Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-06-07 School Committee MinutesL..IVED READING SCHOOL COMMITTEE O CLERK Rt ADING. MASS. Reading, Massachusetts 1004 SEP 2 Regular Session JUL 7Q; 214 3 CALL TO ORDER Chair Dahl called the regular session to order at 6:35 in the Superintendent's Conference Room. Present were Mr. Carpenter, Mr. Dahl, Mrs. Gibbs, Mr. McFadden, Mr. Spadafora and Ms. Webb. Also present was Superintendent Schettini. EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION Superintendent Schettini stated that tonight we would be honoring the Coolidge Middle School Science Olympiad Team and the Parker Middle School WordMasters Challenge. The Coolidge Science Olympiad Team has won the state tournament for the past twelve years. This year the Coolidge team competed at Juniata College in Pennsylvania. The team placed 8th out of 54 teams from around the country despite the fact that none of the team members from Coolidge had ever competed at the National level. The team owes much of its success to the time and energy of its parent/community coaches as well as the six Coolidge teachers that coach the students. The team is thankful for the tremendous support it gets from the community each year through its fundraising activities. Chair Dahl read the names; Ms. Webb and Mr. Carpenter gave each student an award. At 6:40 p.m. Chair Dahl called a five-minute recess. Chair Dahl called the meeting back to order at 6:45 p.m. Superintendent Schettini introduced the Parker WordMasters. The WordMasters Challenge is an exercise in critical thinking which first encourages students to become familiar with a set of interesting new words (considerably harder than grade level), and then challenge them to use those words to complete analogies expressing various kinds of relationships. A team representing Parker Middle School recently won highest honors. The WordMasters Challenge is a national language arts competition entered by over 240,000 students annually, which consists of three separate meets held at intervals during the school year. Competing in the difficult Blue Division of the Challenge and supervised by Ellen Howland and Jen Tracey, the school's eighth graders finished seventh in the nation in the Regular Session June 7, 2004 year end cumulative standings among 292 school teams participating at this level and in this division. One of the school's students won highest honors for the yearlong individual achievement. Kevin Matthews made only two errors in the course of the year's three meets, was one of the eighteen highest ranking eighth graders in the entire country in the year end standings. Nine of the school's students also won highest honors for individual achievement in the year's final meet. Superintendent Schettini thanked all the students and their parents. Chair Dahl offered his congratulations to all the students. All of the students were given an award. At 6:55 Chair Dahl called a two-minute recess. At 7:00 Chair Dahl called the meeting back to order. Associate Superintendent Richards arrived at 7:00 p.m. ROUTINE MATTERS BILLS AND PAYROLLS Bills and Payrolls were circulated for signature. NEW BUSINESS Chair Dahl stated it was an honor and a privilege to serve as chairperson of the Committee for the past year. He thanked everyone and turned the gavel over to Superintendent Schettini. Superintendent Schettini thanked Chair Dahl. Superintendent Schettini asked for nominations for chairman, stating he needed a minimum of four votes for new chairperson. Ms. Webb moved to nominate Mr. McFadden as Chairperson of the Readin School Committee for the upcoming year. Mr. S adafora seconded the motion. The vote was 6-0. Mr. Car enter Mr. Dahl Mrs. Gibbs Mr. McFadden Mr. S adafora and Ms. Webb. vote was 6-0. Mr. Car enter Mr. Dahl Mrs. Gibbs Mr. McFadden IiMr. S adafora and Ms. Webb. CITIZEN'S INPUT- - Regular Session -3- June 7, 2004 Chair McFadden set the ground rules for Citizen's Input. He stated there would be no personal attacks and for folks to state their name before they spoke into the microphone. Mr. Thomas Connery stated he had four children at Killam. He stated he was a responsive voice for fundamental fairness. He asked once again for the over crowding of the Killam fourth grade be considered as a priority. He was asking for one-year high enrollment relief adding one teacher for the 2004-2005 school year. He stated there was no commitment to cap enrollment. There were no teacher layoffs. We have supported the new elementary school and the high school project. We voted for the overrides. We support our PTO. We remained silent when our children went to Coolidge for Kindergarten. If there are 26.5 students in the Killam fourth grade class, it would be 11% increase of students over all the other fourth grade classes in Reading. We were mailed a proposal to transfer eight students to Birch Meadow. This will not work, with two years of their school years disrupted. Why wasn't this priority addressed at Killam? Valerie Ross from Lawrence Road stated she had a third grade son at Killam. She suggested that they turn Room 24 back into a classroom. Room 24 is currently being used as a resource room. You could also bus the kindergarten students to the new school with the Barrow's students. The Killam students went to Coolidge for kindergarten. Mr. McFadden stated that all-day kindergarten would have 24 students in the class. The Killam kindergarten currently has 20. Mr. Dahl stated that the issues are site management issues, available space and available teachers. He takes exception that the Superintendent's recommendation is unacceptable. Class sizes are so volatile. He stated that they make choices based upon education issues and not upon social issues. Valerie Ross stated that if eight Killam fourth graders went to Birch Meadow in the fall and then were redistricted the next year they could be in two new schools in two years. This is too much to ask. You are asking too much of the teachers when there are twenty- eight students in a class. Leslie Haley stated her daughter was at Barrows until third grade. She then moved to Killam. She had a great year. Killam has the most specialists housed there. Killam has specialists and students who need specialists. Chair McFadden thanked her. Joe Appleyard from Smith Avenue has a son in the Killam third grade. He stated that two FTE teachers moved over to kindergarten. It is an all-day kindergarten road show. He stated that all-day kindergarten provides revenue, which offsets the budget. There should be $320,000 of revenue this year. There is a balance of $34,000 in the revolving fund at the end of the year. Regular Session 4- June 7, 2004 Mr. McFadden explained to him that the funds generated for all-day kindergarten could only be used for all-day kindergarten. Mr. Schettini stated that he money from all-day kindergarten offsets half of the teacher salaries and materials beyond the half-day. Michael Bore from John Street asked for clarification on the all-day kindergarten teacher salary. Superintendent Schettini told him that the tuition pays the other half of the teacher's salary. Thomas O'Donnell asked about the Birch Meadow Kindergarten at Coolidge. Superintendent Schettini told him that there were two half-day kindergartens and a special education program at Coolidge. They were finalizing a schedule at the middle school. The high school is under construction. There is no space at Parker. Mr. Dahl asked if anyone had signed up to transfer to Birch Meadow. He was told none. Mr. O'Donnell stated that he wanted to hear from other Committee members. Mr. McFadden explained to him that citizen's input was for the citizens to give input about an item not on the agenda. The School Committee was not required to respond at this time. He went on to say that Superintendent Schettini and Associate Superintendent Richards would look into Valerie Ross's proposed solutions and that should take a week. Mr. Spadafora stated that no one is happy with the class sizes. The town has very little tax base and they are trying to prioritize all the needs in all of the schools. There are class size issues at Eaton in the second grade. We are trying to be fair across the board. Mrs. Gibbs stated she understood and empathized with the frustration. Class size is a huge issue. We hear you and we thank you. We need to thank Superintendent Schettini for his work and due diligence. Mr. Carpenter stated that Mr. Connery gave him flashbacks of his children. There are long hard struggles ahead and we are not done yet. It is always good to advocate for your child. We have all of the administration trying to come up with an equitable solution to meet the requirements. Ms. Webb stated she had a unique perspective. Her twins are in the Killam fourth grade. She stated that twenty-eight students in a class are unacceptable. However, they were in a class of twenty-eight students this year and though she would prefer a class of twenty, . ___the class of twenty-eight-students worked out just-fine. Class size is a priority for her a Regular Session -5- June 7, 2004 School Committee member and a priority for the Superintendent. The Administration has done a great job balancing a whole host of needs. Gail O'Donnell stated her son would be in fourth grade in the fall. She had him tested. He was reading 2.5 grades below fourth grade level. This was missed because there are twenty-eight students in the class. Mr. McFadden thanked everyone for his or her time. GIFTS There were no gifts to report. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT Superintendent Schettini stated that graduation was excellent. He was very pleased with senior week. It was incident free. Mrs. Gibbs commended the sixth grade class at Parker Middle School. They gave her a giraffe award. This award is given to people who stick their necks out for the common good. She stated that the RISE Preschool was having their end of school performance and family picnic on June 14th at 11:00 a.m. Superintendent Schettini reviewed the School Committee calendar. He noted that Naomi Stonberg would be giving the School Committee a workshop on June 14th. On June 15th, there would be an abutter's meeting at 6:00 p.m. in the Reading Memorial High School Lecture Hall. There are meetings on July 12th, July 26th and August 23ra Mr. Dahl made a motion to waive the Reading School Committee policy CBB to allow the Superintendent to appoint Joseph Finigan as the next Principal of Reading Memorial High School. Mr. Spadafora seconded the motion. The vote was 6-0. Mr. Carpenter, Mr. Dahl, Mrs. Gibbs, Mr. McFadden, Mr. Spadafora and Ms. Webb Mr. Spadafora made a motion to approve the screenin2process for the Director of Human Resources and Finance. As outlined in the Superintendent's memorandum dated June 1, 2004. Mrs. Gibbs seconded the motion. The vote was 6-0. Mr. Carpenter, Mr. Dahl, Mrs. Gibbs, Mr. McFadden, Mr. Spadafora and Ms. Webb ADJOURN Mr. Spadafora made a motion to adjourn. Mr. Dahl seconded the motion. The vote was 6-0. Mr. Carpenter, Mr. Dahl, Mrs. Gibbs, Mr. McFadden, Mr. Spadafora and Ms. Webb Regular Session -6- June 7, 2004 Patrick A. S'chettini, Jr. Superintendent of Schools