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2014-01-30 Minutes Minutes Town of Lexington Appropriation Committee January 30,2014 : ParkerRoom,Town OfficeBuilding,7:30p.m. :John Bartenstein, Vice Chair and Secretary; Mollie Garberg;Alan Levine; Susan McLeish;Eric Michelson; Rob Addelson (non-voting, ex officio) Members Absent:Glenn Parker, Chair; Robert Cohen; Richard Neumeier; Jonina Schonfeld Others Present:Mary Ellen Dunn, Assistant Superintendent, Lexington Public Schools (LPS); Ian Dailey,Budget Officer, LPS; Margaret Coppe, Chair, Lexington School Committee The meetingwas calledto order at 7:37p.m. Minutes: 1.A motion was made and seconded to accept the January 23, 2014minutes with minor editspresented by Mr. Levine. The motion passed. VOTE: 5-0 Discussion of School Department FY2015 Budget: 2.Ms. Dunn gave a presentation based on slides that areavailable on the School Department’s website http://lps.lexingtonma.org/cms/lib2/MA01001631/Centricity/Domain/365/FY15.Budget.Supt.Pre sentation.2014-01-07.pdf.The current Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 budgetrequest representsa 6.82% increase above the FY2014 budgetrequest. Inthe TownManager’s revenue allocation model for FY 2015, the schools were allocated a 7.63% increase. TheSchool Committee isstill deliberating onthe school budgetand willholda public hearing on the budget onSaturday, February 1, 2014. Input from that meeting will be discussed at the School Committee’s February thth 4meeting, and the School Committee plans to vote on a final budget on February 11. Mr. Addelson noted that any available funds not used by either the School Department or onthe municipal side are likely to be put into the Capital Project/Debt Service Stabilization Fund. Those funds would not be earmarked. Ms. Dunn identified the School Department’sthree main goals; plans to achieve those goals include additional staff as well as program and administrative changes, as follows: Advance academic excellence: Includes overhauling the evaluation of teachers to meet state requirements; curriculum reviews to prepare for changes in the state testing program;expandingthe special education Intensive Learning Program into the High School; and expanding technical and instructional support. Promote social and emotional wellness: Includes expanding the Therapeutic Learning Programs for special needs students with emotional or behavioral needs; and increasing social worker availability. Ensure infrastructurethat supports school and district needs: Includes reorganizing various administrative structures and improving communications with school and district constituencies. During the discussion, Ms. Dunn added,usuallyin response to questions,that 1