2001-03-31BEVERLY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS
March 31, 2001
A Retreat of the Beverly School Committee was held on Saturday, March 31, 2001, in
the Barnett Gallery at the Beverly Public Library, Beverly, MA.
Members Present:
Ms. Bell, Ms. Brusil, Mr. Cahill, Ms. Norris, Mr. McHugh,
Ms. Coburn, Mayor Scanlon
Members Absent: none
Also Present:
Dr. William Lupini, Superintendent of Schools
Dr. Jim Hayes, Assistant Superintendent
Dr. Judy DeLucia, Assistant Superintendent
Mr. Mike Gilbert, Maes Assoc. of School Committees
At 8:38AM the Retreat was called to order. Mr. Mike Gilbert from the Massachusetts
Association of School Committees (MASC) presented a document that was prepared
by the Center for Public School Leadership. The document, which is endorsed by the
Massachusetts Association of School Committees and the Massachusetts Association
of School Superintendents (MASS), addresses the roles and responsibilities of school
committees and superintendents.
Members reviewed the document and it served as a framework for extensive
discussion about a variety of topics. Additionally, members discussed some other
issues pertinent to the functioning of the Committee. Among them were:
Communication from Citizens: Communication from the public to School
Committee members is ongoing. Members agreed that notification aboUt topics that
are going to be brought up at a full School Committee Meeting will be given to the
Superintendent prior to the meeting. This will give the Superintendent an opportunity
to gather any necessary information in order to respond to these citizen concerns.
Goals: School Committee, Superintendent, School System, and Administrators'
goals were discussed. Mr. Gilbert explained that school committee members can see
administrators' and building principals' goals. Members. agreed that doing so would
assist them in evaluating the supervision and evaluation performance of the
Superintendent.
Public Commentary: Members reviewed the importance, when making any public
comments, of stating that they ara speaking on their own behaff or speaking as a
parent and not on behalf of the School Committee. The exception would be when the
issues involved are decisions that have been formally voted on by the Committee.
Future Planning: School Committee members agreed that dialogue, such as that
which occurred at the Retreat, is important for the purpose of future planning. It was
agreed that a continuation of this type of communication would be very productive for
the Committee and the school system. Several ideas were discussed about future
opportunities for dialogue and for seeking input from the community. These avenues
will be further investigated.
Mr. Gilbert from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees gave members
his e-mail address and said that he is available for consultation if ever the need arises.
The address is mgilbert@masc.mec.edu.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:14PM.
Respectfully submitted,