HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-12-12 Coolidge School Council MinutesSri G V E D
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RVOING, MASS.
A.W. Coolidge Middle Sehool ,
Council Minutes, December 12, 199S JAS
The meeting was called to order in the Coolidge Media Center at 7:35p.m. by Marge Pacino.
Attending: John Doherty, John Carpenter, Peter IHichborn, Marge Pacino, Roy Welsch and Sue
Redgate. Absent was Larry Chomsky.
The minutes from the previous meeting were. amended. On page two, " School costs have been
apportioned according to each department," was added to "Language Arts provisions include
remedial needs." Also, Harutunian was added to Harry. A motion was seconded and the
amended minutes were approved.
Documents Distributed:
Limitless Learning Project Examples
- Notes from Budget Meeting
- Important Dates for Budget Meetings
Discussion Items
Budget Update
Under Additional Staffing fifteen thousand dollars has been cut (.5 Reading Teacher). The
budgeted amount is now forty-five thousand instead of sixty thousand. Also, the Seventh Grade
World Language Program has been eliminated resulting in an additional cut of forty-five thousand
dollars. The proposed FY' 97 total Coolidge budget is now at $127,624.
John also discussed the upcoming budget meetings and referred to the "Important Dates"
handout. One parent or community representative of the School Council is expected to attend
each meeting. The entire Council will attend the January 18th meeting.
Limitless Learning
John.passed out the booklets containing staff generated activities presented during the
Professional Development Day. Peter and Sue commented on the enthusiasm of the staff and
how the "rubric" is used as an evaluation tool for ALL students in meeting Diverse Learning
Needs (Item #2 School Improvement Plan).
Facility Restructuring Committee Update
John reported that the following have volunteered to serve on this committee: Stan Quinlan, Ellen
Svenson, John Carpenter, Bill Griset, Phil Stewart, Pat Egavian and Dick Radville. The
committee will begin meeting after the first of the year. Their goal is to draft a report detailing
the physical needs of Coolidge and submit it to Dr. Harutunian. It is expected that Dr.
Harutunian will review this report, and present it to the School Committee with the intent of
initiating a feasibility study.
Report of 12/5 meeting with Dr. Harutunian and other School Councils
John reported that the major concerns seem to center around the seventy percent of Reading's
citizens, who do not have children in the schools. How do we get their votes at Town Meeting?
Additionally, both John and Marge discussed the many ideas (@25) that were generated at this
meeting. We decided, as a Council, to focus on four of these ideas: What other districts are
spending of technology, Utilizing the capital resources (buildings, technology) more effectively,
Influencing Town Meeting members, and Dividing the Town Meeting members by school and
inviting them to meetings.
John also reported that Dr. Harutunian would like some feedback from the Councils regarding the
due date of the School Improvement Plan. Currently it is due on May 15th and is out of sync
with the ongoing budget discussions. There is a need to formalize the School Improvement Plan
to coincide with the FY'98 budget. The Council will discuss how to accomplish this goal at their
next meeting.
Other Business
John discussed the need to prevent transitional problems (5th & 6th graders) before they begin.
He is concerned with the amount of anxiety expressed by some students and parents. He will
make headway with elementary principals and parents and work on "demystifying" the Middle
School experience
Additional Handouts:
John Carpenter distributed the following:
Unlocking the Power of Time (discusses increase of ten teacher days and ten student days)
Grow Your Own Business Partnerships - Scholastic Web Site for outside funding
Meeting adjourned: 9:35p.m.
Next Scheduled Council Meeting - Tuesday, January 30, 1996
Agenda will be sent approximately one week prior to meeting.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Redgate