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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-03-14 School Committee MinutesOfq Town of Readingr J 14R�!Jpi r:l ER#C a Meeting Minutes � ; N y MA '6ja'IM(OPpP' 2024 APR 10 PM 3: 02 Board - Committee - Commission - Council: School Committee Date: 2024-03-14 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: Tom Wise, Sarah McLaughlin, Shawn Brandt, Erin Gaffen, Charles Robinson and Carla Nazzaro Members - Not Present: Others Present: Assistant Superintendent of Learning & Teaching Dr. Sarah Hardy, Director of Finance and Operations Dr. Derek Pinto and 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. E. New Business 1. Vote to Approve 07-03-2024 through 06-30-2027 Reading Paraeducators Association Contract Mr. Wise briefly reviewed the changes made to the contract. One of the key changes was a significant adjustment to the salary scale. The adjustment will happen over the course of three years with the biggest step in the first year. The schedule has also been simplified to have three lanes. Other changes to the contract include: the addition of Juneteenth as a holiday, appropriate pay the day before Thanksgiving instead of having to rework the hours, adjustment of key terms, and as a result of the contract, we will add a few Joint Labor Management Committees. The restructuring of the pay scale has allowed for stipends to be put in place for safety care de-escalation. Mrs. Gaffen motioned to approve the 07-01-2024 through 06-30-2027 Reading Paraeducators Association Contract, seconded by Mr. Robinson. Roll Call Vote — Mr. Robinson — yes, Mrs. Nazzaro — yes, Mr. Brandt — yes, Mrs. Gaffen — yes, Ms. McLaughlin —yes, Mr. Kraunelis (Town Manager) —yes, Mr. Wise—yes. The vote passed 7-0. 2. Discussion on Potentially Co -Sponsoring the Right to Read Film Viewing with the SEPAC in May 2024 SEPAC applied for and received a grant from the Reading Cultural Council to arrange a showing of a documentary film called The Right to Read. This documentary is focused on dyslexia, but also the overall need for the student population to be able to read. SEPAC is looking for assistance in co -sponsoring and promoting the event. They are targeting a September or October showing and looking at the potential for bringing in experts in the field to speak as well. The committee discussed the position of co -sponsoring events and setting a precedent of picking and choosing what to sponsor. This showing is meant to help get the conversation started in the community. Mrs. Gaffen motioned for the School Committee to co-sponsor The Right to Read film viewing as an event, seconded by Mrs. Nazzaro. The vote passed 6-0. B. Public Comment Public Comment — None Focus on Excellence 1. Coolidge and Parker Math Teams— Dr. Milaschewski introduced the Coolidge and Parker math teams who were recognized on Pi Day for their accomplishments so far this year. Both teams have a high level of participation and have shown excellence in their performance. Principal Marchant, Principal Rubino, Ms. Jennifer Kane, Ms. Caitlin Carter and the Coolidge and Parker math team students introduced themselves and shared some of their success this season. The students shared some challenging math problems with the committee to solve. Consent Agenda 1. Minutes (02-29-2024) 2. Robotics Competition Field Trip Request 3. Nature's Classroom Field Trip Request 4. Varsity Boys Basketball Donation 5. Acceptance of Jae S. Lim Foundation Award 6. Acceptance of FY24 Evaluate and Select High -Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) Network Support Grant Award Accounts Payable Warrant Reports 1.02-29-2024 2. 03-07-2024 Mrs. Gaffen motioned to approve the consent agenda, seconded by Mr. Brandt. The vote passed 6-0. Reports 1. Student —Graham Goodwin provided the following updates: Page 12 a. The Annual College Fair had over a hundred colleges in attendance and was a great opportunity for juniors and seniors to meet colleges in the area. Thank you to the food services department for catering the event. b. The Science Team came in eighth place out of 60 teams in the Massachusetts Science Olympiad Tournament. C. The drama club participated in the METG Drama Festival making it to the semifinals. d. Some upcoming events include spring athletics and the Robotics team competition. e. March 21" is National Down Syndrome Day and the Best Buddies Program is raising awareness by holding a fundraiser at Fuddruckers in which all proceeds go back to Best Buddies. f. Juniors are looking forward to prom on March 28th at Andover Country Club. g. Finally, over 180 seniors applied for internships which start on April 111. 2. Director of Finance and Operations — Dr. Pinto thanked Jeffs Granola for their donation to the Reading Food Pantry. As a customer of Jeffs Granola, they annually donate 100% of profits to charities selected by the customer. Dr. Pinto has held sixteen budget meetings with various cost centers to review and coordinate dollars left to spend and also share closing procedures. Finally, Dr. Pinto recently attended the MASBO Law Institute. 3. Assistant Superintendent for Learning & Teaching— Dr. Hardy highlighted a community partnership with Shan Soe-Lin from Yale in collaboration with Chief Clark and the Reading Police Department. With this partnership, we have the opportunity for a grant which would focus on crisis management. Another great partnership has been with the Children's Cabinet who are working to strengthen relationships within the community. The Children's Cabinet is co-chaired by Ms. Barbara Best and Ms. Theresa Wiggins. Ms. Best is currently leading a subgroup focused on relational aggression. 4. Superintendent— Dr. Milaschewski thanked Ms. Kadi Buckley, Ms. Meaghan Rondeau, and Ms. Callanan for their coordination around senior internships. Last year, 80 students were placed last year which has increased to 150 confirmed internships this year. In total, $175,000 is paid to our students, some of which businesses pay directly to students from their own budgets. 5. Liaison/Sub-Committee a. Mr. Robinson—No report b. Mrs. Nazzaro—The traffic study is complete for the Killam School Building Project. The next community meeting is on Monday and will focus on this topic. c. Mr. Brandt —The Finance Committee voted on the warrant articles. The first night of business will be Thursday evening and Monday night will be more so procedural as the first day falls on Passover. The first day of town meeting is fixed in the charter as the fourth Monday which is why it fell on Passover this year. d. Mrs.Gaffen —No report e. Ms. McLaughlin — No report f. Mr. Wise— Mr. Wise echoed Dr. Hardy's appreciation for the Children's Cabinet. The group has created a form to share with principals and counselors to gather anonymous information from students and families on the needs they may have Page 1 3 from clothing to food to housing. This is a short-term action plan to help assess barriers blocking access to education. There will be a Children's Cabinet discussion at the next meeting to focus on the needs of our Boston resident students. Mrs. Gaffen motioned to take item E4 out of order, seconded by Mr. Brandt. The vote passed 6-0. E. New Business 4. Fees Structure Dr. Pinto reminded the committee we are in the process of evaluating all tuition and fees across the board. Some considerations in evaluating these fees include programmatic needs, rising operational expenses and salaries, and current market rates and rates that were provided by neighboring districts. We are recommending adjustments to driver's education and student transportation fees. Director of Community Education, Mr. Chris Nelson, provided context on the adjustment to the Driver's Education fees. Drivers Education has not had an increase since 2012. Fees have been reviewed and cost compared to neighboring programs. We are proposing an increase of just slightly over 5%. This increase will allow us to maintain the program, provide maintenance needed on the Driver's Education vehicle, and potentially hire an additional staff member. The committee discussed the purchase of a new vehicle and where the funds come from for that as well as the ability to have a green vehicle. The Driver's Education Program does not impact the operating budget as it is a level of service. Mrs. Gaffen motioned to approve the drivers education fee increase, seconded by Mr. Brandt. The vote passed 6-0. Dr. Pinto discussed transportation fees which have not been reviewed since 2016. Transportation is available to students attending Killam, Parker, Coolidge and the high school for a fee based on space availability. We are proposing a nominal increase of 4-6%. We will reevaluate the transportation fees again next year to cover the cost of transportation as a new contract was just signed which includes year -over -year escalators. Mrs. Gaffen motioned to approve the fee increase for transportation for fiscal year 2025, seconded by Mr. Brandt. The vote passed 6-0. 3. Student Opportunity Act Plan Review, Discussion, and Vote Dr. Hardy presented the Student Opportunity Act Plan which has to formally be approved by the committee before it can be submitted to DESE. For background, Dr. Hardy provided an overview of the act, the fiscal changes made in Chapter 70 Funding from SOA, the plan requirements, and how it relates to our district strategic plan. Highlights from the SOA plan were shared as well as the targets for 3 -year improvements which are set by DESE. Page 1 4 Mrs. Gaffen motioned to approve the 2024-1017 Student Opportunity Act Plan, seconded by Mr. Robinson. The vote passed 6-0. Mr. Wise motioned to adjourn, seconded by Mr. Robinson. The vote passed 6-0. https://www.youtube.COM/watch?v=upSzewHQ92Q Meeting Adjourned from regular session at approximately 8:35pm. Page 1 5