2018 10 10 School Committee MinutesBEVERLY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Regular School Committee Meeting
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Beverly City Hall — Council Chambers
Beverly, Massachusetts
A regular meeting of the Beverly School Committee was held on Wednesday, October 10, 2018, in
Beverly City Hall, Council Chambers.
Members Present: Rachael Abell, Paul Goodwin, Kris Silverstein, Lorinda Visnick, Kelley Ferretti,
Mayor Michael Cahill
Not in Attendance: John Mullady
Also in Attendance: Dr. Steven A. Hiersche, Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Suzanne Charochak,
Assistant Superintendent, Jean Sherburne, Director of Finance and Operations,
Bethany Splansky, Special Education and Student Services Director, Eliza
Michaels, Student Representative, Julia Brotherton, BHS, Betty Taylor, Principal
Beverly High School
Call to Order: Ms. Silverstein called the meeting to order at 7:08 p.m.
Pledge of Allegiance: Paul Goodwin led those assembled in the Pledge of Allegiance.
AGENDA
Recognitions of Students, Employees and Community Member
Kris Silverstein and Dr. Steven Hiersche along with Beverly High School Principal Betty Taylor
recognized Nathan Levin, Catherine Johnson, and Samantha Fafard for receiving the National Merit
Commended Scholarship award.
Dr. Hiersche, Ms. Silverstein, and Ms. Taylor recognized Marley Norton, Emily Pratt and Rory Devlin
who were chosen to receive the Certificate of Academic Excellence from the Massachusetts Association
of School Superintendents.
Dr. Hiersche, Ms. Silverstein, and Ms. Taylor also recognized Marley Norton who were chosen to receive
the National School Development Council Award for Academic Growth and Student Leadership in
Learning.
School Committee Recessed: 7:13 p.m.
School Committee Reconvened: 7:20 p.m.
Open Forum for Citizen Input into Non - Agenda - Related Items
None
Open Forum for Citizen Concerns or Citizen Input into Agenda - Related Item
None
Approval of Meeting Records
A motion was made by Kelley Ferretti to approve the minutes from the September 12, 2018, School
Committee meeting. The motion was seconded by Lorinda Visnick. Motion passed 5:0:1 (Abstain:
Mayor Cahill).
Items by Consensus
Dr. Hiersche recommended approval of the following warrants:
A. The Superintendent recommends the School Committee vote to approve Warrant #19008 in the
amount of $163,797.98.
B. The Superintendent recommends the School Committee vote to approve Warrant #19009 in the
amount of $255,427.06.
C. The Superintendent recommends the School Committee vote to approve Warrant #19010 in the
amount of $381,487.42.
D. The Superintendent recommends the School Committee vote to approve Warrant #19011 in the
amount of $479,192.78.
A motion was made by Rachael Abell to approve the warrants listed. The motion was seconded by Ms.
Visnick. Motion passed 6:0.
Report from Student Representative to the School Committee
Beverly High School Student Representative Eliza Michaels reported there was an ALICE drill held on
October 2 working with the Beverly Police Department, everything went as expected. A College Fair was
held on October 3 rd for both juniors and seniors. Eliza reported that freshman elections were also held on
October 3 Eliza reported that PSATs will be held on October 13 for both sophomores and juniors. There
will be a Homecoming dance for all grades on October 19 as well as the Beverly Highs Got Talent Show
on October 17 at 7 p.m. in the BHS Auditorium. Eliza stated that BHS summer reading projects and
artwork are currently on display at the Beverly Public Library. In addition, progress reports went live in the
ASPEN student information system on September 28 Eliza reported on upcoming fundraisers; Class of
2020 What's Brewin Saturday, October 20th, 20% of proceeds will go to BHS, Class of 2021 spinning
fundraiser will be held at Inner Cycle on Sunday, October 14 at 1 p.m., annual music department Fall
Yard Sale will be held outside the Beverly Middle School on Saturday, October 13 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m
Communication from School Committee Members
Ms. Visnick reported she had received interest from constituents who missed the original tour dates and
were interested in visiting the new middle school building. She had received feedback from parents
regarding transportation issues at the beginning of the school year. She reported that Walk to School Day
was a success and is hoping to hear more about the citywide Transportation Study and recent survey
results. In addition, Ms. Visnick has received some questions regarding MA Ballot Question #3 in regards
to Transgender accommodation issues. With a recent Transgender issue hitting nationwide news, Ms.
Visnick has received questions regarding clarification of Beverly Public Schools Policies and Procedures.
Ms. Abell reported she has heard from parents regarding communication and confusion regarding different
methods across the district. She went on to discuss constituent concerns regarding the emphasis on
technology and how the district is working towards a balance. She has referred the parent to Dr.
Charochak for further information. Ms. Abell also brought up parent concerns regarding transportation
time for the middle school's X- Country Team.
Ms. Ferretti reported that she attended the Cove PTO meeting and they are very excited about the
upcoming Science Fair on November 16 She also spoke about upcoming auction fundraisers for the
Citywide PTO. Ms. Ferretti reported that feedback has been positive regarding pick -up and drop -off at
Beverly Middle School.
Mr. Goodwin reported there were a few parent concerns regarding ALICE Training and communication. He
stated he recently attended the Hannah PTO meeting and their new website is now live.
Report from Superintendent Hiersche
1. Overnight Field Trip — BHS Model UN - MIT Cambridge, MA
Dr. Hiersche called on Julia Brotherton to present her overnight field trip Model United Nations at MIT,
Cambridge, MA, projected to take place on February 8 -10, 2019. She stated she has 12 slots available.
They will be using public transportation both into Boston and from the hotel to MIT.
A motion was made by Ms. Visnick to approve the overnight field trip to MIT, Cambridge, MA, projected
to take place in February 2019. The motion was seconded by Ms. Ferretti. Motion passed 6:0.
2. October 1 Enrollments
Dr. Hiersche reported on the October 1, 2018, enrollments district wide. Dr. Hiersche stated the October
enrollments are used to determine Chapter 70 funding. Enrollments are higher than last year with a total
enrollment for FY19 of 4,774 over FY18 enrollment of 4,699. Average class sizes K -8 are increasing,
with the highest spike at the 5 t " grade level. Mayor Cahill clarified that the 125 Preschools students are
represented in the Elementary enrollment total. Ms. Abell inquired about the number of sections at the 5 t "
and 6 t " grade level. Dr. Hiersche stated the 5 t " grade has 16 sections and the 6 t " grade has 14 sections.
3. Preliminary District Accountability Presentation
Dr. Hiersche called on Dr. Charochak to present on the new Massachusetts's District Accountability
System. She stated the information will be presented in two (2) parts. Tonight will cover general
information regarding the statewide changes and next week district principals will report on their
individual schools.
Dr. Charochak reported that the new system is based on certain defined Indicators that provide
information about the student and school performance. A school's performance will be compared against
designated Improvement Targets as well as other schools across the state. The new system will focus
on the raising the performance of the lowest performing students.
Dr. Charochak spoke in depth about each of these new Accountability Indicators and how they are
derived. She stated the new Indicators are different for K -8 and high schools. She also stated that with
so many changes, historical data is not comparable.
Ms. Visnick inquired about how the district targets are set. Dr. Charochak stated the targets were set
based on past performance and she felt the targets set were fair overall. She stated as the system
progresses, targets will change based on the data.
Ms. Abell inquired about whether the targets set for 3 rd and 4 t " grades consider the grade configuration
change with the new middle school. Dr. Charochak stated the largest change will be that the growth
target will only span one (1) year rather than two (2) years. Ms. Abell inquired about the limited scope in
testing at the elementary level and Dr. Charochak clarified that MCAS testing is only one piece of data
used to determine school performance. The district has very robust district developed set of benchmark
assessments across the curriculum.
Ms. Abell inquired about Chronic Absenteeism accountability indicator in Beverly. Dr. Charochak agreed
the score is not where the district wants to be, however, this opens the door for discussion on how to
improve this group.
Mayor Cahill asked about the categorization of schools and the fact that those schools with less than
95% participation will automatically be classified as needing focus /targeted support. He inquired how
hard it was to meet the 95% participation criteria. Dr. Charochak stated for the aggregate it is not difficult
but for small target groups it can come down to three (3) or four (4) students. She spoke directly about
the middle school ELL (English Language Learners) student subgroup as an example. She stated that
early reporting showed the group to be at 93% participation. However, upon review of those students not
required to take the assessment due to their 1 st year ELL status, the subgroup was up to 96%
participation.
Report from School Committee President, Kris Silverstein
Action Items
1. Dorothy Presser, MASC — Primer on Superintendent Searches
Ms. Silverstein introduced Dorothy Presser from the MASC. She spoke about the choices the Committee
will have in hiring a new Superintendent. She stated the Committee may appoint a Superintendent, open
the search to internal candidates only, or open the search to external candidates. She went on to
discuss the pros and cons of all three options. Ms. Presser spoke about the participation of the
community and their influence on the process. She went on to discuss the current climate of the
Superintendent pool. On average, most applicants are not current sitting Superintendents. The
Committee should consider in this case, that external candidates would be learning the job as well as the
district while internal candidates would only be learning the job.
Ms. Silverstein inquired if a community forum is a good place to start the process. Ms. Presser stated
many districts begin with online surveys as well as community focus groups. MASC would then help the
district compile the information in order to create a list of Superintendent qualifications that meet the
district goals.
Ms. Abell inquired the potential of a nationwide search. Ms. Presser reported that historically committees
that do a national search end up hiring someone within their state. It is particularly difficult for candidates
to relocate to Massachusetts due tight regulations as well as the ability to transfer pensions between
other states. Often candidates willing to relocate have retired, looking to extend their careers and are not
usually long term candidates.
Ms. Ferretti inquired about how to decide on community focus groups members. Ms. Presser stated that
typically there are multiple focus groups geared towards a particular group of stakeholders such as
parents /community members, teachers /administrators, etc. This generally encourages more open
conversations.
Mr. Goodwin inquired about the effects on the search if beginning with an internal vs. external search.
Ms. Presser confirmed that beginning with an external search with potential internal candidates can have
a negative effect on the external candidates that choose to apply. Ms. Presser stated that often the
districts that start with an external search know they do not have an internal candidate. Mr. Goodwin
inquired about Superintendent Search services offered through MASC. Ms. Presser stated that since the
district was a MASC member, they would be available to answer questions if the district were stewarding
the search on their own. However, MASC can also provide consulting services that run the search and
handle all the administrative tasks involved. These fees would range from $15K -100K.
Ms. Silverstein stated that through her experience the committee would first interview potential
consultants. She stated they often vary widely in both cost and services they provide. The
Superintendent search is a lot of work for the committee and she is expecting them to vote on which
direction they want to go at the next Committee of the Whole meeting on Wednesday, October 17, 2018.
Mayor Cahill inquired about non - traditional candidates that are seen in the Superintendent candidate
pools. Ms. Presser stated non - traditional candidates are relatively infrequent but typically may come
from a company that works in the education field or those that have a Charter School background. She
confirmed that the typical pool consists of Superintendents, Assistant Superintendents, and Principals.
2. 2019 Spring School Committee Schedule
Ms. Silverstein presented the Spring 2019 School Committee Schedule for discussion and vote.
A motion was made by Ms. Abell to approve the Spring 2019 School Committee Schedule as presented.
The motion was seconded by Ms. Ferretti. Motion passed 6:0.
3. Naming Delegate and Resolutions
Ms. Silverstein reported she had provided the Committee with information regarding the Massachusetts Association
of School Committee's (MASC) Voting and Resolutions. She stated that the committee would need to vote to
appoint a delegate for the annual MASC business meeting in November.
A motion was made by Mayor Cahill to nominate Ms. Visnick as the MASC delegate with Ms. Silverstein
as the alternate. The motion was seconded by Mr. Goodwin. Motion passed 5:0:1. (Visnick abstained)
Informational Items
4. Directive to Delegate to Vote on MASC Resolutions
The committee then discussed the nine resolutions that Ms. Visnick would be voting for on their behalf with the
following results:
Resolution 1: Rejecting the Arming of Educators — Vote Yes
Resolution 2: Small & Rural Districts — Abstain
Resolution 3:
Elimination of the Federal Dept. of Ed — Vote Yes
Resolution 4:
Regional School Transportation — Vote Yes
Resolution 5:
Reporting & Accountability Standards — Vote Yes
Resolution 6:
Reproductive Health Education — Vote Yes
Resolution 7:
Gender Identity Inclusive Athletic Participation Policy — Vote Yes
Resolution 8: Sports Wagering — Vote Yes
Resolution 9: Access to Information for Parent and Student Who are Clients of Sped — Vote Yes
Proposal to Amend MASC By -Laws — Vote Yes
Committee Reports
A. Standing Committee on Finance & Facilities
Rachael Abell, Chairperson
Ms. Abell reported that the Finance and Facilities Committee last met on September 26, 2018. The
committee worked to continue their review of the Building Rental Policy.
Ms. Abell stated she was bringing forward the following for approval.
Upon the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Finance and Facilities a motion was
made by Ms. Visnick to approve the Gifts to Schools —June 15 - August, 2018, itemized below,
totaling $11,372.00. The motion was seconded by Ms. Abell. Motion passed 6:0.
Gifts to Schools - June 15th - August 2018
Beverly High School
$ 500.00
BHS PTO
PEM Transportation
$ 750.00
Beverly Education foundation
Theater Tech nology & Design Seminar Series
$ 1,000.00
Beverly Education Foundation
Tools for Science Classrooms
$ 450.00
Beverly Education Foundation
PEM Field Trips
Beverly Middle School
$ 900.00
Beverly Education Foundation
Mass Children's Book Award
$ 992.00
Beverly Education Foundation
Engineering / Robotiu
Cove Elementary School
$ 300.00 Beverly Education Foundation Watershed Ecology Program
Hannah Elementary School
$ 400.00
Beverly Education Foundation
Breakout EDU / Learning Games Platform
$ 350.00
Beverly Education Foundation
Hooray for Health
$ 500.00
Beverly Education Foundation
Kindergarten Sensory Garden
$ 450.00
Beverly Education Foundation
Maker Movement Initiative
$ 500.00
Beverly Education Foundation
Creating a Novel Engineering Library
$ 1,497.00
Cell Signaling
School Wide
$ 400.00
Hannah PTO
Breakout EDU / Learning Games Platform
$ 499.00
Hannah PTO
Mystery Science
North Beverly Elementary School
$ 800.00
Beverly Education Foundation
Family Night Math
$ 323.00
Beverly Education Foundation
Ellis Square Lunch Initiative
Beverly Preschool
$ 761.00
Beverly Education Foundation
Harvest Unit - Creating Lenguage & Learning
Opportunitiesfor YOUng Children
$ 11,372.00 Total
Upon the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Finance and Facilities a motion was
made by Ms. Visnick to approve the attached EOY 2018 Transfers. The motion was seconded
by Mr. Goodwin. Motion passed 6:0.
3. Upon the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Finance and Facilities a motion was
made by Mayor Cahill to approve the request for an additional Preschool Teacher and
Paraprofessional at the McKeown Preschool. The motion was seconded by Kelley Ferretti.
Motion passed 6:0.
Ms. Abell reported that the next meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 24, 2018, at 6:30 p.m.
at the Beverly Middle School.
B. Standing Committee on Curriculum, Instruction and Student Life
Paul Goodwin, Chairperson
Mr. Goodwin reported that the Curriculum, Instruction, and Student Life meeting Scheduled for
October 3, 2018, was cancelled. The next meeting of the Curriculum, Instruction, and Student Life
meeting is scheduled for November 7, 2018, at the Beverly Middle School at 7:00 p.m.
C. Negotiations Subcommittee
John Mulladv, Chairperson
D. Policy Review Subcommittee
Rachael Abell, Chairperson
Ms. Abell reported there is no meeting scheduled at this time.
E. Safety Committee Summary
Kelley Ferretti
Ms. Ferretti reported that efforts are ongoing and moving along appropriately. Mayor Cahill stated
the building principals have the results of the citywide traffic report and would share the results with
committee members.
Community Engagement
Ms. Abell reported that the Fall Frolic and Mom -Ball Tournament fundraisers were great to attend. She
stated her favorite community engagement activity was the Walk on the Ryal Side. She stated that
student participation was high and everyone enjoyed themselves.
Ms. Ferretti reiterated the success of the events mentioned by Ms. Abell and congratulated the Centerville
Elementary team as the winner of the Mom -Ball Tournament. Ms. Visnick reminded the committee that it
would be great to have members attend school PTO meetings. She reminded the committee of the
Beverly Education Foundation (BevEd) Distinguished Speaker Series on Monday, October 22, 2018 with
Mr. Bill Cummings.
Ms. Silverstein spoke about the Summer Reading Projects currently on display at the Beverly Library and
she went on to mention the success of the Dr. Ruth Potee presentation, "Teen Brain Under Construction,"
which spoke to the effects of vaping, drugs, and alcohol.
Adjourn
A motion was made by Ms. Ferretti to adjourn the School Committee meeting. The motion was
seconded by Ms. Abell. Motion passed 6:0. The Meeting adjourned at 9:05 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Rachael Abell, Secretary
Beverly School Committee
Documents Reviewed at the meeting
Minutes for approval: Regular School Committee Meeting, September 12, 2018
Overnight Field Trip: BHS - MIT, Cambridge, MA
October 1, 2018 Enrollments
Assessment and District Accountability Data
2019 Spring School Committee Schedule
MASC Resolutions
Primer on Superintendent Searches
EOY 2018 Transfers
Gifts to Schools: June 15 - August, 2018
Request for Additional Preschool Teacher and Paraprofessional