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Home My WebLink About2023-06-08 School Committee PacketOpen Session 7:00p.m. Reading Memorial High School Library Reading, MA Reading Public Schools School Committee Meeting Packet June 8, 2023 Town of Reading Meeting Posting with Agenda This Agenda has been prepared in advance and represents a listing of topics that the chair reasonably anticipates will be discussed at the meeting. However the agenda does not necessarily include all matters which may be taken up at this meeting. Page | 1 2018-07-16 LAG Board - Committee - Commission - Council: School Committee Date: 2023-06-08 Time: 7:00 PM Building: School - Memorial High Location: School Library Address: 62 Oakland Road Agenda: Revised Purpose: Open Session Meeting Called By: Shawn Brandt, Chair Notices and agendas are to be posted 48 hours in advance of the meetings excluding Saturdays, Sundays and Legal Holidays. Please keep in mind the Town Clerk’s hours of operation and make necessary arrangements to be sure your posting is made in an adequate amount of time. A listing of topics that the chair reasonably anticipates will be discussed at the meeting must be on the agenda. All Meeting Postings must be submitted in typed format; handwritten notices will not be accepted. Topics of Discussion: 7:00 p.m. A. Call to Order 7:05 p.m. E. New Business 1. Staff Appreciation / Celebration 2. Robockets Team Presentation / Demo 7:45 p.m. B. Public Comment Consent Agenda 1. Minutes (05-25-2023) 2. RMHS Softball Support Team Donation 3. Young Women’s League of Reading Donation 4. RMHS Unity Day Donation 5. Parker Middle School Natures Classroom Field Trip Request 6. MassHire MetroNorth Workforce Board’s Student Internship Grants 7. Track and Field Meet Field Trip Request Reports 1. Student 2. Assistant Superintendent of Student Services 3. Assistant Superintendent of Learning & Teaching 4. Director of Finance and Operations 5. Superintendent 6. Liaison/Sub-Committee 8:00 p.m. E. New Business 3. RMHS Instructional Leadership Team Update 4. Math Pathways Update 5. RISE Program Review 6. FY23 3rd Quarter and Projected Year-End Financial Report 7. Review and Vote on Recommendation to Enter into Contracts with Extended Day Enrichment Programs (A) Town of Reading Meeting Posting with Agenda This Agenda has been prepared in advance and represents a listing of topics that the chair reasonably anticipates will be discussed at the meeting. However the agenda does not necessarily include all matters which may be taken up at this meeting. Page | 2 8. Policy Updates – Review and Vote (A) on Amended Policies: GCJ, DGA, DH, DI, DIE, DJ, DJA, DK 9. Review and Vote to Revoke Policy DJG – Vendor Relations (A) F. Information / Correspondence 1. Email from Trey Skehan 10:30 p.m. Adjourn **Times are approximate Join Zoom Meeting https://readingpsma.zoom.us/j/83657021146 Meeting ID: 836 5702 1146 One tap mobile +16469313860,,83657021146# US +13017158592,,83657021146# US (Washington DC) 2022-2023 Staff Milestones 2022-2023 Professional Teacher Status Professional Teacher Status Kristen Agami Wood End Elementary School Rafael Aguade Cabanas Reading Memorial High School Judy Barolak Parker Middle School Suzanne Buchholz Birch Meadow Elementary School Lauren Cucinotta Joshua Eaton Elementary School Jenna Glazier Reading Memorial High School Allie Horton Killam Elementary School Maura Keefe Reading Memorial High School Patrick Mahoney Reading Memorial High School Professional Teacher Status Ashley Masone Coolidge Middle School Kasey McKay Parker Middle School Victoria Ryan Joshua Eaton Elementary School Derrick Ryan Reading Memorial High School Alexandra Sliwoski Reading Memorial High School Elmy Trevejo Joshua Eaton Elementary School Sarah Whalen RISE Preschool Margaret Woodworth Reading Memorial High School Delaney Yule Parker Middle School 2022-2023 10 Years of Service 10 Year Milestone Raymond Albright Reading Memorial High School Meghan Antell Killam Elementary School Jessica Bailey Reading Memorial High School Erica Boran Killam Elementary School Kelley Bostwick Joshua Eaton Elementary School Sarah Cestrone Reading Memorial High School Kristine Chuha Killam Elementary School Jennifer Delaney Birch Meadow Elementary School Jill DiMare Barrows Elementary School Keri Dinapoli Wood End Elementary School Kathleen Drummey Reading Memorial High School Jessica Duffy Birch Meadow Elementary School Sandra Emery Joshua Eaton Elementary School Deborah Forestell Barrows Elementary School 10 Year Milestone Kevin Gerstner School Facilities Lauren Gramolini Killam Elementary School Kylie Kane Reading Memorial High School Heather Leonard School Central Office Kenneth Mahoney Killam Elementary School Katherine Mahoney Wood End Elementary School Dino Masotta Joshua Eaton Elementary School Tanya McSorley Reading Memorial High School Karen Mungenast Coolidge Middle School Alice Gomez Salemi Killam Elementary School Andrew Strutt School Central Office Tracey Tomkins Rise Pre Kindergarten Benjamin Trites Coolidge Middle School Eileen Wilkes RISE Preschool Lynna Williams Reading Memorial High School 2022-2023 20 Years of Service 20 Year Milestone Lisa Baker Wood End Elementary School Sarah Doane Coolidge Middle School Lisa Finigan Wood End Elementary School Sarah Lentz Barrows Elementary School Marlene Lifshin Coolidge Middle School Michael Maday Coolidge Middle School Paul Morrissey Reading Memorial High School Anne Nelson Reading Memorial High School Karin Rando Birch Meadow Elementary School Lisa Treacy Killam Elementary School Laura Warren Coolidge Middle School Marianna Zanni Coolidge Middle School 2022-2023 Retirements Retirements Mary Anne Cuscuna Coolidge Middle School Jeanne Duran Parker Middle School Maurice Hillis Reading Memorial High School Lucille Kaloyanides Killam Elementary Barbara King Killam Elementary Marlene Lifshin Coolidge Middle School Shelley Lynch Reading Memorial High School William Macindewar Parker Middle School Robert Mooney Reading Memorial High School Brigid Rodin Parker Middle School Christine Rose Barrows Elementary School Amy Swenbeck-Fedele Reading Memorial High School Selma Walsh Coolidge Middle School Laura Warren Coolidge Middle School 2022-2023 Distinguished Teaching Award Distinguished Teaching Award Joyce Camenker RISE Preschool Jerald Coyne Coolidge Middle School Leah Cristi Parker Middle School Jaclyn Gargano Barrows Elementary School Tara Herlihy Coolidge Middle School Steven Kennedy Reading Memorial High School Miriam Lewis Joshua Eaton Elementary School Arielle Mucha Birch Meadow Elementary School Helen Palmieri Killam Elementary School Charles Strout Reading Memorial High School Elmy Trevejo Joshua Eaton Elementary School Dianne Tzovaras Wood End Elementary School 2022-2023 Distinguished Staff Awards Distinguished Staff Award Diane “Chickie” Feely Parker Middle School Lisa Finigan Wood End Elementary School Denise Iozzo Killam Elementary School Shayla Leary Barrows Elementary School Benjamin Trites Coolidge Middle School School Committee The RobocketsThe Robockets What We Learn Technical Skills - Designing 3D models - Programming in Java - Using precision machine tools Teamwork - Communicating using Slack - Project management - Delegating work Leadership - Funding our team - Hosting events - Planning an entire year We learn many skills on our team! Such as… How We Fund Our Team Our budget is over $30,000 per year! This is a LOT of money to us. So as a non-profit, we make money in 2 main ways… At the start of each year, we apply to generous companies for grants! Grants We held Chipotle & Fuddruckers fundraisers. FundraisingThere are a lot of parts that go into making a robot: 1)Getting to competitions 2)Buying parts 3)Feeding our team 4)Gaining access to the necessary tools 5)And more! Concession sales at the RMHS competition is a huge fundraiser. Preseason Our team uses the preseason to teach newcomers, promote our team, and practice with a fun project! Teaching Mentors & Alumni Projects Our team has fun mini-projects at the start of every year! Our team dedicates a lot of time to teach people programming and engineering! Various professionals volunteer time to help coach our members! Preseason Events Chain Reaction EventFall Street Fair We would like to support RPS in restarting FIRST Lego League! Inspired by MIT, young aspiring STEM enthusiasts work together to build a huge Rube Goldberg Machine We also spread the love of STEM to our community at the Fall Street Fair! We use this time to reach out to our community and spread the love for STEM! FIRST Lego League Build Season Designing Building A vital part of our season is testing the robot to make sure it works! Once we have a rough design, we start to CAD the physical components of our robot! After designing, every subteam works together to build the robot in time! Testing 6 weeks after Kickoff, we need a fully functioning robot! Competitions Competitions are fast-paced, having only 2 minutes 30 seconds per round! In between matches, we have to quickly repair our robot, putting a lot of pressure on the team! That doesn’t stop our team members from cheering as loudly as they possibly can though! Event Community 40 teams of high-schoolers sent their teams to our North Shore Event this year with over 1000 people overall! We always welcome people of all ages to our North Shore event, exposing them to STEM activities! Post Season After Action Review Projects We begin planning for next year by electing new leads and organizing our team! This year, our mentor Mr. Boran ran a scrum retrospective for our AAR! We also continue working on projects such as swerve drive! Planning After the season ends, our team wraps everything we’ve worked on up. However, we continue new things as well! The Summer That’s right, our team never fully stops running! Leads Meetings New Shop!Grant Camp Our team members get together to apply for grants! Our leads meet either online or in person to discuss how to best run the team! We plan on moving into a new shop with more space! Life Beyond the Stars College Careers Alumni Some of our past members come back as mentors or event volunteers to help out our team! The majority of our seniors graduate and go on to pursue STEM! In addition to this, a large majority of our members go into STEM-related careers! Thank you for your continued support of our team! It’s Robot Demo Time! It’s Robot Demo Time! It’s Robot Demo Time! It’s Robot Demo Time! Meet Perry The Arm -Fabricated at RMHS -Custom Gearboxes Our gearboxesPerry’s arm Arm Control Graphic from Rafi: https://www.chiefdelphi.com/t/frc-6328-mechanical-advantage-2023-build-thread/420691/73?page=5 Autonomous In action at competition! Our robot, in all its glory The Intake and Drivetrain LEDS LEDs serve a valuable role in communicating to human operators from across the field. Consent Agenda Reading Public Schools School Committee Meeting Packet June 8, 2023 Town of Reading Meeting Minutes Page | 1 2016-09-22 LAG Board - Committee - Commission - Council: School Committee Date: 2023-05-25 Time: 7:00 PM Building: Location: Address: Session: Open Session Purpose: Open Session Version: Draft Attendees: Members - Present: Shawn Brandt, Carla Nazzaro, Erin Gaffen, Charles Robinson Members - Not Present: Tom Wise and Sarah McLaughlin Others Present: Superintendent Dr. Tom Milaschewski, Assistant Superintendent for Learning and Teaching Dr. Sarah Hardy, Student Jayda Hayes, and METCO Director Kurtis Martin Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Olivia Lejeune on behalf of the chairperson. Topics of Discussion: A. Call to Order – Mr. Brandt called the meeting to order at 7:04pm reviewing the agenda and thanking Milly Arbaje-Thomas for hosting the committee at the METCO Headquarters. B. Public Comment – None Consent Agenda 1. Minutes (05-08-2023) 2. RMHS Band Parents Organization Donation 3. Friends of Reading Wrestling Donation 4. Coolidge Middle School Natures Classroom Field Trip Request 5. RMHS Varsity Lacrosse Field Trip Request 6. REF Grant Donation: Additional Funding Ms. Nazzaro motioned to approve the consent agenda, seconded by Mr. Robinson, vote passed 4-0. Reports 1. Student – Jayda Hayes reported seniors had their last day of classes last week, prom was last night, and graduation is next Friday, June 2nd. Everyone is very excited for the elementary school visits in which seniors get to go back to their elementary school in their cap and gown to see past teachers. Mr. Brandt thanked Jayda for her time serving as the student representative on the School Committee. Page | 2 2. Assistant Superintendent of Student Services – No report 3. Assistant Superintendent of Learning & Teaching – No report 4. Director of Finance and Operations – No Report 5. Superintendent – Dr. Milaschewski thanked Jayda Hayes for her time as the student representative on the School Committee. She has been a thoughtful and engaged member. Jayda is a model student who carries herself well within the community. Dr. Milaschewski reported on the following items: a. We have hired a new RISE Director Kerry Wilcox. Kerry has been a Special Education teacher for over 20 years and more recently a Pre-K Director at Billerica Public Schools. We look forward to welcoming her at the start of the new school year. b. We just completed the first round of interviews in the search for the Director of Finance & Operations position, but unfortunately, did not move forward with an offer with a candidate. The position has been reposted as a one-year interim position, but also a regular long-term position. We will continue to move this process forward. 6. Liaison/Sub-Committee a. Mr. Robinson – The Policy Subcommittee met with students regarding a facilities policy and received good feedback. The subcommittee has approved amendments to policy DIE which is regarding audits and DK which is payment procedures. Mr. Robinson also reported the Symonds Way Exploratory Committee will meet on Tuesday to discuss and consider expanding the scope of work. b. Ms. Gaffen – SEPAC held a viewing of The Anxious Nation last week, which was very hard to watch, but also very powerful. The viewing ended on a hopeful note, and it is suggested to check it out if you have the chance. PAIR will be hosting a Juneteenth event on Saturday, June 24th and we hope to have a good turnout for that. c. Ms. Nazzaro – The Killam Building Committee has met multiple times in the last few weeks and received six Owner’s Project Management Request for Services of which four were brought in for interviews. The committee has created a subcommittee to interview the companies. All of the companies were impressive and after narrowing down the list, Terva was the number one choice. The Town Manager is entering into negotiations with Terva and this will be added to the MSBA Board Meeting for approval. d. Mr. Brandt – On behalf of Mr. Wise, Mr. Brandt noted the Legal Counsel Subcommittee is interviewing finalists to select a firm with the intention of recommending a finalist to the School Committee at the June 22nd meeting. E. New Business 1. Comments from Milly Arbaje-Thomas, METCO President & CEO Page | 3 It is so nice to have the district come to the headquarters for this official meeting. Milly Arbaje-Thomas shared a presentation discussing the background of the METCO Program and future plans. Throughout the presentation, members of the school committee, RPS leadership and community members asked thought-provoking questions which led to discussions about commutes and locations for METCO students and the hope to open more opportunities for advanced coursework. Milly Arbaje- Thomas reminded the group to insist that change can happen. Ms. Nazzaro motioned to move items E3 and E4 out of order, seconded by Mr. Robinson, vote passed 4-0. 2. Friends of Reading METCO (FORMETCO) Introduction The Friends of Reading METCO introduced themselves and gave some background on their mission as a non-profit. They also discussed the impact this community has had on them as parents and their students. FORMETCO is recruiting Boston parents to be part of the organization. This group is about relationship building and creating a community for those part of the METCO program. Please check out the website for more information and consider joining the board: Friends of Reading METCO. 3. Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) Introduction SEPAC board members introduced themselves to the group. A board member who is the parent of a student with dyslexia discussed how the Reading Public Schools District helped diagnose her student and the impact that has made on her education. SEPAC provides advocacy for students with disabilities and is a resource for all parents. It was noted by a board member that it can be overwhelming, but it is important to have all voices at the table to ensure your students get the support they need. SEPAC has a new website where you can find further information and learn how to get resources or be more involved: https://sepac.reading.k12.ma.us/. 4. Reading METCO Update METCO Director Kurtis Martin shared a presentation about the program and the growth over the last two years. When first starting in Reading as the METCO Director, Kurtis Martin had three goals: 1. Increase enrollment. 2. Increasing staffing, and 3. Provide late buses for students. He had a drive to be the best district which meant making some changes. Since then, the district has increased enrollment from 47 students to 103 students, adding seven METCO Coordinators, and adding late buses. Growing enrollment puts Reading within the top 10 biggest METCO programs in the state. The group had discussions about METCO Coordinators being stretched thin as they are addressing student needs for the entire school not just the METCO program. The coordinator position is a dual role funded out of the operating and METCO budget. Kurtis Martin discussed some of the cultural events the program has offered over the year specifically mentioning the Black History Month event in which a local Boston restaurant took over the cafeteria to serve lunch at the high school. Mr. Brandt noted this presentation will be shared in the packet and reposted. 5. Final Vote on 2023-2024 Budget and Capital Plan (A) Page | 4 Ms. Nazzaro motioned to approve the Final FY24 Operating and Capital Budgets for Reading Public Schools, as appropriated by Annual Town Meeting in April, 2023, seconded by Mr. Robinson, vote passed 4-0. C. Personnel 1. Review Superintendent Review Process/Timeline Mr. Brandt introduced the process and timeline for the superintendent evaluation. A memo was provided in the packet as a refresher of the goals and focus indicators chosen in September. As a reminder, the only indicators to rate are the nine focus indicators mentioned in the memo. Committee members will submit a draft evaluation no later than June 11th. Preliminary meetings to review the draft evaluations will take place the following week and by Friday, June 16th revisions will be submitted. Mr. Brandt will create a consensus evaluation for the committee to review and vote on at the June 22nd School Committee meeting. Ms. Nazzaro made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Mr. Robinson, vote passed 4-0. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIVF7uB5iTE Meeting Adjourned 9:27pm. TO: Reading School Committee FROM: Olivia Lejeune, Executive Assistant to the Superintendent DATE: June 8, 2023 RE: Vote to Accept RMHS Softball Support Team donation Please vote to accept a donation of $3,000 from the RMHS Softball Support Team to pay the salary of RMHS girls varsity softball assistant coach, Jamie Mastrocola. Please find attached the award letter from Pamela Higgins, RMHS Softball Support Team. Thank you. Reading Public Schools Instilling a joy of learning and inspiring the innovative leaders of tomorrow 82 Oakland Road Reading, MA 01867 Phone: 781-944-5800 Fax: 781-942-9149 TO: Reading School Committee FROM: Olivia Lejeune, Executive Assistant to the Superintendent DATE: June 8, 2023 RE: Vote to Approve Nature’s Classroom Field Trip Request Please vote to approve a Nature’s Classroom Field Trip request on behalf of Parker Middle School. The dates of October 18-20, 2023 have been reserved, pending approval. Please find attached the field trip approval form. Thank you. Reading Public Schools Instilling a joy of learning and inspiring the innovative leaders of tomorrow 82 Oakland Road Reading, MA 01867 Phone: 781-944-5800 Fax: 781-942-9149 TO: Reading School Committee FROM: Susan Bottan, Director of Finance and Operations DATE: June 8, 2023 RE: Vote to Accept the MassHire MetroNorth Workforce Board’s STEM and Education Student Internships Grants Please vote to accept the MassHire MetroNorth Workforce Board’s STEM grant for a total award of $39,750 and Education grant for a total award of $75,000 to place and pay Reading Memorial High School students for internship positions. More than 50 students are participating in the program. Students interned, and were compensated for, up to 100-hours at $15.00 per hour. Thank you. Reading Public Schools Instilling a joy of learning and inspiring the innovative leaders of tomorrow 82 Oakland Road Reading, MA 01867 Phone: 781-944-5800 Fax: 781-942-9149 TO: Reading School Committee FROM: Olivia Lejeune, Executive Assistant to the Superintendent DATE: June 8, 2023 RE: Vote to Approve Track & Field Meet Field Trip Request Please vote to approve a New England Championship Track Meet Field Trip request on behalf of Reading Memorial High School. The meet will take place in Bangor, Maine on June 10, 2023. Please find attached the field trip approval form. Thank you. Reading Public Schools Instilling a joy of learning and inspiring the innovative leaders of tomorrow 82 Oakland Road Reading, MA 01867 Phone: 781-944-5800 Fax: 781-942-9149 New Business Reading Public Schools School Committee Meeting Packet June 8, 2023 RMHS Instructional Leadership Team Update Accomplishment & Progress Overview Developed and implemented robust instructional feedback system for 100% of faculty: ●Instructional Walks ●Developed School-Wide Goals ●Professional Learning -centered around district strategic objectives ●Consistent formal and informal feedback provided to all staff in evaluation system Program Development ●ICP -MyCAP, partnerships ●Internships ●New Courses & Course Selection ●Math Pathways ●Dual Enrollment ●Engagement with Middle Schools ●Skills Capital Grant Application English Department ●In PD time, department considered the concept of “Deeper Learning” (Mehta and Fine, 2019) and how it applies to current and future work with students ●Working with librarian, secured RED grant for podcasting station to be housed in media center. This is a culturally current way of providing students with practice in the writing and speaking standards ●Adopted a new text by a contemporary Native American author in American Literature class ●Over 50 members of the senior class published articles in the online student newspaper through work completed in our journalism elective ●Department members continue to oversee extracurricular activities for creative writing, news writing, and playwriting, as well as National Honor Society and other clubs Fine and Performing Arts Department (2022-2023) ●Fine Arts ○Professional Learning: ■Engagement in readings and discussions through MAEA recommended texts and their applications to the classroom ■Applied for, and received, REF funding for a fine arts-specific professional learning platform which includes both subdiscipline-specific PD and a wealth of curricular resources (one-year, with an eye toward making this sustainable in years to come) ○Reinstitution of the AP Art Show ○Opportunities for students to showcase their artworks both at their local schools and in district-wide Arts Fest celebration as well as competitively, including multiple student awards Fine and Performing Arts Department (2022-2023) ●Performing Arts ○Many performance ensembles and performance opportunities throughout the school year ○Participation in outside district and state-level performances ○Added a third evening to Arts Fest allowing pre-K and elementary schools to showcase their performance work on stage ○Professional Learning: ■Engagement in readings and discussions through NAfME peer-reviewed articles and their applications to the classroom ○Piloted the after-school Private Lessons Program beginning with roughly 30 participants from middle and high school band programs. Expectation of, and working toward, future growth of this program. ○Year One of Middle School Percussion Ensemble funded by Band Parents Organization ○REF grants approved to provide a marimba to middle school band program and a professional guest clinician series in chorus ○Drama Club staff, parent volunteers, and students “step up their game”, providing a fantastic theatre season during Mrs. Cunha’s absence. Parker and Coolidge shows were top notch as well. Health and Wellness Department (2022-2023) ●Expansion of Senior Education Internship Program (education) ●Researching Dual Enrollment and Education Certification Pathways for students through the Wellness Dept. ○Field Seminar courses to Health and Wellness ●Continued work with partnership with Reading Coalition with mental health ○Mental Health First Aid ○Substance abuse prevention ●Altered course offerings to allow for more student choice in courses in and outside of department ●Looking ahead: Professional Development around the growth and development of common assessments in physical education for 2023-2024 History-Social Studies ●Civics Project -Year 2 ●New course development: ○Race-Culture & the Classroom (2022-23) ○Women in History (2023-24) ○Dual Enrollment: Ethics in Society (2023-24) ●Self-study of US-World blended courses ●Update of AP Euro curriculum ●Multiple attendees of METCO conferences, St. Johnsbury, among others ●Provider and developer of curriculum for Primary Source in Watertown ●A Department that leans into campus life: ○Advisors to Girls Rising, Class of 24, Bake 4 Better, Bridging Generations, Cards 4 Kindness, DECA ○3 Varsity Head Coaches, 3 assistants, 3 multiple season coaches ○RTA Officers ○Organizers and chaperones of school trips to Washington, DC & London Math & Business Department ●Awarded Innovation Career Pathway Designation from Department of Elementary and Secondary education for Information: Computer Science ●Began work with Math Pathways Committee ●Developed new partnership with TEALS -Microsoft (Computer Science) ●Added AP Precalculus as a cours option for students, increasing the number of students who are able to take an AP math course ●Looking Ahead: ○Continue Math Pathways Committee work with broader stakeholder input ○Create course descriptions and curriculum for Innovation Pathways course that will start in SY24-25 Science Department ●Awarded Innovation Career Pathway Designation from Department of Elementary and Secondary Education: Engineering ●Development and addition of new course options ○Scientific Ethics and Literacy ○Environmental Engineering ●Applied for Capital Skills grant thorough DESE to add equipment for course expansion, and develop more in depth laboratory expansion ●Continued progress with our high enrollment in Advanced Placement courses ●Looking Ahead: ○Developing standards based self assessment within the context of science classes ○Curriculum Review Special Education Department ●Additional of Special Education Department Head ●Implementation of new SMARTs executive functioning curriculum ●Students participated in a wide range of transition related activities ○Pre-employment transition seminars (Triangle) ○Field trips & community experiences with direct guidance and support from staff ●Unified basketball team with other Middlesex Conference Schools ●Reestablished Best Buddies Chapter which included community outings ●Professional development for paraprofessionals through self-paced training sessions and in-person workshops focused on a range of topics/skills School Counseling Department ●Participated in MyCAP training with DESE, as a result of the training our department was recognized by the Department of Education for our developmental guidance model and asked to present our best practices to a group of 125 educators across the state. ●Completed year two of using our Project Wayfinder Curriculum for our grade 9 and 10 students. Introduced it to teachers to use in their classrooms and next year will be utilizing it with freshman mentor program. ●Added a full-time school adjustment counselor which has increased our capacity to provide more in depth social/emotional counseling services ●Partnered with BRYT and completed a program review of Stepping Stone Program. ●Revamped the Rocket Ambassador program to provide a peer to peer mentor program with on-going training for incoming freshman and new students next year World Languages Department ●Awarded the Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy to 12 graduating seniors, ●8 members of class of 2024 have already qualified for the Seal ●Addition of World Languages Honor Societies (Latin, French, Spanish) ●Department attended the ACTFL conference in Boston: Dr. Mahoney presented at the conference ●Initiated the World Language Leadership Team in collaboration with Middle School WL teachers ●Collaborated on the MA DESE World Language Frameworks Implementation Modules ●Tested 550 students with Proficiency Assessments in 7 languages (AAPPL, ALIRA, STAMP, ALTA) ●Implemented guided reading with novels in Spanish, French, Latin with support from REF Grant ●Served as faculty advisors or coordinators to: Spanish Club, French Club, Latin Club, Video Game Club, Habitat for Humanity (including annual trip to Winston-Salem, NC) ●Looking Ahead (2023-24) ○Curriculum Review, continuing work with the WL LT ○Planning exchange trip to France for 2023-24 Looking Ahead to 2023-24 Instructional Leadership Retreat: ●Created a Professional Learning (PL) calendar for all departments for 2023- 24 ●Planned objectives for ILT for 2023- 24 centered around district strategic plan and needs of the school Implementation of Grants: ●ICP Planning and Implementation Grants ●Skills Capital Grant (awaiting notification) ●Curriculum Reviews ●School-wide Professional Development Plan ●Program expansion and support ○ICP ○Dual Enrollment ●NEASC Alignment with current work ●School Culture TO: Reading School Committee FROM: Heather Leonard, STEM Curriculum Coordinator and Allyson Williams, RMHS Mathematics & Business Department Head DATE: June 8, 2023 RE: RPS Math Pathways STEM Curriculum Coordinator Heather Leonard and RMHS Mathematics & Business Department Head Allyson Williams will be sharing information about RPS Math Pathways. Ms. Leonard and Ms. Williams will provide an overview of the work that has taken place up until this point and provide an overview of next steps including the creation of a Community Math Pathways Committee that will be developed in the coming year. Thank you. Reading Public Schools Instilling a joy of learning and inspiring the innovative leaders of tomorrow 82 Oakland Road Reading, MA 01867 Phone: 781-944-5800 Fax: 781-942-9149 Math Pathways Committee Update Heather Leonard Allyson Williams June 8, 2023 Overview ●Defining the work ●Steps taken so far ●Preview of upcoming steps Mathematics Vision Statement for Reading Public Schools In Reading Public Schools, students see themselves as problem solvers who continually grow as mathematicians. Our classrooms foster reasoning, collaboration, and curiosity within which students hold the ownership of the work (thinking, talking, and learning by doing) while they take risks, persevere, and communicate. Educators foster productive struggle through real-world problems that engage students of every background and ability. RPS educators know that all students can achieve in mathematics, and we use ongoing assessments and inclusive practices to support access for all to set students up to find success. 2021-2022 School Year ●Collection of district math data ●Informal collection of feedback from staff and families about math experiences ●Plan for development of internal district team September, 2022 through April, 2023 ●District and school-based leaders met multiple times to: ○identify needs and possible outcomes of mathematics pathways work ○consider research from the field ○examine current DESE guidance ●Collection of data points: ○RPS Math Course Enrollment over cohorts & years ○College Input ●Develop draft: ○An introduction to the Math Pathways Review ○A Community Math Pathways Statement of Purpose May, 2023 ●Meetings with all secondary math teachers to solicit feedback about Math Pathways plans ●Teams identify components to include in the Pathways Community Committee ○Data and other information to be considered ○Stakeholders to include ○Committee Considerations ■What aspects of the current pathways are working/successful? ■What aspects of the current pathways are lacking? ■What changes need to be made? May, 2023 ●DESE Launch Years Initiative Taskforce ○DESE restarting their Pathways Work ○Shared out at STEM Network ○Well aligned with RPS plans June, 2023 ●Revisions based on teacher feedback ●Organize leadership to facilitate Community Committee ●Build network including in-district staff, peer state districts, DESE representatives, and field experts ●Share plans with School Committee & School Communities Math Pathways Review As Reading Public Schools strives to meet our vision for mathematics, we have identified areas of strength and challenges in our systems. RPS Leaders analyzed data and feedback from students, staff, and the community to identify areas for examination. Identified components to examine include; ●the impact of middle school course placements determining the future ceilings of students within advanced math courses, ●advanced math course enrollment does not reflect school demographics, ●limited options for advanced math course choices, ●lack of flexible opportunities for accessing various math courses, and ●lack of interest-based options for juniors/seniors. We have committed to revisiting these system components and collaborating with stakeholders to develop a path forward. Community Math Pathways Committee Statement of Purpose In order to align with our Mathematics Vision for Reading Public Schools and address challenges within our existing system, we will be creating a community committee to engage in deep study of our secondary Math Pathways. This work will include; ●analysis of current research, ●review of national, state, and local data, ●collaboration with peer districts and higher education partners, and ●consideration of MA DESE’s recommendations in alignment with math course offerings and higher education pathways. The committee will then summarize key findings and make recommendations to RPS District Leadership in order to ensure opportunities for access and success for all students in mathematics. Next Steps… Fall 2023 ●First steps for Fall, 2023 ○Communicate to broader community ○Select committee members across range of stakeholders ○Create timeline that considers all aspects including course planning and budget seasons R.I.S.E. Program Review Respect, Inclusion, Safety, Effort June 8, 2023 Tiered Focused Monitoring (TFM) Requirements and the Link to Program Reviews State Requirements SE 56 - Special education programs and services are evaluated Special education programs and services are regularly evaluated. What is required: Documents Interviews Federal Requirements M.G.L. c. 69, section 1A M.G.L. c. 69, section 1I M.G.L. c. 71B, section 3 Methodology This program evaluation was based on a four-step approach, which included an initial visit, observations, interviews, and written documentation relevant to the program. Initial visit to RISE The consultants conducted an initial visit with the former Director of RISE in early JUNE 2022 to get a general overview of classroom space, support-related therapy space, playgrounds and gym before the evaluation work began. This director left in the fall and the newly retired Wood End principal was appointed interim director. Review of Written Document related to the RISE Program This review included the current program description, roles and responsibilities of all RISE special education personnel,professional development offerings, procedural manuals, data collection forms, applications, parent communication, the website and a sample of 13 Individual Education Programs (IEP) from the various classrooms. Observation of RISE Programs Observations included both half-day and full-day classes at the three locations. Observations were 30-45 minutes. Interviews with Administrators, Program Staff and Parents The consultants conducted both individual and group interviews. The topics discussed in interviews are below. Individual interviews were approximately 45-60 minutes and group interviews were 60 minutes. The former Director, the current Interim Director, the RISE Administrative Assistant, Teachers, related service providers, elementary Principals and Paraprofessionals. Individual Interviews Included Follow up communication, analysis of data, and report development The consultants developed a comprehensive report to include recommendations based on the analysis of all collected data and the evaluators’ experience with evaluating Massachusetts Early Childhood Programs and Massachusetts DESE data and protocols. We included suggestions on how the district might choose to implement accepted recommendations in this report. Summary of commendations ●Staff feel very connected to their community ●Longevity of staff in the program ●The staff are passionate about working with preschool children ●Benefits to the current model of placing students of various abilities and age levels to work and learn in an environment that optimizes their learning potential ●Optimism about the new central leadership team at the central office and the direction of the program ●Updated procedures and practices are well timed and helpful Recommendations 1. Culture, communication and identity issues in RISE must be addressed 2. Hire a Educational team chair to have a separate team chairperson and director Fall 2023 3. Increase parent and staff communication 4. Develop and document the transition process from RISE to Kindergarten 5. Improve the RISE application and screening process for students without disabilities 6. Establish behavioral management systems in the classrooms 7. Update the RISE curriculum to align with kindergarten and implement with fidelity in all classrooms 8. Reconfigure the classrooms, both full and half day, and develop a continuum which meets the needs of students with moderate-to-severe disabilities. The Current Work ●Part-time team chairperson has been added to ensure there is a full time director ●Professional development for consistent and efficient data collection to inform instruction ●Creating an effective student support team (SST) practice ●Math professional development ●Literacy professional development ●Culture building professional development ●Facilitating ongoing monthly meetings with staff on collaborative problem solving ●Updated schedules and billing ●Transition planning process ●Additional materials ●Alignment in parent communication Executive Summary RISE Early Childhood Program Evaluation Reading, MA Public Schools Conducted June/October 2022 Submitted by: Patric Barbieri Sally Smith Independent Special Education Consultants Table of Contents I. Introduction A. Purpose B. Evaluators C. RISE Program Overview II. Methodology III Summary of Commendations IV. Summary of Findings V. Recommendations I. Introduction The Director of Special Education for the Reading Public Schools requested that independent consultants evaluate the Reading Early Childhood RISE program, which serves students with and without special needs. With a recent change in the administration at the RISE program, the Director of Special Education felt this was an appropriate time to review: ● current status of the programming and services; ● staffing patterns; ● utilization of professional staff and instructional assistants; ● effectiveness of current special education program models and instructional support services ● strategies of inclusion, inclusionary practices of instruction (push -in); ● specialized instructional strategies, substantially separate programming, ● professional development needs of the staff. A. Purpose The purpose of an independent evaluation of a special education program and related services is to provide a school district with an objective report that identifies areas of strengths, needs, and recommendations. This evaluation is a barometer reading of the RISE Early Childhood Program regarding programming, services, professional development, and staffing. B. Consultants Sally Smith, M.Ed., is a Special Education and Early Childhood Consultant for Seaside Educational Consultants, LABBB Collaborative, and The Northshore Education Consortium. Prior to her present professional position, Ms. Smith has 39 years of educational experience that includes Early Childhood Coordinator and Northeast Regional Associate Manager of Walker Partnerships, Director of Professional Development for the Education Collaborative of Greater Boston, four years as Director of Student Services for the Belmont Public Schools following 12 years of involvement with the Early Childhood Program for the Belmont Public Scho ols as a Preschool special education teacher, an inclusion specialist, and Early Childhood Coordinator. Ms. Smith has also been an elementary and middle school consulting teacher for the Lynnfield Public Schools and a special education teacher at the SEEM Collaborative. Ms. Smith has conducted many professional development trainings and directed over 40 program evaluations of special education programs and services at all grade levels for public school districts. Ms. Smith has instructed and supervised graduate students from many Boston-area colleges and universities as well as mentored/coached teachers and coordinators. Ms. Smith also has extensive experience in developing effective programming for students on the Autism Spectrum. Patric Barbieri, M.Ed., Patric has worked in special education for over 32 years. He recently retired as Executive Director of LABBB Collaborative, a special education collaborative of five Massachusetts communities near Boston. LABBB has consistently been a statewide leader in providing robust academic, career, and social/recreational experiences for all special needs students, ages 3-to 22. Patric’s strengths include developing programs for students and young adults from preschool through high school and college. He has conducted many program evaluations and professional development training for public school districts. He is a frequent speaker for Massachusetts Partnership for Youth (MPY) and other groups. Patric has been practicing and teaching Mindfulness for 35 years, including offering a new perspective for those struggling with anxiety, which he calls “Positive Anxiety.” One of his passions is helping families navigate special needs plans and is currently co-Director of Forever Parent, which is an organization that helps parents prepare for the future care of their son or daughter when they no longer can be there. He has facilitated workshops, created podcasts, and written many articles on the importance of the planning process based on his own family’s experience. C. RISE Program Overview R.I.S.E. offers a range of education and support services for preschool children. R.I.S.E. offers integrated preschool classrooms that meet the needs of children with and without disabilities. Students benefit from whole group, small group or individualized instruction to meet their social/emotional, behavioral, communication and pre-academic skills. R.I.S.E. is staffed by DESE certified teachers, who possess a strong background in child development and are able to offer a high-quality educational experience for children along a developmental continuum. In addition, a speech and language pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, board certified behavior analyst, para educators, as well as a nurse, are a part of the classroom interdisciplinary team. The program offers standards-based curriculum in which children engage in play -based learning centers, multi-sensory activities, and interact with peers and adults to foster relationships and learning through intentionally planned play and learning activities. Children learn skills to support the development of social skills to build strong rel ationships with peers and promote positive interactions with both peers and adults. Developing self -help skills is strongly encouraged to help children boost their confidence and self -esteem. Children are encouraged to make discoveries, ask questions, observe, and explore to acquire new knowledge and skills by engaging in activities of high interest in an environment that fosters creativity and a love of learning. Additionally, R.I.S.E. offers substantially separate programming with opportunities for inclu sion that are flexible, based on individual student needs. In this setting, students receive explicit, specially designed instruction in social, behavioral, play, self -help, fine and gross motor and academic skills with a smaller student-teacher ratio in order to provide more direct instruction, prompting, or feedback. II. Methodology This program evaluation was based on a four -step approach, which included an initial visit, observations, interviews, and written documentation relevant to the program. 1. Initial visit to RISE The consultants conducted an initial visit with the former Director of RISE in early June 2022 to get a general overview of classroom space, support -related therapy space, playgrounds and gym before the evaluation work began. This director left in the fall and the newly retired Wood End principal was appointed interim director. 2. Review of written documentation related to the RISE Program This review included program descriptions, roles and responsibilities of all RISE special education personnel, program description ,professional development offerings, procedural manuals, and a sample of 13 Individual Education Programs (IEP) from the various classrooms. Student lists which delineate the students with and without special needs students for each class, program brochures, the community peer application, data collection forms, parent communication documents and the website were also reviewed. 3. Observation of RISE Programs Observations included both half-day and full-day classes at the three locations. Observations were 30-45 minutes. 4. Interviews with administrators, program staff and parents The consultants conducted both individual and group interviews. The topics discussed in interviews are below. Individual interviews were approximately 45-60 minutes and group interviews were 60 minutes. Individual Interviews included the former director, the current Interim director, the RISE administrative assistant, teachers, related service providers, elementary principals and paraprofessionals. Group Interviews Included: 6 parents, 3 kindergarten teachers. Interview questions for teachers, paraprofessionals, support related service providers and administrators The following bullets represent topics that were discussed during the interview process with all staff. The interview questions were expanded upon depending on the specific role of the person interviewed. ● General background ● Curriculum ● Professional development ● Community engagement ● Inclusion practices ● SEL practices (Social Emotional Learning) ● Transition process ● Communication ● Team meeting time Interview questions for parents The evaluators met with 6 parents and received some helpful information which contributed to the recommendations in this report. ● Curriculum ● Community engagement ● Transition from early intervention to preschool to kindergarten ● Inclusion opportunities ● Communication 5. Exit interview An exit interview was held with the Director of Special Education, Assistant Superintendent and Superintendent on December 19, 2022, for 1.0 hour. 6. Follow up communication, analysis of data, and report development The consultants developed a comprehensive report to include recommendations based on the analysis of all collected data and the evaluators' experience with evaluating Massachusetts Early Childhood Programs and Massachusetts DESE data and protocols. We included suggestions on how the district might choose to implement accepted recommendations in this report. III. Summary of commendations This section of the report is to recognize the efforts put forth by the staff and the administration to meet the needs of the RISE stude nts and families. It was evident from the interviews that staff feel very connected to their community. They want to be included in the “Pre K-12” school system and for the preschool to interact, participate and be respected as a vital part of our children's education. Staff that have been part of RISE for many years have worked in many pre -school locations both at the high school and the elementary schools and want to continue quality programming for preschool students. The staff seemed passionate about working with preschool children and had many ideas to offer about how to improve the pre -school culture. The staff recognizes the benefits of mixed age groups; placing children who are at least one year apart in age in the same classroom groups allows children of various abilities and age levels to work and learn in an environment that optimizes their learning potential. Most RISE staff are optimistic about the new central leadership team at the central office. They hope they will see changes in the RISE program and that procedures and curriculum will be practiced with fidelity in all classrooms. The preschool director who resigned at the end of September updated the 2022-2023 handbook with staff names and roles, entrance requirements for students without special needs, extended day option, payment, health and wellness, COVID-19 protocols, parking, getting to and from school, snack/lunch, curriculum, behavior, confidentiality, toileting, contact information, communication, and the anti-discrimination policy, physical restraint policy, and security cameras. This handbook should be updated annually and be available to parents via the parent portal. The 2023-2024 handbook should be concise and contain more information on student behavioral expectations, curriculum and parent communication guidelines. IV. Summary of findings The consultants considered the following information collected through interviews, observations of classrooms and the document review process to formulate the report recommendations. Through our interviews in the Spring and early Fall, culture in the RI SE Pre-School came up as an area of concern. Concerns encompassed changing leadership, changing expectations with curriculum and the increasing needs of the students are a few examples of topics discussed. We realize that returning from Covid there have been many stresses that have been lingering and are challenges for most districts, but these cultural issues were deep-rooted and consistent among the RISE classrooms in the high school and located in the elementary school settings. Interviews indicated staff do not feel that the Reading school community includes the pre- school or that it is part of their respective school building. From their perspective, the focus is primarily on K-12. The process of students transferring from preschool to an elementary school for kindergarten is not consistent or documented, which is confusing for RISE parents, teachers and the receiving kindergarten TEAM. No definitive process with timelines makes it especially difficult for students being placed in specialized programs. Interviews and observations indicated that the following curricula are implemented at RISE: Fundations, Heggerty, Second Step, Handwriting Without Tears, Yoga, and September-June theme-based units approach. Observations and interviews indicated that these programs are not used with fidelity across all preschool classrooms and some teachers need training in implementing these curricula. Comprehensive Initial training and Refresher courses on all curriculum should happen yearly for new and returning teachers and paraprofessionals. It is imperative that all students are exposed to the same curricula regardless of what classr oom they are in or which of the 3 schools they attend. The RISE classroom teachers are concerned about increased anxiety in students and the need to embed opportunities to help students learn a variety of self-regulation skills. Interviews indicated that parents have asked and would benefit from learning these strategies to implement at home aligning home and school. V. Recommendations 1. Culture, communication and identity issues in RISE must be addressed Explanation: It is essential that administration address the cultural issues that exist in the RISE pre-school before beginning to implement the other recommendations. It was evident that there were issues related to professional boundaries with staff to staff communi cation, staff to parent communication and professional communication students with students present. We do not believe this is impacting services for students, but it is contributing to cultural issues and morale that affect employee retention. ● Staff would appreciate more visibility from central office administration. (For example, impromptu visits during learning centers or morning meeting) ● The Principals at the two elementary buildings where preschool classes are located should be familiar with the preschool staff and the general operation of the RISE program. While it is not their role to supervise and evaluate, preschool classes housed in elementary schools need to be viewed as part of that elementary school’s community. 2. Hire a .60 FTE Educational Team Supervisor (ETS) for Fall 2023 Explanation: RISE has experienced significant growth in the numbers and severity of students requiring support. In addition, RISE has had a recent turnover of Program Directors which has contributed to inconsistent oversight within the pre -school. All students should be in the least restrictive environment in their community, and the district should reserve out of district placements when the education of a student cannot be met with support. The Director must be responsible for staff evaluations and oversight, management of classroom curriculum, professional development, scheduling, and oversight of communication with principals and parents' concerns and questions. The ETS should directly focus on student needs, be familiar with the continuum of classes available for students with special needs, and lead the TEAM evaluation process. When the current retired elementary principal was hired as interim director for RISE, the district hire d a .60 team chair. Prior to this, the previous directors were performing both roles. This practice has been leading to burn -out and inconsistent leadership at RISE. 3. Increase parent and staff communication Explanation: The goal is to increase the visibility of the RISE preschool program in the community. Many parents were not aware of the RISE pre-school or other services offered during the summer. When the district hires a full -time director of preschool, we recommend they use the following communication tools. • RISE monthly community newsletter. ● Parent and classroom /program activities and deadlines should also be clearly listed. ● Back to school night and community RISE social events should be held consistently every year. ● Quarterly workshops and coffee roundtables for parents should be offered and facilitated by the RISE Director. 4. Develop and document the transition process from RISE to kindergarten Explanation: It is essential to have written procedures in place that designate timelines for the student transition process to kindergarten. The procedures should be specific to which staff are part of this process. It is also important that the elementary principa ls and all team chairs are aware of this process and it is consistent for each elementary school. We recommend that the district develop a document with specific steps for the transition process from RISE to kindergarten for special needs students and staff that is involved in each step of the process. The sharing of student information to determine the most appropriate programming and support services for students should not be left to a “move up day” or one meeting held in the spring. 5. Improve the RISE application and screening process for students without disabilities Explanation: The current screening application has no information beyond age to help balance preschool classrooms. There Is no information about the child’s pre -academic, receptive and expressive language, fine and gross motor and social -emotional development. Parents indicate what days and hours they would like their child to attend and their f irst, second, and third choice for placement. Siblings of students who have been at RISE are given priority. When there are more applicants than slots, a lottery is held. There is no in person screening unless requested by a parent because there is a concern. Interviews indicated the RISE staff feel they could improve learning for all students by balancing the classes better. The district balances classes at the elementary schools considering the number of students in each class who have special needs a nd the supports required, ELL needs, and gender. 6. Establish behavioral management systems in the classrooms Explanation: Every classroom should have a consistent approach to dealing with student behaviors that occur in the classroom. All staff members should intervene with the same approach to most effectively change and shape the behavior. There are many classroom management strategies that teachers can use in the classroom. The staff should also take data on student behavior and record the intervention duration and frequency of behaviors. When the classroom has employed their behavioral interventions within the classrooms and they have not been successful, they should be able to access a BCBA for support. The following bullets are steps each classroom should implement and need to acquire more behavioral support in their classroom. ● Determine a classroom management system that is used consistently in all Pre -K RISE classrooms. It would be best if the chosen management system aligned with what is being implemented in Kindergarten. The district should consider some of the following systems: The Pyramid Model for Early Childhood Education, The Casel Select program “Caring School Communities.” or the Responsive Classroom. 7. Update the RISE curriculum to align with kindergarten and implement with fidelity in all classrooms Explanation: The primary goal of the curriculum is to foster a student's interest in learning. The first step should be aligning the RISE academic and SEL curriculum with kindergarten. Aligning the curriculum from RISE to Kindergarten can have a significant impact on students' social development and create a more seamless transition for parents and students. The consultants recommend the Preschool continue with Heggerty for 2023 - 2024 school year. Given that K-2 will implement Illustrative Math in 2023-2024 and this program does not have a preschool level ,the district may want to explore Kathy Richardson’s Number Talks in Pre - Kindergarten by Didax. Several kindergarten teachers recommended this program. In addition, Zones of Regulation, which was observed in some preschool classes, should be done in all classrooms and shared with parents to implement in the home. 8. Reconfigure the classrooms, both full and half day, and develop a continuum which meets the needs of students with moderate-to-severe disabilities. Explanation: Currently, the preschool has nine classrooms in three locations. The TEAM must consider the least restrictive environment (LRE) for all students with disabilities and determine which classroom meets the student’s needs to accomplish their IEP goals and become as independent as possible to function in the school setting and in the community. RISE must reserve placement in the substantially separate program for students that cannot initially be placed into an integrated classroom and be successful and require very specialized curricula. The enrollment for preschoolers with disabilities from 2019 to 2023 has averaged 38 students. Severity of needs has increased, hence the need for students to attend more days and hours. Interviews and Observations indicated: ● Approximately 20 percent of the students assigned to the sub-separate classrooms could be successful and meet their goals in a 5 full day integrated program with correct support. ● The TEAM must define the profile of the student who needs half days, or 3 or 5 full days. The descriptions of the classrooms should consider the number of areas of skill deficit and severity, the number of related services, staffing, and the need for small groups, 1 - 1 and large groups. ● Given that the Kindergarten standards are now the previous first grade standards and kindergarten is now a full day, the consultants recommend that students in their Pre-K year have 5 full days. Many districts have adopted this model. Summary: In conclusion, it was a pleasure working with the RISE administration, all the staff and families we interviewed, and the interim RISE Director. We appreciate the time spent by the Director and her administrative assistant scheduling observations, and providing documents for our review, during the program evaluation process. The evaluators want to acknowledge the positive impact the current interim RISE Director has had on the RISE Program. She is very visible in all three RISE locations, keeps the central office informed and is working to ensure that all staff, regardless of their role or location work collaboratively to ensure a quality program for students and their parents and a comfortable working environment for all. We also want to acknowledge that many positive actions have been implemented during the year and improvements are being made. At the time of the writing of this report, the interim RISE director has implemented the following recommendations in this report. ● Professional development for consistent and efficient data collection to inform instruction. ● Creating an effective student support team (SST) practice ● Planned math professional development for March 17 and May 5. ● Planned literacy professional development for March 22. ● Facilitating ongoing monthly meetings with staff on collaborative problem solving. 1 | Page To: Reading School Committee From: Susan Bottan, Director of Finance and Operations Date: June 8, 2023 Re: FY23 Third Quarter Financial Report and Projected End Year Status In the spring of 2022, the Reading Public Schools was appropriated $51,783,363 by Annual Town Meeting for the Fiscal Year 2023. The School Department expects to meet all financial obligations within the total amount appropriated. Please find on the pages to follow a financial overview of the School Department’s FY 2023 Third Quarter Report, which spans the period from July 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023, and provides a projection of end-year fund balances by Cost Center. The Quarter 3 Financial Report and Projected End Year Status will be presented to the School Committee on June 8, 2023. This Quarterly Report is organized into four sections: 1. Financial Summary of the Operating Fund by Cost Center 2. Description of the Cost Centers and Drivers Impacting Projected Fund Balances 3. Recommendation for Budget Transfers between Cost Centers 4. Financial Summary of Special Revenue Funds: Grants and Revolving Accounts The final FY23 Quarter 4 Financial Report through June 30, 2023 will be presented to the School Committee after the close of the fiscal year. Please contact me if you have any questions or would like more information related to the FY23 Third Quarter Financial Report and Projected End Year Status. Thank you. Reading Public Schools Instilling a joy of learning and inspiring the innovative leaders of tomorrow 82 Oakland Road Reading, MA 01867 Phone: 781-944-5800 Fax: 781-942-9149 2 | Page FY23 THIRD QUARTER FINANCIAL REPORT 1. Financial Summary of the Operating Fund by Cost Center At the end of Quarter 3, 68.0% of the appropriated funds had been expended and, at this time, $285,931 is projected for the end-year balance. Just as noted in prior quarterly reports, the projected balance continues to fluctuate slightly, especially during the final quarter of the fiscal year as the final payroll and accounts payable warrants are processed and purchase orders are reduced or closed. During the last quarter, factors that will have an impact on the projected balance include changes in student services, substitute coverage, custodial overtime, and needs for supplies, materials, and equipment. Please note, the Q3 balances that appear in the table above for Extra Curricular and Athletics are negative because user fees in the form of budget offsets are not processed until Q4. Projected offsets are defined by account name in the Revolving Funds table on page 9. As a result of Town Meeting’s vote to establish the Special Education Reserve Fund on April 27, 2023, the School Committee may allocate a portion of the remaining end-year balance to the Reserve Fund to pay for, without further appropriation, unanticipated or unbudgeted costs of subsequent years’ special education services including out-of-district tuition and transportation. At the close of FY23, the balance of funds, net of the Special Education Reserve Fund transfer, will be turned back to the Town to supplement Free Cash for future appropriation. The format of this financial overview begins with an overview of the accounts that comprise each cost center and a summary of each center’s financial status, followed by a recommendation for end-year budget transfers and a summary of funding sources that support the Reading Public Schools activities: Grants, Revolving Accounts, and Student Activity Accounts. 2. Description of the Cost Centers and Drivers Impacting Projected Fund Balances The Reading Public Schools’ general fund consists of five cost centers, which are approved by the Reading School Committee annually through the budget development process. The type of expense accounts associated with each cost center are named below. Funds can be transferred between cost center with the consent and approval of the School Committee: Cost Center FY23 Original Budget Budget Transfers FY23 Revised Budget FY23 Q3 Expenditures FY23 Q3 Encumb./Req. FY23 Q3 Available FY23 Q3 % USED FY23 Remaining Requirement FY23 Projected End Year Balance Recommended Budget Transfers FY23 Projected End Year Balance Administration 1,303,760 0 1,303,760 954,300 78,497 270,963 79.2% 263,163 7,800 - 7,800 2.5% General Education 29,704,746 854 29,705,173 19,450,366 288,819 9,966,415 66.5% 10,611,415 (645,000) 645,000 - 57.4% Special Education 16,931,568 -41,590 16,889,978 9,155,507 2,030,009 5,704,463 66.2% 4,686,332 1,018,131 (740,000) 278,131 32.7% District Wide: Health Services 801,949 40,736 842,685 550,884 13,007 278,794 66.9% 278,794 - - Extra Curricular 69,548 0 69,548 81,744 4,911 -17,107 124.6% (17,107) - - Athletics 691,105 0 691,105 758,047 60,697 -127,639 118.5% (127,639) - - Technology 659,842 0 659,842 450,646 33,556 175,639 73.4% 210,639 (35,000) 35,000 - Sub-total District Wide 2,222,444 40,736 2,263,180 1,841,321 112,171 309,688 86.3% 344,688 (35,000) 35,000 - 4.3% School Facilities 1,620,845 0 1,620,845 1,166,270 123,425 331,150 79.6% 391,150 (60,000) 60,000 - 3.1% GRAND TOTAL 51,783,363 0 51,782,936 32,567,763 2,632,921 16,582,679 68.0% 16,296,748 285,931 - 285,931 READING PUBLIC SCHOOLS FY23 THIRD QUARTER FINANCIAL REPORT 3 | Page Administration – Budget makes up 2.5% of total appropriation. Administration – represents 2.5% of the appropriated budget and is comprised of central office administrators and assistants, legal and audits, accounts payable, payroll, human resources, data information management, telecommunication services, professional development. At the end of Quarter 3, 79.2% of the appropriated Administration Cost Center budget had been expended and encumbered. A positive balance of $7,800 is projected at year-end. This balance was driven by savings generated from shifting the requirement of physical examinations for all new employees to job-related requirements. The savings assisted in paying for the first annual Community Report’s publication and mailing and the digitizing of inactive staff files, which has allowed the district to increase storage space for curriculum materials and plan for the future relocation of a larger Robotics Studio. Regular Day – Budget makes up 57.4% of total appropriation. Regular Day – represents 57.4% of the appropriate budget and is comprised of school principals and secretaries, general education teachers, tutors, paraprofessionals, guidance counselors, English Language and instructional specialists, leadership and mentor stipends, substitutes, transportation, professional development, instruction and curriculum materials, instructional technology, library materials, assessment software. At the end of Quarter 3, 66.5% of the appropriated Regular Day Cost Center budget had been expended and encumbered. Through sustainable savings from the salary differential between incoming and outgoing staff, we allocated funds this year to support the following: • conducted ELA and math vacation academies for students in grades 2-8 • provided mentoring to school principals through a partnership with Salem State and participate in effective student scheduling training through the District Management Council • expanded the role of the grade 9-12 Academic Coordinator to a Director position to focus on the new Academic Center at RMHS as well as develop Innovation Pathways for students supported by State grant funding and local business partnerships • hired 1.5 FTE Multi-language learner teachers to support a surge in enrollment of beginner multi-language learners 2.5% 57.4% 32.7% 4.3% 3.1% FY 23 Budget by Cost Center Administration General Education Special Education Districtwide School Facilities 4 | Page A recommendation is included in this financial report to School Committee to approve a budget transfer to Regular Day to support the following end year investments: • renew technology devices to maintain five-year life cycle • maintain balance in Full-Day Kindergarten revolving fund, which results in reducing the allocated of the FDK Offset Special Education – Budget makes up 32.7% of total appropriation. Special Education- represents 32.7% of the budget and is comprised of special education administration and secretaries, special education teachers and paraprofessionals, therapeutic specialists (occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech/language pathologists) extended school year staff and expenses, special education legal services, home and hospital tutoring, consultation and evaluation services, adaptive equipment and technology, testing and assessment services and materials, special education instruction materials, special education transportation, out of district tuition. At the end of Quarter 3, 66.2% of the appropriated Special Education Cost Center budget had been expended and encumbered. A positive end-year balance of $278,131 is projected if the School Committee approves the Q4 recommended budget transfer. The projected end year balance reflects an anticipated balance of unused district tuitions budgeted to pay for potentially new placements. Factored into the Special Education Remaining Requirement is a pre- payment of $980,000 for FY24 out of district tuition fees. Massachusetts General Laws allow out of district pre-payments of up to three months of any approved private placements and up to 100% of collaborative placements in which students are attending. Prepayment of special education private day and collaborative out of district placements is a practice used over the last several years in Reading as well as in other school districts. As reported in the prior quarterly reports and in the FY24 budget narrative, sustainable savings this year have resulted in part by replacing the category of positions charged to the SPED 240 grant. By replacing licensed with hourly staff charged to the grant allowed the district to eliminate MTRS expenses and thus increase the availability of operating funds by $80,000. This shift in no way has or will impact staff members’ wages, retirement benefits, or employment status. Delays in hiring licensed and hourly positions and unfilled substitute coverage for special education paraprofessional roles created savings that have been reallocated to address a need at Joshua Eaton for a 1.0 FTE SPED Learning Center Teacher to reduce large student groupings, at RISE for nursing services and an increase of the Director’s position to 1.0 FTE, and to offset the SPED transportation costs that have exceeded the budget this year due to changes in student service needs and student placements. A recommendation is included in this financial report to the School Committee to approve a budget transfer from Special Education to support Regular Day, Technology, and Facilities. District Wide – Budget makes up 4.3% of total appropriation. District wide – represents 4.3% of the appropriated budget and is comprised of the following categories: • Health Services – makes up 36% of the District Wide Cost Center and is comprised of a director of nursing, nurses, nurse substitutes, school physician consultant services, medical supplies, testing equipment. • Extracurricular – makes up 3% of the District Wide Cost Center and is comprised of an assistant principal (.25 FTE), advisor stipends, transportation, membership, supplies, equipment. • Athletics - makes up 31% of the District Wide Cost Center and is comprised of an assistant principal (.50 FTE), secretary, coaches, officials, transportation, venue rental membership, supplies, equipment, uniforms. • Technology – makes up 30% of the District Wide Cost Center and is comprised of a network administrator, computer technicians, Internet services, software and licensing, clocks, bells and telephones, network infrastructure repair, maintenance, supplies, equipment. 5 | Page At the end of Quarter 3, 86.3% of the appropriated District Wide Cost Center budget had been expended and encumbered. A total end of year breakeven balance is projected. Each subgroup comprising the District Wide Cost Center and their projected end year balances, is outlined below: o Health Service – projected break-even balance is anticipated at the end of the fiscal year. A nurse was hired in FY23 to meet an unanticipated need to meet required services through a 504 accommodation. Funds were approved and transferred in Quarter 2. o Extracurricular – a break-even balance is projected at the end of the fiscal year. o Athletics – a break-even projected balance is expected at the end of the fiscal year. Within the Athletics Cost Center, a projected shortfall is anticipated in transportation. However, through expenditure savings and support by the Athletic Revolving Account, the shortfall will be covered. o Technology – a projected shortfall of ($35,000) is projected at the end of the fiscal year, driven by new compliance requirements by the Town’s insurance company to protect our network and fiscal operation. A recommendation to process a budget transfer from Special Education to Technology is included in this report to support the expansion of cybersecurity software required by MIAA before July 1 in collaboration with the Town. School Facilities – Budget makes up 3.1% of total appropriation. School Facilities – represents 3.1% of the total appropriated budget and is comprised of a custodial manager, custodians, courier, contracted cleaning services (RMHS, Coolidge,) radios, equipment, supplies, uniforms. At the end of Quarter 3, 79.6% of the appropriated budget had been expended and encumbered. A break-even balance is anticipated. Within the Facilities Cost Center, salary exchange savings have been re-allocated to purchase additional handheld radios and prepare instructional spaces for individual and small student groups at Barrows Elementary School and Parker Middle School and workspaces for districtwide curriculum, student services, and Assistant Principals at Birch Meadow Elementary School and Coolidge Middle School. A recommendation to transfer savings to Facilities is reflected in this report. The budget transfer will be used during Q4 to prepare instructional spaces for individual and small student groups and workspaces for districtwide curriculum, student services, and Assistant Principals. 3. Recommendations for Quarter 3 Budget Transfers between Cost Centers Please find below a summary of the recommended budget transfer that will allocate available funds in Special Education Out of District Tuition to the Regular Day, Technology, and Facilities Cost Center in which we expect to incur the expenses: Recommendations for Budget Transfers: Transfer from: ($740,000) Savings from Special Education Cost Center Transfer to $645,000 to Regular Day Cost Center (for end year technology renewal and reduced FDK Offset) $ 35,000 to Technology Software (for compliance with Insurance requirement for expanded Cyber Security) 6 | Page $ 60,000 to Facilities (for instructional and office space refinements) 4. Financial Summary of Special Revenue Funds: Grants and Revolving Accounts In addition to the General Fund, Special Revenue Funds consisting of grants and revolving funds support the delivery of services to students attending Reading Public Schools. Please find below the third quarter financial summary, projected end year fund balances, and a description of each grant awarded followed by a financial summary of revolving funds for FY23: Grants All FY 23 grants awarded to the Reading Public Schools have been approved by the School Committee. Some grants are expended across fiscal years. Please find below Quarter 3 Financial Overview and End Year Status for all grants with beginning balances or awarded in FY23: Illustrated in the table below are the spending deadlines for each State and Federal grant: Grant Beginning FY23 Year Balance Q3 Expended & Encumb. Remaining Requirement Projected End Year Balance Beginning FY23 Year Balance Q3 Expended & Encumb. Projected End Year Balance Beginning FY23 Year Balance Q3 Expended & Encumb. Remaining Requirement Projected End Year Balance Amount of FY23 Award Q3 Expended & Encumb. Remaining Requirement Projected End Year Balance STATE METCO* $ - $ - $ - $ 238,005 $ 238,005 $ - $ - $ 815,699 $ 384,326 $ 333,621 $ 97,752 Dept. of Public Health $ 40,000 $ 3,880 $ 36,120 $ - ASOST $ 45,000 $ 45,000 $ - $ - ROBOTICS EARMARK $ 25,000 $ 20,869 $ 4,131 $ - PROFICIENCY-BASED OUTCOMES IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH $ 13,000 $ 6,125 $ 6,875 $ - INNOVATION PATHWAYS PLANNING $ 25,000 $ 19,163 $ 5,837 $ - MYCAP DEVELOPMENT $ 4,500 $ - $ 4,500 $ - NEW ENGLAND DAIRY $ 7,500 $ - $ 7,500 $ - TOTAL STATE -$ -$ 238,005$ -$ 975,699$ 97,752$ FEDERAL Joshua Eaton/Killam Joshua Eaton/Parker Joshuar Eaton/Killam/Parker Title I $ 21,764 $ 14,521 $ - $ - $ 75,320 $ 4,250 $ - $ 95,672 $ 31,960 $ 63,712 $ - $ 91,714 $ 6,667 $ 85,047 $ - Title II $ 1,661 $ 1,661 $ - $ - $ 29,535 $ 29,535 $ - $ 43,765 $ 43,765 $ - $ - $ 45,464 $ 18,795 $ 26,669 $ - Title IV $ 601 $ 601 $ - $ - $ 1,121 $ 1,121 $ - $ 10,000 $ 8,938 $ 1,062 $ - $ 10,000 $ 770 $ 9,230 $ - IDEA 240 $ 40,603 $ - $ - $ - $ 1,895 $ 1,895 $ - $ 98,223 $ 55,360 $ 42,863 $ - $ 1,117,396 $ 524,744 592,652$ $ - IDEA 262 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ 328 $ 328 $ - $ - $ 20,798 $ 11,987 8,811$ $ - IDEA 274 $ - $ - ARP 252 $ 161,187 $ 142,714 $ 18,473 $ - ARP 264 $ 19,824 $ 6,040 $ 13,784 $ - ESSER II $ 233,305 $ 158,650 $ 74,655 $ - ESSER III* $ 560,098 $ 162,119 $ 121,810 $ 276,169 ACCEL LITERACY ACCEL MATH $ 119,748 $ 119,748 $ - $ - TOTAL FEDERAL 64,628$ -$ 107,871$ -$ 1,342,150$ 276,169$ 1,285,372$ -$ *ESSER III grant extends through September 30, 2024 FY23 THIRD QUARTER FINANCIAL REPORT AND END YEAR STATUS- GRANTS FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 *METCO carry-forward portion of grant extends through December, 2023 7 | Page Descriptions and acceptable uses of each State and Federal grant follows below: State Grants: • METCO –the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity is a state funded, voluntary educational desegregation program designed to eliminate racial imbalance through the busing of children from Boston, MA and Springfield, MA to suburban public schools in thirty-eight communities. These funds pay for program coordination, transportation, instructional services, and community engagement related to Boston resident students attending Reading Public Schools through participation in the METCO program. • Department of Public Health – provides for mandated screenings, professional development, and substitute coverage for nurses. • ASOST- all 2022 summer academy expenses, salaries and materials, were supported by the ASOST grant. • Robotics Earmark –shall be expended for the Reading Memorial High School Robotics Team, also known as the Robockets. • Proficiency-Based Outcomes in Languages other than English – • Innovations Pathway Planning – Innovation Pathways are a series of courses and internship experiences aligned with high-demand industries, allowing students to graduate from high school with unique college and career skills, knowledge-base and aptitudes. With this planning grant, Reading Memorial High School’s leadership team will establish partnerships with local industries to support pathways in the areas of Information (Digital Media and Computer Science) and Advanced Manufacturing (Engineering). • MyCap Development -My Career and Academic Plan (MyCAP) grant awarded to Reading Memorial High School to provide supplementary support to school districts currently engaged in or interested in beginning implementation of My Career and Academic Plan (MyCAP). MyCAP is a student-driven process designed to ensure all students graduate from high school college and career ready. • New England Dairy - for the purchase of blenders at RMHS, Coolidge and Parker Middle Schools, and Killam Elementary School • Note – although not a grant, DESE reimburses school districts for a portion of out of district tuition placement and transportation costs. In FY 23, DESE will defray $1,499,728 in tuition and transportation costs, charging those expenses directly to the Circuit Breaker reimbursement fund. The end-year balance is expected to be zero. SPENDING DEADLINES FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 STATE METCO 12/31/2022 12/31/2023 Dept. of Public Health 6/30/2022 6/30/2023 ASOST 8/31/2022 ROBOTICS EARMARK 6/30/2023 PROFICIENCY-BASED OUTCOMES IN LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH 6/30/2023 INNOVATION PATHWAYS PLANNING 6/30/2023 MYCAP DEVELOPMENT 6/30/2023 NEW ENGLAND DAIRY 11/30/2023 FEDERAL Title I 9/30/2022 9/30/2022 9/30/2023 9/30/2024 Title II 9/30/2022 9/30/2022 9/30/2023 9/30/2024 Title IV 9/30/2022 9/30/2022 9/30/2023 9/30/2024 IDEA 240 9/30/2021 9/30/2022 9/30/2023 9/30/2024 IDEA 262 9/30/2022 9/30/2023 9/30/2024 IDEA 274 9/30/2022 9/30/2023 ARP 252 9/30/2023 ARP 264 9/30/2023 ESSER II 9/30/2023 ESSER III*9/30/2024 ACCEL LITERACY 6/30/2022 ACCEL MATH 6/30/2023 8 | Page Federal Grants: • Title I - aids schools with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards. These funds are allocated to paraprofessional and extended school year instructional services. • Title II A - provides supplemental resources to school districts to support systems of support for excellent teaching and leading. The priorities of Title IIA are to: increase student achievement consistent with the challenging State academic standards; improve the quality and effectiveness of teachers, principals, and other school leaders; Increase the number of teachers, principals, and other school leaders who are effective in improving student academic achievement in schools; and provide low-income and minority students greater access to effective teachers, principals, and other school leaders. These funds are allocated to provide professional development for teachers. • Title IV -ensures that all students have access to a high-quality educational experience. The priorities of Title IV are to: support well-rounded educational opportunities; support safe and healthy students; and support effective use of technology. These funds pay for technology integration activities and materials for teachers and classrooms. • IDEA 240- provides appropriate special education services for eligible students and to maintain state/local effort in special education. These funds pay for special education paras, BCBA, and professional development. • IDEA 262 - ensures that eligible 3, 4, and 5-year-old children with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education that includes special education and related services designed to meet their individual needs in the least restrictive environment. These funds pay for early childhood instruction and professional development. • ARP 252 – addresses challenges related to the pandemic, including school re-entry, disruption in the education of children with disabilities, mental health services; sustainability; focuses on issues of equity in special education and early intervention services. Funds are allocated to provide professional development, instructional materials, and testing/assessment materials. • ARP 264 - addresses early childhood special education and family engagement, such as improving systems to assist with the transition from early intervention to pre-kindergarten to kindergarten to increase educational outcomes for students. Funds from this grant are allocated to fund student assessment, induction, and transition programs.’ • ESSER II – addresses learning loss and provides mental health services and supports. These funds are allocated to pay for special education teachers, adjustment counselors and tutors and social-emotional curriculum. • ESSER III - helps schools safely reopen and respond to the academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of all students, and particularly those disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. These funds are allocated to pay for team leaders, special education teachers, adjustment counselors and tutors. • Accelerated Math - professional development for K-2 math implementation, print resources for those grade- levels, 1-year digital access for K-2, additional PD for year 2 supports, and additional teacher manual copies to ensure all staff (special education included) have access to the curriculum resources. Revolving Accounts Revolving Accounts are comprised of fee-based programs, extracurricular activities, and donations. Apart from donations, projected user fees offset the FY 23 operating budget through the special revenue accounts noted in the table on the page to follow. The following tables reflect additional information requested by the School Committee during the Q2 presentation: a request to add project remaining revenue, expenses, and available balances at year end by fund. Please note that the Full-Day Kindergarten revolving fund is projected to maintain its beginning year balance of $621,319, which will continue to support the district and Town’s efforts to create a pathway toward Universal Full-Day Kindergarten for families. 9 | Page • Athletics - Fees are paid by families for students’ participation in athletics. • Community Education, Drivers Education, Summer Programs– Fees are paid by families for students to participate in drivers’ education and summer programs. Fees paid by individuals for participation in Community Education events and courses. • Drama and Band – Fees are paid by families for students’ participation in after school drama and bands programs. • Extended Day – Fees are paid by families for students to participate in extended day programs before and after school. • Extracurricular Activities – Fees are paid by families for students to participate in afterschool band and fine and performing arts activities. • Guidance – Fees are paid by families for students to take PSAT, SAT and AP tests. • Full-Day Kindergarten – Fees are paid by families for enrollment in the Full-Day Kindergarten program. • RISE Preschool - Fees are paid by families for enrollment in the RISE preschool program. • Special Education Tuition – Fees paid by other another public school district for students to attend special education programs in Reading. • School Lunch – Revenues are generated through state and federal reimbursements and lunchtime a la carte sales. • Transportation – Fees are paid by families for students to ride existing bus routes, based on seats available. • Use of School Property – Some community organizations which use school facilities pay a fee for space and/or custodial coverage. Fee-Based Programs FY23 Beginning Year Balance FY23 Q3 Actual Revenue Projected Remaining Revenue Total FY23 Anticipated Revenue FY23 Q3 Year to Date Expend./Enc. FY23 Remaining Requirements Total FY23 Anticipated Expenses FY23 Projected Offsets FY23 Projected End Year Balance FY23 Projected Gain/(Loss) Comments Athletics 171,525$ 327,565$ 101,156$ 428,721$ 37,414$ 427,586$ 465,000$ 392,000$ 135,246$ (36,279)Additional transportation costs Community Education -Drivers Education and Adult Education 94,027$ 40,350$ 11,490$ 51,840$ 28,771$ 5,804$ 34,575$ 111,292$ 17,265 Participate increase in Drivers Ed Community Education - Extended Day Program 541,177$ 910,287$ 383,713$ 1,294,000$ 768,737$ 538,263$ 1,307,000$ 50,000$ 528,177$ (13,000)Investment in salaries Community Education - Summer Programs 39,974$ -$ -$ -$ 24,083$ -$ 24,083$ -$ 15,891$ (24,083)June receipts not projected Drama Activities Coolidge 38,355$ 22,041$ -$ 22,041$ 19,124$ 12,876$ 32,000$ 15,000$ 28,396$ (9,959)Increased participation and activity Drama Activities Parker 51,229$ 33,978$ 33,978$ 26,901$ 14,761$ 41,662$ 15,000$ 43,545$ (7,684)Increased participation and activity Drama Activities RMHS 74,113$ 58,608$ 9,400$ 68,008$ 52,413$ 17,587$ 70,000$ 34,000$ 72,121$ (1,992)Increased participation and activity After School Activities Parker 68,330$ 28,150$ 3,850$ 32,000$ 20,953$ 6,412$ 27,365$ 72,965$ 4,635 Increased participation and activity Extracurricular Activities Band 30,704$ 17,000$ 1,000$ 18,000$ 24,014$ 6,000$ 30,014$ 18,690$ (12,014)Increased participation and transportation costs Extracurricular Coolidge 4,738$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 1,200$ 1,200$ 3,538$ (1,200)Old accounts, used for student activity transportation during school dayExtracurricular Parker 3,860$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 3,220$ 3,220$ 640$ (3,220)Old accounts, used for student activity transportation during school dayFull Day Kindergarten 621,319$ 610,925$ 119,325$ 730,250$ -$ 730,250$ 730,250$ 730,250$ 621,319$ 0 Guidance Testing 10,397$ 73,917$ -$ 73,917$ 11,407$ 61,593$ 73,000$ 11,314$ 917 Lost Books (and locks and devices) 27,902$ 1,042$ 5,000$ 6,042$ 755$ -$ 755$ 33,189$ 5,287 Technology repair and lost device fees RISE Preschool Program 235,065$ 345,614$ 37,000$ 382,614$ 28,807$ 381,329$ 410,136$ 350,000$ 207,543$ (27,522)Invested in instructional materials, books, and staff PDSpecial Education Tuition 66,899$ 32,956$ 9,044$ 42,000$ 7,994$ 10,000$ 17,994$ 10,000$ 90,905$ 24,006 Allocated balance to 1.0 FTE MS SPED Teacher in FY24School Lunch Program 1,427,218$ 937,624$ 1,021,176$ 1,958,800$ 1,557,826$ 715,174$ 2,273,000$ 1,113,018$ (314,200)Invested in salaries and kitchen equipment to improve efficiencies School Transportation (100)$ 41,640$ 1,250$ 42,890$ 40,008$ 2,882$ 42,890$ (100)$ 0 Use of School Property 92,247$ 185,829$ 37,889$ 223,718$ 81,569$ 142,265$ 223,834$ 105,000$ 92,131$ (116) TOTAL Fee-based Revolving Funds 3,598,979$ 3,667,526$ 1,741,293$ 5,408,819$ 2,730,776$ 2,649,616$ 5,380,392$ 1,701,250$ 3,199,820$ (399,159) FY23 THIRD QUARTER FINANCIAL REPORT AND END YEAR STATUS: REVOLVING ACCOUNTS 10 | Page • Lost Books – Fees are collected and used to replace lost or damaged books. • Donations – Restricted donations for specific purposes and unrestricted donations for general use are made to the School Committee for approval and acceptance in accordance with School Committee Policy Student Activity Accounts A Student Activity Account (SAA) may be used for monies raised by student organizations and expended to benefit those students. MGL c.71 Section 47 governs monies deposited into a student activity account. Q2 financial activity: The Town Treasurer’s Office designates an account into which all SAA funds generated through student activity clubs are deposited and an SAA checking account has been established for each secondary school. Those funds are expended for the sole purpose of supporting student activity clubs. Earned interest generated on these funds remains in the fund. Please contact me if you have any questions or requests for additional information related to the FY23 Quarter 3 Financial Report. Thank you. Student Activity Accounts FY23 Beginning Year Balance FY23 Q3 Actual Revenue FY23 Q3 Year to Date Expend./Enc. FY23 Projected End Year Balance F Y 2 FY23 Projected Gain/(Loss) RISE Student Activities 5,423$ 2,690$ 4,195$ 3,918$ (1,505)$ Barrows Student Activities 4,014$ 2,375$ 497$ 5,892$ 1,878$ Birch Meadow Student 7,774$ 3,173$ 420$ 10,527$ 2,753$ Joshua Eaton Student Activities 9,416$ 2,769$ 175$ 12,010$ 2,594$ JW Killam Student Activities 10,105$ 2,836$ 1,265$ 11,676$ 1,571$ Wood End Student Activities 12,529$ 2,105$ -$ 14,634$ 2,105$ Coolidge Student Activities 42,388$ 57,140$ 51,719$ 47,809$ 5,421$ Parker Student Activities 20,760$ 70,713$ 79,046$ 12,427$ (8,333)$ High School Student Activities 180,069$ 43,673$ 30,489$ 193,253$ 13,184$ RMHS Student Activities 5,423$ 92,643$ 71,761$ 26,305$ 20,882$ TOTAL Student Activity Accounts 292,478$ 277,427$ 235,372$ 334,533$ 42,055$ Gifts/Donations FY23 Beginning Year Balance FY23 Q3 Actual Revenue FY23 Q3 Year to Date Expend./Enc. FY23 Projected End Year Balance F Y 2 FY23 Projected Gain/(Loss) District Donation Fund 14,031$ 1,400$ 2,063$ 13,368$ (663)$ Barrows Donation Fund 8,621$ 1,307$ 7,214$ 2,714$ (5,907)$ Birch Meadow Donation Fund 6,836$ 499$ -$ 7,335$ 499$ Joshua Eaton Donation Fund 2,506$ 803$ 453$ 2,856$ 350$ JW Killam Donation Fund 20,206$ 13,087$ 12,683$ 20,610$ 404$ Wood End Donation Fund 5,336$ 299$ -$ 5,635$ 299$ Coolidge Donations Fund 11,107$ 12,400$ 14,302$ 9,205$ (1,902)$ Parker Donation Fund 9,092$ 9,908$ 9,717$ 9,283$ 191$ High School Donation Fund 13,754$ 4,003$ 4,716$ 13,041$ (713)$ SEPAC Donation Fund 300$ -$ -$ 300$ -$ Special Education Donation Fund 319$ -$ -$ 319$ -$ TOTAL Student Donation Funds 92,108$ 43,706$ 51,148$ 84,666$ (7,442)$ Administrative Offices 82 Oakland Road Reading, MA 01867 781 944-5800 READING SCHOOL COMMITTEE Shawn Brandt Chair Carla Nazzaro Vice-Chair Erin Gaffen Sarah McLaughlin Charles Robinson Thomas Wise Thomas Milaschewski, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools TO: Reading School Committee FROM: Shawn Brandt, Reading School Committee Chair DATE: June 5, 2023 TOPIC: June 8th Policy Updates and Revocation At our June 8th meeting, we will have eight policy updates to consider and one for which to consider revocation. All of these updates are eligible for a single meeting review and adoption. A note detailing the policies for review, the reasons they have come up for review, and the process to date has been providing by subcommittee Chair Wise and is included within this memo. For each of the policies being updated, we will include both the original version and the red-lined version passed by the subcommittee in the packet. The current version of DJG for revocation is in the packet as well. Finally, we are also including the minutes from several subcommittee meetings as an FYI, as detailed by Mr. Wise below. From subcommittee Chair Wise: Below is a summary of the Policies that the Policy Subcommittee has reviewed, updated, and is recommending the full School Committee adopt (single meeting adoption in all cases): 1. GCJ – Professional Teacher Status: This policy change is the result of a review of our Director of Human Resources and is updated to be in alignment with State Law. The Subcommittee voted 3-0 during our meeting on April 13th to recommend these changes to the School Committee for adoption. 2. DGA – Authorized Signatures: This policy update was made after MASC reviews in both 2021 and 2022. We made significant changes to the MASC version to align with our practice. The Subcommittee voted 3-0 during our meeting on April 13th to recommend these changes to the School Committee for adoption. 3. DH – Bonded Employees and Officers: This policy update was made after MASC reviews in both 2021 and 2022. The Subcommittee voted 3-0 during our meeting on April 13th to recommend these changes to the School Committee for adoption. 4. DI – Fiscal Accounting and Reporting: This policy update was made after MASC reviews in both 2021 and 2022. The Subcommittee voted 3-0 during our meeting on April 13th to recommend these changes to the School Committee for adoption. 5. DIE – Audits: This policy update was made after MASC reviews in both 2021 and 2022. The Subcommittee voted 2-0 during our meeting on May 9th to recommend these changes to the School Committee for adoption. 6. DJ – Purchasing: This policy update was made after MASC reviews in both 2021 and 2022. The Subcommittee voted 3-0 during our meeting on April 13th to recommend these changes to the School Committee for adoption. 7. DJA – Purchasing Authority: This policy update was made after MASC reviews in 2021. The Subcommittee voted 3-0 during our meeting on April 13th to recommend these changes to the School Committee for adoption. 8. DK – Payment Procedures: This policy update was made after MASC reviews in both 2021 and 2022. The Subcommittee voted 2-0 during our meeting on May 9th to recommend these changes to the School Committee for adoption. Additionally, in our Policy Manual review, it was noted that MASC revoked Policy DJG – Vendor Relations in June of 2017. After reviewing with Legal and our Director of Finance & Operations, the Subcommittee voted 2-0 during our meeting on May 9th to recommend the revocation of this policy from our policy manual to the School Committee as well. Process-wise, all policies were aligned with MASC, reviewed by legal, updated by legal where necessary, reviewed by the Central Office administration team, reviewed and updated by the Subcommittee with appropriate Central Office administration team members, then voted upon. If necessary, a follow-up review was requested by legal as well, and no further changes were deemed necessary. Additionally, in this set of changes, we have incorporated all the changes into single documents. Thus, I am attaching the versions currently in our policy manual and the version, with all the redlines, we finally agreed upon and approved. Further, some members of the Subcommittee felt the Meeting Minutes may be insightful for members of the full School Committee with respect to the discussion, feedback, and input process we went through in our review. Therefore, I am attaching a few of the finalized minutes as well. Of note: a. GCJ – See minutes from 2023-02-15 and 2023-04-13. b. DGA – See minutes from 2023-02-16 and 2023-04-13. File: GCJ Reading Public Schools Page 1 of 1 PROFESSIONAL TEACHER STATUS Teachers and certain other professional employees who have served in the school district for three consecutive years shall be entitled to professional teacher status. The Superintendent, upon recommendation of the Principal, may award such status to a teacher who has served in the Principal's school for not less than one year or a teacher who has obtained such status in any other public school district in the Commonwealth. The Superintendent will base his/her decisions on the results of evaluation procedures conducted according to committee policy. At the end of each of the first three years of a teacher's employment, it will be the responsibility of the Superintendent to notify each employee promptly in writing of the decision on reappointment. Notification to a teacher not being reappointed must be made by June 15. A teacher who attains professional teacher status will have continuous employment in the service of the school system. A teacher with professional teacher status whose position is abolished by the School Committee may be continued in the employ of the school system in another position for which he or she is legally qualified. Nothing in these provisions will be considered as restricting the Superintendent from changing teaching assignments or altering or abolishing supervisory assignments except that, by law, no teacher may be assigned to a position for which he or she is not legally qualified. Adopted by Reading School Committee on August 24, 2006. LEGAL REFS: M.G.L. 71:38; 71:38G; 71:38H; 71:41; 71:42; 71:43 File: GCJ Reading Public Schools Page 1 of 1 PROFESSIONAL TEACHER STATUS Teachers and certain other professional employees who have served in the school district for three consecutive, and qualifying years shall be entitled to professional teacher status. The Superintendent, upon recommendation of the Principal, may award such status to a teacher who has served in the Principal's school for not less than one year, or a teacher who has obtained such status in any other public school district in the Commonwealth. The Superintendent will base his/hertheir decisions on the results of evaluation procedures conducted in accordance with ing to School Ccommittee policy or otherwise allowed by law or regulation.. At the end of each of the first three Professional Teaching Status (PTS) qualifying years of a teacher's employment, it will be the responsibility of the Principal and/or Superintendent to notify each employee promptly in writing of the decision on reappointment. Notification to a teacher not being reappointed must be made by June 15 or at an earlier date if required by a collective bargaining agreement. Qualifying years are defined as: 1. Each year qualifying is executed under a fullDESEMassachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education teacher license or another appropriate licensure. This excludes emergency and waiver situations. 2. No leave greater than 30 calendar days was taken during the three-year periodeach year. A teacher who attains professional teacher status will have continuous employment in the service of the school system district subject to satisfactory evaluations and good conduct in accordance with M.G.L. c. 71 s. 4271:42.. A teacher with professional teacher status whose position is abolished by the School Committee may be continued in the employ of the school sdystemistrict district in another position, subject to availability, for which he or she isthey are legally qualified.. Nothing in these provisions will be considered as restricting the Superintendent from changing teaching assignments or altering or abolishing supervisory assignments except that, by law, no teacher may be assigned to a position for which he or she is they are not legally qualified. Adopted by Reading School Committee on August 24, 2006. LEGAL REFS: M.G.L. 71:38; 71:38G; 71:38H; 71:41; 71:42; 71:43 Adopted by the Reading School Committee on August 24, 2006. Reviewed, Revised, and Adopted by the Reading School Committee on _______________. Formatted: Indent: Left: 0", Right: 0", Space After: 6pt Commented [TW1]: Not a common practice of RPS per Michelle. Commented [TW2R1]: Agreed by the Committee to stay as recruiting tool or otherwise. Commented [TW3]: Per Michelle, the law allows us to dismiss for any reason. Commented [TW4R3]: We want to look to add something here to determine how to align with the MGL option of non- renewal in the first three years. Commented [TW5]: Suggested addition from Michelle. Commented [TW6]: Grammarly suggests changing this phrase to "the Superintendent will" Formatted: Indent: Left: 0.25", Right: 0.3" Commented [TW7]: Technically an emergency license is a teacher license, but that shouldn't count toward PTS per Michelle. So, should we try to delineate here in some way? Colby previously removed "full" from this section. Formatted: List Paragraph, Indent: Left: 0.25", Right: 0.3", Space After: 6 pt, Numbered + Level: 1 +Numbering Style: 1, 2, 3, … + Start at: 1 + Alignment:Left + Aligned at: 0.24" + Indent at: 0.49" Commented [TW8]: Suggested addition from Michelle. Commented [TW9]: Suggested addition from Michelle. Formatted: Indent: Left: 0", Right: 0", Space After: 6pt Formatted: Indent: Left: 0", Right: 0", Space After: 12pt Formatted: Indent: Left: 0", First line: 0", Right: 0",Space After: 12 pt, Line spacing: single Formatted: Space After: 0 pt Formatted: Indent: Left: 0", Right: 0", Space After: 6pt File: DGA Reading Public Schools Page 1 of 1 AUTHORIZED SIGNATURES The chairman of the School Committee, or the vice-chair when the chair is unavailable, and the Superintendent will sign payrolls presented for approval. The town treasurer, who also serves as the school department treasurer, signs all checks drawn against school department funds. No other signature is valid. LEGAL REF.: M.G.L. 41:41 Adopted by the Reading School Committee on September 28, 2006. File: DGA Reading Public Schools Page 1 of 1 AUTHORIZED SIGNATURES The School Committee understands its financial stewardship role and takes it very seriously. As such, the Committee utilizes the following process for authorized signatures with financial implications: 1. For contracts that are the responsibility of the School Committee (Union Contracts and the Superintendent Contract): The Chair of the School Committee will be primarily responsible for signing contracts on behalf of the School Committee. In their absence, if time critical, the Vice Chair can sign instead. 2. For bills, payrolls, and warrants: While Massachusetts General Law allows for the roll call vote of one member to be responsible for review and approval, the School Committee of Reading Public Schools prefers that a quorum of the body review and approve them as correct and approved for payment. 3. For contracts covered by FERPA or Employee Privacy laws: The Committee delegates authority to the Superintendent. In the first two cases, The School Committee will designate by roll call vote a single one member responsible for the review and approval of all bills, payrolls, and warrants as correct and approved for payment. A a record of this approval will be made available at the then-current or at on the next regular Committee agenda. In the last case, non-student or personnel identifying information, including a brief amount of trend analysis, will be shared with the Committee on a semi-annual basis to coincide with the second and fourth quarterly financial update. Such designation does not limit the responsibility of each member. The town treasurer, who also serves as the school department treasurer, signs all checks drawn against school department funds. No other signature is valid. Additionally, there are times when a signature is required from the School Committee as part of a state or other process (e.g., MIAA waiver applications, MSBA applications or submissions, etc.) requirement. In those cases, the Chair of the School Committee will be responsible for signing the appropriate document. In their absence, if time critical, the Vice Chair can sign instead. The Chair or Vice Chair shall notify the rest of the Committee at the next meeting that such an action has been taken. LEGAL REF.: M.G.L. 41:41; 41:52; 41:56 CROSS REF: DK, Payment Procedures Adopted by the Reading School Committee on September 28, 2006. Reviewed, Revised, and Adopted by the Reading School Committee on _______. NOTE: The above language implements a single signatory of district warrants. It should be altered according to district practice. Town and city charters often address this topic; alignment with charters is necessary. References to appropriate sections of a charter should be added as necessary. Formatted: Indent: Left: 0", Hanging: 0.01" Formatted: Space After: 6 pt Commented [TW1]: This is a note for consideration and investigation. It should be removed from the final version. Commented [TW2R1]: In quickly checking the Charter, I do not see any further restrictions related to signatory authority. Commented [NP3R1]: Me either! File: DH Reading Public Schools Page 1 of 1 BONDED EMPLOYEES AND OFFICERS Each employee of the school system who is assigned the responsibility of receiving and dispensing school funds will be bonded individually or covered by a blanket bond. The cost of the bond will be paid by the town. LEGAL REFS: M.G.L. Adopted by the Reading School Committee on September 28, 2006. File: DH Reading Public Schools Page 1 of 1 BONDED EMPLOYEES AND OFFICERS Each employee of the school system who is assigned the responsibility of receiving and dispensing school funds will be bonded individually or covered by a blanket bond. The town will pay the cost of the bond will be paid by the town. LEGAL REFS: M.G.L. 40:5; 41:109a; 71:47 CROSS REFS: DI, Fiscal Accounting and Reporting JJF, Student Activity Funds Adopted by the Reading School Committee on September 28, 2006. Reviewed, Revised, and Adopted by the Reading School Committee on _______. Commented [NP1]: Looks good to me. File: DI Reading Public Schools Page 1 of 1 FISCAL ACCOUNTING AND REPORTING The Superintendent will be ultimately responsible for receiving and properly accounting for all funds of the school system. The accounting system used will conform with state requirements and with good accounting practices, providing for the appropriate separation of accounts, funds, and special monies. The School Committee will receive periodic financial updates from the Superintendent showing the financial condition of the school department. Such other financial updates as may be determined necessary by either the Committee or the administration will be presented as found desirable. LEGAL REF: Board of Education 603 CMR 10:00 Adopted by the Reading School Committee on September 28, 2006. File: DI Reading Public Schools Page 1 of 1 FISCAL ACCOUNTING AND REPORTING The Superintendent will be ultimately responsible for receiving and properly accounting for all funds of the school systemdistrict, maintaining effective internal controls so as to assure the effectiveness and efficiency of operations; adequate safeguarding of property; assurance of expenditures in accordance with programs under which revenues are received; and compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The accounting system used will conform with state requirements the Uniform Massachusetts Accounting System as well as and with good accounting practices, providing for the appropriate separation of accounts, funds, and special monies. The School Committee will receive periodic financial updates statements from the Superintendent showing the financial condition of the school department. Such other financial updates statements as may be determined necessary by either the Committee or the administration will be presented as requested.found desirable. LEGAL REFS: MGL 44:38 Board of Education 603 CMR 10:00 2 CFR 200.303 CROSS REFS: DBJ, Budget Transfer Authority DIE, Audits Adopted by the Reading School Committee on September 28, 2006. Reviewed, Adjusted, and Approved by the Reading School Committee on __________. Formatted: Indent: Left: 0", First line: 0", Space After: 0 pt, Line spacing: single Commented [NP1]: Didn’t see anything in the Charter addressing this issue. File: DIE Reading Public Schools Page 1 of 1 AUDITS The Town of Reading retains a certified public accounting firm to annually audit the financial statements of the Town. The financial records and transactions of the Reading Public Schools are included in the scope of this audit. Section 3.8 of the Town of Reading’s Bylaws concerns the makeup and the responsibilities of the Town’s Audit Committee. As required by the Bylaw, the School Committee shall appoint one member of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee reviews the audit plan with the independent auditor and, upon completion of the audit, meets with the independent auditor to discuss the results of the audit and the annual financial reports. The School Committee’s appointment to the Audit Committee shall report the findings of the audit to the School Committee. In addition to the audit of the Town of Reading’s Financial Statements, the School Committee must arrange for and undergo an independent review of the Reading Public Schools End of Year Pupil and Financial Report in accordance with the requirements of the Department of Education. The School Committee may also engage the services of a certified public accounting firm to audit or independently review the records and transactions of the Reading Public Schools, as the School Committee deems appropriate. Adopted by the Reading School Committee on September 28, 2006. File: DIE Reading Public Schools Page 1 of 2 AUDITS As a department of the Town of Reading, an audit of the school department’s accounts shall be conducted annually by external auditors within nine months, subject to auditor timelines, of the close of the fiscal year. This review shall be conducted in accordance with the generally accepted accounting principles and the Government Auditing Standards issued by the U.S. Comptroller General. The Town of Reading retains a certified public accounting firm to annually audit the financial statements of the Town. The financial records and transactions of the Reading Public Schools are included in the scope of this audit. Section 3.8 3.5 of the Town of Reading’s Bylaws concerns the makeup and the responsibilities of the Town’s Audit Committee. As required by the Bylaw, the School Committee shall appoint one two members of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee determines the firm or firms of independent auditors to audit and report on the financial statements issued by the Town, reviews the audit plan with the independent auditor and, upon completion of the audit, meets with the independent auditor to discuss the results of the audit and the annual financial reports. The School Committee’s appointment to the Audit Committee shall report the findings of the audit to the School Committee. Upon completion of the external audit, the Superintendent will share the resulting documentation with the Committee. The Committee will consider the recommendation made by the auditor for maintaining an efficient system for recording and safeguarding the school department’s assets. In addition to the audit of the Town of Reading’s Financial Statements, the School Committee must arrange for and undergo an independent review of the Reading Public Schools End of Year Pupil and Financial Report in accordance with the requirements of the Department of Education. Additionally, the district is also subject to the following: • End of Year Financial Compliance Report: Every Massachusetts school district must submit the results of this report to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). This End of Year report must be submitted to DESE on or before September 30th each year. • Government Accounting Standards Board 34: The District is covered in these government financial statements of revenue and expenditures of the town. • Federal grant audits: As a district that spends about thresholds required, the District is subject to the Single Audit Act. • Student Activity Account: As required by state law, student activity accounts are audited annually. For accounts that exceed $25,000, the School Committee shall consider an audit conducted by an outside firm every three years. The School Committee may request an additional also engage the services of a certified public accounting firm to audit of the school district’s accounts at its discretion.or independently review the records and transactions of the Reading Public Schools, as the School Committee deems appropriate. LEGAL REFS: MGL 44:38; 44:39; 44:40; 71:47; 72:3 31 USC Ch 75 Commented [TW1]: This is in the new MASC Policy, but I suggest we strike it based on the Reading Bylaws reference from our old policy that provides a different path of communication. Commented [NP2R1]: Agreed! Is the current method of communication the line directly before? Formatted: Space After: 6 pt Formatted: Underline Commented [TW3]: MASC ends at Department. The rest was added by me for clarity. Commented [TW4]: MASC says Department again here. I replaced it with DESE. Formatted: Superscript Formatted: List Paragraph, Space After: 6 pt, Bulleted+ Level: 1 + Aligned at: 0.25" + Indent at: 0.5" Formatted: No underline Formatted: Indent: Left: 1.5", Space After: 0 pt File: DIE Reading Public Schools Page 2 of 2 Town of Reading General Bylaw CROSS REFS: DI, Fiscal Accounting and Reporting JJF, Student Activity Accounts Adopted by the Reading School Committee on September 28, 2006. Reviewed, Revised, and Adopted by the Reading School Committee on _________. NOTE: References to a town or city charter may be appropriate here. The content of these references may require a change in the content of a policy adopted by a local School Committee in this area. Not every district is subject to the single audit act; check thresholds. Formatted: Indent: Left: 1.5" Commented [TW5]: Not in MASC, added by me. Formatted: Indent: Left: 1.5" Formatted: Font: Bold Commented [TW6]: MASC notes that can be excluded in the final version. Commented [TW7R6]: A single audit is required if a non- federal entity (e.g., not-for-profit organization, state and local government, tribe or institution for higher education) spends greater than $750,000 of federal funds in a fiscal year. In certain circumstances, a program-specific audit can be approved by a funder Formatted: Font: Bold File: DJ Reading Public Schools Page 1 of 1 PURCHASING The School Committee declares its intention to purchase competitively without prejudice and to seek maximum educational value for every dollar expended. The Superintendent will develop and administer the purchasing program for the schools in keeping with legal requirements and with the adopted school budget. LEGAL REFS: M.G.L. 7:22A; 7:22B; 30B; 71:49A Revised: January 18, 1996. Adopted by the Reading School Committee on September 28, 2006. File: DJ Reading Public Schools Page 1 of 1 PURCHASING The Superintendent will designate the District’s purchasing agent. The District's purchasing agent will develop and administer the purchasing program for the schools in keeping with legal requirements and within the adopted school budget. The acquisition of materials, equipment, and services will be centralized in the Superintendent’s office of the school district. It shall be the responsibility of the District’s purchasing agent: • To procure materials, supplies, equipment, and services at the lowest possible cost consistent with the quality necessary for the proper operation of the District, thereby attaining The theSchool Committee declares its intention to purchase competitively without prejudice and to seek maximum educational value for every all funds dollar expendedspent;. • To maintain the District’s reputation for fairness and integrity and to promote impartial and equal treatment to all who wish to conduct business with the District; • To encourage a mutually cooperative relationship with requesting departments, recognizing that successful purchasing is a result of team planning and effort; • To promote social and economic goals such as encouraging local, small, minority, and women-owned businesses to participate in bidding for District purchases. The Superintendent will The District's purchasing agent develop and administer the purchasing program for the schools in keeping with legal requirements and with the adopted school budget.School purchases will be made only on official purchase order formss approved for issuance by the appropriate unit head and signed by the Superintendent or designee, with such exceptions as may be made by the latter for emergency purchases. The School Committee reserves theirits legal right to direct the purchasing agent to return the goods or not approve the payment. VendorThe vendor will be informed of School Committee Purchasing Policy and M.G.L. 41:56 Chapter 41, Section 56, which protects the department forfrom paying for unauthorized expenses. LEGAL REFS: M.G.L. 7:22A; 7:22B; 30B; 41:56; 71:49A Revised: January 18, 1996. Adopted by the Reading School Committee on September 28, 2006. Reviewed, Revised, and Adopted by the Reading School Committee on __________. Commented [NP1]: Is this already the case, or will this addition of language change how things are run currently? I’m assuming this is already how things are done, but just want to make sure. Commented [NP2]: Is this already the case, or will this addition of language change how things are run currently? I’m assuming this is already how things are done, but just want to make sure. Formatted: Indent: Left: 0", Hanging: 0.01" Formatted: Tab stops: Not at 2.7" File: DJA Reading Public Schools Page 1 of 1 PURCHASING AUTHORITY Authority for the purchase of materials, equipment, supplies, and services is extended to the Superintendent through the detailed listing of such items compiled as part of the budget-making process. The purchase of items and services on such lists requires no further Committee approval except when by law or Committee policy the purchases or services must be put to bid. LEGAL REF: M.G.L. 30B Adopted by the Reading School Committee on September 28, 2006. File: DJA Reading Public Schools Page 1 of 1 PURCHASING AUTHORITY Authority for the purchase of materials, equipment, supplies, and services is extended to the Superintendent or designee through the detailed listing of such items compiled as part of the cost- center appropriation as part of the District budget-making process. The purchase of items and services on such lists within the cost-center appropriation requires no further Committee approval except when by law or Committee policy the purchases or services must be put to bid. All procurement of goods or services must follow best business practicepractices and/or procurement laws. LEGAL REF: M.G.L. 30B Reading Home Rule ; Charter 5.2(n) CROSS REF: DJE, Bidding Requirements Adopted by the Reading School Committee on September 28, 2006. Reviewed, Revised, and Adopted by the Reading School Committee on ___________. Commented [NP1]: I think this language is clearer and makes way more sense than the MASC suggestion Commented [NP2]: Confusing and not super accurate, in my opinion Commented [NP3]: Can committee come up with a better way of phrasing this? Formatted: Space After: 0 pt Formatted: Indent: Left: 1.5" Formatted: Space After: 12 pt Commented [NP4]: Cross-checked the Charter, Town’s Chief Procurement Officer is not responsible here, SC is. Formatted: Font: Bold File: DK Reading Public Schools Page 1 of 1 PAYMENT PROCEDURES All claims for payment from school department funds will be processed in accordance with regulations developed by the Superintendent. Payment will be authorized against invoices properly supported by approved purchase orders, with properly submitted vouchers, or in accordance with salaries and salary schedules approved by the School Committee. As an operating procedure, the Committee will receive lists of bills for payment from school department funds. The lists will be certified as correct and approved for payment by the School Committee and then forwarded to the town accountant for processing and subsequent payment by the town treasurer. Actual invoices, statements, and vouchers will be available for inspection by the School Committee. The Superintendent will be responsible for assuring that budget allocations are observed and that total expenditures do not exceed the amount allocated in the budget for all items. The school building administrators and department directors will be responsible for observing budget allocations in their respective schools and departments. LEGAL REFS: M.G.L. 41:41; 41:52 41:56 Adopted by the Reading School Committee on September 28, 2006. File: DK Reading Public Schools Page 1 of 1 PAYMENT PROCEDURES All claims for payment from school department funds will be processed in accordance withfollowing regulations procedures developed by the Superintendent. Payment will be authorized against invoices properly supported by approved purchase orders, with properly submitted vouchers, or in accordance withper salaries and salary schedules approved by the School Committee. The Superintendent will be responsible for assuring that the budget allocations are observed and that total expenditure does not exceed the amount allocated in the budget for all items. Warrants will be forwarded to the Town Accountant for processing and subsequent payment by the Town Treasurer. As an operating procedure, tOn a monthly basisAt each regular School Committee meeting for which a previous warrant cycle has passed, tThe Committee will receive monthly lists of bills warrants for payment from school department funds. The lists will be certified as correct and approved for payment by the School Committee and thenIn compliance with Policy DGA, the designated Committee members willThe Committee will designate by vote a single member to be responsible for thereview and approve the warrants for payment. Before the approval request, the warrants will be reviewed for accuracy, legitimacy, and alignment with budgeted spending plans by the Director of Finance and Operations. forwarded to the town accountant for processing and subsequent payment by the town treasurer.Actual invoices, statements, and vouchers purchase orders will be available for inspection by the School Committee. The Superintendent will be responsible for assuring that budget allocations are observed and that total expenditures do not exceed the amount allocated in the budget for all items. The school building administrators and department directors will be responsible for observing budget allocations in their respective schools and departments. LEGAL REFS: M.G.L. 41:41; 41:52; 41:56 CROSS REF: DGA, Authorized Signatures Adopted by the Reading School Committee on September 28, 2006. Reviewed, Revised, and Adopted by the Reading School Committee on ____________. NOTE: Specific details established by an individual town should be substituted for those required in the policy above, which were established by that city's code of ordinances. Appropriate citations should also be substituted. The above language implements a single signatory of district warrants. It should be altered according to district practice. Formatted: Line spacing: single Commented [TW1]: MASC has "municipal auditor" in this location. Commented [NP2]: Unsure if “monthly basis” is accurate if you receive bills monthly but at diff. points in the month, but I’m assuming they all come in at around the same time? Commented [TW3]: I would suggest changing this language to something like "comply with Policy DGA" Commented [NP4R3]: Agreed. Formatted: Line spacing: single Commented [TW5]: MASC has "municipal auditor" in this location. Town of Reading Meeting Minutes Page | 1 2016-09-22 LAG Board - Committee - Commission - Council: School Committee Policy Subcommittee Date: 2023-02-15 Time: 8:30 AM Building: Location: Address: Session: Purpose: Open Session Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: Erin Gaffen, Tom Wise, and Chuck Robinson Members - Not Present: Others Present: Director of Human Resources Michelle Roach, Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Stys Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Tom Wise, Chair Topics of Discussion: The meeting was held remotely via Zoom. A recording of the meeting can be found here. Chair Wise called the meeting to order at approximately 8:34 a.m. via roll call. Mr. Wise walked through the agenda. B.1. Consent Agenda Mr. Wise moved to approve the Consent Agenda. Mr. Robinson seconded. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. E.1. New Business – Review, Revise, and Approve MASC and Legal changes to Policy GBA – Equal Opportunity Employment Mr. Wise outlined the brief legal counsel feedback on Policy GBA. He then outlined the changes from MASC in alignment with the Acts of 2012. Mr. Robinson asked a clarifying question about the Acts of 2012. Mr. Wise corrected himself to say Acts of 2022. The Subcommittee agreed to remove the comma between “pregnancy” and “or pregnancy-related condition” in the protected classes. They also agreed to move the adoption sections below the legal and cross-references. Mr. Wise moved that we submit Policy GBA – Equal Opportunity Employment to the full School Committee for adoption. Mrs. Gaffen seconded. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. E.2. New Business – Review, Revise, and Approve Administration And Legal changes to Policy GCJ – Professional Teacher Status Mr. Wise introduced the policy and shared legal counsel feedback. Mrs. Roach then introduced the administrative need to change the policy with a specific focus on the policy’s original first sentence, which set three consecutive years of employment as the requirement. Mr. Wise outlined the changes from MASC policy alignment. MASC did not have the opening sentence. Mr. Wise outlined legal counsel’s concerns with the policy which concurred and went further than administrative suggestions. Page | 2 Mr. Robinson asked whether legal counsel suggests revoking the entire policy. Mr. Wise confirmed that was an option but mentioned he wasn’t a fan of doing so himself. Mrs. Roach provided specific feedback for discussion. Her feedback included: • She raised a concern about professional teacher status for those coming from other districts with said status as that has not been practiced over the preceding 18 months. • She raised a concern about the last sentence of the first paragraph pointing out that the law allows for non-renewal for any reason in the first three years. • She added “Professional Teaching Status qualifying” in the first sentence of the second paragraph. • She added “and good conduct” to the first sentence of the third paragraph. • She requested adding a “subject to availability” to the last sentence of the third paragraph. Mr. Robinson asked questions about the process of hiring somebody from another district and raised a concern about losing professional teacher status when a teacher changes districts. Mrs. Roach mentioned we haven’t come across that situation yet. Mr. Wise mentioned his inclination to keep the clause as it is an optional “or” clause as he believed it would be an important lever to pull in the recruitment process. Mrs. Roach wanted to make sure this was objective, not subjective, and without bias. Mrs. Gaffen expressed a strong belief that staff must work in Reading for at least one year before attaining professional teacher status. Mr. Wise pointed out that the sentence in question was standard MASC language so other districts have the option as well. Discussions around subjective vs. objective measures and preferences of the Subcommittee and the administration. In the end, there was an agreement that a procedure could be developed by the administration to build in the objective measure while keeping the “or” clause in the first sentence of the first paragraph. Mr. Wise requested the Subcommittee discuss the definition of “qualifying years” as added by Mrs. Roach. The qualifying clause is trying to correct for long-term leaves. Mrs. Gaffen asked a clarifying question about the three years and whether it was always at year-end. Mrs. Roach mentioned it was rolling based on the hire date, but also raised questions to clarify the leave concern as well. The Subcommittee added a set of defining bullets around the Qualifying PTS years including the execution of the years under full licensure and exclusion of leave greater than 30 days. Mr. Wise asked clarifying questions about the definition of “other professional staff” and examples provided were Specialists and Nurses. Nurses, Psychologists, etc. that may not have teaching licenses were discussed. The Subcommittee agreed on “full teaching or another appropriate licensure.” There was a discussion around the 30 days clause and the Subcommittee, with guidance from Mrs. Roach, agreed on 30 calendar days as the second portion of the definition for qualifying PTS years. Mr. Wise suggested that it may be best to put this policy on the table and go back with the changes to legal counsel for strengthening and cleanup. Mr. Robinson raised concerns about the relationship with the RTA on this topic. Mr. Wise moved that we table Policy GCJ – Professional Teacher Status until further legal evaluation and updates are complete. Mrs. Gaffen seconded. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. E.3. New Business – Discuss & Review NSBA Policy Classification System Mr. Wise quickly covered the NEPN (typo in the agenda) policy coding system. He outlined the differences between MASC for JIC vs. JK and demonstrated how JIC is aligned with all sorts of Student Conduct. Conversely, JK aligns with discipline. E.4. New Business – Discuss MASC Feedback on Policy JIC & Policy JK Mr. Wise confirmed that in his follow-up with MASC, they confirmed they have no idea why there was a change between the JIC and JK policies. They changed in 2014 or early and do not have notes on why the change happened. E.5. New Business – Discuss and Review Options for Policy JK and Subordinate Policies (JKB, JKD, JKE, and JKF) Mr. Wise outlined the options for how to handle JK and potential subordinate policies – JKB, JKD, JKE, and JKF. Legal counsel confirmed that we could break up JK or go with just one JK. Legal counsel was inclined to stick with one JK due to all the MGL intertwined laws. The Subcommittee discussed the two options. Multiple members pointed out how unwieldy a nine or ten-page policy can be. Mr. Robinson voiced a preference to break down JK into JK and subordinate policies. Mrs. Gaffen agreed and focused on ease of use as well. Dr. Stys agreed to break it down as it would be easier to add links to the specific sections. Mr. Wise agreed with that inclination but pointed out how difficult this will be to break down for suspension and expulsion as those two are extremely intertwined in MGL. Page | 3 E.6. New Business – Review, Revise, and Approve MASC and Legal changes to Policy JK – Student Discipline Mr. Wise started walking through the nine-page version of JK, section by section, demonstrating the intertwining of the expulsion and suspension between MGL c. 71 s. 37H, s 37H½, and s 37H¾. Mr. Robinson asked a clarifying question about a felony committed outside of school. Mr. Wise confirmed the felony doesn’t have to be at school. Mr. Wise noticed that the expulsion section in 37H¾ was already covered in 37H and 37H½ so he wanted to follow up with legal counsel about why that section is included again. Mrs. Gaffen asked a clarifying question about expelled students and whether the teachers must continue to give them work. Dr. Stys thought that expelled students didn’t need makeup work. In practice, the district would suggest they go to Job Core or something else. Mrs. Gaffen asked to get clarification about our responsibilities in this case. Mr. Robinson asked clarifying questions about in-school vs. out-of-school suspension. Dr. Stys mentioned it is part of the new law with requires us to try multiple steps to resolve the issue before a suspension. Dr. Stys also mentioned that they are working to make sure the school administration members are thoughtful about suspensions and aligning punishment to the problem. Mr. Wise motioned that the subcommittee table Policy JK, JKD, JKE, and JKF until available from legal counsel. Mrs. Gaffen seconded the motion. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. E.7. New Business – Review, Revise, and Approve Creation of Policy JKB – Detention of Students, if necessary Mr. Wise mentioned he would be making a motion to indefinitely postpone this policy. Mr. Robinson asked for background information on that recommendation. Mr. Wise mentioned it was because JK doesn’t include any information on detentions as currently crafted by legal counsel and legal counsel said we could have full local control. However, we haven’t worked to craft anything yet and could do so at any time in the future if we decided to bring this back. Mr. Wise motioned to indefinitely postpone Policy JKB – Detention of Students. Mrs. Gaffen seconded the motion. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. E.8. New Business – Review, Revise, and Approve Creation of Policy JKD – Suspension of Students, if necessary Tabled per previous motion. E.9. New Business – Review, Revise, and Approve Creation of Policy JKE – Expulsion of Students, if necessary Tabled per previous motion. E.10. New Business – Review, Revise, and Approve Creation of Policy JKF – Discipline of Students with Disabilities, if necessary Tabled per previous motion. Motion to adjourn by Mrs. Gaffen, seconded by Mr. Robinson at approximately 9:59 a.m. The motion was carried by a roll call vote of 3-0. Town of Reading Meeting Minutes Page | 1 2016-09-22 LAG Board - Committee - Commission - Council: School Committee Policy Subcommittee Date: 2023-02-16 Time: 8:30 AM Building: Location: Address: Session: Purpose: Open Session Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: Erin Gaffen, Tom Wise, and Chuck Robinson Members - Not Present: Others Present: Director of Finance & Operations Susan Bottan Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Tom Wise, Chair Topics of Discussion: The meeting was held remotely via Zoom. A recording of the meeting can be found here. Chair Wise called the meeting to order at approximately 8:33 a.m. via roll call. Mr. Wise walked through the agenda. B.1. Consent Agenda Brief discussions ensued about the depth of the minutes. Mr. Robinson suggested sharing the minutes with the full School Committee when the Policies covered by those minutes move forward to the full Committee. Mr. Wise moved to approve the Consent Agenda. Mrs. Gaffen seconded. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. E.1. New Business – Review, Revise, and Approve MASC and Legal changes to Policy DA – Fiscal Management Goals Mr. Robinson suggested changing the word city to town in bullet #5. That change was made in the Policy in two places. Mrs. Bottan had no concerns about the Policy changes. Mr. Wise moved that we recommend the amended Policy DA – Fiscal Management Goals to the full School Committee for adoption. Mrs. Gaffen seconded. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. E.2. New Business – Review, Revise, and Approve MASC and Legal changes to Policy DB – Annual Budget Mr. Wise briefly explained the changes made by MASC and further changes made by Legal Counsel. The Committee spent time focusing on the newly added paragraph regarding the input process from the School Council on the Budget. Mr. Robinson raised a concern about this process potentially being unwieldy for the Central Office staff. Mr. Wise provided an alternative view of how the process could work. Mrs. Bottan explained how the process worked in a past district in which she worked. Mr. Wise pointed out that the language is aligned with MGL and is one of the roles of School Councils. Mrs. Gaffen voiced concerns about the ability to execute this portion of the Policy but does agree it is necessary. There was an agreement that we should consider a follow-up item on the formation and process consistency of School Councils in Reading. Page | 2 The Committee moved on to discuss the portions of the Policy that were included from the Reading Home Rule Charter, specifically around notice to news agencies and the public hearing in the Budget process. Discussion focused on “general summary of the budget request” that should be sent to “local news medium.” The Committee finally agreed that the Superintendent’s opening message to the Budget document could be submitted as a Press Release. Mr. Wise noted he will clean up the layout of the document to improve the presentation of the material. The Committee cleaned up the inclusion of language from the Reading Home Rule Charter. The Committee went through grammatical changes to the Policy as well. The Committee returned to the language concerning “revisions to the budget may be made by the Committee, on the recommendation of the Superintendent.” The language was changed to “in collaboration with” instead of “on the recommendation of.” The Committee returned to Mr. Robinson’s question concerning state policy. The Committee adjusted the language of the paragraph in question and condensed the paragraph to a single sentence rather than duplicative sentences. Mr. Wise moved that we recommend the amended Policy DB – Annual Budget to the full School Committee for adoption. Mr. Robinson seconded. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. E.3. New Business – Review, Revise, and Approve MASC and Legal changes to Policy DBC – Budget Deadlines and Schedules Mr. Wise briefly outlined the changes to the Policy. The Committee cleaned up a few of the bullet points and removed the final paragraph as it was duplicative. Mr. Wise said it would fix the formatting prior to publication to the full School Committee. Mr. Wise moved that we recommend the amended, with corrected formatting, Policy DBC – Budget Deadlines and Schedules to the full School Committee for adoption. Mrs. Gaffen seconded. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. E.4. New Business – Review, Revise, and Approve MASC and Legal changes to Policy DBD – Budget Planning Mr. Robinson asked that we include goals in alignment with priorities in the newly added paragraph. Mrs. Bottan asked about priorities vs. guidelines. The Committee changed priorities to guidance. Changes were made to the first numbered item on the Policy to add the word strategic in front of budgets and use “resource allocations” instead of “expenditures.” Discussion ensued on driving outcomes vs. doing the right thing and thus, agreed to leave “contributions” instead of outcomes in that line. Mrs. Gaffen asked about the word “taxpayers.” Discussion ensued. Mrs. Bottan mentioned the point of a town- wide interest in advocating for the word “community” as a replacement. Mr. Wise wanted the importance of people’s money to continue to be represented. The Committee agreed to change “the valid interest of taxpayers” to “the financial interests of the community.” The Committee agreed to take out the word “special” from the last sentence of the Policy. Mr. Wise moved that we recommend the amended Policy DBD – Budget Planning to the full School Committee for adoption. Mr. Robinson seconded. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. E.5. New Business – Review, Revise, and Approve MASC and Legal changes to Policy DBG – Budget Adoption Procedures Mr. Wise outlined the MASC vs. Legal changes to the Policy. The Committee discussed the fact that Legal Counsel removed the cost-center language. The Committee was able to get comfortable with the Legal Counsel changes. Mr. Wise moved that we recommend the amended Policy DBG – Budget Adoption Procedures to the full School Committee for adoption. Mrs. Gaffen seconded. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. Page | 3 E.6. New Business – Review, Revise, and Approve MASC and Legal change to Policy DBJ – Budget Transfer Authority Mr. Wise outlined the MASC and Legal changes to the Policy. Mr. Robinson raised concerns with the order and language of the third paragraph. The Committee moved the association of the annual budget approval as a predecessor to the approval of cost-center changes. The Committee added flexibility for budget transfers outside of the quarterly report process, if necessary. Mr. Wise moved that we recommend the amended Policy DBJ – Budget Adoption Procedures to the full School Committee for adoption. Mrs. Gaffen seconded. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. E.7. New Business – Review, Revise, and Approve MASC and Legal changes to Policy DD – Grants, Proposals, and Special Reports Mr. Wise outlined the MASC and Legal changes to the Policy. Mr. Robinson raised a question about “such purposes” vs. “stated purposes”. Mr. Wise noted that elsewhere in our policies allow us to receive donations but not necessarily use them for the purpose in which they were donated. The Committee agreed to keep “such purposes.” Mrs. Bottan raised a concern that some grants and gifts are not just educational, but also facilities, operations, etc. The Committee added “, operations, and facilities” after “educational purposes” in the first line of the Policy. Mr. Wise moved that we recommend the amended Policy DD – Grants, Proposals, and Special Reports to the full School Committee for adoption. Mrs. Gaffen seconded. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. E.8. New Business – Review, Discuss Options, Revise, and Approve MASC and Legal changes to Policy DGA – Authorized Signatures Mr. Wise outlined the MASC and Legal changes to the Policy. Mr. Robinson raised a concern about what if the one person to sign was not available. Mrs. Bottan agreed with that concern. Mrs. Gaffen asked a question about if there was a problem with the current process. Mrs. Gaffen was also not in favor of the one person. Mr. Wise suggested we table the discussion, edit the Policy to match the current process, and review it during the next meeting. Mr. Wise moved to table Policy DGA – Authorized Signatures until the next meeting. Mr. Robinson second. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. Motion to adjourn by Mrs. Gaffen, seconded by Mr. Robinson at approximately 10:08 a.m. The motion was carried by a roll call vote of 3-0. Town of Reading Meeting Minutes Page | 1 2016-09-22 LAG Board - Committee - Commission - Council: School Committee Policy Subcommittee Date: 2023-04-13 Time: 10:00 AM Building: Location: Address: Session: Purpose: Open Session Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: Erin Gaffen, Tom Wise, and Chuck Robinson Members - Not Present: Others Present: Director of Human Resources Michelle Roach, Student Intern Kate Leone, Director of Finance & Operations Susan Bottan, Director of Health Services Mary Giuliana, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services Dr. Jennifer Stys Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Tom Wise, Chair Topics of Discussion: The meeting was held remotely via Zoom. A recording of the meeting can be found here with a passcode of KyH^2+97. Chair Wise called the meeting to order at approximately 10:02 a.m. via roll call. Mr. Wise walked through the agenda. B.1. Consent Agenda Mr. Wise moved to approve the Consent Agenda. Mr. Robinson seconded. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. D.1. Old Business – Review, Discuss, Revise, and Approve MASC and Legal changes to Policy GCJ – Professional Teacher Status The Subcommittee reviewed the comments and other verbiage in the Policy. 1. The Subcommittee agreed to keep the option to allow PTS to be conferred on teachers moving from other districts in which they already had PTS. 2. The Subcommittee agreed they didn’t want to box the district on decisions to only evaluation procedures and adjusted the last sentence of the second paragraph to align with policy, law, or regulation. 3. Michelle asked to clarify emergency licenses vs. full teacher licenses. She asserted that emergency licenses should not qualify for PTS. While legal counsel removed the word “full” in their review. There was a suggestion to add “This excludes emergency and waiver situations” to the first bullet of the qualifying years definition. The Subcommittee accepted this change. 4. The Subcommittee removed the word “promptly” from the notification sentence in the third paragraph. Mr. Wise noted he will confirm the emergency and waiver addition with legal counsel before the full School Committee approval. Mr. Wise moved that we recommend the amended Policy GCJ – Professional Teacher Status to the full School Committee for adoption. Mrs. Gaffen seconded. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. Page | 2 D.2. Old Business – Review, Discuss, Revise, and Approve changes to Policy DGA – Authorized Signatures Mr. Wise outlined the MASC changes that were previously discussed. He then described what he attempted to do to align the Policy to current School Committee procedures per the previous Subcommittee meeting. That attempt included both financially binding and non-financially binding documents. Mr. Robinson asked a clarifying question concerning the proposed semi-annual reporting on FERPA and Employee Privacy related contracts. For example, this may be covered by the quarterly Human Resources update, the annual Student Services update, or the budget packet reviewed each year. Mrs. Bottan asked if this section could be clarified a bit more. Mr. Wise explained that he wanted to avoid a prescriptive definition here and allow the administration to align this requirement to current processes. Mr. Robinson suggested a bit more definition around the 1st and 3rd quarterly financial updates. Mr. Wise countered with the 2nd and 4th to align the first report with the budget cycle. The Subcommittee added another example to the non-financial signature section of the Policy. Mr. Wise moved that we recommend the amended Policy DGA – Authorized Signatures to the full School Committee for adoption. Mrs. Gaffen seconded. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. E.1. New Business – Review Administrative changes, Discuss, Compare to MASC Master, Revise, and Approve changes to Policy ADF – Student Nutrition and Physical Activity Policy Mr. Wise invited Mrs. Giuliana to introduce the topic. She mentioned the policy should be reviewed every three years and that we are currently out of compliance with that requirement. She mentioned the current group that is involved in the review includes Dr. Stys, Catherine Franzetti, Katie Fiorello, Tom Zaya, and Erica McNamara. Mr. Wise furthered the conversation by sharing both the Reading Policy ADF – Student Nutrition and Physical Activity Policy and the MASC Policy ADF – School District Wellness Program. He asserted the first question was whether we wanted to base our discussion on our existing policy or the model policy from MASC. He mentioned some misalignment between the current Reading ADF and the State law and regulation. Mrs. Giuliana mentioned she would like to see alignment across the district but with input from key constituent bases. Mrs. Gaffen said the inclusion of the School Council in the Reading Policy jumped out to her as well as odd as it doesn’t reflect how we operate. Mr. Robinson suggested that the MASC Policy should be the baseline to start with, then add things that may be district unique to that. Mr. Wise concurred with that thought. Discussion ensued around individual school wellness committees vs. a district-wide committee. Discussion continued on the role of the School Committee in the district-wide solution. Mrs. Giuliana introduced another way to handle it with a core-small committee and annual or semi-annual meeting that brings more people in for greater discussion. Further discussion on the process to share the policy and ensure consistency ensued. Mrs. Gaffen asked about the inclusion of recess and the exclusion of using recess for discipline. Mrs. Giuliana mentioned some of that is in the current guidelines and pointed out that we may want to pull some of the guidelines into the policy. Further discussions ensued about the inconsistencies between schools. Mrs. Giuliana asked about specificity as they work to adjust the MASC Policy for Reading. Mrs. Gaffen suggested that things need to be spelled out to be done right, then spell them out. Mr. Wise tried to balance that and suggest the Policy stick to two to three pages so we can balance policy vs. procedures and try to walk that line. The team discussed the timing of reviews, updates, and legal counsel reviews for the rest of the year. D.3. Old Business – Review, Discuss, Revise, and Approve the creation of Policy JKD – Suspension of Students Mr. Wise moved to take E.5. Policy DJ – Purchasing out of order. Mr. Robinson seconded. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. D.4. Old Business – Review, Discuss, Revise, and Approve the creation of Policy JKE – Expulsion of Students Mr. Wise walked through the way he was approaching Policy JKE – Expulsion of Students. Mr. Wise shared that his intent is for everything common to be in JK, everything that is Suspension to be in JKD, everything that is in Expulsion to be in JKE, and all Students with Disabilities in JKF. Page | 3 Mr. Wise noted that per the regulations, expulsion is more than 90 days and 71:37H¾ says nothing can be more than 90 days. Thus, you can only expel under 71:37H and 71:37H½. He will review that with legal counsel before submitting the final version to the Subcommittee. Mrs. Gaffen expressed surprise that we cannot expel if a student attacks another student. Mr. Wise outlined that was true. They can be put on long-term suspension until they are convicted of a felony. Dr. Stys shared that there are other safeguards in place for alternative placements in those situations. Mr. Wise continued to outline the structure of the new policy. Mrs. Gaffen asked about academic progress and the obligation of teachers. Mr. Wise outlined what the expectation was for principals and the district to create plans for the maintenance of academic progress. Mrs. Gaffen asked if we had expelled a student since Dr. Stys joined the district. Dr. Stys confirmed that we have not expelled any students in her time in the district. D.5. Old Business – Review, Discuss, Revise, and Approve the creation of Policy JKF – Discipline of Students with Disabilities Mr. Wise briefly outlined JKF and noted it was a rip and replace from the new JK, but he hasn’t done anything further. Mr. Wise motioned to table JKD, JKE, and JKF (Suspension of Students, Expulsion of Students, and Discipline of Students with Disabilities) until the next meeting. Mr. Robinson seconded. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. E.2. New Business – Review, Discuss, Revise, and Approve MASC and Legal changes to Policy DH – Bonded Employees and Officers Mr. Wise briefly outlined the minor changes to the Policy. Mr. Robinson moved that we recommend the amended Policy DH – Bonded Employees and Officers to the full School Committee for adoption. Mr. Wise seconded. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. E.3. New Business – Review, Discuss, Revise, and Approve MASC and Legal changes to Policy DI – Fiscal Accounting and Reporting Mr. Wise briefly outlined the minor changes to the Policy and confirmed there were no Charter alignments that needed to be added. No further questions were raised. Mrs. Gaffen pointed out that period was missing from the end of the last sentence of the policy. Mr. Wise moved that we recommend the amended Policy DI – Fiscal Accounting and Reporting to the full School Committee for adoption. Mrs. Gaffen seconded. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. E.4. New Business – Review, Discuss, Revise, and Approve MASC and Legal changes to Policy DIE - Audits Mr. Wise moved to take E.6. Policy DJA – Purchasing Authority out of order. Mr. Robinson seconded. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. E.5. New Business – Review, Discuss, Revise, and Approve MASC and Legal changes to Policy DJ - Purchasing Mrs. Bottan asked about the bullets since they are already codified in law. Mr. Wise addressed the question by stating that we often quote things from the law in policy. Thus, this is generally a standard process. Mrs. Bottan asked about “each public dollar” and asserted that procurement law addresses both public and private contributions. The Subcommittee agreed to change it to “all funds” instead. The Subcommittee made a few grammatical adjustments. Mr. Wise moved that we recommend the amended Policy DJ – Purchasing to the full School Committee for adoption. Mrs. Gaffen seconded. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. Mr. Wise moved to take D.4. Policy JKE – Expulsion of Students out of order. Mr. Robinson seconded. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. Page | 4 After the review of Policy DJA and the motion to reconsider, Mr. Wise suggested moving the third paragraph become the first paragraph, the second paragraph, after the bullets, be added to the new first paragraph, and amending the sentence proceeding the bullets to show the responsibility of the district’s purchasing agent. Mr. Wise moved that we recommend the amended Policy DJ – Purchasing to the full School Committee for adoption. Mrs. Gaffen seconded. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. E.6. New Business – Review, Discuss, Revise, and Approve MASC and Legal changes to Policy DJA – Purchasing Authority Mr. Wise outlined the changes to the policy and his discussion with legal counsel to answer their questions. Legal counsel noted that the Town Manager’s responsibilities have an exclusion for School and RMLD purchases. Mr. Robinson asked about “extended to the Superintendent” and whether that was too restrictive. There was a discussion about whether a curriculum coordinator could be the designee. Due to knowledge of purchasing law, it was agreed that it is more likely to be the Director of Finance and Operations. The Subcommittee agreed to add “or designee” after “extend to the Superintendent”. Mr. Wise moved that we recommend the amended Policy DJA – Purchasing Authority to the full School Committee for adoption. Mrs. Gaffen seconded. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. The Subcommittee briefly reexamined Policy DJ to determine if it needed to add “or designee”. Mr. Wise moved to reconsider Policy DJ – Purchasing. Mrs. Gaffen. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. E.7. New Business – Review, Discuss, Revise, and Approve MASC and Legal changes to Policy DJE – Procurement Requirements (FKA Bidding Requirements) Mr. Wise moved to table E.4., E.7., E.8., and E.9. to the next Policy Subcommittee meeting. Mrs. Gaffen seconded. The motion was carried 3-0 via roll call vote. E.8. New Business – Review, Discuss, and Approve Revocation of Policy DJG – Vendor Relations per MASC and Legal Recommendation See motion from E.7. E.9. New Business – Review, Discuss, Revise, and Approve MASC and Legal changes to Policy DK – Payment Procedures See motion from E.7. The Subcommittee briefly discussed availability in May and June for the next set of meetings. The members of the Subcommittee expressed availability on the following dates: • May 9th or 11th • May 16th, 18th, or 19th • June 5th or 8th • June 12th, 13th, or 15th Motion to adjourn by Mr. Wise, seconded by Mrs. Gaffen at 11:58 a.m. The motion was carried by a roll call vote of 3-0. File: DJG Reading Public Schools Page 1 of 1 VENDOR RELATIONS Representatives of firms doing or hoping to do business with the school system will be acknowledged and interviews granted or not, depending on the circumstances. Personnel charged with the purchasing function will not be required to put their time at the indiscriminate use of sales personnel, who will limit their visits to staff members designated by school officials. Adopted by the Reading School Committee on September 28, 2006. Information/Correspondence Reading Public Schools School Committee Meeting Packet June 8, 2023 From:Skehan, Trey To:DG School Committee Subject:Safety concerns for students Date:Saturday, June 3, 2023 12:44:00 PM Dear School Committee Members, I write to you today with an ongoing concern of mine that has existed for more years than I can recall. As a teacher in the RMHS Mathematics Department, this year I am spread across three rooms where I am responsible for the safety of students. I also do not have a space other than the designated Math Office in which I can work during my prep period. Much of this reality stems from the state rules regarding new building projects. We have more teachers than rooms and therefore must share classrooms with each other and find common spaces to work while we are not with students. This is not my concern as I do not expect to have my own designated room in a public building, especially when taxpayer money is used to fund these building projects. My concern is not with the actual building in which I work. My concern is that I have been denied keys to rooms from facilities for many years running. This year, I have a key for only one of these four rooms where I am stationed throughout the days. I am with students in two different rooms for which I do not have a key. I also do not have a key for the Math Office, a room where I have a desk and keep personal items since I share my classrooms with other teachers. I have asked for keys countless times only to be told by facilities that I don’t need them. I thought this was an issue that could be solved by the Principal, but after multiple Principals, it is clear they cannot help me. I also thought that a new Superintendent could change my situation, and although the impending key-card update is a huge step forward, it is now clear that the Superintendent does not have the power to address my concern. As an aside, my wife is a teacher in another district and was given key-card access to her building at the same time the system was installed and has never been denied keys to rooms in which she works. I greatly appreciate Dr. Milaschewski’s efforts to bring us into the 21st century with regards to teacher access, but this should’ve been done long before he was hired. The root of this problem exists wholly within our facilities department. They have made the decision to not give me the keys I need each time I have requested them. I am not asking for a Master key, only keys to places where I need to be to do my job. I hate to think about it, but if something were to happen at the school and I needed to lock or unlock a room for the safety of my students, I would be unable to do so. The magnetic strip that we are given to cover the latch, is not adequate to ensure that we can protect our students in the case of an extreme emergency. If the stories I have heard about elementary school teachers and students being locked out of their own building when an emergency struck are only half true, then that is terrifying and should have caused district facilities leadership to be publicly reprimanded. I truly hope that it was just an unfounded rumor as so many of these stories end up being in Reading. But the fact that it could be true is enough to cause serious revision to the policies of the facilities department. If I am not trusted enough to be given keys to rooms in which I work, then how am I trusted enough to be with students? What is more important, the safety of our kids or the safety of the physical plant? Are we so concerned about potential lost keys that we are willing to compromise student safety? How would parents react if they knew about these issues? Where are our priorities? I know many teachers share my concerns, but my continued disappointment with our facilities leadership has pushed me to contact you. Many teachers do not want to speak up because they fear having what little access they currently do have, being reduced to essentially nothing. This is why I have kept silent for so long, but I’ve hit my breaking point with the facilities department and no longer want to sit idly by hoping that things will someday improve. Thank you for your time. I hope you enjoy your summer. Trey Skehan Reading resident since 2005 RMHS teacher since 2007 RPS parent since 2009