Loading...
2022 11 09 School Committee Minutes BEVERLY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Regular School Committee Meeting Hybrid In-Person Beverly Middle School & Remote Access (Zoom) Members &Administrators: 502 Cabot Street, Library Community Access: Broadcast BevCam Channel 99 & https://bevcam.org/video/live-stream/& htti3s://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsioEZrieQaRUaraldiSklw Wednesday, November 9, 2022 7:30 p.m. A Hybrid In-Person and remote access meeting of the Beverly School Committee was held on Wednesday, November 9, 2022, following the guidance from Governor Baker's Office. Ms.Abell announced that BevCam would be streaming the meeting live on YouTube and broadcasting on Channel 99. Members Participating: Rachael Abell, Kaarin Robinson, Dr. Jeffrey Silva, Kimberley Coelho, Mayor Michael Cahill (arrived 7:34 p.m.) Remote: Dr. Kenann McKenzie, Lorinda Visnick Not in Attendance: Also Participating: In Person: Dr. Suzanne Charochak, Superintendent; Jean Sherburne, Director of Finance and Operations; Bethany Splansky, Administrator of Special Education and Student Services; Erin Brown, Director of Information and Human Resources; Donna Bergeron,Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent; Kailey Quintino, Student Representative; Principal Betty Taylor, Beverly High School Remote: Dr.Andre Morgan, Director of Opportunity, Access and Equity Call to Order: Ms.Abell called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. Ms.Abell stated that this was a hybrid meeting with remote participation, noting that the Governor signed legislation for an extension for the remote meetings to continue through March 31, 2023. Beverly adopted remote participation on May 16, 2016 and thus will also be able to continue.A quorum of School Committee members and Administrators were in-person and the remote platform was offered for leadership and some members. BevCam was broadcasting on Channel 99 for Community access with a captioning tool available. Pledge of Allegiance: (BevCam 1:03:07) Kailey Quintino led those assembled in the Pledge of Allegiance. Recognitions: (BevCam 1:03:34) Dr. Charochak and Principal Betty Taylor presented MajorAhmad Martin, who was accompanied by First Lieutenant Gabrielle Chirco and Second Lieutenant Abigail Dorey, Beverly High School Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers'Training Corps (MCJROTC)with the plaque that honored them for being selected a Naval Honor School for the 2021-2022 School Year. 7:38 p.m. Recess 7:40 p.m. Return to open session Student Representative Report -Kailey Quintino (BevCam 1:07:00) Kailey reported that on October 12th juniors and seniors took the PSAT and SAT tests. October 18t"students participated in Students as Change Makers discussion and were asked for their views on being a changemaker. Kailey said it was a great experience. October 25t"there was a Common Table forum with students discussing the environment. November 3rd an open house for all clubs was held for the 8th grade students. Kailey reported that the first quarter closes on November 10t", fall sports have officially ended and winter sports registration is taking place now through November 28t". The senior breakfast club will be meeting once a month from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. with other adults from the Senior Center. Kailey stated there are many new additions to the clubs such as dance, coding, astronomy, and alliance for students of color, all students are welcome. The Guidance Department is hosting a Student Career Education and Discovery Fair tomorrow. The Climate Committee held their annual halloween costume contest, the BHS quiz bowl attended the WGBH high school quiz bowl on November 6t" at the WGBH studios in Brighton. Ms.Abell stated that we would move the order of the agenda to the presentation of the Overnight Field Trip for approval. Superintendent Report Overnight Field Trip- BMS* (BevCam 1:10:09) Dr. Charochak introduced Allison Nichols, BMS Foreign Language teacher, to present the overnight field trip to San Juan Puerto Rico,April 2023. Ms. Nichols said that she and two of her colleagues are proposing this overnight field trip for the spring of 2023. Ms. Nichols provided information on what the students will see while on the trip, the itinerary, what is included, tour guides and overnight security, tour diary and the total cost, $1,948. She added that travel protection is also offered. Information was provided on payment options and fundraising possibilities. A motion was made by Mayor Cahill to approve the overnight field trip to San Jose, Puerto Rico. The motion was seconded by Dr. Silva. Mayor Cahill asked how many students they are hoping to take. Ms. Nichols stated eighteen students with three (3) chaperones. She noted it is a six(6) to one (1) ratio. She stated she had had a conversation with Dr. Charochak and was not sure how many students may sign up. The travel company does not have a limit. If they need to set a limit they could do it on a first come, first serve basis or lottery. Mayor Cahill stated he noticed a couple of the evening events were listed as optional. Ms. Nichols said that these are ideas/options that could be added. Ms.Abell said she didn't see lunch on the itinerary. Ms. Nichols said that it would be while they are on their excursions or it may be included, she would look into it. Ms. Visnick asked if they had more than 18 students where they would get the additional chaperone(s). Ms. Nichols stated that they have a fourth Spanish teacher and also many teachers that have expressed interest in going. Dr. Charochak stated that they talked about not being sure of how many would go and the possibility that there could be an abundance of students that want to attend. Dr. Charochak also talked about how many students they felt comfortable with in terms of group size. Ms. Robinson asked when they presented this the last time how many students had signed up. Ms. Nichols said she thought 18 to 20. The following roll call votes were recorded: Mayor Cahill -Yes Kimberley Coelho-Yes Dr. Kenann McKenzie-Yes Kaarin Robinson -Yes Dr. Jeffrey Silva-Yes Lorinda Visnick-Yes Rachael Abell -Yes Motion passed 7:0. Approval of Meeting Records (BevCam 1:23:16) 2022 10 12 School Committee Minutes A motion was made by Mayor Cahill to approve the October 12, 2022 School Committee minutes. The motion was seconded by Ms. Coelho and approved by a roll call vote. The following roll call votes were recorded: Mayor Cahill -Yes Kimberley Coelho-Yes Dr. Kenann McKenzie-Abstained Kaarin Robinson -Yes Dr. Jeffrey Silva-Yes Lorinda Visnick-Yes Rachael Abell -Yes Motion passed 6:0:1 Open Forum for Resident Voice or Input into Agenda-Related Items (BevCam 1:24:02) The President will consider requests to address the School Committee on items either included or not included as part of the agenda at this time.Any person wishing to make such a request should email residentvoicea-beverlyschools.org before 7 p.m. with their comments (<3 minutes)to be read by the chair or to receive a link to address the body themselves at—7:40 p.m. remotely via Zoom. (Please Note:this is an opportunity to simply address the body and is not a discussion. Items by Consensus (BevCam 1:24:19) The Superintendent recommends the School Committee vote to approve: a. Warrant#23012 in the amount of$329,006.58 b. Warrant#23013 in the amount of$213,682.94 c. Warrant#23014 in the amount of$300,834.43 d. Warrant#23015 in the amount of$833,545.99 e. Warrant#23016 in the amount of$437,328.63 A motion was made by Ms. Coelho to approve Warrants 23012 through 23016. The motion was seconded by Ms. Robinson. Dr. Silva asked if a short description of the warrants could be added to the agenda. Ms.Abell explained that three (3) members of the committee, the Mayor, and Business Manager all review the munis reports where each invoice is presented against purchase orders, verifying that they are school related expenses. Mayor Cahill added that some of the recent things they have looked through include SPED, transportation, curriculum material, and some trainings. Dr. Silva stated that he feels the community would have a better understanding if a brief description was included. Ms.Abell asked if he meant a description of what a warrant is and what is included. Ms. Visnick referred to the past practices, then stated Covid hit, adding that now three (3) of them review them. She suggested what may be helpful is to add the cost center to the agenda as a way of explanation. The following roll call vote was recorded: Mayor Cahill -Yes Kimberley Coelho-Yes Dr. Kenann McKenzie-Yes Kaarin Robinson -Yes Dr. Jeffrey Silva-Yes Lorinda Visnick-Yes Rachael Abell -Yes Motion passed 7:0. School Committee Chair Update MASC/MASS Joint Conference (BevCam 1:29:01) Ms.Abell remarked that it was an absolute pleasure to return to the MASC/MASS Joint Conference, recommending members add this to their calendar for next year. Ms.Abell stated that it was a very inspirational and educational conference and shared some of the panel discussions, delegate assemblies, and keynotes she attended as well as Dr. Charochak and Dr. Morgan's presentation. The panels included:A Systems Approach to Equity in which the School Committee from Framingham provided descriptions of the changes they have made to remove barriers for families and students and create pathways for staff to get their bachelors or masters, among other things. Consortium for Innovative Education Assessment which provides measures beyond the MCAS test and focuses on the graduate and real success of the student. Ms.Abell reported taking part in the Delegate Assembly remarking it was long and passionate and that each of the resolutions passed. Many of the resolutions had amendments but they were not adopted. Ms.Abell commented that if this Committee has their own resolution(s) they want to work on they should do this sooner rather than later. Ms.Abell reported attending the dinner in which Commissioner Riley addressed all of them. She attended the morning meeting on the student mental health crisis and behavior needs. Ms.Abell reported that Beverly presented, Creating and Promoting Equitable Conditions in Schools to a standing room only crowd. The key takeaways Dr. Charochak and Dr. Morgan presented were that awareness is not enough and equity is not a checklist. Ms.Abell attended a panel on Entry Planning in Equity Focused Leaders and a session entitled, Surviving and Thriving in Challenging times. On Friday she attended the general session Leading and Implementing Equity with Intentionality and the panel, Rethinking Public Comment Period in which our School Committee Council, Liz Valerio was one of the hosts. Ms.Abell stated that she went to the District 1 meeting which included local school committee members from the North Shore area and the Mass DOT Safe Routes to Schools Panel where they discussed the success of the program. Superintendent Evaluation (BevCam 1:44:47) Ms.Abell stated that she would be providing a recap of the Superintendent's Evaluation in which they all participated. She stated that the Committee would need to take action to accept the final evaluation for the prior school year. In summary, the compiled report's average ratings came out as MET forAssessing Progress Towards Goals. The Assessed Performance on Standards was proficient/exemplary with the overall summative performance rating Dr. Charochak proficient. Ms.Abell noted that there are a number of thoughtful evaluator comments as well as some things for Dr. Charochak to consider in this section. The Individual Performance Goals received an average rating of met. The highlighted focus indicators, Curriculum and Instruction were both proficient with the overall average of proficient with added comments. Environment and Human Resources Management and Development rating was proficient/exemplary, with the overall rating being proficient. Standard III Family and Community Engagement focus indicator was proficient with one exemplary. In this comment area the overall was proficient and Ms.Abell felt there were some very important comments in this section. In Section IV Professional Culture the rating was proficient with two (2) exemplary that still averages out to proficient. Ms.Abell stated that at the end of evaluation there were many encouraging words about looking forward to future work in this area. A motion was made by Ms. Coelho to adopt and accept the Superintendent Evaluation. The motion was seconded by Ms. Robinson and approved by a roll call vote. Dr. Silva thanked Dr. Charochak for taking the time to meet with him to go over the process where this was his first time completing the evaluation. The following roll call votes were recorded: Mayor Cahill -Yes Kimberley Coelho -Yes Dr. Kenann McKenzie -Yes Kaarin Robinson -Yes Dr. Jeffrey Silva -Yes Lorinda Visnick-Yes Rachael Abell -Yes Motion passed 7:0. Ms.Abell remarked that this completes the process and she is looking forward to speaking with Dr. Charochak next week about her goals. Upcoming Meetings & Dates (BevCam 1:50:15) a. November Dates to Remember Ms.Abell shared that tomorrow night the middle school PTO is having a program, Minding your Mind -Teens and Technology. This is for anyone who wants to understand some of the mental health implications that come along with technology. There is a link to this meeting for the community and she said she would share it with members. Ms.Abell reported she spoke with the Veterans Agent, David Parenchief and the Veterans Day ceremonies will commence at 8:30 a.m. in the Farms, 9:30 a.m. at the memorial at Beverly Hospital, and 10:45 at the Vietnam statue. On Saturday, 11/12 the big craft fair returns to BHS and will take place in the field house. Next Wednesday, 11/16 the Finance and Facilities and Committee of the Whole meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m. here in the middle school library. She stated one of the topics is the superintendent goals. She asked members to please let her know if there were any other topics they wanted to add. Ms.Abell stated that the Holiday Parade will be kicking off at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, 11/27. The committee is registered to walk and will be meeting in the high school parking lot around noon. Committee Reports Standing Committee on Finance & Facilities - Lorinda Visnick. Chairperson (BevCam 1:52:57) Ms. Visnick reported at the October 26, 2022 F&F meeting the committee received a report from Director of Food Services, Chrisina Leal that the supply chain issues remain. Ms. Leal also presented the number of lunches being served is trending higher and free meals continue again this year. Ms. Visnick reported that she was happy to say that the share tables are back in all schools and posters are on display explaining the process. In the concept of the district wide Sustainability Committee, Ms. Sherburne, in conjunction with Erina Keefe, provided flyers on the statewide recycling changes. These flyers will be included in all water bills. Ms. Visnick stated that textiles are no longer permitted in the rubbish but can be dropped off in the textile bins located at all of our schools. If people had gently used clothing they could drop that off at Beverly Bootstraps. The committee is bringing forward the following for approval Assistant Transportation Director A motion was made by Ms.Abell to approve the Assistant Transportation Director position. The motion was seconded by Ms. Coelho. Mayor Cahill asked for the rationale and need for the position. Ms. Sherburne explained that on any number of days Mr. Cruikshank is out driving a bus. Ms. Sherburne stated we want to have a plan and someone in the office that knows what to do if the need arises, adding that the funding is available in the transportation budget. Ms.Abell added from her notes that they hoped the candidate might be a certified CDL trainer, could assist with the increased number of runs, homeless transportation and complexity working with different vendors, and vacation coverage. Dr. Silva asked if bringing in a couple of part time drivers would help. Ms. Sherburne referred to the nationwide shortage and that we are condensing the runs as best we can. It is also the day to day activities and to have someone else, in the office, that knows how to condense a run. She noted they have brought this request forward a number of times, this year they have the funding and would be able to sustain the position. Ms. Visnick referred to the discussion of being as efficient as possible and that Mr. Cruikshank is out driving a bus most days and not in the office doing what he was hired to do. Ms. Robinson asked if we have a budget/salary range. Ms. Sherburne stated between $60-$65,000. Dr. Charochak recognized that there is the bus driver shortage but the immediate need, with the complexities of running the department, actually warrants an assistant director to help with decisions that need to be made and to maintain the safety of our children. Dr. Charochak said that she could not understate the amount of work that Mr. Cruikshank does, as well as the drivers, and all the people who work on transportation. She stated that the actual position is warranted and our goal is to have as many kids ride the bus as we can. Dr. Silva referenced the software we have to manage the routes and to help alleviate some of the work but that it seems that the shortage is what is driving the additional position request. Ms. Sherburne agreed that it is the shortage but also the complexity of what is happening day to day. Dr. Charochak referred to the work that needs to be done in the Transportation Department and that it's the workload that warrants the position, not just the shortage. Mayor Cahill asked how many office employees the Transportation Department has. Ms. Sherburne stated two (2), a dispatcher and bookkeeper. Mayor Cahill noted Dr. Charochak's point of the operations and complexity of the department. He went on to ask if the funding was available now because of the condensed runs this year, stating if that's the case, we don't want to be doing fewer runs. Mayor Cahill stated if that's the source of the funding then we would have to build it in as a full time position? Dr. Charochak stated that the runs right now are efficient, the buses are full, if we want to add buses we would have to open up new runs and open up buses. Ms. Sherburne reported that the funding is available between the revolving and appropriated and we would have the revolving funding in subsequent years. Dr. Charochak added that they have also made adjustments based on the number of special education and homeless students we transport. Mayor Cahill stated that he struggles with fewer runs and full buses. He would like to see us transporting more kids but understands it means more buses and that as a community these are big challenges. Mayor Cahill said he also recognized the goals of doing safe walking and biking routes. He is not clear how many of our SPED students that are out of district that we are transporting vs contracting. He said he looks to all of that as areas he would like to be part of digging into, if all of this is what is behind the ask for an assistant. Dr. Charochak noted that they have looked at all of the options and have been discussing this for a very long time. She said it's what we need to safely transport our students and feels this position is important to us as we go forward. Ms. Visnick, in response to some of Mayor Cahill's questions said she too would love to be able to transport students that live closer than two miles and get more students on the bus but that we don't have the capacity for them right now. She stated to accomplish this we need more drivers and more buses with more resources than we would be asking one person to do. Ms. Visnick stated that more people would put children on a bus if we didn't charge a fee and made the proposal, as she has in the past, to eliminate the bus fee. Ms. Visnick asked what are the goals we want across the city and district. She said she feels we would be better served if the bus fee was eliminated. I don't think it's reasonable to ask somebody to do more work under the same conditions. Mayor Cahill stated that the superintendent has made the case that we need the Assistant Director of Transportation position to help run the department. I want to see this department operate at an incredibly high level. He stated he has no more questions. At this time Ms.Abell took the roll call vote. The roll call vote resulted in the following: Mayor Cahill -Yes Kimberley Coelho -Yes Dr. Kenann McKenzie -Yes Kaarin Robinson -Yes Dr. Jeffrey Silva -Yes Lorinda Visnick-Yes Rachael Abell -Yes Motion passed 7:0 Sailing Donation A motion was made by Ms.Abell to approve the $17,475 donation of real property to the BHS sailing team. The motion was seconded by Ms. Coelho and approved by a roll call vote. The roll call vote resulted in the following: Mayor Cahill -Yes Kimberley Coelho -Yes Dr. Kenann McKenzie -Yes Kaarin Robinson -Yes Dr. Jeffrey Silva -Yes Lorinda Visnick-Yes Rachael Abell -Yes Motion passed 7:0 Gifts to Schools A motion was made by Ms. Coelho to approve the following Gifts to Schools for September, 2022 totaling $175.00. The motion was seconded by Ms. Robinson and passed by a roll call vote. 9-27-22 Hannah Elementary School - Microline Surgical Staff Giving -general use $175.00 The roll call vote resulted in the following: Mayor Cahill -Yes Kimberley Coelho -Yes Dr. Kenann McKenzie -Yes Kaarin Robinson -Yes Dr. Jeffrey Silva -Yes Lorinda Visnick-Yes Rachael Abell -Yes Motion passed 7:0 Transfers A motion was made by Ms.Abell to approve the attached Transfer#288. The motion was seconded by Ms. Coelho and approved by a roll call vote. The roll call vote resulted in the following: Mayor Cahill -Yes Kimberley Coelho -Yes Dr. Kenann McKenzie -Yes Kaarin Robinson -Yes Dr. Jeffrey Silva -Yes Lorinda Visnick-Yes Rachael Abell -Yes Motion passed 7:0 The next Finance and Facilities meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 16t"at 6:30 p.m. Standing Committee on Curriculum, Instruction and Student Life (BevCam 2:18:44) Ms. Robinson reported at the earlier CISL meeting they heard from the student representatives. The high school representative reported many students just finished early action for college admission. At the middle school they held a Boo Bash to raise money for Nature's Classroom. The 7th graders had a visit from the NAN Project and 8t" graders attended the BHS open house. Student Adjustment Counselor, Erin Fitzpatrick provided an update on Crisis Management and Safety Training and Nurse Leader, Jodi Elder provided a review of the Safe Routes to Schools Programs. Ms.Abell presented Ms. Elder with the plaque she received while at the MASC/MASS Joint Conference recognizing the work the nurses did with Safe Routes to Schools. Ms. Robinson reported that Dr. Richard Woy provided a summary of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The next CISL meeting will be held on December 7, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. Negotiations Subcommittee - Rachael Abell, Chair (BevCam 2:22:39) Ms.Abell stated that she has tentatively set a meeting next Wednesday at 3:30 at McKeown School to go over Dr. Charochak's goals and to bring them forward to the COTW meeting later that night. Ms.Abell said that while they have current contracts with the bargaining units they need to start looking at them sooner rather than later. Policy Subcommittee- Dr. Kenann McKenzie, Chair(BevCam 2:23:05) Dr. McKenzie reported that she has been working with Mrs. Bergeron indexing all policies that need to be reviewed. She stated they are working on a way to update the policies in a live way with tech support. Communications (BevCam 2:24:05) Ms. Coelho reported attending the downtown safe trick-or-treat on October 27t"followed by the Centerville School's Family Math night and their first annual Jack-o-Lantern walk. Ms.Abell reported that a caregiver contacted her with concerns about communications home from her student's teacher, as well as school messaging about student orientation dates and curriculum events. Ms.Abell referred her to Ms. Splansky and Dr. Charochak. Ms.Abell stated a constituent asked about the hiring, positions, and how the school committee handles position appointments. Ms. Abell reported attending the pumpkin chunkin contest and said she was very impressed with the student representation. Mayor Cahill said he believed there were upwards of 1800 people in attendance. Dr. Silva commented that the Beverly Lacrosse Boosters Association completed a grant to the Bill Belichick Foundation to provide sticks for boys and girls lacrosse and were awarded the grant. Dr. Silva said that they encourage families that may have financial constraints to purchase a stick, to reach out to them. Dr. Silva said he met with the art teacher at the high school to talk about having the honors art students paint the surface of one the walls as a project and to engage the art students with the lacrosse students. Ms. Visnick stated she received a communication that also went to Dr. Charochak, about high school students that take the MCAS and don't score high enough to graduate; how we as a district handle that or the fact that the state handles it. She stated she did not respond but wanted to acknowledge the email. Motion to Adjourn (BevCam 2:29:27) A motion was made by Ms. Robinson to adjourn the School Committee meeting. The motion was seconded by Ms. Coelho and approved by a roll call vote. The roll call vote resulted in the following: Mayor Cahill -Yes Kimberley Coelho -Yes Dr. Kenann McKenzie -Yes Kaarin Robinson -Yes Dr. Jeffrey Silva -Yes Lorinda Visnick-Yes Rachael Abell -Yes Motion passed 7:0 The meeting adjourned at 9:02 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kaarin Robinson, Secretary Beverly School Committee Documents Reviewed at the meeting: 2022 10 12 School Committee Minutes Overnight Field Trip- San Juan Puerto Rico Transfer#288