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2014-04-09BEVERLY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Regular School Committee Meeting Wednesday, April 9, 2014 Beverly City Hall Beverly, Massachusetts A regular meeting of the Beverly School Committee was held on Wednesday, April 9, 2014 in Council Chambers at City Hall, Beverly, MA. Members Present: David Manzi, Kris Silverstein, Paul Manzo, Matthew Kavanagh, Lorinda Visnick, and Mayor Cahill (arrived at 7:20) Not in Attendance: Annemarie Cesa Also in Attendance: Dr. Steven A. Hiersche, Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Albert F. Argenziano, Interim Superintendent of Schools, Jean Sherburne, Director of Finance and Operations, Phyllis Dubina, Curriculum Consultant (PK -5), Donna Bergeron, Administrative Assistant to the School Committee, Austin Healey, Student Representative, Beverly High School Principal Sean Gallagher and Art Educator Paula Borsetti Call to Order: Mr. Manzo called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Pledge of Allegiance: Dr. Hiersche led those assembled in the Pledge of Allegiance. AGENDA Recognition of Students, Employees and Community Members • Mr. Manzo, Superintendent Hiersche, Briscoe Middle School Principal Matthew Poska, Assistant Principal Terry Conant and Andrea O'Connor, PTO President were presented with checks from the Beverly Education Foundation members, Doug Walker, President, Anna T. Green, Vice - President and Adam Winn. The checks presented were from a grant that will help subsidize transportation to Nature's Classroom and the Environmental Education once the students return. • Mr. Manzo, Dr. Hiersche, Superintendent and Sean Gallagher, Beverly High School Principal recognized the Destination Imagination Team members, Liam Beaudoin, Owen Bolas, Alex D'Alfonso, Matt Gill, Ed McFeeters and Ryan Noss for placing first in their challenge at the State Competition held in Worcester. • Mr. Manzo, Dr. Hiersche, Superintendent, Sean Gallagher, Beverly High School Principal and Art Educator Paula Borsetti recognized the following Beverly High School students for the awards they received in the Scholastic Art/Writing Competition: Jessica Morse — Honorable Mention — Sculpture Carly Blau — Honorable Mention — Sculpture Alicia DiCiccio — Silver Key Digital Art Clara Rocha Lima — Gold Key — Photo Sheehan Gotsch — Silver Key — Photo Casey Oliver — Silver Key — photo Grace Otterbien — Honorable Mention — Painting Mackenzie Mason — Honorable Mention — Photo Arielle Lee — Silver Key — Writing Cody Spencer — Gold Key — Photography and Honorable Mention — Portfolio Maxx Manfre — Gold Key — Portfolio, Silver Key — Digital Art and 6 Congressional District Art Show Maddie Thomas — Silver Key — Ceramics and Excellence in Ceramics — Endicott College High School Art Show Mr. Manzo presented Dr. Argenziano, Interim Superintendent with a gift and expressed the School Committee's appreciation and gratitude for all of his hard work. Mr. Manzo made note of the many accomplishments Dr. Argenziano has completed as Interim Superintendent at the Beverly Public Schools. Open Forum for Citizen Input into Non - Agenda - Related Items Judy Martin, 8 Palmer Road, Beverly Ms. Martin is the Co- President of SEPAC (Special Education Parents Advisory Council) and enlightened the Committee on some recent events that they have sponsored. Ms. Martin reported that SEPAC will be sponsoring an upcoming event at the Centerville Elementary School. It is a Special Education Resource Fair taking place on Monday, May 5 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Ms. Martin said there will be approximately twenty organizations attending i.e. Lahey Behavioral Health, Futures, the YMCA and many more. The focus will be on social /emotional needs. Ms. Martin also reported that there will be a special needs soccer clinic which will run for six weeks beginning April 7 ". She invited people to view their Facebook page for more information. Regular Meeting April 9, 2014 Page 2 of 6 Open Forum for Citizen Concerns or Citizen Input into Agenda - Related Items None Approval of Meeting Records A motion was made by Ms. Silverstein to approve the minutes from the March 12, 2014 School Committee of the Whole meeting. The motion was seconded by Mr. Kavanagh and approved by a vote of 6:0 with one revision. A motion was made by Ms. Visnick to approve the minutes of the March 12, 2014 School Committee meeting. The motion was seconded by Ms. Silverstein and approved by a vote of 6:0 with one addition. Report from Student Representative to the School Committee Austin Healey reported the following events taking place at BHS: 4 quarter opened on Monday, April 7 and report cards will go out at the end of the week. This Friday is the freshman semi - formal and tickets are $15.00. On Tuesday, April 1 St students from the banking lab participated in the Banking Bowl at the Federal Reserve Bank in Boston with 23 other schools. Austin reported the he and Bryan Flaherty attended the Massachusetts Student Government Day. He reported they went into the State House and met with representatives from Senator Lovely's office and participated in events including a debate. The Good Friday Walk organizers are still looking for volunteers. BHS received two National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Awards presented to Emily Auday and Daniel Lee. Emily also received an honorable mention along with Carissa Angelo, Charlie Boschen and Caitlyn Ogiba's. Communications from Committee Members Mr. Kavanagh reported receiving a follow -up call regarding the 1 to 1 Laptop issue remarking that the issue has been resolved with the help of Judy Miller. He stated that the parent did some research and found a company that purchases used computers. Ms. Visnick received concerns regarding a teacher at the high school which she referred to Mr. Gallagher and communications on the Centerville principal search which she referred to Dr. Hiersche. Ms. Visnick stated hearing concerns on a security system at Centerville which she referred to Dr. Hiersche and it was further referred to the Finance and Facilities Sub - committee. Mr. Manzi reported that Sgt. Rollins parking meeting was moved to April 8 but he expects to hear from him shortly with regards to a flashing digital sign on Bridge Street. Ms. Silverstein said she received an e-mail from a parent whose student is struggling and referred the parent to the teacher first and then the building principal. Ms. Silverstein stated as a reminder that school committee members do not engage in solving those issues but are happy to refer people to the appropriate person. She stated receiving many questions about PARCC testing which she referred to Dr. Papagiotas and Ms. Dubina. Ms. Silverstein commented on an item from the Curriculum, Instruction and Student Life meeting which was on a video about Kids teaching Kids about Asthma that Nurse Leader June Kazes told them about. Ms. Silverstein said it was a great video and can be accessed on "youtube" under Centerville School. Mr. Manzo said he received the same questions on the PARCC testing and heard from parents of 9 t " grade students regarding course selections for next year. Report from Superintendent Dr. Hiersche 1. School Choice Numbers for 2014 -2015 Dr. Hiersche stated that the Administration is recommending continued participation in the School Choice program noting the current parameters, requests and the spaces available below: Accept 10 /per grade at the Elementary Level 15 /per grade at the Secondary Level Requests 2014 -2015 Current Approved Students Spaces Available Per Guidelines Grade 1 2 0 8 Grade 2 3 2 5 Grade 3 1 3 6 Regular Meeting April 9, 2014 Page 3 of 6 Grade 4 2 6 2 Grade 5 2 8 0 Grade 6 1 3 11 Grade 7 0 6 9 Grade 8 0 6 9 Grade 9 12 8 -5 Grade 10 0 17 -2 Grade 11 1 10 4 Grade 12 0 10 5 There was a discussion that followed. Committee members wanted to know if approval could be done grade by grade. Ms. Visnick and Ms. Silverstein expressed their concern with 9 th grade numbers and asked if the numbers reflect students in the SEVIS program. There was also the concern that if we start restricting approval what affect would it have on money in versus money out. A motion was made by Mr. Kavanagh to approve participation in the School Choice Program at the levels presented. The motion was seconded by Mr. Manzi by a vote of 6:0. A roll call vote was taken with the following results: Yes: Lorinda Visnick Mayor Cahill Kris Silverstein David Manzi Matthew Kavanagh Paul Manzo No: Motion Passed: 6:0 2. Dr. Hiersche stated that he included the School Committee Meeting Schedule for the Fall of 2014 for approval. A committee member noted a conflict on September 24 with the Jewish holiday and it was decided to move those two meetings. A motion was made by Ms. Visnick to approve the Fall - 2014 School Committee Meeting Schedule. The motion was seconded by Mr. Kavanagh and approved by a vote of 6:0. 3. Dr. Hiersche provided an update on the Centerville Elementary Principal search stating Julie Smith has been chosen as the new principal. He said that Ms. Smith comes to us with a Certificate of Advanced Study in Education from Syracuse University. She is currently an Assistant Principal in Winchester and has begun working with Karla Pressman to make a smooth transition. Dr. Hiersche said they will put something together after vacation for the community to welcome Ms. Smith. 4. Dr. Hiersche remarked on an upcoming visit of educators from Australia which has been in the planning stage for a number of weeks. He said they are coming to Massachusetts touring schools in Boston as well as our schools. He said they are looking for centers of excellence in education, for schools with state of the art process and understanding of e- learning and blended learning and felt Beverly fit the bill. He said the team will arrive on Tuesday, April 15 starting their day at the high school, visiting classrooms at both the high school and Briscoe Middle School. They will have lunch with all the principals and stop at the Memorial Building to meet with administrators and staff then back to Boston. Dr. Hiersche said that this is a great opportunity for educators and that they are more than happy to host us in the future. 5. Dr. Hiersche said as he completed his first week, feeling more like a month and said he's felt very welcomed. He thanked the school committee for meeting with him individually. He reported that he's getting a handle on what we need to do as a district but he said with the school year in full swing he'll sit on his hands for now. He stated he continues to gather information and put it together for all to review at a later date. Dr. Hiersche reported that while he has not been able to get to all of the schools he will be attending upcoming events in a number of them next week. He did attend a kindergarten performance at Ayers Regular Meeting April 9, 2014 Page 4 of 6 and has made numerous visits to the high school in the last couple of months. He said he feels it is very important to get out in the community. Dr. Hiersche also provided an update on the Hannah Principal and Assistant Superintendent searches stating that the postings will close on April 25 He stated he will be looking for individuals to serve on the Hannah search committee. He said he will get the committee together, do some training then have the committee begin screening the candidates. Dr. Hiersche said with regards to the Assistant Superintendent position he's gathering his data, looking at Dr. Argenziano's reorganization plan, and reviewing the candidate pool. Report from School Committee Chair, Mr. Paul Manzo 1. Mr. Manzo reported that the committee has approved the Request for Services (RFS) for an Owner's Project Manager for the Middle School Building Project. He stated that hopefully that will shorten the timeline going forward. Mayor Cahill reported that he has met with the MSBA discussing the time -line for the project. He stated that we have been invited to be a part of the feasibility study period working with MSBA on the time tables for advertising, reviewing and selecting an Owner's Project Manager (OPM). The Mayor said from there we go on to advertise for the designer and the selection process with MSBA. He said that it looks like we will have an OPM approved at a meeting on June 2 nd or 3 We will have two meetings with their design selection committee on August 12 and 26 and hope to have the designer on board shortly after the meeting on the 26th. Mayor Cahill said we have a tentative meeting scheduled for September 5 th with the MSBA staff and the OPM that will be our introductory meeting to kick off the feasibility study. Committee Reports A. Standing Committee on Finance & Facilities - David Manzi, Chairperson Mr. Manzi reported that the Finance and Facilities Subcommittee last met on March 19, 2014 approving minutes and receiving a review of the Buildings and Grounds Report from Mike Collins, Director of Public Works and Timothy Howland, Public School Division. Among the work reviewed were repairs to a defective hot water pump at Centerville, repairs to the computer room floor outlets at Hannah and at the Memorial Building the boiler required maintenance repairs. Also received at the meeting Mr. Manzi reported that Jean Sherburne, Director of Finance and Operations provided information on building rentals. Kindergarten scholarship process was discussed and Ms. Sherburne went over the revenues and expenses. Mr. Manzi said that he was bringing forward budget transfers for approval. Upon the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Finance and Facilities a motion was made by Mr. Manzi recommending approval of the attached $129,654 in budget transfers. The motion was seconded by Mr. Kavanagh and approved by a vote of 6:0. Mr. Manzi said that the next Finance and Facilities Meeting will be on April 16, 2014 in the Memorial Building. B. Standina Committee on Curriculum. Instruction. and Student Life - Kris Silverstein. Chairperson Ms. Silverstein reported that the Standing Committee on Curriculum, Instruction and Student Life met on April 2, 2014 where they received a Health Services update from Nurse Leader, June Kazes. Hannah Principal, Susan Snyder and Grade 1 Educator, Allison Gilgun provided a presentation on the Responsive Classroom. The committee also received the summer reading lists from the Library Media Specialists, Barb Fecteau, Beverly High School and Alexandra Woznick, Briscoe Middle School. Curriculum Consultant (PK -5) Phyllis Dubina provided an update on PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) which is also on the website. Ms. Silverstein stated that they are bringing forward the following two policies for first readings and three for approval: Regular Meeting April 9, 2014 Page 5 of 6 1. The Standing Committee on Curriculum, Instruction and Student Life recommends the attached policy, Code of Conduct (Section J: Students) for a first reading. The second reading will take place at our May 14, 2014 meeting and will require a formal (2/3) vote of approval by the School Committee. 2. The Standing Committee on Curriculum, Instruction and Student Life recommends the attached policy, "Corporal Punishment" (Section J: Students) for a first reading. The second reading will take place at our May 14, 2014 meeting and will require a formal (2/3) vote of approval by the School Committee. 3. Upon the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Curriculum, Instruction and Student Life a motion was made by Ms. Silverstein to approve the attached policy, "Flag Displays and the Pledge of Allegiance" (Section I — Instruction). The motion was seconded by Mr. Kavanagh and approved by a vote of 6:0. 4. Upon the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Curriculum, Instruction and Student Life a motion was made by Ms. Silverstein to approve the attached policy, "Discrimination and Harassment" (Section A — Foundations and Basic Commitments). The motion was seconded by Ms. Visnick and approved by a vote of 6:0. 5. Upon the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Curriculum, Instruction and Student Life a motion was made by Ms. Silverstein to approve the attached policy, "Homeless Children: Enrollment Rights & Services" (Section J — Students). The motion was seconded by Ms. Visnick and approved by a vote of 6:0. Ms. Silverstein stated that the next Curriculum, Instruction and Student Life meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 7, 2014 in the Memorial Building at 7:OOp.m. C. Negotiations Subcommittee - Matthew Kavanagh, Chairperson Mr. Kavanagh reported that negotiations are ongoing with Unit A, hoping to come to a conclusion by the end of the month. Mr. Kavanagh stated that an initial meeting for clerical and cafeteria has been scheduled. He said he would update accordingly. D. Policy Review Subcommittee - Annemarie Cesa, Chairperson Ms. Visnick reported that the Policy Subcommittee met on April 2, 2014 and is bringing forward one policy for a first reading. The Policy Review Subcommittee recommends the attached policy "Committee Membership — Qualifications" (Section B: School Committee Governance and Operations) for a first reading. The second reading will take place at our May 14, 2014 meeting and will require a formal (2/3) vote of approval by the School Committee. Community Engagement Mr. Kavanagh reported attending the BHS hockey game at the Garden and that it was a terrific event. He commented on the exemplary behavior of the students on the train ride in and out. Mr. Manzi stated he attended the high school play "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" commenting it was one of the best! He also attended the spring show at Ayers commenting that it was well attended. Ms. Silverstein reported attending the high school musical and she said it struck her that not only were students from the elementary and middle school participating but some of our teachers as well. She said it really shows the students the true dedication of these teachers. Ms. Silverstein said she was judge at the Centerville Science fair and it is her understanding that we may be seeing a Science Fair at the middle school level soon. Ms. Silverstein attended an Opiate Addiction Leadership Group meeting and said that they continue working on education and prevention. She said there will be a medication drop off at the CVS in North Beverly on April 26 th . Ms. Silverstein said in her non - school committee life she sits on the board at the North Shore Technical High School. She was a member of the Senior Portfolio Review board noting the Beverly students who will be going on to college. Mayor Cahill commented on the BHS hockey team championship game and how exciting it was to see the Garden "painted" in black and orange. He stated he will be attending the Hannah School 5 th grade play, "Alice in Wonderland" where his nephew Justin will play one of the cards. Mayor Cahill also commented on the high school play, "Joseph" and the talented Matt Gill. The Mayor said he was invited to read to the 1 St Regular Meeting April 9, 2014 Page 6 of 6 grade class at the North Beverly Elementary School remarking that he was more than impressed with the positive learning environment in Miss Connolly's class. Ms. Visnick said she attended Centerville's play "Annie" and went to the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) to view the high school's art work on display. She said that Beverly is the only one who has that arrangement with PEM. She also attended the All City Band Concert. Ms. Visnick reported that Mr. Bauer, Assistant Principal at BHS, her son Tyler Visnick and herself attended a composting program. She reminded everyone that Hannah's Science Fair is tomorrow and on May 1 St Centerville is having their "Walk to School Day". Mr. Manzo said he too attended the BHS hockey game, "Joseph and the Amazing Dreamcoat ", the band concert as well as many athletic events. He commented that the Centerville Science Fair was great. Mr. Manzo reported that he happened upon a presentation at Cell Signaling where he works. He said Beverly High School Assistant Principal Jenn DeStefano and Educator Patricia Dupray were explaining the wonderful things going on at the high school through the grant support provided by Cell Signaling. New Business Mr. Manzo said the School Committee and District will be holding a "Welcome Event" on April 28 for our new Superintendent Dr. Steven Hiersche — 3:30 to 4:30 for faculty and staff: 6:30 to 7:30 for the public and community in the Beverly High School Library. Opportunity for Questions from the Press — none Mr. Kavanagh made a motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Mr. Manzi and approved by a vote of 6:0. The meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Annemarie Cesa, Secretary Beverly School Committee