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2005-12-16 (2) BEVERLY PUBLIC SCHOOLS BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS December 14, 2005 A regular meeting of the Beverly School Committee was held on Wednesday, December 14, 2005, at the City Council Chambers, Beverly City Hall, Beverly, MA. Members Present: Ms. Brusil, Ms. Cesa, Ms. Cronin, Ms. Gordon, Ms. Saxton, Mr. Tallo Members Not Present: Mayor Scanlon Also in Attendance: Dr. James Hayes, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marie Galinski, Assistant Superintendent of Schools Heidi Zimmerman, Administrator of Finance & Operations Emily O’Toole, Student Representative President Cronin called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. Emily O’Toole led the Pledge of Allegiance. Recognitions of Students, Employees and Community Members Dr. Hayes and Ms. Cronin recognized Mr. Headley, Technology Teacher at Beverly High School, for his recent certification according to the standards of the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. Also recognized were the outgoing citizen representatives, serving on the Curriculum, Instruction and Student Life Subcommittee, Janet Cahalin and Paula Piraino. Serving on the Finance and Facilities Subcommittee, Joan Davenport and Paul Manzo. Dr. Hayes and Ms. Cronin then recognized Mr. Leroy “Red” Hutt for all of his hard work and dedication to the students and Athletic Department at Beverly High School. Dr. Hayes and Ms. Cronin recognized the Beverly High School, Fall 2005 NEC All Stars and Award winners. The last to be recognized were the outgoing School Committee Members, Ms. Saxton, Ms. Gordon, Mr. Tallo, Ms. Cronin for their great contributions to the Beverly Public Schools. Open Forum for Citizen Input into Non-Agenda-Related Items None Opportunity for Citizen Input into Agenda-Related Items None RECORDS OF MEETINGS A motion was made by Ms. Gordon and seconded by Mr. Tallo to approve the minutes of the So voted. regular meeting held on November 16, 2005 with one correction. Regular Meeting December 14, 2005 Page 2 REPORT FROM STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE Emily O’Toole reported that the Carole Singers, Strings and Vocal Ensemble had performed at several nursing homes. Also that the Vocal Ensemble was scheduled to perform at Thomas Ford Toys for Tots Drive. WBOQ was going to be recording them and playing it . live on the air from 8:45 to 10:00 a.m. on Friday, 12/16/05 Ms. O’Toole also told the th committee that the all of the City Strings were performing Tuesday December 20 at 7:00 nd p.m. and the Winter Concert would take place on Thursday, December 22 at 7:00 p.m. both at Beverly High School. Ms. O’Toole reported that there were two student concerns with regards to the parking lot and walkways after the snow storm. Some of the parking spaces, in the lower lot, were not completely plowed, and that the lot was icy. There were also some walkway areas that needed to be sanded too. COMMUNICATIONS Ms. Saxton – Had a few calls regarding the parents afternoon back at Briscoe. Ms. Gordon – none Ms. Cesa – Also had calls regarding the parent’s afternoon back. Calls regarding the school rd calendar thought it would have been better if December 23 was an early release for people who might be traveling for the holidays. Mr. Tallo – Comments about Briscoe. Ms. Brusil – No communications but commented on the fall play at Beverly High School “The Matchmaker” what a wonderful time she had and what an excellent job the students had done. Also, two of the lights were out in the lower parking lot and they need to be replaced. st Ms. Cronin – commented on the 1 Annual Briscoe Middle School Winter Concert, what a nice event it was and what a great job the music department did pulling it together. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT Action Items Overnight Field Trip Proposal Dr. Hayes introduced the following staff from Briscoe Middle School to talk about the upcoming Nature’s Classroom field trip, Ms. Jenko, Associate Principal, Mr. Goncalves, Assistant Principal and Mr. Hughes, Social Studies Teacher.Mr. Goncalves explained that th the trip is scheduled for Monday, April 3 through Friday, April 7. There will be three teams th of 6 grade students participating, two teams (6A & 6C) will be going to Freedom, NH and the other team (6B) will be going to Charlton, MA. Mr. Goncalves spoke of last year’s trip and how successful it was and this year’s agenda. Mr. Hughes reported that this trip started back in 1975 and what a great experience it is for the students. Ms. Jenko echoed the same feelings. There were questions from the Committee around the cost of the trip, the activities and how they choose which ones the students participate in, and also the list of equipment the children have to bring and if cost is an issue how that is handled. Regular Meeting December 14, 2005 Page 3 A motion was made by Ms. Saxton to approve the Nature’s Classroom overnight field trip So voted and seconded by Ms. Gordon. Dr. Hayes then complimented the Briscoe staff on how well they have come together as a team during the absence of Principal Rhonda Gauthier and what a great job they are doing. Acceptance of High School HVAC Project Dr. Hayes explained that a formal vote was needed for acceptances of the HVAC Major Repair Project and that this is part of the process for the SBA reimbursement. Dr. Hayes explained further that this is for boiler work and replacement of the boiler, done back in 2003. A motion was made by Ms. Brusil to accept the HVAC Repair Project and seconded So Voted. by Mr. Tallo. Reappointment of Beverly’s Representative to the North Shore Regional Vocational District (NSRV) School Committee. Dr. Hayes explained that included in the packet was a letter of recommendation from Mayor Scanlon to reappoint Mr. Dean Porteous to represent Beverly to the NSRV District School Committee. Ms. Saxton made a motion to reappoint Mr. Porteous to represent Beverly to the So voted. NSRV District School Committee and was seconded by Ms. Cesa. School Committee Meeting Schedule Dr. Hayes referenced the revised Spring 2006 School Committee Schedule that was included in the packet for adoption. Ms. Gordon motioned that the 2006 School Committee Schedule So voted. be approved and seconded by Ms. Cesa. Foreign Exchange Trip Guidelines At this time Dr. Hayes spoke of the guidelines around alcohol on foreign exchange trips. He reviewed the concerns as to whether a permission form signed by parents, for students, to have an “occasional glass of wine and/or beer only in the presence of the trip’s sponsor and/or the host family” should be included in the packet. Dr. Hayes explained that there were some members of the School Committee that felt that this should not be a part of the foreign exchange trips just because it was legal in the country in which they were visiting. Dr. Hayes then referenced a letter from our Attorney, Naomi Stonberg, that this issue is not a legal matter but a policy decision. A lengthy discussion followed with pros and cons from the School Committee members. Ms. Cronin explained that there are options and they are; leave as is, modify depending on the wording; or to be silent on the issue and don’t include it in the packet. The members then had many questions and views on allowing drinking on a school sponsored trip both for and against. A motion was then made by Ms. Saxton to modify the existing policy and seconded by Ms. Cesa. A vote was then taken which ended up in a tie so the motion was defeated. Informational Items MSBA Survey of School Facilities Regular Meeting December 14, 2005 Page 4 Dr. Hayes explained that the MSBA will be accepting applications for a new construction project in July ’07 and that the MSBA will be conducting a needs survey of every facility in the state. Dr. Hayes explained that they have contacted us and will be out to visit our thst facilities starting Monday, December 19 through Wednesday, December 21. Dr. Hayes then reviewed the attached letter from the MSBA and what items they will want us to supply them with. Dr. Hayes explained that we are in the process of pulling all the information together and that on Monday Mr. Rand will be escorting the Representative from MSBA to tour our buildings. There were a few questions about the background of the representative they are sending and Dr. Hayes stated that it is a Company out of Ohio and it is just one person from that company. Update on Appealing the High School Accreditation th Dr. Hayes explained that we have submitted the appeal document as of November 30 and th that this will go to the Appeals Committee and they will consider it on January 4, 2006. Dr. Hayes then explained that the other path for appeal is “new evidence”. He has been working on this with Mr. Rand, Director of Buildings and Grounds, Ms. Scuzzarella, th Principal Beverly High School and the Mayor and it will be ready on the 19 of December. Copies will be forwarded to the Members at that time. Dr. Hayes explained that included in the appeal is a game plan of what we will do with/for the students until we are in a new building. At this point Ms. Cronin commended Dr. Hayes and Dr. Scuzzarella on the appeal document. Ms. Cronin felt the document hit the issues head on and addressed the academic excellence of the students. Update on BHS Design Dr. Hayes reported that we have hired a company to do a demographic study and that he believed that by the end of the week we should have an RFQ published seeking architects who are interested in this project. Dr. Hayes then reported on a professional day, in early November, he spent at Beverly High School. He explained that teams had been formed and sent out to new high schools around the state and in New Hampshire. Their job was to see what worked and what didn’t work for the staff in these schools. Then on this professional day they broke up into departments and presented their finding of what they liked and didn’t like. Dr. Hayes reported that he and Dr. Galinski took part in these presentations and found the information to be very helpful. There are still some departments that need to present. Ms. Brusil asked that they let the committee know when the next meeting is so if available they could attend. Update on Middle School Facility Dr. Hayes reported that he had met with Mr. Goncalves, Assistant Principal, Mr. Rand, Director of Buildings and Grounds, Mr. Collins, Public Works, and Mr. Goldberg regarding Regular Meeting December 14, 2005 Page 5 heating and ventilation issues. They discussed a game plan on the next steps for Briscoe Middle School. Dr. Hayes reported that the boilers are up and running but still need some work. He also said they discussed pneumatic controls, and suggested getting someone who is familiar with pneumatic controls to try to get the system working properly. There was a question from Ms. Gordon regarding cost. Dr. Hayes said that he and the Mayor had discussed the cost and if the need was there the city would be there to help us. The other item Dr. Hayes spoke of was ventilation and the windows at Briscoe. Dr. Hayes said we are going to bring in a company to replace the sash in the windows so they can be opened easily. Dr. Hayes talked about the hot water in the bathrooms and that they are looking into getting hot water to those bathrooms. All drinking fountains in the school will be replaced. Also there is a classroom in the basement where there is some water infiltration and that issue is being addressed. The last two items Dr. Hayes addressed was a drain issue near the gym and that there was suds coming up through the drain. A clothes washer has been removed which seems to have remedied the problem. The last item was an air quality test that took place on Monday (12/14) afternoon and we are awaiting the results of that test. The last item Dr. Hayes talked about was the need for new Citizen Advisors to replace the four outgoing members. Ms. Brusil requested that Dr. Hayes publish his comments on the “Listening Tour” on our web site which Dr. Hayes said he would do. Committee Reports Standing Committee on Finance & Facilities: Mike Tallo, Chairperson Mr. Tallo reported that the Finance and Facilities Committee met on November 22, 2005. They had a Connect Ed Presentation and also discussed at that meeting were the issues of bussing with regards to the Swan, Mason, Lyman Streets, and Sohier Road bus routes. Upon the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Finance and Facilities a motion was made by Mr. Tallo and seconded by Ms. Gordon to approve one half-time ESP at So voted. Centerville Kindergarten (not to exceed $7,732; paid from a grant). Upon the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Finance and Facilities a motion was made by Mr. Tallo and seconded by Ms. Saxton to approve one ESP at North Beverly So voted. Grade 1 Inclusion classroom (not to exceed $15,464). Upon the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Finance and Facilities a motion was made by Mr. Tallo and seconded by Ms. Saxton to approve the policy regarding So voted. “Building Maintenance” (Section E: Support Services). Regular Meeting December 14, 2005 Page 6 Upon the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Finance and Facilities a motion was made by Mr. Tallo and seconded by Ms. Saxton to approve the policy regarding So voted. “Building Security” (Section E: Support Services). Standing Committee on Curriculum, Instruction, and Student Life: Annemarie Cesa, Chairperson Ms. Cesa gave a summary of their last meeting. Mr. Novak, Beverly High School Band Teacher, spoke about the Marching Band and that they will not be participating in marching band competitions for the upcoming 06-07 school year. This is due to the enormous amount of time the students have to commit to for practicing, etc. This issue will be re-evaluated in one year. Also, Dr. Galinski reported the results for the Rigby testing. Other items discussed; update on Youth Risk Survey and Advanced Placement Comparison of Schools. Upon the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Curriculum, Instruction and Student Life a motion was made by Ms. Cesa and seconded by Mr. Tallo to approve the So voted. policy regarding “Student Safety” (Section J:” Students). Negotiations: Karen Saxton, Chairperson Upon the recommendation of the Negotiations Committee a motion was made by Ms. Saxton and seconded by Mr. Tallo to approve the policy regarding “Professional Staff Vacations & So voted. Holidays” (Section G: Personnel). Upon the recommendation of the Negotiations Committee a motion was made by Ms. Saxton and seconded by Ms. Gordon to approve the policy regarding “Access to Personnel Files” So voted. (Section G: Personnel). Upon the recommendation of the Negotiations Committee a motion was made by Ms. Saxton and seconded by Ms. Cesa to approve the policy regarding “Recruitment and Selection of So voted. Personnel” (Section G: Personnel). Upon the recommendation of the Negotiations Committee a motion was made by Ms. Saxton and seconded by Ms. Cesa to approve the policy regarding “Non-School Employment” The vote was 4 approved 1 opposed. (Section G: Personnel). Upon the recommendation of the Negotiations Committee a motion was made by Ms. Saxton and seconded by Mr. Tallo to delete “Long-Term Substitute Teacher Pay” (Section G: So voted. Personnel) as a policy. Policy: Nancy Brusil, Chairperson Upon the recommendation of the Policy Review Committee a motion was made by Ms. Brusil and seconded by Ms. Cesa to approve the policy regarding “School Committee Powers and Duties; Relationship with the Superintendent” (Section B: School Committee So voted. Governance & Operations). Regular Meeting December 14, 2005 Page 7 Upon the recommendation of the Policy Review Committee a motion was made by Ms. Brusil and seconded by Ms. Gordon to approve the policy regarding “Public Concerns and So voted. Complaints” (Section K: Community Relations). Questions from the Press none. Consider Executive Session A motion was made by Mr. Tallo and seconded by Ms. Brusil to consider executive session to discuss strategy with respect to litigation regarding a grievance and to hear an appeal regarding a student matter and not to return to open session. Roll call results: Yes: Ms. Cronin, Ms. Gordon, Ms. Saxton, Mr. Tallo, Ms. Brusil, Ms. Cesa Absent: Mayor Scanlon Meeting adjourned 9:10 p.m. Annemarie Cesa Secretary