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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-03-27 School Committee MinutesOff• FR�' Town of Reading RECEIVED - AA6113 Meeting Minutes TOWN CLERK U READING, MA� Board - committee - commission - council: 2925 APR 14 AM 9: 44 School Committee Date: 2025-03-27 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, Shawn Brandt, Sarah McLaughlin, Carla Nazzaro, Erin Gaffen, and Charles Robinson Members - Not Present: Others Present: Assistant Superintendent for Learning and Teaching and Superintendent Dr. Thomas Milaschewski Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Olivia Lejeune on behalf of the chairperson. Topics of Discussion: A. Call to Order —Mr. Wise called the meeting to order to review the agenda. B. Public Comment— Maria Morgan of 26 Lee Street highlighted the recent SEPAC meeting, thanking Assistant Superintendent for Student Services Dr. Jennifer Stys, Special Education Director Ms. Allison Wright, and Interim Director of Finance and Operations Mr. Phil Littlehale for their efforts in presenting the special education budget. Chris Haley of 71 Tennyson Road thanked Mr. Robinson for his 18 years of service to the community. Focus on Excellence 1. Celebrating Mr. Robinson Mr. Wise noted that tonight's focus on excellence in service centered on Mr. Robinson, who is departing the committee after 18 years of service to the community as a School Committee member and nine years as a Finance Committee member. Mr. Robinson was celebrated by many community and School Committee members and was presented with a chair featuring the Reading emblem. The group took a photo and celebrated with cake. Consent Agenda 1. Minutes (03-13-2025) 2. Friends of Reading Baseball Donation 3. RMHS Unified Champion Schools Donation Page I r 4. Coolidge Unified Champion Schools Donation 5. FY25 Financial Education Innovation Fund Award Accounts Payable Warrant Reports 1. 03-13-2025 2. 03-20-2025 Mrs. Gaffen motioned to approve the consent agenda, seconded by Mr. Robinson. The vote passed 6-0. Reports 1. Students —Student representative provided updates on the following items: a. The Jazz Ensemble qualified for the state competition. b. Seven senior swimmers were recognized as Academic All -Americans. The boys' swim team holds an impressive average GPA of 4.15. c. The Art Department announced that Brayden Callen, a junior, won a Gold Key in the Regional Scholastic Art Competition. d. The RMHS Investment Club presented at Parker Middle School to generate student interest in the club. e. Upcoming events include: Junior Prom, early release day, ArtsFest, the start of senior internships on April 10, the freshman Progressive Dinner Fundraiser on April 11, the Winchester Hospital Career Panel, a job shadowing day for juniors, the Senior Awards, Senior Prom, graduation on May 30, Incoming Freshman Night, and the Underclassmen Awards on June 4. 2. Assistant Superintended for Learning and Teaching — Dr. Hardy shared an event that took place at Coolidge during National Civics Education Week, thanks to social studies teacher Carolyn Caffrey. Students had the opportunity to "Zoom with the Judge" to learn more about the judicial system — and the guest turned out to be Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Eighth graders listened intently and came away with two key messages: to be good citizens and to find their unique gifts to positively impact their communities. 3. Superintendent— Dr. Milaschewski congratulated the boys' swim team and coaches for their academic and athletic success. 4. Liaison/Sub-Committee a. Ms. McLaughlin — No report b. Mrs. Gaffen—No report c. Mr. Brandt — No report d. Mrs. Nazzaro—The Killam team had a meeting with the MSBA regarding the project's scope and budget and received great news: the reimbursement grant has been increased by $1.5 million. An updated one - pager has been published on the website. The total reimbursement grant is now $44,182,227, and the amount to be borrowed has decreased to $85,829,556. A joint presentation of both major town projects will take place on April 2 in the PAC, with a virtual session scheduled for April 16. e. Mr. Robinson —No report Page 1 2 f. Mr. Wise —No report E. New Business 1. School Choice Discussion Dr. Milaschewski opened the School Choice discussion. Each year, the School Committee has the option to opt out of the program. As a district, we receive $5,000 per student, plus potential reimbursement of up to 100% of special education costs. Since starting the program in the 2022-2023 school year, we have seen steady enrollment growth: nine students enrolled in the first year, 16 additional students in 2023-2024, and another 26 in 2024-2025 — bringing the total to 51 students. The packet includes information about the revenue the district has received. The administration is advocating to continue the program, as it provides a valuable financial stream and offers an opportunity for staff members' children to attend our schools — a helpful staff retention strategy. The packet also outlines the number of available seats, based on enrollment, and details the application process. Applications opened on March 28. By law, we are required to hold two lotteries; the first will be held now, and the second is planned for June to stay ahead of schedule. The administration will move forward with opening applications. 2. Student Opportunity Act (SOA) Plan — 2025 Progress Report Dr. Milaschewski noted that information was shared with the committee late in a revised packet, which includes: • A draft of the Student Opportunity Act (SOA) — 2025 Progress Report • The three-year SOA plan that was submitted to DESE last year • Two DESE-provided examples of progress reports Dr. Hardy provided a high-level overview of the progress report, which serves as an opportunity to reflect on the commitments and goals set as part of the SOA plan. She expressed pride in the high -quality curriculum paired with professional development, noting that the district is beginning to see the fruits of its labor. The district worked with Harvard fellow Barbara Best to elevate student voice in implementing SEL and mental health initiatives. Focus groups provided valuable data on students' sense of connectedness to school. To continue implementing the plan effectively, the district identified the need for another tool to support data -driven decisions. A data warehouse will be brought on board to centralize all data in one place. Upcoming community events that support the plan include the community screening of CodeSwitching (in support of Boston resident students) and youth town hall opportunities. Page 1 3 3. FY26 Kindergarten Enrollment Update Dr. Milaschewski reminded the committee that we committed to returning in the spring to provide an update on kindergarten enrollment. She is pleased to share that we now have 290 enrolled kindergarten students, and the packet includes a breakdown by school. We added a 1.0 FTE teacher, and while we are currently under projections, we know that we typically see more move -ins during the spring and summer, so we have not yet reassigned that additional teacher. If there is an opportunity to reduce staffing, it would be at Barrows, where we are trying to maintain three kindergarten classrooms. D. Old Business 1. Policy Updates— Review, edit (if necessary), and Vote to Adopt Amended Policy: a. Policy FF — Naming of School Facilities Mr. Wise shared some background on this policy, which was formerly known as the "Naming of Facilities or Places within or on School Property." In June 2023, members met with the SACS to discuss the existing policy, which was limited at that time. From there, a review process began. The team had initial discussions and, this fall, resumed discussions, making significant progress over the past two months. The policy has been discussed and reviewed by the Policy Subcommittee across three meetings. The goal is to clarify and expand the process for naming, unnaming, and renaming, while also making the process clear and transparent. The Subcommittee debated whether to combine the "unnaming" and "renaming" processes into one step or keep them as two distinct steps, as they could involve different interest groups. The version in the packet has been approved by the Subcommittee. Two grammatical suggestions were made: the first sentence could be revised to shift the language from "including name removal and renaming" to something less clunky, and the third paragraph could remove the sentence: "A name associated with educational significance or inspiration should be recommended and chosen." Discussions centered around removing this sentence, as taking it out broadens the language, though it could also be seen as redundant. There were also conversations regarding the use of the term "political pressure" in the policy. Mrs. Gaffen motioned to approve Policy FF— Naming of School Facilities as amended, seconded by Mr. Brandt. The vote passed 6-0. 2. Second Reading and Vote for Adoption of New Policy a. Policy GBGB—Staff Personal Security and Safety Mr. Wise noted that this was reviewed at the last meeting, and it was suggested that the need for an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) be considered. It was also discussed that confidentiality is addressed in other policies, so there is no need for a specific confidentiality provision for the EAP, as it is already covered under existing policies. Page 1 4 Mrs. Gaffen motioned to approve Policy GBGB — Staff Personal Security and Safety as amended, seconded by Mr. Brandt. The vote passed 6-0. E. New Business 4. Policy Updates — Review, edit (if necessary), and Vote to Adopt on Amended Policies: a. Policy GBEBC — Gifts to and Solicitations by Staff Ms. Roach discussed updates made to the policy, which included revisions for readability, clarity, and consistency. The scope of acceptable gifts was expanded to address situational appropriateness, rules for aggregating gift values and class gifts were clarified, and it was specified that gift -related activities cannot take place during school hours. Additionally, the policy was aligned with the conflict of interest policy. The committee discussed gift amounts and the language surrounding gifts from individuals or business entities. Mrs. Gaffen motioned to approve Policy GBEBC— Gifts to and Solicitations by Staff as amended, seconded by Mr. Brandt. The vote passed 6-0. b. Policy GBI — Staff Participation in Political Activities Ms. Roach noted that the policy addresses situations where a staff member is running for political office, providing background on this issue. The policy clarifies several points: it prohibits campaigning during working hours, reinforces the restriction on public employees soliciting funds for political campaigns, and strengthens the language regarding student protections to ensure a clear separation of political activities. It was also noted that the title might be revised to include "personal political activities," as it pertains to ballot questions as well. The committee discussed language related to ballot initiatives. Mrs. Gaffen motioned to approve Policy GBI —Staff Participation in Political Activities as amended, seconded by Mr. Brandt. The vote passed 6-0. 5. First Reading of New Policy Mr. Wise noted that Policy GBGE — Domestic Violence Leave needs further refinement, which will be done before the next meeting. This is a brand new policy for the committee, based on the MASC policy. Ms. Roach reviewed the changes made to the policy, which include the addition of headings to improve clarity and consistency, restructuring for improved readability, and clarification of the paid status guidelines to distinguish between paid and unpaid provisions. Mrs. Gaffen motioned to approve the font reading of Policy GBGE — Domestic Violence Leave, seconded by Mr. Brandt. The vote passed 6-0. 6. Notification of Upcoming Policy Votes Page 1 5 Mr. Wise notified the committee of the following policies that will be brought forward for review and adoption: • GBJ — Personnel Records • GCA —Professional Staff Positions • GCBA— ProfessionalStaffSalarySchedules • GCBB— Employment of Principals • GBEBD —Online Fundraising and Solicitations—Crowdfunding (will go through first and second reading as it is a new policy) • GCBC — Supplemental Compensation for Extra Assignments (will go through first and second reading as it is a new policy) Mr. Wise discussed meeting logistics, noting that prior to the April loth meeting, there will be a community screening and discussion of CodeSwitching. This means that the review of policies will take place at the May 12th meeting. May and June present some scheduling challenges, and feedback will be gathered about the meetings. It is likely that the second May meeting will be proposed for either May 19th or 29th. While June 5th and 12th are scheduled, the June 12th meeting may pose a challenge due to year-end reviews and other items. Mr. Wise motioned to adjourn, seconded by Mrs. Nazzaro. The vote passed 6-0. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MZF76XMBMs Meeting Adjourned from regular session at approximately 9:24 pm. Page 1 6