Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-06-06 School Committee Minutes Reading Public Schools Reading, Massachusetts R E C E I V E D TOWN CLERK Regular Meeting of the School Committee R E f D IN G, HA S S. Open Session 2011 JUL 20 P 2: 39 Date: June 6, 2011 Time: 7:00 p.m. (Open Session) Place: Superintendent's Conference Room School Committee Members Present Staff Members Present Chuck Robinson Arrived at 7:17 p.m. John Doherty, Superintendent Karen Janowski Patty deGaravilla, Assistant Superintendent Chris Caruso Mary DeLai, Director of Finance & Operations Lisa Gibbs Kim Oliveira, Director of Pupil Services David Michaud Elizabeth Conway, Human resources Administrator Hal Croft Visitors: Bill Brown Matt Casey, Reading Patch Barbara Jones, Reading Chronicle Joanne Senders, Reading Advocate Ashley Testa, Student Representative Garrison Doodlesack, Student Representative I. Call to Order Chairperson Caruso called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. He reviewed the agenda and welcomed guests. He then asked for a moment of silence to honor the passing of Barrows paraeducator Cheryl Stack. Mr. Caruso thanked Mr. John Hollingsworth for making the trip to Reading. He came to share his appreciation for the recently School Committee decision to name the football field in his honor. II. Recommended Procedure A. Public Input(I) Mr. Brown inquired about the status of the Memorial Wall at RMHS. Ms. DeLai stated that we are in the process of determining a course of action. She indicated that we are leaning toward replacing all 10 panels for consistency of materials. Reports I 1. Student Ms. Testa reported on the recent Lip Dub production at RMHS. Mr. Springer was a driving force in the production of this event. June 6, 2011 2. Liaison Mrs. Janowski attended the Memorial Day activities and stated that it was a powerful and moving day. Mrs. Gibbs reported on the graduation ceremonies and commended the staff and students for an outstanding celebration. 3. Superintendent's Report Dr. Doherty concurred with Mrs. Gibbs regarding the graduation ceremony. He thanked the high school administration and staff for their commitment to our students. He also thanked the DPW and fire department for their role in preparing the grounds for graduation which included hanging a flag in the place of the Memorial Wall. 4. Assistant Superintendent 5. Director of Finance and Operations Mr. Robinson arrived at 7:17 p.m. B. Continued Business C. New Business Recognize Retiring Staff Dr. Doherty said we would be starting a new tradition tonight by recognizing retiring staff and thanking them for their years of service to the Reading Public Schools. He turned the meeting over to Mrs. Conway. Mrs. Conway introduced the principals and asked them to speak on behalf of their staff members. Each retiree was presented with a token of appreciation. Mr. Eric Sprung thanked Mrs. Cheri Flatley for her years of service as the secretary at Birch Meadow. Ms. Karen Feeney shared her thoughts about Mrs. Alicia Mc Kenney who worked at Joshua Eaton teaching music and a whole lot more to the students of Joshua Eaton. Mr. Richard Davidson shared his thoughts about Mr. Al Mosier and thanked him for his contributions to the students of the Reading Public Schools. Mr. Doug Lyons spoke on behalf of Anne Low and Kathy Jacobitz and thanked both women for their dedication to Parker. Mrs. Ellie Freedman spoke about two secretaries that have retired this year; Mrs. Claire Shea and Mrs. Rose Hines. She thanked both for creating a sense of calm at the high school and the seamless manner in making sure that everything was running smoothly. June 6, 2011 Mrs. Karen Callan thanked Joan McCain for her many years at Barrows as a paraeducator. She made a difference in hundreds of children's lives over her 35 years in Reading. Mrs. Kim Oliveira spoke about Vicki Griffin who has been in Reading for 49 years. Vicki has been the Early Childhood Coordinator and will be returning to work part time in that role next year. Mr. Caruso thanked the honored guests for the service. The Chair called a brief recess at 7:52 p.m. The meeting was called back to order at 8:04 p.m. Kevin McCarthy 9/11 Memorial Presentation Superintendent Doherty introduced Mark Dwyer to provide an overview of the proposed memorial site to the School Committee. Mr. Dwyer indicated that the fundraising efforts are going well. He hopes to begin construction in July. The Town is providing the base layer materials and preparation for the site. The goal is to have the memorial ready for the Town's 9/11 ceremony as part of Town Day. The Committee thanked Mr. Dwyer for the information. Food Service Presentation Ms. DeLai introduced Director of Food Service Kristin Morello who updated the School Committee on the new federal school lunch law—Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-296). The first part she spoke of was the "equity ion School Lunch pricing" provision. The district is required to compare the average price charged for lunches to students not eligible for free and reduced lunch and the difference between the higher federal reimbursement provided for free lunches and the lower federal reimbursement provided for paid lunches. Mrs. Morello recommends that school lunch prices be increased to meet this provision. She next reviewed the Fluid Milk Requirements that will require districts to offer fat-free or low- fat(1%)milk. Mrs. Morello recommends that the price of milk be increased for the 2011-12 school year. Mrs. Morello also indicated that there will be more changes to be implemented in the 2012-13 school year or later and it is important for the district food service department to stay ahead of the curve. Mr. Robinson moved,seconded by Mrs.Janowski to authorize the following increases in the school lunch program: Increase Elementary Lunch to $2.50 Increase Secondary Lunch to $2.75 Increase Elementary Milk to $.55 The motion carried 6-0. June 6, 2011 Mrs. Janowski asked about organic opportunities. Mrs. Morello said there is a financial impact and she does try to purchase as much locally grown produce as logistically possible. Superintendent's Transition Plan Dr.Doherty reviewed the next steps in his transition plan—Strategy for Improvement of Student Outcomes. The focus is the whole student PreK-12. He outlined the Strategic Objectives and Initiatives in the three year model. There are four strategic objectives—Learning and Teaching, Performance Management,Human Capital and Resource Allocation. The Strategic Initiatives should all fall into one of these categories. This document is a working document and will drive the district forward. The goal is to move this action plan to become the District Improvement Plan which he hopes to present in the fall. Bullying Survey Results Mrs. de Garavilla reviewed the bullying surveys done in the schools for grades 3 — 12. She reviewed how the surveys were developed. The goal was to make questions age appropriate and that a common language was being use when addressing bullying issues. The elementary survey results showed that elementary children will be more inclined to report incidents to adults. Middle School results on locations and reporting indicated that common places that bullying occurs included outside,before and after school, in the hallways and online. Approximately half the students surveyed do not feel comfortable reporting these incidents. The next steps at the middle school level include review of locations and supervision,reinforce what bullying is and how to report or tell and adult for help,address teasing and name-calling as a form of bullying and provide clear instruction across all grades. She went onto review the high school results and compared the results across the levels. Assistant Superintendent de Garavilla reviewed the action plan for the district. All elementary teachers will be trained in the Open Circle Program this summer, Summer committees will be formed to review the surveys and make recommendations for scope and sequence for bullying and cyber-bullying lessons for the 2011-12 school year, implementation of social curriculum at RISE and continued training of staff and new hires. Instructional Technology Specialist Proposal Dr. Doherty reviewed the need for this position at the elementary level. Technology support for the implementation of the Elementary Standards-Based Report Card is needed. Teachers will need to be trained on this web based system. The report card has technology based standards as well. Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mr. Croft,to authorize the Superintendent to create an Instructional Technology Specialist position using Edu Job funding for the 2011-12 school year as outlined in the Superintendent's memorandum dated June 2,2011. Mr. Robinson asked if we did not have this funding who would perform this job? Dr. Doherty would have to investigate methods to accomplish this needed training. The motion carried 6-0. June 6,2011 Approval of Field Trip Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs, to approve the Coolidge Middle School 8th grade field trip to Canada in October 2011 as outlined in the Superintendent's memorandum dated June 2, 2011. The motion carried 6-0. Reorganization Mr. Caruso turned the gavel over to Superintendent Doherty. Dr.Doherty reviewed the procedure and asked for nominations for chair. Mr. Caruso nominated Mr.Robinson. The nomination was seconded by Mrs. Gibbs. No other nomination being seen the roll call vote was 6-0. Mr. Caruso, Mrs. Gibbs,Mrs.Janowski,Mr. Robinson,Mr. Croft and Mr. Michaud. Dr. Doherty turned the gavel over to Chair Robinson. Mr. Robinson and Dr. Doherty thanked Mr. Caruso for his service. Mr. Robinson asked for nominations for Vice-Chair. Mrs. Gibbs nominated Mrs. Janowski. The nomination was seconded by Mr. Croft. The roll call vote was 6-0. Mr. Caruso,Mrs. Gibbs,Mrs.Janowski,Mr. Robinson, Mr. Croft and Mr.Michaud. III. Routine Matters • Bills and Payroll (A) • Approval of Minutes Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs,to approve the open session minutes dated May 23, 2011. The motion carried 6-0. • Bids and Donations Award of Green Repair Contracts Ms. DeLai reviewed the general bids received for the Killam Roof repair and is recommending that Capeway Roofing be awarded the contract. The bid came in lower that the architectural estimate for the project. The goal is to have the project begin after school is out for the summer and be finished before school opens in August. Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs,to authorize the Superintendent to enter into contract with Capeway Roofing Systems of Westport,MA for the J.W. Killam Roof Replacement as outlined in the Director of Finance and Operations memorandum dated June 3,2011. The motion carried 6-0. Ms. DeLai reviewed the general bid opening for the Birch Meadow Windows. These bids came in higher that the architectural estimate for the project. Ms. DeLai contacted the MSBA to inquire if the savings from the Killam roof project could be shifted to the window project. This is not allowed. The district will probably use the $125,000 to bridge the amount that has been authorized by Town Meeting and the actual cost of the project. June 6, 2011 Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mrs. Janowski,to authorize the Superintendent to enter into contract with Paul J. Rogan, Inc. of Braintree, MA for the Birch Meadow Window Replacement as outlined in the Director of Finance and Operations memorandum dated June 3,2011. The shop drawings will be created and once they are approved the window order will take approximately 8-10 weeks. The window installation will begin in October and hope to be completed by December. The motion carried 6-0. Donations Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mr. Michaud, to accept the donation of$2,000 from the Wood End PTO to be used to offset the cost of a Smartboard as outlined in the Superintendent's memorandum dated June 2,2011. The motion carried 6-0. Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mrs. Gibbs, to accept the donation of$13,000 from the RMHS PTO to be used to purchase student agendas, an additional netbook and to support the "A World of Difference" program as outlined in the Superintendent's memorandum dated June 2,2011. The motion carried 6-0. Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mr. Michaud, to accept a donation of 5 books entitled "Robots" from Mr. Charles McDonald for our elementary school STEM libraries. The motion carried 6-0. Mr. Robinson moved, seconded by Mr. Michaud,to accept the donation of$1,250 from the Coolidge School Science support group to be used to compensate the Science Team head coach for the 2011-12 school year. The motion carried 6-0. Calendar IV. Information V. Future Business VI. Adjournment Mrs. Gibbs moved, seconded by Mr. Michaud,to enter into Executive Session to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining with the Reading Administrative Secretaries and Paraeducators Unions, to discuss strategies in preparation for negotiations with non-union personnel and approval of minutes and not to reconvene to open session. The roll call vote was 6-0. Mr. Caruso, Mrs. Gibbs, Mrs. Janowski,Mr. Robinson, Mr. Croft and Mr. Michaud. Meeting adjourned at 9:35 p.m. NOTE: The minutes reflect the order as stated in the posted meeting agenda not the order they occurred during the meeting. o F. he ,Fd.D tinident f Schools