe Ed.D. Page 1 7