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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-03-21 School Committee MinutesCLERK ilss. Reading School Committee Reading, Massachusetts Regular Session March 21, 2005 Call to Order Chair McFadden called the School Committee to order at 7:40 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room at Parker Middle School. Present were Mr. Carpenter, Mr. Dahl, Mrs. Gibbs, Mr. McFadden, Mr. Spadafora and Ms. Webb. Also present were Superintendent Schettini, Associate Superintendent Richards, Director of Human Resources and Finance Mary DeLai and Student Representative, Michael O'Brien. Mr. Shubert called the Selectmen to order, present were Mrs. Woods, Mrs. Anthony, Mr. Duffy, Mr. Hines and Mr. Shubert. Mr. Robinson called the FinCom to order, present were Mr. Grimes, Mr. LaLecheur, Mr. McDonald, Mr. Robinson, Ms. West, Mr. Torman and Ms. Williams. Bills and Payrolls Bills and Payrolls were circulated for signature. Citizen's Input There was no Citizen's Input. Gifts There were no gifts. Superintendent's Report Superintendent Schettini asked for a moment of silence for Maureen LeClaire, the Reading Memorial High School teacher, who passed away recently. Superintendent Schettini stated that the Montero family was burned out of their house. The Joshua Eaton community has joined together in many fund raising activities for the Montero Family. Parker Middle School was spotlighted on Channel 5 Friday night for their fund raising efforts. Chair McFadden commended Michael O'Brien, School Committee Student Representative, for First Team all academic. Ms. Webb stated she attended the regional Destination Imagination tournament sponsored by the Reading Recreation Department. She stated it was a wonderful day. Ms. Webb stated the Killam School had the third annual auction. Parents and teachers donated so much of their time and raised over $50,000. Mr. Carpenter stated that the RCTV Board met last Tuesday. RCTV was trying to set up snow day announcements the night before on cable television. Regular Session -2- March 21, 2005 New Business Town Manager, Peter Hechenbleikner, introduced Mr. Al Jones, a consultant from MIAA. Mr. Jones works nation wide with schools, towns and counties. He gave an overview of the National and Regional Health Care pictures. There was discussion regarding the reasons for escalating health care costs. Elizabeth Klepeis gave a presentation on issues relating to municipal health insurance. Mr. McFadden asked Mr. Jones how much the Town of Reading pays to join MIAA. Mr. Jones told him there was no fee to join. Mr. Spadafora asked why we have so few insurance companies that cover municipalities. Mr. Jones stated that some companies have issues with retirees who live out of state. Mrs. Klepeis stated that sometimes there are only two companies who respond to our bid. Mr. Spadafora asked if the local hospitals or the Boston hospitals handle most of our claims. He was told that most of the claims were for local hospitals. The three boards agreed to set up a task force to further investigate the health insurance situation. Adjourn Mrs. Woods moved to adiourn for the Selectmen Mr. Hines seconded the motion the vote was 5-0. Mrs. Woods, Mrs. Anthony, Mr. Duffv, Mr. Hines and Mr. Shubert. Mr. Grimes moved to adiourn for the FinCom Mr. McDonald seconded the motion the vote was 7-0. Mr. Grimes, Mr. LaLecheur, Mr. McDonald, Mr. Robinson, Ms. West, Mr. Torman and Ms Williams Ms. Webb moved to adiourn for the School Committee to enter into executive session not to return to regular session for the purpose of negotiation strategies Mrs. Gibbs seconded the motion. The roll call vote was 6-0 Mr. John Carpenter, Mr. Pete Dahl, Mrs. Lisa Gibbs, Mr. Carl McFadden, Mr. Robert Spadafora and Ms. Elaine Webb. Patrick a Superintendent of Schools