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2002-11-13 BEVERLY PUBLIC SCHOOLS BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS November 13, 2002 A regular meeting of the Beverly School Committee was held on Wednesday, November 13, 2002, at the City Council Chambers, Beverly City Hall, Beverly, MA. Members Present: Ms. Bell, Ms. Brusil, Ms. Cronin, Mayor Crean, Ms. Norris, Mr. Tallo and Ms. Coburn. Members Absent: None Administrators in Attendance: William Lupini, Superintendent of Schools, James Hayes, Assistant Superintendent, Greg Zammuto, Business Manager. President Coburn called the meeting to order at 7 PM. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Sonia Lowe. RECOGNITION - SUCH OTHER MATTERS (KUDOS, CONGRATULATIONS) Superintendent Lupini and President Coburn introduced and recognized several persons. ndrd Mr. Richard King, Director of Fine Arts, recognized Paul Baker (2 grade), Shanice Runner (3 thth grade), Katherine Dennis (4 grade), and Benjamin Kintish (5 grade), all Centerville Elementary School students. A composite of the children’s self-portraits was presented to Dr. Lupini for permanent display in the office of the Superintendent as part of an initiative to decorate the office with the artwork of Beverly students. Mr. King also recognized Beverly High School Marching Band Officers Ben Contois, Jennifer Fortin, Christopher Johnson, and Max Waldron; Drum Majors Nicholas Consone, Sarah Nelson and Christine Turlis; and Color Guard Captains Rebecca Folsom and Diana Place, who represented the 150 students of the Beverly High School Marching Band who competed in the Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association annual Marching band th competition on Sunday, October 27 in Framingham. The marching band earned a high silver rating with their program. Ms. Rhonda Gauthier, Ayers Ryal Side Elementary School Principal, recognized students Renald ththrd Cuko (4 grade), Bryan Cadena (5 grade), and Bruna Depaula (3 grade), for acting as translators for incoming ESL students at the school. Ms. Gauthier thanked these students for communicating with new families who are registering and do not speak English, as well as helping when one of the ESL students is upset or hurt. Renald translates in Albanian, Bryan assists in Spanish and Bruna speaks Portuguese. Ms. Claire Marie Hart, a member of the English Department at Beverly High School and Co- Consultant for the Beverly Public Schools’ mentoring program was recognized for presenting a session at the Two Year College Association’s (TYCA) Fall Convention in Portland, Maine. Regular Meeting November 13, 2002 Page (2) Ms. Hart’s session addressed “Teaching Feminist Strands of Thought in an Introduction to Literature Course”. OVERNIGHT FIELD TRIPS Mr. John Aucone, Briscoe Middle School Principal, presented a request for approval of two field trips to “Nature’s Classroom” in Freedom, New Hampshire, scheduled for November 18-22, 2002 and December 2-6, 2002. · Upon the recommendation of the Administration, it was moved by Ms. Norris and th seconded by Ms. Bell to approve the field trip request from Mr. Aucone for the 6 grade teams at Briscoe to travel to Freedom, New Hampshire for participation in Nature’s Classroom from November 18-22, 2002 and December 2-6, 2002, as presented. Unanimously voted. Mr. Tom Hayward, Memorial Middle School Assistant Principal, and parent representative, Cathy Trainer, presented a request for approval of a field trip to Mystic/Groton, Connecticut, scheduled for June 16-18, 2003. · Upon the recommendation of the Administration, it was moved by Ms. Bell and seconded th by Mayor Crean to approve the field trip request from Mr. Hayward for the 8 grade teams at Memorial to travel to Mystic and Groton Connecticut, including a side trip to Six Flags New England, from June 16-18, 2003, as presented. Unanimously voted. A brief recess was declared at 7:20 p.m. The Committee reconvened at 7:45 p.m. REPORT FROM STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE TO SCHOOL COMMITTEE The Committee welcomed Sonia Lowe, the newly appointed student representative to the School Committee. Sonia is a senior at Beverly High School and President of the Student Senate. She informed the Committee that a suggestion box has been placed in the main office for students, and she will report back to the Committee as a voice for the student body. Sonia will have a formal report at the December 11, 2002 meeting. COMMUNICATIONS Members noted receipt of the following communications: · Transportation questions referred to the Transportation Department · Middle School redistricting, Meeting scheduled for November 18, 2002, from 6 to 8 PM at Briscoe Middle o School · Parent concerned about beverage machines in a middle school cafeteria Dr. Lupini requested that these types of calls be referred to his office. Beverage o contracts have been awarded. Vending machines are only available during certain times of the day at the middle schools, but some are available all day at the high school. Machines are located in the teachers’ room in elementary buildings. · Superintendent’s contract · Heating problems at the high school, referred to Director of Buildings and Grounds · FY04 Budget Ms. Brusil received questions about the start of budget development discussions, o the anticipated impact on class sizes, the transportation policy and the continued Regular Meeting November 13, 2002 Page (3) ability to schedule classes with low enrollment. Addressing development timeline questions Ms. Cronin, Finance and Facilities Chair, stated she would meet with Dr. Lupini to discuss budget development. Discussions are expected to begin at the next subcommittee meeting scheduled for Monday, November 25, 2002. Dr. Lupini expressed hope for a level-funded budget at best, but stressed we cannot oversimplify. AP courses at the high school are run in spite of low enrollment, but administration is exploring the possibility of offering every other year as opposed to every year. Administration will try to be creative, and acknowledged the need for professional development. Ms. Brusil noted that cuts would be necessary to fund a level budget and expressed her concern that not only extras, but necessary items will also need to be cut. Administration hopes to have a better idea of state funding in January. Mayor Crean attended a Massachusetts Mayors conference, at which discussion o took place about cuts in Chapter 70 and local aid. · Concern about the viability of the freshman athletic program Ms. Coburn stated that it is premature at this point to state definite plans. The o Standing Committee on Finance and Facilities will set priorities. · Accreditation Status of High School A one page executive summary will be drafted to provide parents with a clear o explanation of the accreditation process. th § An 8 grade open house is scheduled for Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at Briscoe Middle School. The new high school brochure will be distributed to parents and students. § Dropout Rate Dr. Hayes explained that once closely investigated by the high school o administration, it became evident the computer software program improperly accounted for students. Calculation should be for school year, not calendar year. · Bilingual Education Beverly does not offer a bilingual program. If the state requires total immersion, o that could create a staffing issue. ESL may be effected, but that is not clear yet. · Dr. Lupini and Ms. Coburn attended the MASS-MASC joint conference in Worcester. Workshops on Administrative Training stressed that a large turnover is expected in the next eight years as many administrators near retirement age. It was recommended districts should focus on training from within, which Beverly has addressed by participation in the TILE program. Other workshops included the Role of School Committees, the need to focus on student achievement, and the responsibility of the whole community to achieve the goal of all students receiving high school diplomas, not certificates. RECORDS OF MEETINGS · Ms. Cronin made a motion to approve the records of the regular meeting held October 16, 2002, as presented. Ms. Brusil requested the minutes be amended to reflect that her comment reads that the “superintendent’s personnel management skills is an area that needs improvement.” Mayor Crean made a motion to accept the minutes as amended. So voted. Regular Meeting November 13, 2002 Page (4) SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT Personnel The Standing Committee on Finance and Facilities endorses the administration’s recommendations regarding the following staffing additions: · Create an ESP position for the SSP K-1 program at the North Beverly Elementary School effective November 1, 2002, in order to provide additional supervision to ensure that all students are serviced in the best manner. This position would cost $9,259, and the total cost will be taken from the Special Education Contingency Account. Upon the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Finance and Facilities, it was moved by Ms. Brusil and seconded by Ms. Norris to approve the creation of an ESP position for the SSP K- 1 program at the North Beverly Elementary School as presented. So voted · Create two additional assistant coaches positions that were previously paid for by the booster clubs. The cost of the positions are as follows: Assistant Coach for Football $2,627, Assistant Coach for Boy’s Soccer $1,508. These positions would be for FY03 only. Upon the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Finance and Facilities, it was moved by Ms. Brusil and seconded by Mr. Tallo to approve the creation of two additional assistant coaches as presented. So voted. Superintendent Performance Goals for 2002-2003 A draft of the goals, objectives, timeline and outcomes for the Superintendent’s 2002-2003 performance were presented to the School Committee for consideration. Dr. Lupini met with Ms. Bell to discuss and refine the goals previously approved at the October 16, 2002 meeting. Objectives and timeline will provide more detail, and Dr. Lupini will update the committee as to status and objectives over time. After lengthy discussion it was agreed that the “360 evaluations” done by the Leadership team and Administrative Cabinet will be returned to an impartial person yet to be determined, and will be tabulated then presented to Dr. Lupini for review. School Committee Meeting Schedule (Spring, 2003) City council meetings were removed from the calendar. After discussion, it was decided to amend the calendar as presented to reflect Wednesday, January 15th as a school committee meeting, not city council meeting. Ms. Norris made a motion to approve the calendar as amended, Ms. Bell seconded. So voted. Suburban Coalition Membership Administration recommended continued membership in The Suburban Coalition for 2003 at a cost of $100. This group is working toward a more equitable way to distribute funding throughout the state. Motion to continue membership in the Suburban Coalition was made by Ms. Bell, Mr. Tallo seconded. So voted. District Policy The administration presented “Section C: General School Administration” policies for a first reading by the School Committee. This first reading required no formal action. Committee members asked questions and proposed changes to the policies, which will be made prior to the second reading, scheduled to take place at our meeting on December 11, 2002, and which will require a formal vote of the committee. Regular Meeting November 13, 2002 Page (5) Coordinated Review of Federal Programs Exit interviews indicate that the written reports anticipated in 30 days will be very good. Dr. Lupini informed the committee he is very pleased. Five years ago, the review found significant problems in Special Education, civil rights, safe & drug free schools that resulted in years spent remediating the problems. This review was very positive; only minor problems were noted. Michel Gordon, John Lyons, and in particular Emily Rockwell and Debbie O’Connor did an outstanding job. Reports will be available in January. Information Items The next meeting of The Standing Committee on Finance and Facilities has been moved to th November 25 due to the Beverly-Salem fellowship dinner scheduled for Tuesday, November 26, 2002 at the Vittori Rocci Post. Ms. Coburn mentioned the School Committee received an invitation to participate in Santa Parade on Sunday, December 1, 2002. The committee thanked Dr. Hayes for an outstanding job with the MCAS community presentation. At the last meeting, members questioned special education classroom numbers. The numbers shown on the enrollment report reflect those students in self-contained classrooms. COMMITTEE REPORTS AND UPDATE ON SCHOOL COMMITTEE GOALS Standing Committee on Secondary Facilities School Committee Goal I - Develop Plan to Improve Beverly High School Facility The subcommittee met September 25, 2002. Mr. Tallo noted conversations during the past few weeks about focus, direction, and priority of the committee. Minutes and agenda have been mailed for the next meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, November 20, 2002. Mayor Crean will appoint additional members, and Mr. Tallo stated the group is looking forward to getting together so all can hear the same message. He noted both the city and school department need to find common ground and that a new attitude should reflect the mission, not focus simply on the renovation or rebuilding of the high school. The Committee is currently comprised of school committee members, city officials and community members, with most members of school committee attending on a regular basis. Standing Committee on Curriculum, Instruction and Student Life School Committee Goal II - Promote Beverly High School Ms. Norris informed the committee the final copy of the BHS promotional brochure was distributed to sub-committee members at the last meeting. Mr. Foye distributed the corrected high school dropout rate figures, and a parent survey was reviewed. Policy revisions were also discussed. The next meeting of the Middle School Redistricting committee is scheduled for Monday, November 18, 2002 at Briscoe Middle School. This group will gather more information, review current data and present its recommendations to the School Committee when complete. The structure of parent conferences was discussed. Questions will be included in the parent survey about the value of early release, asking parents if these meetings met their needs. Regular Meeting November 13, 2002 Page (6) Standing Committee on Finance and Facilities School Committee Goal V - Update District Policy Manual The administration submitted a proposal regarding the fees charged for use of facilities. Applicants will be categorized as School Related and Civic/Residents, Non-Civic/Residents, or Non-Civic, and facility fees will be assigned accordingly during the application process. An appeals process is available at the discretion of the Superintendent. An FY03 budget update indicates that special services and health insurance are two areas of concern. A more formal presentation will be available at the next subcommittee meeting on November 25, 2002. Ron Bouchard, Director of Buildings and Grounds, reported that the Ayers project has been closed out. Hannah and McKeown are close to completion, and good progress has been made at North Beverly. According to Mayor Crean, there has also been progress on negotiations with Peabody Construction and the completion of punch list items at Cove and Hannah. th Updated policies will be reviewed at the subcommittee meeting on November 25, and presented to the full committee at the meeting on December 11, 2002. Subcommittee on Negotiations School Committee Goal IV - Review Process and Documentation for Superintendent's Evaluation Ms. Bell and Dr. Lupini worked on goals and timelines. Next steps will be to change the evaluation document. The entire document is open to revision; in particular, those questions rated as “Don’t know/Not observed” will be reconsidered. The Subcommittee on Negotiations is expected to begin negotiations with the union bargaining units after first of the year. School Committee Goal III - Develop a Strategic Plan for the Beverly Public Schools Ms. Coburn and Dr. Lupini are scheduled to meet with independent education consultants to discuss the development of a Strategic Plan. · It was moved by Mayor Crean, and seconded by Ms. Bell to adjourn. Unanimously voted. The meeting adjourned at 9:25 PM. Janet Norris Secretary