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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-03-07 School Committee Minutes - Draftor �c i<ECCI\/ED Town of Reading TOWN CLERK ^e' Meeting Minutes BEADING, MA. a �r 9,4e- 2922 AUG 31 PM 2: 41 Board - Committee - commission - council: School Committee Date: 2022-03-07 Time: 7:00 PM Building: School - Memorial High Location: School Library Address: 62 Oakland Road Session: Open Session Purpose: Open Session Version: Draft Attendees: Members - Present: Erin Geffen, Tom Wise, Carla Nazzaro, Chuck Robinson, Shawn Brandt and Sarah McLaughlin Members - Not Present: Others Present: Superintendent Tom Milaschewski, Director of Finance Susan Bottan, Smirtha Srinivasan Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Samantha LaPierre on behalf of the Chair Topics of Discussion: A. Call to Order Chair Wise called open session to order at 7:00p.m. and reviewed the agenda. B. Routine Matters 1. Public Input Mr. Wise called for public comment. 2. Consent Agenda 3. Reports Smritha Srinivasan stated that it is nice to we faces after removing the mask mandate. She stated the juniors anxious about the upcoming SATs. This Friday is the sophomore semi, which is the first dance in two years. She mentioned, seniors who took the AP exam to avoid taking the final, are frustrated with the recent news that this is no longer happening. She stated student have been amused watching the teachers adjust to the new smartboards. Dr. Milaschewski stated the two comfort dogs will begin working in the schools later this spring and that students will have an opportunity to submit nominations for the name of the dogs. He asked nominations be submitted by March 15a, along with the students name and school. Dr. Milaschewski stated the leadership team is happy to see how everyone has been Page I 1 supportive and understanding of the mask optional environment. He provided some data related to COVID cases and pooled testing since returning from February break, in comparison to data when returning from winter break and stated that the leadership team is continuing to monitor this on a daily basis. Mrs. Susan Bottan thanked Ms. Bonn's kindergarten class for inviting her as a guest reader. She stated this month kicks off Reading annual invitation to our police officers to join our elementary school cafe staff to serve lunches to students, this program will continue through May. Mrs. Bottan stated a team of Harvard Graduate School of Education students chose to work with Reading Public Schools to explore potential funding sources to execute our full day kindergarten three- year high needs model as their education finance project. This is the first semester Harvard has reached out beyond the Boston Public Schools to engage students in an education finance project. We are excited and grateful to have the support under the leadership of professor Dr. John Fullerton. Mrs. Naz aro — No Report Mrs. Gaffen stated the SEPAC will not be meeting tomorrow night. She stated on March 146 from 12:30-1:30pm there will be a zoom session hosted by RPS, YMCA and Reading Recreation where parents can share their thoughts on what sort of activities and supports would be helpful for their families. SEPAC will be hosting a movie night on Tuesday April 12'^ at 7:00pm at RCTV, they will be showing the moving "This is not about me a story about growing up non -speaking. Mr. Wise stated fist ARPA committee meeting is tomorrow night at RCTV at 7:00pm. Mr. Robinson stated the coalition met last Wednesday- brief update meeting, Ms. McLaughlin—No Report Mr. Brandt stated the School Committee reviewed the superintendents recommended budget with the Finance Committee, he stated it was a positive conversation around the FY23 budget. Dr. Hardy stated that this week is Read across America and there will be activities throughout schools to celebrate the joy of reading. C. Personnel Action 1.Suoerintendent Mid -Year Formative Review Discussion Mr. Wise provided an overview of the superintendent mid -year formative reviews that were submitted by the members of the School Committee. He stated that the feedback from the committee was all very similar and further demonstrates the consistent theme of collaboration that was seen throughout the individual formative assessments. 2. Wood End Principal Dr. Milaschewski stated that Dr. Joanne King, Principal of Wood End announced her retirement from Reading Public Schools effective June 30, 2022. He walked the committee through the draft timeline for the search process and discussed strategies to engage the community in the process. The full draft timeline is included in the packet. Mr. Brandt was selected to be the school committee representative on the screening committee. D. New Business 1. MSBA KillSan Update and Nex[ Steps Discussion Dr. Milawliewski announced that the MSBA Board of Directors voted to invite the Statement of Interest for the 1. W. Warren Killam Elementary School into the MSBA Eligibility Period. Mrs. Bottan stated that a district has up to 270 days from its eligibility period commencement date to complete all deliverables. There are eight deliverable which must be achieved during the Eligibility Period, these include: 1. Initial Compliance Certification 2. School Building Committee 3. Educational Profile Questionnaire 4. Online Enrollment Projection S. Enrollment/ Certification Executed 6. Maintenance and Capital Planning Information 7. Local Vote Authorization 8. Facility Study Agreement. A timeline and details about each of these deliverables are included in the packet. 2. Pandemic Response Vacation Learning Academy Update and Next Ste Dr. Hardy stated the February Vacation academy went very well and discussed the multiple structure programs that were offered. Grades 3-5 attended 4.5 hours each day and focused on project -based instruction in literacy and math. Grade 6-8 attended 2.5 hours each day and focused on instruction in math. High School students attended 2.5 hours each day and were able to choose between PSAT, SAT and MCAS math prep sessions. Dr. Hardy shared feedback from staff, students, and parents. There was a great response for future extended learning opportunities. The leadership team plans to continue to look for ways to extend learning for students and are starting to plan the process for April vacation. 3. FY22-FY23 Kindergarten Enrollment Update Mrs. Bottan provided a kindergarten enrollment and class sin updated as of February 28, 2022, in comparison to projected enrollment for the 2022-2023 school year. She stated that project kindergarten enrollment for the 2022-2023 total 250 students, as of the end of February we have received a total of 191 registrations. The number of registrations is currently below projections by 59 students but enrollment is expected to continue to grow over the next several months. Dr. Milaschewski discussed strategies that will be taken to increase these enrollment numbers and encourage parents to register in order to have a more accurate enrollment number and projected class sizes. Adiournment Page 1 3 The meeting adjourned at 8:47p.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: School Committee 03-07-2022 - YouTube Page 14