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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-03-29 ad Hoc - School Committee Legal Counsel Subcommittee Minutes Town of Reading Meeting Minutes Page | 1 2016-09-22 LAG Board - Committee - Commission - Council: School Committee Legal Counsel Subcommittee Date: 2023-03-29 Time: 8:30 AM Building: School - Memorial High Location: Superintendent Conference Room Address: 82 Oakland Road Session: Open Session Purpose: Open Session Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: Tom Wise and Sarah McLaughlin Members - Not Present: Others Present: Superintendent Thomas Milaschewski, Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Stys, Director of Special Education Allison Wright Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Tom Wise, Chair Topics of Discussion: The meeting was held in person with remote participation available via Zoom. A recording of the meeting can be found here with Passcode of 5EA%s3x&. Chair Wise called the meeting to order at approximately 8:35 a.m. Mr. Wise walked through the agenda. B. Public Comment There was none. E.1. New Business – Review and Discuss the Charge of the Subcommittee Mr. Wise briefly outlined the charge of the Subcommittee, including creating a timeline, gathering interest from various law firms, interviewing firms, and providing a recommendation to the full School Committee by the end of June. E.2. New Business – Craft and Discuss a Timeline for Soliciting Interest from Qualified Attorneys or Law Firms, Evaluating Candidates, and Developing a Short List Mr. Wise moved to table agenda item E.2. until agenda items E.3. and E.4. were complete. Ms. McLaughlin seconded. The motion carried 2-0. E.3. New Business – Review MASC Legal Counsel Hiring and Evaluation Presentation Mr. Wise reviewed a 2013 MASC document entitled School Committee and Legal Counsel – Working with Your Legal Counsel: The Basics of School Committee Roles, Responsibilities, and Collaboration with Your Legal Counsel. The presentation can be seen in its entirety on the video of the meeting. Mr. Wise focused the Subcommittee and members of the administration on topics specifically applicable to the Subcommittee. Mr. Wise asked about the current contract status with the existing Student Services legal counsel. Dr. Stys informed the committee that we do not have a contract, but a letter of agreement, at will, which she discussed with the Chair of the School Committee. Page | 2 The Subcommittee briefly discussed questions around gathering information from clients and opponents of potential legal counsel as part of the interview and vetting process. E.4. New Business – Review Information about the Massachusetts Counsel of School Attorneys Mr. Wise introduced the Massachusetts Counsel of School Attorneys (COSA) to the Subcommittee including members of the COSA that may provide a short list of law firms that we may be able to contact as part of the process. Mr. Wise moved to remove E.2. from the table. Ms. McLaughlin seconded. The motion carried 2-0. E.2. New Business – Craft and Discuss a Timeline for Soliciting Interest from Qualified Attorneys or Law Firms, Evaluating Candidates, and Developing a Short List The Subcommittee and administration team commenced building a timeline and process to make a recommendation to the full School Committee. Working backward from the last School Committee meeting of June, 06-22-2023, the Subcommittee built a schedule. Mr. Wise asked the administration if they wanted anybody else as part of the interview team. Dr. Milaschewski confirmed this group is the interview team. The resulting schedule is as follows: E.5. New Business – Start Developing a List of Qualifications & Requirements into a Rubric for Evaluation and Selection The Subcommittee and administration started discussing key requirements, qualifications, and questions. Dr. Stys had started a list of questions upon which the Subcommittee and administration built. Dr. Stys mentioned that knowing what to do when there is a conflict when the attorney/law firm represent more than one district in a single case. Mrs. Wright brought out the question of the number of attorneys in a practice, which was echoed by Dr. Stys and the ability to select or exclude attorneys for our or from our cases. Mrs. Wright and Dr. Stys emphasized the importance of staying up to date on legal changes, including training for administration and staff, and checklists and procedures for them to follow. Dr. Stys raised questions about the philosophical approach of the firm with respect to their role in attending IEP team meetings. Ms. McLaughlin asked about the approach and philosophy of working with districts and family. The team discussed the need to understand expertise in different types of disabilities. The team started discussing which questions may be interview questions vs. letter of interest questions. The team discussed how big the candidate pool would be and the idea that the letter of interest questions should be relatively general and not a “weed out” tool. Dr. Stys asked the “what if” question about the potential for a lack of interest. The team talked about highlighting the district in our introductory package and the potential need to actively recruit other law firms in the “what if” scenario. The team started discussing the second round of interviews and documentation necessary. Examples include references, example documents and trainings, case studies – both one of ours, redacted, and one of theirs, also redacted. Mrs. Wright asked if we wanted them to reach out to peer districts to ask about their legal representation. Mr. Wise confirmed that would be good. Date(s)Topic Focus Subcommittee Meeting Time 4/6/2023 Draft Rubric / Criteria for Selection Draft Memo for Interest Solicitation (Criteria, Process, and Expression of Interest)Yes 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. 4/10/2023 Finalize Criteria for Selection Finalize Memo for Interest Solicitation (Criteria, Process, and Expression of Interest)Yes 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. 4/10/2023 - 5/5/2023 Solicit Interest / Gather Options No 5/8/2023 Short List of Preliminary Candidates Yes 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. 5/15/2023 - 5/19/2023 Preliminary Round Interviews (multiple dates)Yes (multiple) 5/15/2023 - 8:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. (interview); 9:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (debrief); 5/15/2023 - 9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. (interview); 10:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. (debrief); 5/17/2023 - 8:00 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. (interview); 8:45 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. (debrief); 5/17/2023 - 9:00 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. (interview); 9:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (debrief); 5/19/2023 - 8:00 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. (interview); 8:45 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. (debrief); 5/19/2023 - 9:00 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. (interview); 9:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (debrief); 5/19/2023 Discuss and Choose Final Round Candidates Yes 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. 6/5/2023 - 6/9/2023 Final Round Interviews (multiple dates)Yes (multiple) 6/7/2023 - 8 a.m to 9:15 a.m. (interview); 9:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (debrief); 6/7/2023 - 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. (interview); 10:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (debrief); 6/8/2023 - 8 a.m to 9:15 a.m. (interview); 9:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (debrief); 6/8/2023 - 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. (interview); 10:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (debrief); 6/12/2023 - 6/15/2023 Reference / Background Checks of Finalists No 6/15/2023 Final Recommendation Discussion of Subcommittee Yes 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. 6/22/2023 School Committee Meeting for Recommendation No (School Committee Meeting) Page | 3 Motion to adjourn by Ms. McLaughlin, seconded by Mr. Wise at approximately 9:53 a.m. The motion carried 2-0.