Loading...
2004-01-21BEVERLY PUBLIC SCHOOLS BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS January 21, 2004 A regular meeting of the Beverly School Committee was held on Wednesday, January 21, 2004, at the City Council Chambers, Beverly City Hall, Beverly, MA. Members Present: Ms. Brusil, Ms. Cesa, Ms. Cronin, Ms. Gordon, Ms. Saxton, Mayor Scanlon, and Mr. Tallo Also in Attendance: Dr. William Lupini, Superintendent of Schools, Dr. James Hayes, Assistant Superintendent, Heidi Zimmerman, Administrator of Finance and Facilities President Cronin called the meeting to order at 7 PM. Mr. Tallo led the Pledge of Allegiance. RECOGNITION - SUCH OTHER MATTERS (KUDOS, CONGRATULATIONS) The following students were recognized as having been selected for the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA) Senior Northeast District Concert, which was th held at Lowell High School on January 10: Lillian Barress, Ashtar Boulos and Amy Klesert (Senior District Chorus); Chris Brusil and Jonathan Kenney (Senior District Jazz Band); Whitney Nelson (Senior District Orchestra); and Matthew Eastburn (Senior District Concert Band). Ashtar Boulos, Amy Klesert, Chris Brusil, Jonathan Kenney and Whitney Nelson were also selected to audition for the MMEA All-State Concert in their respective performance groups. Richard King, Director of Fine Arts, assisted in recognizing these students. Ben Aldridge, Music Teacher at Briscoe Middle School, was recognized as a recipient of the Promising Practitioners Award from the New England League of Middle Schools (NELMS). This award is given to teachers who are at the beginning of their careers, make a positive difference in their schools, seek professional development, foster community connections, and strive to meet the needs of their students using effective middle level practices. Ben is one of only five teachers in New England who are receiving the award this year. John Aucone, Principal of Briscoe Middle School, assisted in recognizing Ben. Pauline LeClaire, a sixth grade teacher at Briscoe Middle School, and Gary Prodanas, a teacher at Beverly High School, recently presented a workshop with Judy Miller, District Technology Director, entitled “VES in the Classroom,” at the annual MassCUE Conference. Alice Williams, District Technology Assistant, also helped to put this workshop together for presentation. Judy Miller assisted in recognizing these conference participants. A brief recess was declared at 7:20 p.m. The Committee reconvened at 7:25 p.m. Regular Meeting January 21, 2004 Page 2 RECORDS OF MEETINGS A motion was made by Ms. Brusil and seconded by Mr. Tallo to approve the minutes of the following meetings: · Regular Meeting on Wednesday, December 10, 2003 · Executive Session held Wednesday, December 10, 2003 · An Organization Meeting held Monday, January 5, 2004 · School Committee Retreat held Friday, January 9, and Saturday, January 20, 1004 Following discussion, it was agreed to amend the minutes of the regular meeting held December 10, 2003 referring to the discussion about the policy concerning Communication Between School Committee and Staff. Minutes will read that this policy was withdrawn from the Personnel Section since the policy has already been adopted under the category of School Committee Governance and Operations. Minutes were unanimously approved as amended. STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE’S REPORT James Lang reported that recent snowfall accumulations have caused difficulties with student parking at the high school, but this situation has improved recently. Senior Privilege Pass still seems to be working well. Events planned by the Student Senate include a forum on gay rights and a ski trip during the first weekend in March. COMMUNICATIONS · Letters and telephone calls regarding School Committee Policy addressing Communication Between School Committee and Staff · Questions about the hockey program · Communication about the turn-over in athletic staff · Parent inquiring about the use of the McKay School building Handicapped accessibility and air quality issues will still need to be o addressed. Pending budget review, plans at this time are to relocate the preschool, and explore opportunities with other organizations. Discussions will continue at the Finance and Facilities meetings. · Concern about additional snow days and the effect on the school calendar The Superintendent informed the Committee that the last day of school is o th presently Friday, June 25. In the event of additional snow days, options other than using vacation days will be considered first. · Compliments to the Briscoe Middle School chorus on their performance at a recent Martin Luther King event · Inquiry regarding completion of the computer lab at the Centerville Elementary School SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT Personnel Policies Ms. Cronin informed the Committee that she would appoint a temporary subcommittee to review policies not addressed by other subcommittees. Ms. Brusil has agreed to chair the Policy Review Committee. Additional member are Ms. Cesa and Ms. Gordon. Ms. Brusil will schedule meetings and report back to the full Committee. Regular Meeting January 21, 2004 Page 3 The Negotiations Committee recommended the following policies (Section G: Personnel) for a second reading by the School Committee: A motion was made by Ms. Brusil and seconded by Ms. Cesa to approve the Equal Employment Opportunities & Affirmative Action policy as presented. Unanimously approved. A motion was made by Ms. Cesa and seconded by Mr. Tallo to approve the Criminal Offender Record Information policy as presented. Following discussion regarding process, the policy was unanimously approved A motion was made by Ms. Gordon and seconded by Ms. Brusil to approve the Alcohol, Tobacco and Drug-Free Workplace policy as presented. Unanimously approved. A motion was made by Ms. Cesa and seconded by Ms. Saxton to approve the Tobacco- Free Workplace policy as presented. Following discussion about enforcement and fines, the policy was unanimously approved. A motion was made by Mr. Tallo and seconded by Ms. Cesa to approve the Staff Health & Examinations policy as presented. Dr. Lupini informed Committee members that the reference to TB tests should be removed due to recent changes in law. Discussion followed regarding process and compliance with HIPPA regulations, and it was agreed to discuss further at the next meeting of the Standing Committee on Curriculum and Instruction. Unanimously approved as amended. Overnight Field Trips Dr. Lupini notified the Committee that state laws have recently changed in regard to school field trips. Some of the changes are: All bus drives must undergo a CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) check, and bus companies are not permitted to subcontract the trips. Additionally, steps should be taken to ensure that students are not traveling overnight. Dr. Lupini will review and present a revised policy to the Standing Committee on Curriculum & Instruction for their approval. Upon the recommendation of the administration, a motion was made by Mr. Tallo and th seconded by Ms. Brusil to approve the proposed 8 grade (blue and gold) trip to Mt. Washington, New Hampshire, from June 14-16, 2004. Principal John Aucone was present to answer questions regarding this proposal. He explained that this trip was offered in response to concern about fieldtrips to Washington, DC following 9/11. th Following discussion, the proposed 8 grade trip to Mt. Washington was unanimously approved. Upon the recommendation of the administration, a motion was made by Ms. Cesa and th seconded by Mr. Tallo to approve the proposed 7 grade (blue and gold) trip to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, from June 2-4, 2004. Ms. Coleman, Briscoe Assistant Principal, was present to answer questions regarding this proposal. Considerable discussion expressing concern about the precedent set by offering overnight trips for each grade at Regular Meeting January 21, 2004 Page 4 the middle school and the burden of the additional expense to families. The administration withdrew its recommendation pending further discussion with Briscoe administration. Upon the recommendation of the administration, a motion was made by Ms Brusil and seconded by Mr. Tallo to approve of the proposed trip to the Model United Nations Conference at the University of Massachusetts (Amherst), from March 12-14, 2004. Mr. Bob Dunn and Ms. Nancy Ronan were present to answer questions regarding the proposal. Following discussion, the proposed trip to the Model United Nations Conference was unanimously approved. Proposed Naming of Entrance to Hurd Stadium Kevin Hobin, Ward 4 City Councilor, has introduced an order to Council calling for the entrance to Hurd Stadium to be named “Mel Deveau Way,” subject to approval by the School Committee. The administration expressed support for this order. Current district policy mandates a forty-five (45) day “waiting” period for naming requests, along with the necessity of a 2/3 vote in favor by the Committee. Acceptance of Renovated Elementary School Upon the recommendation of the administration, a motion was made by Ms. Cesa and seconded by Mr. Tallo to (re)accept the Cove Elementary School from the City of Beverly for use as an elementary school commencing with the academic year 2001. The (re)acceptance is necessary due to the expenditure of additional funds on this project during the fall months. Unanimously approved. Northshore Education Consortium Update Dr. Lupini provided the following updates on Northshore Education Consortium activities: · The Crossroads Program has moved to the McKay School, where the students and staff will remain until the end of the current school year. · Final approval of the Purchase & Sale on 112 Sohier Road (the former Northshore Community College property) appears imminent and should occur on February th 12. · Other programs located at the Holton-Richmond School will be moved to the McCarthy School in Peabody during the Martin Luther King holiday weekend. · Renovations are set to begin on the 112 Sohier Road property, with an anticipated st completion date of July 31. This could necessitate holding some of the Consortium summer programs in one of our elementary school buildings. Superintendent Goals The Superintendent updated the Committee on the following progress toward achieving his goals, as submitted to the Committee during his evaluation. · Appointed a school department working group to develop a three-year plan for consolidating certain school and city functions. Members include Judith Cronin; Heidi Zimmerman; Joan Liporto, Director of Personnel; John Lyons, Athletic Director; and Principals Tom Kokos and Donna Jenko. Regular Meeting January 21, 2004 Page 5 · Appointed a working group to facilitate the creation of a marketing plan for the Beverly Public Schools. Members include Heidi Zimmerman; Ms. Michele Gordon; Emily Rockwell, Coordinator of Child Welfare & Attendance; Mr. Richard King, Director of Fine Arts; Mr. Bob Dunn, ADL for English, Social Studies & Foreign Language; Principal William Foley and Assistant Principal Chris Malone. Dr. Jim Hayes will chair this group. · Analysis of future space needs for district programs should begin in conjunction with the FY05 budget process, taking into consideration future enrollment projections. · Development of a framework to address a three-year financial plan for the school district will be introduced with our FY05 budget presentation. Discussion with City Council is anticipated at one of their February meetings. · Creation of a plan to ensure accreditation of all district schools by the year 2010 has begun. Jim Hayes, and Principals Tom Kokos and Colleen McBride met with th NEASC representatives on Wednesday, January 14. Additionally, planning for necessary professional development time at Ayers, Hannah and Briscoe has been scheduled for the 2004-2005 school year. Finally, we will be proposing necessary budget appropriations as part of the FY05 budget process, as well as providing possible sources of funding for this initiative in the next few months. · Development of an administrative salary and benefit study is underway. Dr. Lupini and Joan Liporto, Director of Personnel, have started the process of identifying “like” school districts and positions. Employee Open Forums Dr. Lupini has scheduled a series of Employee Open Forums over the next few months, which will be conducted in a format similar to the parent open forums conducted over the past six (6) years, designed to share information and gather opinions from employees on a number of topics, including: building maintenance, safety and health; No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), and the FY05 budget. MCAS Performance Appeals: Chapter 140 of the Acts of 2003 The State Board of Education has been directed by the legislature to promulgate regulations that would modify the MCAS performance appeals process for children with disabilities, beginning with the class of 2004. The law has been changed so that an appeal must be filed for any student with an IEP (a) who has take the grade 10 MCAS at least three (3) times in each subject area required for a competency determination (English Language Arts and Mathematics) without achieving a passing score; or (b) submitted a portfolio assessment through the MCAS alternative assessment at least two (2) times without being granted a competency determination. Therefore, students with an IEP do not need to have achieved a score of 216 or 218 on MCAS to be eligible for an appeal, unlike their regular education peers. School Choice The Department of Education recently provided school districts with FY04 school choice estimates, which show a decline in the gap between receiving and sending tuitions . Dr. Lupini stressed this is due to the curriculum we offer and the work of the outstanding teachers in this district. Regular Meeting January 21, 2004 Page 6 COMMITTEE REPORTS AND UPDATE ON SCHOOL COMMITTEE GOALS Ms. Cronin introduced Mr. Kevin Hobin, as the newly appointed representative of the City Council to the School Committee. Mr. Hobin will serve as a member of the Standing Committee on Finance and Facilities. Goals for the School Committee will be presented at the meeting in February. Standing Committee on Curriculum, Instruction and Student Life Ms. Annemarie Cesa will chair this committee. Other members include: Ms. Karen Saxton; Ms. Michele Gordon; Dr. Jim Hayes; and Citizen Advisors Janet Cahalin and Paula Piraino. Student Advisors are Paula Raimo, and Zack Decker from Beverly High School; Brendan Murphy from Briscoe Middle School; and Rachel Konaxis from Memorial Middle School. The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 2, 2004. Standing Committee on Finance and Facilities Mr. Mike Tallo will chair this committee. Other members include: Superintendent Lupini, Ms. Heidi Zimmerman, City Councilor Kevin Hobin, and Citizen Advisors Joan Davenport and Paul Manzo. Tuesday, January 27, 2004. Subcommittee on Negotiations Ms. Karen Saxton will chair this committee. Other members include Ms. Judith Cronin, Mr. Mike Tallo and Superintendent Lupini. Temporary Committee on Policy Review Ms. Brusil will chair this committee. Other members include Ms. Annemarie Cesa and Ms. Michele Gordon. Secondary Facilities The Secondary Facilities Committee will not be assigned until an action plan surrounding Beverly High School can be determined. Dr. Lupini informed the committee that he has th received a letter from the NEASC following their meetings on January 11 and 12th, stating they have continued Beverly High School accreditation as probationary. A special progress report including plans and timeline must be submitted to NEASC by July 1, 2004. A motion was made by Ms. Gordon and seconded by Ms. Saxton to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 8:35 PM. Annemarie Cesa Secretary