2003-11-03BEVERLY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS
November 3, 2003
A special meeting of the Beverly School Committee was held on Wednesday, November 3, 2003,
at the Briscoe Middle School, Beverly, MA.
Members Present: Ms. Coburn, Ms. Cronin, and Ms. Norris and Mr. Tallo.
Members Absent: Ms Bell, Ms. Brusil and Mayor Crean
President Coburn called the meeting to order at 6:10 PM.
Committee Members discussed the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC)
Resolutions and Policies to be voted upon at the upcoming MASS/MASC Conference in
Worcester on November 12 through 14, 2003. Ms. Janet Norris will act as Beverly’s voting
delegate. The following action was taken:
Resolution 1 – School and Municipal Finance
·
It was moved by Ms. Cronin and seconded by Mr. Tallo to support the Massachusetts
Association of School Committee’s advocacy for substantive reforms in the structure of
school and municipal finance, and urges the enactment of appropriate laws and
regulations that may include, but are not necessarily limited to:
• Legislation that would automatically increase the municipal levy limit in the amount of
any decreases in local aid accounts or increases in minimum local aid contribution,
provided that amount was appropriated for use in the public schools.
• Legislation that would permit the school committee to place a Proposition 21/2override
on the municipal ballot.
• Legislation that would expand the authority of municipalities to raise revenues through
means other than the property tax and the vehicle excise tax.
• Legislation that would divert funds from other local aid accounts to the Chapter 70
account for municipalities that fail to meet state mandated minimum local contributions.
So voted.
Resolution 2 – State Board of Education
·
It was moved by Ms. Cronin and seconded by Mr. Tallo to vote in favor of Resolution 2,
which urges the reorganization of the Massachusetts Board of Education in such a
manner that provides greater accountability to the voters, and the repeal of any and all
laws prohibiting practicing educators and school committee members from serving on the
Massachusetts Board of Education.
So voted.
Resolution 3 – Education Reform Act
·
It was moved by Ms. Norris and seconded to support Resolution 3, which reaffirms the
position of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees’ position in the form of
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November 3, 2003
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several resolutions passed in the last three years that state officials should suspend MCAS
as a graduation requirement until such time as critical issues have been addressed,
including the following:
• the need to develop a variety of assessment instruments so that no single test will
determine the fate of a student;
• the length of the test and the time it takes away from teaching learning;
• its effect on certain vulnerable classes of students, including but not limited to
vocational, disabled and limited English proficient students; and
To support the Massachusetts Association of School Committees filing legislation to
create an MCAS Improvement Study, to be carried out by a special commission
appointed by the Legislature and independent of the Department of Education to study
the following:
• the MCAS Appeals Process;
• the progress of students who did not receive diplomas in June, 2003 despite meeting
local high school graduation requirements;
• the impact of MCAS on teaching and learning; and
• the impact of MCAS on students who drop out of school.
Motion failed, with Ms. Coburn, M. Cronin and Mr. Tallo voting in opposition. Ms. Norris
will vote no on this Resolution.
Resolution 4 – License Requirements for Superintendents
·
It was moved by Ms. Norris and seconded by Ms. Cronin to support Resolution 4, which
opposes the changes to 603 CMR 4.08 proposed by the Department of Education, and
endorses in the strongest terms possible the retention of a requirement of a minimum
Master’s Degree for vocational school superintendents and assistant superintendents.
So voted.
Resolution 5 – “Stop the Cuts” to Public Education
·
It was moved by Ms. Norris and seconded by Ms. Cronin to vote in favor of Resolution 5,
which
Supports initiatives to stop cuts in local aid, education, and health and human
o
services.
Supports legislation that would close corporate tax loopholes and repeal special
o
interest tax provisions by supporting measures proposed to the Massachusetts
legislature in 2003 to prohibit companies from using the single sales factor
apportionment formula and require combined taxable income reporting.
Supports restoring the income tax rate to 5.95%, which would produce over $1
o
billion in revenues while remaining below the 1990 levels of 6.25%.
Supports legislation that gives local governments greater authority to determine
o
whether, how, and when to increase local tax revenues; and
Supports in principal legislation to cut corporate tax loopholes, stop the cuts to
o
local aid and programs that serve the social, health, public safety, and education
programs in our communities, and increase the authority of local governments to
determine their own tax revenues.
Yes: Ms. Norris, Ms. Cronin
No: Ms. Coburn, Mr. Tallo
Ms. Norris will abstain from voting.
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Resolution 6 – ESEA- No Child Left Behind Act
·
It was moved by Ms. Norris and seconded by Mr. Tallo to support Resolution 6, which
Calls upon the state Department of Education to develop a truly comprehensive
o
assessment system, that will be consistent with reasonable, equitable, accurate,
and appropriately researched standards to be deployed for its MCAS system and
for the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and
Resolves that MASC will work with other education and civil rights associations
o
in the Commonwealth to analyze and monitor the requirements of the ESEA, and
continue to make recommendations to the state DOE and the Congress about
fulfilling the standards set forth in this resolution, and
Resolves that MASC will reach out to the Massachusetts Congressional
o
delegation to seek changes in the accountability provisions of the ESEA,
including amendments which move away from the annual testing requirements
and severe sanctions now included in the law, and
Further resolves that MASC call on the Massachusetts Congressional delegation
o
to seek federal appropriations to the full amount authorized, and to support
revisions to the law that will establish a more reasonable accountability system
that will focus on improvement of learning for all students rather than establishing
sanctions against public school districts for the purpose of diverting public funds
for non-public school institutions, and
That MASC will call upon the Congress to suspend the current sanctions imposed
o
upon school districts until such a time as the administrative requirements of the
law and expenses incurred by states and school districts to implement them are
fully funded, and
That MASC calls upon the National School Boards Association to adopt a
o
resolution calling for changes in the accountability provisions of ESEA, full
funding for ESEA and IDEA, and a suspension of sanctions imposed upon school
districts until such a time as the administrative requirements of the law and
expenses incurred by states and school districts to implement them are fully
funded.
So voted.
Resolution 7 – Medicaid Revenue
§ A motion was made by Mr. Tallo and seconded by Ms. Cronin to support Resolution 7,
which resolves that appropriate legislation be reintroduced to the state legislature that
would direct Medicaid dollars to the school departments of cities and towns rather than to
the general funds of the communities.
So voted.
Resolution 8 – Charter School Moratorium
·
A motion was made by Mr. Tallo and seconded by Ms. Cronin to support Resolution 8,
which calls upon the legislature to impose immediately a moratorium on the opening and
approval of new charter schools until such time as:
• A fair reimbursement system is put in place to compensate districts in full for the
diversion of Chapter 70 (Massachusetts General Laws) State Aid to Education.
• An investigation is conducted to determine whether students nominally enrolled in
individual charter schools are actually enrolled, and for what periods of time.
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• A reputable research is completed to study the level of and effectiveness of innovative
learning strategies consistent with the charters of the approved schools.
• A credible research has been conducted to assess student learning and achievement
levels to measure progress of comparable student cohorts in charter and non-charter
public schools.
• A fair analysis has been completed to identify the level of enrollment of and services
provided to students with special educational needs as defined by the federal Individuals
with Disabilities in Education Act, or who are not proficient in the English language, or
who represent racial discrete minorities, or who represent economically disadvantaged
populations.
So voted.
Proposals to Amend the MASC By-laws
·
A motion was made by Ms. Cronin and seconded that Ms. Norris vote on the proposed
changes to the by-laws of the Association as she deems appropriate. So voted.
·
The Committee adjourned at 6:45 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Janet Norris
Secretary