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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-10-06 School Committee MinutesTown of Reading R'EC'EIVED Meeting Minutes TOWN CLERK F A. Board -committee-commission -council: U- 2023 MAY -4 PM 5:01 School Committee Amended Minutes Date: 2022-10-06 Time: 7:00 PM Building: Reading Memorial High School Location: Library Address: 62 Oakland Road, Reading, MA Members Present: - Shawn Brandt, Erin Gaffen, Carla Nazzaro, Sarah McLaughlin, Charles Robinson, Tom Wise Others Present: Superintendent Dr. Tom Milaschewski, Susan Bottan, Dr. Sarah Hardy; Jayda Hayes; Olivia Ritondo Minutes Respectfully submitted by: Susan E Brown on behalf of the chairperson A. Call to order—At 7pm, Mr. Brandt called the meeting to order and reviewed the agenda E. New Business Dr. Milaschewski introduced and congratulated the National Merit Scholarship recipients and gave a brief explanation on what the National Merit Scholarship is. Dr. Milaschewski introduced the student advisory committee members. The committee is comprised of five students, and Jayda Hayes will serve as the chair of the Student Advisory Committee and an ex - officio non-voting member of the school committee. Two of the five were in attendance this evening, Jayda Hayes, Chairperson, and Olivia Rotundo, Vice -Chair. B. Public comment— no public comment Ms. Nazzaro motioned to approved consent agenda, seconded by Mr. Robinson, vote passed 6-0. Reports 1. Miss Hayes reported on the recent homecoming festivities, which were a success, with the opening of the new turf there has been increased attendance at football, soccer, and field hockey games, many of the sports teams are poised to be in the playoffs this year. There was an anti -bullying BMX assembly, she also mentioned that early decision, early action for college is due November 15� and RMHS has launched smart pass as well. Dr. Hardy reported launching a new program at RMHS beyond tier 1 intervention called Academic Ally, Ws an opportunity for students to come to the library to seek out additional assistance in their classes, during study blocks. The library will be staffed with teachers to aid. Its self-selected assistance to help students to feel empowered, but also a teacher can recommend a student for help as well. Ms. Bottan— Food service Director is working with a company that assesses public school nutrition programs, they are working with school principals as well. There will be a survey from Ms. Franzetti being shared with parents and students to use their voices to prepare the November menus. In the four weeks since school has opened at RHMS the participation rate has gone over 70%, and at the middle and elementary level participation has gone up to 59%. Fresh fruit and vegetables being 3. 4. delivered throughout the district has really made an impact, at no cost to the district as part of the state's food service program. 5. Dr. Milaschewski reported on RMHS Track and Field, it's open and up and running, it was closed for "striping" but will be open again to resume tomorrow night. We are waiting on a timeline for the scoreboard. Dr. Stys and Ms. Wright will present the special education program reviews at the next meeting. 6. Liaison/Sub-Committee Update on MSBA, the team met with MSBA on enrollment, they seemed receptive to the idea with our space concerns with modular, RISE etc. They are receptive to the growth in the town, and they are willing to support the wholistic needs of the town. Dr. King has returned to be interim Director of the RISE program, and Ms. Shone will take on team chair responsibilities. Ms. McLaughlin reported on RCN Board met 9/20, summer programing has increased, and Ms. Cuevas provided an update on classes, they are piloting a TA program and looking to expand there is another meeting on 10/27. Mr. Robinson thanked Mr. Haley for the video of the coalition event on the common, the track naming event will occur on Veteran's Day, Mr. Croft is speaking at Veteran's Day event and will then speak at the track naming event. Ms. Gaffen reported that the recent SEPAC meeting was successful, the next meeting is 10/18 and hybrid, they are looking for more volunteers, PAIR is meeting on 10/19 at the library at 6 pm. Mr. Wise reported on the financial forum meeting, which included many of the towns various committees in attendance, there were many presentations, Killam was presented, and Ms. Bottan reported on the school budget. There is a bid on the Walgreen's building to sell it back to the town from the company. The final RAAC meeting is next Wednesday, water and sewer and premium pay are on the agenda for those meetings. Ms. Nazzaro reported that the permanent building committee met they discussed the potential senior center location options. Mr. Brandt reported on the Select Board, the Killam Warrant has been closed for November town meeting, and thus its on the agenda. C. Personnel 1. Entry Update Dr. Milaschewski gave some context on the new principals presenting an overview of how they have approached their entry, and what they have learned in the first few weeks of school. Ms. Rubino presented that she had met with families, staff, she held an event to get to know Parker families over the summer, she has met with students and curriculum leaders, she participated in the fall fair, she has attended PTO meetings, she recently started Principal student counsel to help them feel a strong sense of belonging, there have been numerous successful events with great student/family participation. She is looking to dig into current data to provide the maximum support, and to continue to strengthen relationship with the Boston students and families. Ms. Gallegos presented that phase one was getting to know the families, and teachers and staff at Barrows, meeting with the fifth grade and getting their feedback on the school, she held a get to know the principal day over the summer. Phase 2 is looking into new curriculum starting, working with Central Office, PTO's. The staff is committed to the education of each student. She meets with the students each Friday, and they feel that there is nothing they want to change and have a strong sense of belonging at Barrows. Ms. Schwartz presented that she was fortunate to learn from Dr. King and participate in the classrooms and learning about staff and students in the end of the previous school year. The last several months has been meeting with caregivers and families to hear what they are looking for, meeting with students, hosting events with families before the school year started, attending PTO meetings, engaging with students, in classrooms, and in social settings. New tradition at Wood End is think about it Thursday. The staff is dedicated to the students of Wood End. Moving to the next phase, she will be assessing the various data, and working with the faculty to continue supporting the students, strengthening the relationship with the Boston families. Dr. King presented on the RISE program. She has visited every classroom in RISE, met all the students, she met with staff and related service providers, and looking into strengths and weaknesses, there will be a newsletter forthcoming, there will be staff meetings, and PD 2x a month for the staff, all staff will be included. There will be new systems of practice shifting the focus on the leadership team to meet the needs of all our students. D. Old Business 1. Review and Approve RMHS Handbook Updates Mr. Brant gave an overview of the updates on the new handbook Ms. Nazzaro motioned to approve the RMHS Handbook changes, seconded by Mr. Wise. Before the vote, there was a brief discussion Vote passed 6-0 E. New Business 3. Assign Voting Delegate for MASS/MASC Joint Conference (A) Mr. Brandt gave a brief overview of what this entails, he asked if any of the committee members can attend the assembly, this is not required. 4. School Year 2022 MCAS results Dr. Hardy presented on the MCAS results for the district for the 2022 SY. The presentation in its entirety is available in the packet. Brief recess at 9:20 reassembled at 9:36 S. District Improvement Plan Dr. Milaschewski went through the Improvement Plan to outline what we are doing as a district to meet the goals outlined within the District Strategic Plan. The plan in its entirety is available in the packet. 6. October Enrollment Update Ms. Bottan reported on the enrollment by demographic, grade, school, the report is reviewed and reconciled and becomes the final SIMS report at the end of October. The full report is available in the packet. 7. Town/School Agreement related to EOY report Ms. Bottan reported on the town/school agreement, it's required by the Department of Elementary Secondary Education, it's asking for what the town is spending on behalf of the schools. There is a copy of the agreement and a revised agreement in the packet. Ms. Nazzaro motioned to approve the town/school agreement as included in the packet to become effective for FY23 end of year reporting. Seconded by Mr. Wise. There was some discussion surrounding the agreement. vote passed 6-0 8. End of year summary and budget Transfers The school department ended the school year with a surplus and have been returned back to the town as free cash. Additional funds were returned to the town by closing out open purchase orders from FY35 to FY21. The report is available in the packet for review. Some discussion took place. Ms. Nazzaro motioned to approve the transfer of $444,584 dollars from the regular day cost center to the following cost center, $327,530 to special education, $23,485 to facilities, $21,679 to school health, $14,146 to athletics, $547 to extracurricular, $20,196 to technology. Motion seconded by Ms. Gaffen. No further discussion vote passed 6-0. Ms. Gaffen motioned to adjourn, seconded by Mr. Robinson, vote passed 6-0. Meeting adjourned at 10:43 pm