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Home My WebLink AboutFINAL SC Minutes April 7 2020 _1_.pdf FINAL April 7,2020 MINUTES MINUTEMAN REGIONAL VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL DISTRICT REGULAR SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING APRIL 7, 2020 6.30 PM VIA REMOTE PARTICIPATION Present: Jeff Stulm, Vice-Chair(Needham) Dave Horton, Secretary(Lexington) Jim Gammill (Belmont) Alice DeLuca(Stow) Steve LeDoux (Concord) Ford Spalding(Dover) David O'Connor(Bolton) Jennifer Leone (Lancaster) Sue Sheffler(Arlington) Absent: Pam Nourse, Chair(Acton) Weighted Vote: Weighted Vote present at start of meeting. 55.16% Others Present: Dr Robert Gerardi, Dr Amy Perreault, George Clement, Michelle Shepard, Victor Woodruffe, Dan O'Brien and Julia Pisegna 1 CALL TO ORDER OPEN SESSION Jeff Stulin, Vice-Chair, reported that due to the absence of Pam Nourse, he will be acting Chair for this meeting and then called the meeting to order at 6 32 p m 2. ADOPTION OF REMOTE PARTICIPATION VOTE: To adopt remote participation by all members of this Minuteman School Committee pursuant to and in accordance with Sections (2) and (3) of the Executive Order Suspending Certain Provisions of the Open Meeting Law made by the Governor of Massachusetts on March 12, 2020, such adoption to be effective until said Executive Order is rescinded or the Commonwealth's State of Emergency as referenced in said Executive Order, is terminated, whichever happens first ACTION 2020#28 Moved(Leone) and seconded(LeDoux) To approve the adoption of remote participation, as presented VOTE 7 members in room at time of vote Weighted Vote present 55 16% Weight needed. >27 58% 1 Names of towns opposing or abstaining none Final percentage results of vote. 55 16% Roll call Stulin (Needham) Yes Gammill (Belmont) Yes Leone (Lancaster)Yes DeLuca(Stow)Yes LeDoux (Concord)Yes Spalding (Dover)Yes O'Connor(Bolton) Yes (Ms Sheffler joined the meeting at 6 36 p m) (Dr Bouquillon joined the meeting at 6 36 p m) 3. CHAIR'S REPORT,Jeff Stulin a. Comments for the Good of the Organization Mr Stulin reviewed all attendees present on the Zoom meeting and noted the importance of one person speaking at a time and that all votes taken will be done by roll call Mr. Stulin shared his thoughts on the work of the district from switching to remote learning, both as a teacher and as a School Committee member, and thanked the administration and staff for the incredible work being done with remote learning under these difficult circumstances in the light of the pandemic. Dr Bouquillon discussed issues with using Zoom for a platform for hosting meetings, and introduced Victor Woodruffe, Director of Technology, who shared details for the possibility of using Teams as a platform for future events Mr Stulin noted that the agenda would be taken out of order 6. DIRECTOR OF FINANCE'S REPORT,Dr.Robert Gerardi b FY19 Budget Audit Presentation—Sheryl Stephens Burke of Melanson Heath Dr Gerardi introduced Sheryl Stephens Burke of Melanson Heath and shared that he was very pleased that there was no Management Letter, no significant deficiencies or material weaknesses reported in the governance letter. Ms Stephens Burke presented the FY19 financial statements and summarized the highlights of the key reports and reviewed the independent auditor's report, management discussion and analysis section, government-wide financial statements and standards, the impact of long-term assets and liabilities, net pension liabilities, and the net OPEB liability. She also discussed the general and revolving funds, tuitions, and the general fund budget versus actual page which compares the final general fund budget to the actual results Ms. Stephens Burke pointed out that there was no Management Letter for FY19, that the audit process went very well, and that the district did not meet the threshold for a single audit 2 Following her presentation, she responded to questions that there were no concerns discovered during the audit process this year, the timing of the audit, non-major government funds, and the Health Care Trust Fund. Mr Gammill noted that the Finance Committee did not have an opportunity to review the audit and may have future questions relative to the audit. c Transportation Contract Update Dr Gerardi reviewed the bidding process followed for student transportation and reported that two bids were received. NRT and C&W, the current vendor for the district, and detailed the protest issues Due to the filing of a formal protest and both bids coming in substantially above the budgeted amount for transportation in FY21, he is recommending that the School Committee vote to reject both bids, begin the process again, with the hope of a new bid coming in closer or under the projected FY21 transportation budget Dr. Bouquillon reiterated that the bids were over budget and they need to be rejected. Mr Gammill noted that this item has been discussed in the Finance Committee meeting ACTION 2020#29 Moved (Leone) and seconded(LeDoux) To reject both bids received from NRT and C&W transportation companies on the School Transportation Bid NO 20-03 Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School District dated February 26, 2020 VOTE: 8 members in room at time of vote Weighted Vote present. 77 48% Weight needed. > 38.74% Names of towns opposing or abstaining none Final percentage results of vote 77 48% Final status of the vote. Unanimous Stulin (Needham) Yes Sheffler(Arlington) Yes Leone (Lancaster)Yes DeLuca(Stow)Yes Gammill (Belmont) Yes O'Connor(Bolton)Yes LeDoux (Concord)Yes Spalding(Dover) Yes (Mr Horton joined the meeting at 7 10 p m) 3 d. Discussion of Possible 1/12 Budget Dr Gerardi shared that per the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, if the Annual Town Meetings are not held before July 1st, the Commissioner would provide the operating budgets for regional schools districts on a 1/12 budget basis, and that all non-resident tuitions must be paid to school districts Dr Gerardi noted that this item is for informational purposes only and that a vote by the School Committee is not needed He will continue to update members as additional information is received 4. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT,Dr Edward Bouquillon a Remote Learning Plan Dr Bouquillon provided information on the remote learning plan to Committee members in their packet and shared that the work being done by the administration is phenomenal and the district continues to move forward for work that is right for the students Dr Bouquillon also noted that the materials for the Superintendent's Evaluation will be sent out shortly Ms Leone shared the process for the Superintendent's Evaluation, the goal will be for the survey to be sent to Committee members before the next School Committee meeting, then the Subcommittee will meet to review the evaluations, and a recommendation will be brought before the Committee for a vote Ms DeLuca shared that there should be a section added noting that this has been an unusual year and that the Superintendent and his team have taken on extra work in light of the pandemic Dr Bouquillon provided an update on enrollment noting that 173 member-town students have committed to Minuteman, as well as 9 out-of-district students, for a grand total of 182 freshman students and an overall enrollment next fall of 642 students 5 PRINCIPAL'S REPORT, George Clement a. None 7 SCHOOL BUILDING REPORT, Ford Spalding a. Prosect Update • Punch List Item Update • Photovoltaic System Update Mr. Spalding shared that the demolition of the old building is complete, materials continue to be sorted and moved offsite He noted that the carpenters' union and other unions are on a stop work order by the Governor due to COVID-19, which could have an effect on the punch list items. Currently, there are 195 punch list items ready for inspection, 88 items open, and 46 4 have not been approved, noting that 25% of these open items are on hold until spring vacation and the warmer weather Mr Spalding also shared with Committee members that the installation of the theater netting will take place the week of April 20th, and a final Certificate of Occupancy will be received the week of April 27th. a Photovoltaic System Update Dr Bouquillon updated members on the status of the photovoltaic system project and reported that there is a potential partner working on gathering more details on the project, and that the program for cost benefits for public entities installing solar projects may improve significantly in the few weeks for potentially more reimbursement for kilowatt hours, and that the analysis of working with a partner and/or district ownership is being vetted. Mr Gammill noted that the Finance Subcommittee has discussed this and he is in favor of the canopy plan as it is the design currently in place and that district ownership could be as advantageous as finding a partner due to the value of the private sector tax benefits Dr Bouquillon will update members on new developments as we continue to work to accomplish our LEED Silver certification and 2%reimbursement rate b Athletic Fields Update Dr Bouquillon provided Committee members a draft summary of the Capital Projects 2020- 2025, noting that the estimates are very conservative based on the information that we know currently, and highlighted the three priority projects. 1) Completion of the north building to accommodate the metal fabrication curriculum, 2) Completion of the photovoltaic system, and 3) Completion of the athletic facilities phase one The three priority projects, including the photovoltaic system, is approximately $8M, and discussed further the projected project revenue of $1 9M retained from the building project, potential additional project revenue of approximately $825,000, the savings each year if we had our own fields by eliminating the cost of field rental and the cost of transportation to/from those fields of approximately $65,000 per year, as well as potential revenue of approximately $150,000 from renting the phase one athletic fields. Dr. Bouquillon noted that this was for discussion purposes only and a vote was not needed at this time He will continue to update members as more information becomes available Mr. Spalding shared the importance of making these decisions and putting a plan in place fairly quickly so that we can have a final vote at the May or June School Committee meeting, and reiterated the need for athletic fields for the students 5 8. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS a. Finance Subcommittee—Jim Gammill Mr. Gammill shared that most of the items discussed at the last Finance Committee meeting have been discussed and voted on during this School Committee meeting, but noted the need for our legislators to reconsider the Chapter 70 grant and that a letter was drafted for Dr Bouquillon's review. Dr Bouquillon shared that he felt the letter was appropriate and is comfortable sending it Ms DeLuca shared that while she liked the letter, she noted one section that she felt could be made more positive. Mr. Gammill agreed that an edit would be appropriate. b Policy Subcommittee—Alice DeLuca Ms DeLuca shared with Committee members the work the team had done on its goal of creating a method of archiving materials for continuity and an easier way to manage them and that Mr. Gammill has developed a text-based GitHub platform repository and that moving forward it could be used as a more high-tech manner for the policy manual which allows for version control and future changes and updates 1 DBACM. Annual Capital Maintenance Policy VOTE: To approve DBACM. Annual Capital Maintenance Policy for Second Reading, as presented ACTION 2020#30 Moved (Leone) and seconded(DeLuca) To approve DBACM Annual Capital Maintenance Policy for Second Reading, as presented VOTE: 9 members in room at time of vote Weighted Vote present. 90.2% Weight needed >45 1% Names of towns opposing or abstaining none Final percentage results of vote. 90.2% Final status of the vote Unanimous Roll Call. O'Connor(Bolton) Yes Horton(Lexington) Yes Stulin (Needham) Yes Gammill (Belmont) Yes Sheffler(Arlington)Yes DeLuca(Stow)Yes Leone (Lancaster)Yes Spalding(Dover) Yes LeDoux (Concord)Yes 6 Dr Bouquillon shared two items with Committee members 1) The remote Geek out-help desk is in place and has been very busy assisting students and families learning offline and remotely and resolving their computer issues, 2) The Massachusetts Reading Association recognized Minuteman as an exemplary reading award winner! We were the last school that the team visited and they were so impressed with us that they awarded it to both an elementary school and Minuteman 9. SECRETARY'S REPORT,Dave Horton a. Approval of Draft Minutes of March 10, 2020, as amended, and the following vote was taken ACTION 2020#31 Moved(Horton) and seconded(Leone) To approve the draft minutes of March 10, 2020, as amended VOTE: 9 members in room at time of vote Weighted Vote present 90 2% Weight needed. >45.1% Names of towns opposing or abstaining Needham Final percentage results of vote 90 2% Final status of the vote. Passed Roll Call O'Connor(Bolton) Yes Horton(Lexington) Yes Stulin (Needham) Yes Gammill (Belmont) Yes Sheffler(Arlington)Yes DeLuca(Stow)Yes Leone (Lancaster)Yes Spalding(Dover)Yes LeDoux (Concord)Yes 10. EXECUTIVE SESSION Dr Bouquillon reviewed the instructions for entering into Executive Session remotely VOTE: To enter into Executive Session as follows and not return to Open Session. To consider the purchase, exchange, lease or value of real property if the Chair declares that an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the negotiating position of the public body ACTION 2020#32 Moved(Stulm) and seconded(Sheffler) To enter into Executive Session as follows and not return to Open Session VOTE: 9 members in room at time of vote Weighted Vote present. 90.2% Weight needed >45 1% 7 Names of towns opposing or abstaining none Final percentage results of vote- 90 2% Roll Call O'Connor(Bolton) Yes Horton(Lexington)Yes Stulin (Needham) Yes Gammill (Belmont) Yes Sheffler(Arlington) Yes DeLuca(Stow) Yes Leone (Lancaster)Yes LeDoux (Concord) Yes Spalding(Dover)Yes Final status of the vote Unanimous 11. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the School Committee took the following vote ACTION 2020#33 Moved(Leone) and seconded(Spalding) To adjourn the meeting at 7 48 PM VOTE: 9 members in room at time of vote Weighted Vote present- 90 2% Weight needed >45 1% Names of towns opposing or abstaining none Final percentage results of vote- 90 2% Final status of the vote. Unanimous Roll Call Stulin(Needham) Yes Horton(Lexington) Yes Sheffler(Arlington) Yes Gammill (Belmont) Yes Leone (Lancaster)Yes DeLuca(Stow)Yes LeDoux (Concord)Yes Spalding(Dover) Yes O'Connor(Bolton) Yes Respectfully submitted, Julia Pisegna Dave Horton District Assistant Secretary 8