Minutes 2014-10-14.pdf - Laserfiche WebLink

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f. Current Enrollment Report and Class of 2019 Recruitment Update,Jack Dillon Admissons Director Jack Dillon compared numbers from 2011 to the present on total enrollment,9th graders entering the building, students from member town and non-member towns,numbers of withdrawn students,and numbers who declined acceptance. He noted that usually the reason for withdrawal or declining acceptance is due to parental consideration of what is best for their child,and he emphasized that from his experience,he's heard nothing negative about the school itself. He referenced the parent survey sent earlier in the day to gather more data.He noted various events,including Freshman Orientation in August,Information Nights in September, Open Houses in November and January,and extended Shadow Days,December-March.The value of personal phone calls to parents, and mailings to 8th grade parents were discussed,as was the negative impact of the SOLVED Collaborative on enrollment. Commendation was extended for the content and visual impact of the materials distributed at some of these events. Competition between Superintendents who do not want their towns to lose funding was raised,as was the issue of recent bad publicity about Minuteman. It was suggested that parents may not be willing to talk about Minuteman being perceived as a school"in transition"and"administratively dysfunctional"as reasons for not sending their child here. Mr.Dillon noted that some member communities have high schools listed among the top 35 in Massachusetts,and if parents are paying taxes in those communities,why not send their children to the local high school. The member from Lincoln concurred,noting Lincoln-Sudbury High School as a"palace". The length of time it has taken to address a new building at Minuteman,and cutting back on programs here were cited as disadvantageous to enrollment. The member from Bolton pointing out that his daughter,a student at Minuteman, often accompanies Mr.Dillon to these recruitment events,and he is aware of the hard work of Mr.Dillon and his team.It was pointed out that the School Committee members have received some information about events,and their attendance can be helpful to support recruitment efforts. At this point,at 8:45 PM, the member from Arlington expressed concern about the length of the meetings. She suggested taking up the priority issues first,and noted that longer meetings are not better meetings. She also pointed out that the School Committee is a policy-making body,and that while there's a lot going on educationally in a school,the School Committee meetings are not the place to do it all. The Chair explained that the School Committee meets once a month,and that there are many distractions that take the Committee off task. g. Update on Regional Agreement and Possible Vote The Assistant Superintendent explained that since the Town Meeting votes in the spring,discussions have been underway on next steps regarding the Regional Agreement. He explained that a subgroup of the town administrators has been meeting to discuss intermunicipal agreements,and they are developing proposals. He further explained that the Superintendent is recommending a Task Force be established to address the communications efforts needed to engage the towns that passed over the vote. The Vice-Chair read the proposed vote on this Task Force,and a motion was made(Flood)and seconded(O'Connor)to consider it. It was determined that there was not enough clarity,in the absence of the Superintendent,and a replacement motion was made (Spalding)and seconded(O'Connor). The following vote was taken: ACTION 2014#98 Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Manjarrez) To table this item on the Regional Agreement Task Force Vote:Unanimous 6. SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE REPORT,Ford Spalding a. Membership Update The Chair of the School Building Committee explained that in response to his invitation,he received recommendations for two additional members,both of whom are well-qualified to serve. The following vote was then taken: ACTION 2014#99 Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Castagno) To approve the recommendation of Ryan McNutt,Town Administrator Lancaster, and Michael Majors, Vice-Chair Finance Committee Acton,to serve as voting members of the School Building Committee Vote: Unanimous 4