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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-11-23 School Committee MinutesReading Public Schools Reading, Massachusetts Regular Meeting of the School Committee Open Session Date: November 23, 2009 Time: 7:00 p.m. (Open Session) Place: Superintendent's Conference Room School Committee Members Present Lisa Gibbs Chuck Robinson Elaine Webb David Michaud Chris Caruso Karen Janowski Patrick O'Sullivan Student Representative RECEIVED TOWN CLERK RE ADING, MASS. 1004 DEC 10 P 12* 0 5 Staff Members Present John Doherty, Acting Superintendent Mary DeLai, Director of Finance & Operations Colleen Dolan, Director of Pupil Services Visitors: Joe Huggins, Director of Facilities Kristin Morello, Director of Food Services Christine Lyons, Reading Chronicle Cathy Giles, Killam Principal L Call to Order Chairperson Robinson called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Mrs. Gibbs moved seconded by Mr. Michaud to enter into Executive Session to discuss negotiation strategies, personnel matters and approval of minutes and to return to open session The roll call vote was 4-0. Mrs. Gibbs Mr. Michaud Mr. Robinson and Mrs. Janowski. Mr. Robinson called the meeting back to order at 7:45. He welcomed guests and reviewed the agenda. II. Recommended Procedure A. Public Input (I) B. Reports 1 1. Student Mr. O'Sullivan reported on the following: • The end of the fall sports season and upcoming banquets • RMHS received the MIAA Sportsmanship Award at the Sportsmanship Summit at Gillette Stadium • Fall Musical of Me and My Girl was very successful • This week is Spirit week culminating in the pep rally on Wednesday 2. Liaison Mrs. Webb reported on the MASC/MASS Joint Conference held in Hyannis last week. She attended several workshops and reported the resolution proposed and supported by the Reading School Committee passed. November 23, 2009 Mrs. Gibbs reported on the Reading Public Schools participation in Inclusive School Week in conjunction with the districts initiative regarding disability awareness. She stated that in collaboration with Bill Endslow inclusive week will be centered around the winter productions of "The Boys Next Door" and "The Elephant Man" Mrs. Gibbs also congratulated Mr. O'Sullivan and the rest of the Drama Club on the recent success of the fall musical Mr. Robinson reported on the Fincom meeting he, Mr. Doherty and Ms. DeLai attended last week. He pointed out that the Finance Committee voted unanimously to use up to one million dollars of free cash to achieve level funding. He commended Mr. Doherty and Ms. DeLai on the outstanding preparation for this meeting. Mr. Robinson and Dr. Doherty attended the annual Rotary Luncheon today. He stated that it was a nice event and he was proud of our football captains who spoke very positively about teamwork and sportsmanship. He also reported on the recent Wood End veterans Day celebration he attended. It was a great event. He was also able to watch the Joshua Eaton celebration on RCTV. Superintendent's Report Superintendent Doherty reported on the Community Budget Forums. There were three forums held and was pleased that the attendance increased at each forum. He thanked Ms. DeLai for the excellent job she did in preparing for the forums. He also thanked Mrs. Dolan and Mr. Huggins for their continued cost saving efforts. He updated the committee on H1N1. The case numbers have been down but he is concerned with the holidays approaching that the numbers will begin to rise again. The district sent out letters via ConnectEd and mail to secondary school parents regarding the upcoming inoculation clinics. Dr. Doherty reported that the Reading Fire Department has once again received the S.A.F.E. grant. The money from this grant is used for fire prevention education at the elementary level. Dr. Doherty also reported on the in-service day that took place last week. While it was Conference day at the high school and elementary schools the rest of the district was very busy. The district hosted several professional development opportunities. Over 100 people attended the second session with Dr. Robert Macy dealing with Threat Assessment. Dr. Macy was in the district in October to present a workshop on "Safety for the CEO". These workshops were paid for out of the REMS safety grant. We also had several professional development opportunities for the paraeducators ranging from Ethics Training, Safety Training and an afternoon of concurrent workshops that included Dibels Training, Smartboard Training and video presentations dealing with special education issues. 4. Director of Finance and Operations Ms. DeLai reviewed the Student Activities Audit report that was included in the informational packet. It is common practice to have an audit done when there is a change in administration. She will work with the administration to incorporate the recommendations from this report. November 23, 2009 C. Continued Business I . Maintenance & Facilities Update Mr. Joe Huggins updated the committee on the work being performed by our facilities and maintenance department. He briefly described the repairs and preventative maintenance at each building. Much of the work has been done by the in-house staff as cost saving measures. He also updated the committee on the performance contracting done to date. He outlined the priorities for the remainder of the year and also shared that he and Mr. Cacciapuoti have been pursuing new opportunities for rental revenues. 2. Food Service Update Mrs. Kristin Morello updated the committee on the Food Service department. Mrs. Morello is very excited that the POS system has been implemented at every school. She is hoping to implement an on-line payment service and give parents access to the child account. She has bids out for a whole grain pizza delivery and the vending contract for all schools. Mrs. Morello also shared that she has two dietary interns working with her. She is also hoping to post nutritional and ingredient information on the website. Challenges faced by the food service department include the ability to offer fresh fruits and vegetables in a declining economy. She said she needs to be creative. She also indicated that participation has been down. She attributes it to the flu season. Mrs. Morello shared her department accomplishments including the catering of the Blue Ribbon Conference held in Reading last spring, a restructured menu with more fruits, vegetables and whole grains and the introduction of 6 new menu items this school year. She is proud of the fact that she has been able to offer professional development opportunities to her staff and they enthusiastically attend workshops and seminars. The Food Services Department will be holding a taste test for a whole grain pizza crust with the RMHS student council. Mrs. Morello thanked the committee for the opportunity to update them. D. New Business Understanding Disabilities Chair Robinson welcomed Ruth Clogston and Paula Tucci from Understanding Disabilities. Ms. Clogston updated the committee on the fall activities. The fall units are just about completed and the organization is preparing for the spring. She indicated that the teacher feedback continues to be vey favorable. Mrs. Tucci thanked the School Committee and administration for the continued support. She also thanked Mrs. Gibbs on her work regarding disability awareness and the 180 volunteers who have worked for the program. She was happy to report that UD have raised sufficient funds for this year allowing them to rollout the full program. They have received donations from the PTOs and parents. Understanding Disabilities, working with the Trails Committee, recently dedicated benches on the Mattera Trail to Judy LeBlanc, Founder of Understanding Disabilities. These benches were privately funded. November 23, 2009 Mrs. Tucci stated that UD is at a crossroads. They have not been successful on the fundraising arm. They are also exploring strategies to recruit volunteers to teach in the classrooms. They would like to continue to work with the PTOs and are looking into working with the Lions and Leo clubs. The future is still uncertain for the program. Ms. Clogston and Mrs. Tucci thanked the School Committee for allowing them to present this update. RMHS Field Trips Dr. Doherty reviewed the request from Gary d'Entremont to postpone the trip to London from April 2010 to April 2011. Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mrs Janowski to approve the proposed date change from April 2010 to April 2011 for the RMHS trip to London as outlined in the Acting Superintendent's memorandum dated November 19, 2009 The motion carried 6-0 Dr. Doherty reviewed the request for a trip to West Virginia in late June as part of the Habitat for Humanity program. Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mrs Gibbs to approve the proposed RMHS community service trip to West Virginia as part of the Habitat for Humanity program scheduled for late June 2010 as outlined in the Acting Superintendent's memorandum dated November 19, 2009. The motion carried 6-0. III. Routine Matters • Bills and Payroll (A) • Approval of Minutes Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mrs. Webb to approve the open session minutes as amended dated November 2, 2009. The motion carried 6-0 • Bids and Donations Mr. Doherty introduced Mrs. Giles who shared Killam's great fortune receiving a $5000 grant from Land's End for the "Bucket Filling" initiative. This award was totally unexpected. The goal was to meet the author of "Have you Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids " Land's End was quite impressed with the Killam initiative and chose the school to win this award. Mrs. Giles shared a video produced and performed by fifth grade students, sharing information regarding the initiative. Mrs. Giles was asked how she would use the grant. She indicated it will be used for student activities, possible development of an outdoor classroom and a portion will be donated to charity. Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr. Michaud, to accept the donation to the Killam School from the Land's End as outlined in the Acting Superintendent's memorandum dated November 19, 2009 The motion carried 6-0. Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr. Michaud to accept the donation to the Coolidge Middle School from Mr. & Mrs. McGurn as outlined in the Acting Superintendent's memorandum dated November 19, 2009. The motion carried 6-0 r` Mr. Caruso moved, seconded by Mr. Michaud to accept the donation to the Birch Meadow School from the Birch Meadow PTO as outlined in the Actin Superintendent's memorandum dated November 19, 2009. The motion carried 6-0