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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-09-18 School Committee Minutes� rq Town of Reading C1VEU Meeting MinutesLr +�' CLFRY. r° Board -Committee -Commission -Council: iJ tiii B OL School Committee Date: 2023-09-18 Time: 7:00 PM Building: School - Memorial High Location: School Library Address: 62 Oakland Road Session: Open Session Purpose: Open Session Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: Charles Robinson, Carla Nazzaro, Erin Gaffen, and Tom Wise Members - Not Present: Sarah McLaughlin and Shawn Brandt Others Present: Superintendent Dr. Thomas Milaschewski Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Olivia Lejeune on behalf of the chairperson. Topics of Discussion: A. Call to Order —Mr. Wise called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. to review the agenda B. Public Comment Maria Morgan, board member of the Special Education Advisory Council (SEPAL), publicly acknowledged the great collaboration and support with the Student Services team. Over the summer, the SEPAC board was invited to speak with district leaders to talk about engagement, promotion, high expectations, inclusivity, and partnership with parents. SEPAC created a video to share as an introduction to parents, which is a great way to learn more and understand what the council can do to help. Christopher Haley of Tennyson Road thanked the School Committee, Select Board, Dr. Milaschewski, Principal Jessica Callanan, Principal Rochelle Rubino, and Assistant Principal Jessica Theriault for their help at the Fall Street Faire which raised $1,052. Consent Agenda 1. Minutes (09-07-2023) 2. Artis Senior Living School Supplies Donation 3. Killam 5th Grade Flags Donation 4. RMHS PTO Donation 5. Friends of Reading Soccer Donation Warrant Reports 1. 09-12-2023 Page I I Mrs. Gaffen motioned to approve the consent agenda, seconded by Mr. Robinson, and the vote passed 40. Reports 1. Superintendent — Dr. Milaschewski thanked SEPAC for their leadership and partnership in the community. The first Math Pathways Committee meeting took place tonight which will happen over the next few weeks with a presentation to the School Committee in November. There was a great show of support to join the committee and we appreciate the community stepping up to volunteer. As one piece of feedback, we will create a page on our website specifically for Math Pathways and updates can be found there. 2. Liaison/Sub-Committee a. Mrs. Nazzaro—The Killam School Building Committee has shared the request for services bid proposal and we should receive bids back by October 11t'. b. Mrs. Gaffen—SEPAC is sponsoring Lynn Lyons at Parker Middle School tomorrow night at 5 p.m. PAIR is having its first meeting on Wednesday at 6 p.m. c. Mr. Wise—The schools received a little spotlight at the Select Board meeting last week from Senator Jason Lewis highlighting the elementary literacy work we have been doing and how he looks to us as a model. It was great for him to publicly acknowledge the work we are doing. C. Personnel 1. New Leadership Introductions & Entry Plan Reviews Dr. Milaschewski stated good leadership really matters and we are excited to have our new leaders joining us this evening to highlight some of their skills. We thank you for stepping up to be leaders in our community. Four of the new leaders who had to create entry plans, two being formally published for the community and two being kept more internally for the team, will introduce themselves tonight. We will also introduce other new leaders across the district holding critical leadership roles. The Director of RISE, Ms. Kerry Wilcox, introduced herself to the committee and discussed her approach to entry since joining in July. A program like RISE is always busy, but Ms. Wilcox has jumped in and is trying to learn about the community values and all the different members of the community. Mr. Wise asked how Ms. Wilcox navigated the multi -location elements of RISE. While it is a challenge, Ms. Wilcox is connecting with Ms. Fulton and Ms. Schwartz as building leaders as much as possible to keep them updated. The Principal of Killam Elementary School, Ms. Lindsey Fulton, introduced herself to the committee stating in preparation for tonight she reviewed her plan and recognized what has already been accomplished. Phase One of the plan was all about relationship building and getting to know staff, families, and the building which has been very successful. In August, Ms. Fulton held 20 -minute listening sessions with staff, met with stakeholders involved in the Killam School Building Project, and held a Popsicle Party. Page 12 Ms. Fulton credited principals in the district as they meet to align what is happening across the schools. Now through the end of October, there is a lot organically happening where Ms. Fulton is revisiting values, having lunch with students, understanding the positions within the school, and making sure staffing and roles are productive in the building. Ms. Fulton has received great feedback on weekly communications. As a long- range plan, she will begin to look at data and how that can be used to make changes going forward. Mr. Wise asked how Ms. Fulton had jumped into the ARC curriculum. Ms. Fulton has been working with the school ARC Coach as well as Assistant Principal Talia Hallett to understand the curriculum. Over the next month, she will also have time to meet with the district Curriculum Coordinator, Erin Burchill. The Interim High School Principal, Mrs. Jessica Callanan, introduced herself informing the community about what she has learned so far. The community, staff, and families are committed, and the team is learning to work effectively with open and honest communication. Mrs. Callanan spoke about where she sees Reading Memorial High School going. She plans to work on moving the school forward and paving the way for the next leader while also supporting staff so they can do the best work for our students. Mrs. Callanan is also continuing her work to expand innovation career pathways. Mr. Robinson asked how Mrs. Callanan is balancing her role as interim principal and the work with career pathways. Mrs. Callanan stated Dr. Milaschewski added a third assistant principal which has helped a lot. All Assistant Principals are working hard. It is challenging, but we are rallying the team to move forward. The Director of Finance & Operations, Dr. Derek Pinto, introduced himself discussing the relationship building he has been doing within the district and town personnel. As he is wrapping up his second month in the role, he will begin looking at trends, trying to make sense of what is uncovered, and making future plans. As far as technical aspects are concerned, Dr. Pinto is reviewing the budget and working with the negotiating teams as bargaining units are underway. The goal is to drive revenue and reduce expenses. In working with the operational side, Dr. Pinto ensures schools are clean and safe, the food service department continues to build on its success and helps the IT department to solve personnel shortages. We continue to work with our transportation provider so we can provide reliable and efficient transportation. Overall, Dr. Pinto stated this is a winning team and the leadership is very enthusiastic, collaborative, and focused. Ms. Fulton gave a shout -out to Dr. Pinto for helping solve transportation challenges. Dr. Milaschewski introduced several other leaders new to the district: Ms. Lisa Azzarito — Assistant Principal at Birch Meadow Ms. Jessica Swindell —Assistant Principal at Joshua Eaton Ms. Annemarie Ring — Assistant Principal at Barrows Ms. Jessica Hester — Assistant Principal at Wood End Ms. Talia Hallett — Assistant Principal at Killam Dr. Jill Story—Assistant Principal at Parker Ms. Meredith Flanagan —Assistant Principal at Reading Memorial High School Page 1 3 Ms. Mary Anne Lynne — Interim STEM Curriculum Coordinator Mrs. Nazzaro commented she is thrilled to have Assistant Principals in our elementary schools and looks forward to seeing the collaboration. D. Old Business 1. Final Discussion & Approval of 2023-2026 District Strategic Improvement Plan Mrs. Gaffen motioned to approve the 2023-2026 District Strategic Improvement Plan; seconded by Mrs. Nazzaro. Mr. Wise asked to have a PDF version of the plan as it is currently to make that front and center on the district webpage. Thank you to all who worked on this plan. After no further discussion, the vote passed 4-0. C. Personnel 2. Discuss Focus Indicators for Superintendent Goals for 2023-2025 Mr. Wise shared a memo in the packet outlining the focus indicators. The committee took some time to discuss how many focus indicators Dr. Milaschewski should be scored on. DESE provides six to eight focus indicators, but as you can see, we have included 12. The committee agreed if you have 12 you might as well include all 20. Mr. Wise motioned to include all 21 focus indicators in Dr. Milaschewski s 2025 summative review; seconded by Mr. Robinson; the vote passed 4-0. 3. Finalize and Approve Superintendent Goals & focus Indicators for 2023-2025 Dr. Milaschewski reviewed the changes made to the Superintendent's goals since the last meeting. These changes are also outlined in the packet. The committee spent time discussing goal three and the addition of key action item number four. After discussion, the committee agreed to remove this item from the Superintendent's goals. Mrs. Gaffen motioned to approve the Superintendent's goals and focus indicators for 2023-2025 minus the early literacy portion; seconded by Mrs. Nazzaro, the vote passed 4-0. Mrs. Gaffen motioned to adjourn, seconded by Mr. Robinson, and the.vote passed 5-0. httos://www.youtube.com/watch?v-- FaiGeic8I8 Meeting Adjourned 8:35pm Page 1 4