Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-12-20 School Committee MinutesReading Public Schools Reading, Massachusetts - - LLt r; Regular Meeting of the School Committee Open Session -IN 2 L4, P 2: C e Date: December 20, 2010 Time: 7:30 p.m. (Open Session) Place: Parker Middle School Multi-Purpose Room School Committee Members Present Chuck Robinson Karen Janowski Chris Caruso Arrived at 7:30 p.m. Lisa Gibbs David Michaud Hal Croft Jared Beaulieu Student Representative Visitors: Doug Lyons, Parker Principal Brian James, Parker Teacher Steve Olivo, Parker Teacher 1. Call to Order Staff Members Present John Doherty, Superintendent Patty deGaravilla, Assistant Superintendent Mary DeLai, Director of Finance and Operations Kim Oliveira, Director of Pupil Services Matt Casey, Reading Patch Vice Chairperson Robinson called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. The Vice Chair reviewed the agenda and announced that the meeting was being recorded. II. Executive Session Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs to enter into Executive Session to discuss strategy with respect to litigation and to reconvene to open session in approximately minutes. The roll call vote was 6-0. Mr. Robinson, Mr. Caruso, Mrs. Janowski, Mr. Michaud, Mr. Croft and Mrs. Gibbs. The committee moved to Executive Session at 7:40 p.m. Mr Caruso called the open session meeting back to order at 8:20 p.m. III. Recommended Procedure A. Public Input (I) Reports (1) 1. Student Student Representative Beaulieu reported on the recent happenings at RMHS: December 20, 2010 • RMHS Improv Troupe presented "Improvosaurus" • Winter Choral Concert this week • Winter sports and drama programs underway • RMHS students that won the MIAA Sportsmanship Video Award donated prize money to Tannerville for their Holiday celebration 2. Liaison Chair Caruso said the first meeting of the Naming of Facilities sub-committee would be taking place on Tuesday evening. 3. Superintendent's Report Dr. Doherty reported that he attended Improvosaurus last week. He commended the group on a very funny show and recommended attending the spring presentation. 4. Director of Finance and Operations No report this evening. 5. Assistant Superintendent No report this evening. B. Continued Business Update on Bullying Prevention Plan (Out of Order) Mrs. de Garavilla updated the School Committee on the recently submitted Bullying Prevention Plan. She said the next steps would be to begin training for staff. The first training sessions are scheduled for January. She also indicated that she has been working with John Feudo, Reading Recreation, to coordinate training for the people involved with youth sports. It is important to educate all stakeholders, not just in those in our schools, for the plan to succeed. Mr. Caruso arrived at 7:30 p.m. C. New Business Parker Middle School Presentation (Out of Order) Dr. Doherty introduced Doug Lyons and thanked him for hosting the meeting this evening. Mr. Lyons introduced Brian James and Steve Olivo and provided an overview of tonight's presentation. Mr. Lyons said that one period every other day is used for Flex time. This time is used to develop students writing skills in all content areas. Mr. James said that during these periods he is working with his students to develop the analytical skills and developing the ability to discern the inferences in writing and speech that they will encounter throughout their lives. He referred to this time as inspired writing class. Mr. Olivo shared his student's blogs. He feels the use of technology has helped inspire the students to take ownership of their writing. Students, parents and teachers are able to comment December 20, 20 10 on student's blogs. By using this technology students can offer ideas, see different writing styles and have open discussions on different topics. Mr. Olivo explained how the students were grouped. The first quarter the students are grouped by homeroom for the flex period. The second quarter students are grouped by writing need and the third and fourth quarters the groupings will be reassessed. By regrouping students can get support in specific areas. Mr. Michaud asked if the students were instructed on internet safety. Mr. Olivo said they were. The School Committee thanked them for taking time to present at the meeting. RISE Full Day Program Mrs. Oliveira provided an overview of the growth of the RISE program. Currently RISE has over 100 students. This increase is in part due to an influx of students from Early Intervention. Many of these students would benefit from an inclusive full day program. The full day program would begin in January utilizing existing space and staff. The program will follow the elementary schedule. Mrs. Oliveira has discussed with Mrs. Ploch the possibility of offering before and after school care. She reviewed the proposed tuition rates and said that the rates were comparable to other full day preschool rates. Update on Fees Ms. DeLai reviewed the current and proposed facility rental rates. She indicated that 4600 events were scheduled last year in our facilities. Of those events 630 were billable and 770 events were Reading Recreation activities. Reading Recreation pays the Reading Public Schools $25,000 per year for the use of our facilities. Ms. DeLai indicated the addition of rental of the RMHS Distance Learning Room and the Computer Labs at the high and middle schools. She also indicated that there is a proposed increase in the Custodial and Kitchen Staff fees. Mr. Robinson asked to look into the possibility of increasing the fee that Reading Recreation pays for the use of our facilities. Ms. DeLai went on to review the proposed fees and tuitions for 2011-2012. The proposal includes the elimination of the HS extracurricular and Fitness Center fees and an increase of the family cap for transportation. She also reviewed the RISE Full day program fees. Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mr. Croft, to approve all proposed tuitions and fees for 2011-12 school year as outlined in the Superintendent's memorandum dated December 15, 2010. The motion carried 6-0. December 20, 20 10 Common Core Initiative Mrs. de Garavilla provided an overview of the Common Core State Standards. She said the standards have been adopted by 48 states, 2 territories and the District of Columbia. She reviewed the reasons for the standards. The goals are to prepare students for college and careers, to be able to compete globally and to have consistent expectations across all states. There is hope that states and districts could collaborate to create curricular tools, professional development and common assessments. Mrs. de Garavilla reviewed the district process and timeline. The 2011-12 school year will be used for professional development and ongoing analysis during transition year. There also will be the review of all curriculum maps and development of new maps to align with the Common Core Standards and MA frameworks. There was further discussion of the impact on MCAS testing. The Assistant Superintendent indicated there would be no changes this year but in 2012 the test will meld the current frameworks with the new frameworks/Common Core. Mrs. de Garavilla reviewed the math and English Language Arts Common Core Standards. Dr. Doherty stated that all districts in the state must adopt the Common Core Standards not just the Race to the Top communities. Approval of Field Trips Dr. Doherty reviewed the proposed field trip indicating that Dr. Ballantyne had discussed this trip at a previous meeting. Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs, to approve the RMHS Iceland field trip in June of 2011 as outlined in the Superintendent's memorandum dated December 15, 2010. The motion carried 6-0. IV. Routine Matters • Bills and Payroll (A) • Approval of Minutes Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs to approve the open session minutes dated December 13, 2010. The motion carried 6-0. • Bids and Donations (Out of Order) Mr. Michaud moved, seconded by Mrs. Janowski to accept the donation of $3,000 from Samantha's Harvest to be used to support professional development and Inclusive School Week as outlined in the Superintendent's memorandum dated December 15, 2010. The motion carried 4- 0-1. Mrs. Gibbs abstained. Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mr. Michaud, to accept donation to the RMHS Drama Program from PSST to be used to fund a playwright instructor position as outlined in the Superintendent's memorandum dated December 15, 2010. The motion carried 6-0. December 20, 2010 Calendar V. Information Mr. Caruso reminded the committee that the next meeting will be on January 10 Mrs. Janowski would like to see high school academic presentations at future meetings. VI. Adjournment VII. Executive Session Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs, to enter into Executive Session to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining and approval of minutes and not to reconvene to open session. The roll call vote was 5-0-1. Mr. Caruso Mr. Michaud, Mrs. Janowski, Mr. Robinson and Mrs. Gibbs. Mr. Croft abstained. VI. Future Business Meeting adjourned at 9:23 p.m. NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as stated in the posted meeting agenda not the order they occurred during the meeting. F. Doherty, Ed.D r intendent of Schools I re