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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-10-10 School Committee Minutes�'. Town of Reading = Meeting Minutes^ 19'IMCOMo�PP Board - Committee - Commission - Council: School Committee Date: 2024-10-10 Time: 7:00 PM Building: School - Memorial High Location: School Library Address: 62 Oakland Road Session: Open Session Purpose: Open Session Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: Tom Wise, Sarah McLaughlin, Erin Gaffen and Carla Nazzaro Members - Not Present: Charles Robinson and Shawn Brandt Others Present: Student Sachi Selvakumar, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Sarah Hardy, Superintendent Dr. Thomas Milaschewski Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Olivia Lejeune on behalf of the chairperson. Topics of Discussion: A. Call to Order— Mr. Wise called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. to review the agenda. Roll Call Attendance — Ms. McLaughlin — here, Mrs. Gaffen — here, Mrs. Nazzaro — here, Mr. Wise — here B. Public Comment—None Focus on Excellence 1. Recognition of Class of 2025 National Merit Scholars — Dr. Milaschewski welcomed and recognized the following students who were named National Merit Commended students Vivian Bateman, Leo Diedrich, Kira Hart, Alistair Lyons, Erica Malone, Rose Moran, Eli Schank, Katherine Stepler, Quinn Synnott and Sean Hoffman who was named a National Merit Semifinalist. Consent Agenda 1. Minutes (09-23-2024) 2. Minutes (09-30-2024) 3. Acceptance of FC419 FY25 Innovation Pathways Implementation and Support Grant 4. Acceptance of FY25 DPH Grant Award 5. Acceptance of FC317 FY25 METCO Grant Award 6. Acceptance of FC309 FY25 Title IV Grant Award 7. Acceptance of FC305 FY25 Title I Grant Award B. Acceptance of FC262 FY25 IDEA Grant Award 9. Acceptance of FC240 FY25 IDEA Grant Award Page 1 1 30. Acceptance of FC140 FY25 Title II Grant Award 11. Reading Parents Supporting Student Theatre Donation 12. Friends of Reading Soccer Donation 13. Beseler Enlarger Donation 14. Photography Darkroom Donation from Sophie Lane 15. Leo Club Donation 16. Revised Quebec Field Trip Request 17. Pegasus Springs "Sense of Belonging" Donation Accounts Payable Warrant Reports 1. 09-19-2024 2. 09-26-2024 3. 10-03-2024 Payroll Warrant Reports 1.08-02-2024 2. 08-16-2024 3. 08-27-2024 4. 08-30-2024 5. 09-13-2024 Mrs. Gaffen motioned to approve the consent agenda, seconded by Mrs. Nazzaro. Mr. Wise noted some observations regarding grant funding, specifically that some funding has decreased or remained the same. Roll Call Attendance — Ms. McLaughlin — here, Mrs. Gaffen — here, Mrs. Nazzaro — here, Mr. Wise — here The vote passed 4-0. Reports 1. Student —The PTO was thanked for their donation of tables on Main Street and charging stations. Today, the Counseling Office is hosting Financial Aid Night, and PSAT testing is coming up soon. The National Honor Society Induction Ceremony will be held on the 29th, and term one grades will close on the 31st, with report cards being published on November 8th. A virtual Parent-Teacher Conference is scheduled for November 15th. Spirit Week will take place from November 22nd to 27th. The Student Advisory Council (SAC) recently met to discuss several rising issues, with 20 members this year. A major concern is the challenge of offering AP classes to underclassmen as we work to remain competitive with other high schools. The SAC also discussed the modern classroom approach, where self -paced videos and work packets are provided, but some students have expressed frustration with lenient deadlines. Additionally, a new Henna Club has recently started. 2. Assistant Superintendent — Individual MCAS results have been received and are expected to be mailed out by October 18th. Additionally, one of the professional learning initiatives has been launched, focused on developing literacy leaders at the Page 1 2 elementary level. Sixteen teachers from grades K-5 will take on this role, coming together throughout the year for more intensive training. The goal is to deepen their understanding of instructional shifts in teaching literacy. 3. Superintendent — Dr. Milaschewski thanked our IT team for their efforts in navigating the recent email and Microsoft 365 services outage, and expressed appreciation for Julian Carr's leadership during this time. Additionally, the Food Service Team was recognized for their outstanding work, providing free breakfast across all schools. In September alone, they served 14,000 meals and have been doing a great job keeping up with the increasing demand. 4. Liaison/Sub-Committee a. Ms. McLaughlin — No report b. Mrs. Nazzaro—There are several Killam School Building Committee community meetings scheduled for this fall: October 23, November 4, and December 9, all of which will take place at the Reading Public Library. A presentation to the Finance Committee will be made at the next financial forum. By October 30th, the MSBA will decide if we can move forward into the schematic design phase. The project remains on target and on schedule. c. Mrs. Gaffen—No report d. Mr. Wise—October is Dyslexia Awareness Month, and on October 15th, SEPAC, the School Committee, Friends of Reading METCO, and the Reading Cultural Council are sponsoring and supporting the viewing of The Right to Read, followed by a panel discussion. In November, Dr. Hardy and Dr. Stys will lead a discussion on raising awareness about reading across the district. Additionally, the Finance Committee has voted to allocate 3.5% of the free cash to the operating budget for the FY26 budget and has also voted to support the Field House floor project. C. Old Business 1. Vote Town Meeting Guidance on Field House Floor and Bleacher Capital Plan Update (A) Dr. Milaschewski reviewed the Field House Floor project through a presentation, which can be found here. In April, Town Meeting authorized the replacement of the Field House floor and bleachers at RMHS. When the debt authorization was initially presented, several options were considered, with the understanding that if a different option was selected as the best choice, another authorization would be needed. After careful consideration, the wood athletic floor option has been determined to be the best choice. Director of Facilities, Joe Huggins, explained why this option was selected. The presentation has been shared with the Finance Committee and will also be presented to the Select Board before being introduced as an Article at Town Meeting. The Article does not specify a dollar amount, but it is expected that the cost will be $3 million. Mr. Wise motioned to recommend Article 15, the Field House Floor Article, with the updated figure of $3 million to Town Meeting, seconded by Mrs. Nazzaro. Page 13 Roll Call Vote —Ms. McLaughlin —yes, Mrs. Gaffen— yes, Mrs. Nazzaro — yes, Mr. Wise —yes The vote passed 4-0. E. New Business 1. 2024 MCAS Results, Presentation Dr. Milaschewski and Dr. Hardy presented the 2024 MCAS results, highlighting several key takeaways. They noted that Reading is leading the way in student growth, as one of only 16 districts in the state to have all three school levels with Student Growth Percentiles (SGPs) above 50 in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Math. Additionally, elementary and middle school math achievement is on the rise, and Parker Middle School was one of only four middle schools in the state identified as a school of recognition. Grade 3 students performed in the 95th percentile in ELA and the 98th percentile in math, compared to 320 districts statewide. The presentation also included context, highlights, and areas of focus based on the 2024 MCAS results. The full presentation can be found here. 2. ACE Committee Discussion and Assignment A member of the School Committee can be assigned either as ex officio or as a designee to join the ACE committee. This will be discussed at the next Select Board meeting regarding how Reading residents will be selected. Mrs. Gaffen and Mr. Brandt have expressed interest in joining, though the level of commitment required for the committee is currently unknown. A non -School Committee member could also represent the committee as a designee. Mrs. Gaffen noted that, due to uncertainty around the level of commitment and the amount of work involved with the policy subcommittee, she is not interested in serving. Mr. Wise will follow up with Mr. Brandt to gauge his interest in serving. Mrs. Nazzaro motioned to adjourn, seconded by Mrs. Gaffen. Roll Call Vote — Ms. McLaughlin — yes, Mrs. Gaffen — yes, Mrs. Nazzaro — yes, Mr. Wise—yes The vote passed 4-0. httos://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc2KZURYin Meeting Adjourned from regular session at approximately 8:52pm. Page 1 4