Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutFINAL SC Minutes June 9 2020 _1_.pdf FINAL MINUTES MINUTEMAN REGIONAL VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL DISTRICT REGULAR SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING JUNE 9, 2020 6.30 P M VIA REMOTE PARTICIPATION Present. Pam Nourse, Chair(Acton) Jeff Stulin, Vice-Chair(Needham) Dave Horton, Secretary(Lexington) Alice DeLuca(Stow) Steve LeDoux (Concord) Ford Spalding(Dover) Sue Sheffler(Arlington) Jim Gammill (Belmont) Jennifer Leone (Lancaster) Absent Dave O'Connor(Bolton) Weighted Vote. Weighted Vote present at start of meeting. 82.10% Others Present. Dr. Edward Bouquillon, Dr. Robert Gerardi, Dr. Amy Perreault, Cheryl Mixon, Kevin Mahoney, George Clement, Heather Plater, Brian Tildsley, and Julia Pisegna 1. CALL TO ORDER. OPEN SESSION The Chair called the meeting to order at 6 35 p m 2. ADOPTION OF REMOTE PARTICIPATION VOTE. To adopt remote participation by all members of the 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made by the Governor of Massachusetts on March 12, 2020, such adoption to be effective until said Executive Order is rescinded or the Commonwealth's State of Emergency as referenced in said Executive Order, is terminated, whichever happens first ACTION 2020 #28 Moved(Stulm) and seconded(Horton) To approve remote participation 1 VOTE 8 members in room at time of vote Weighted Vote present 82 10% Weight needed >41 05% Names of towns opposing or abstaining none Final percentage results of vote• 82 10% Final status of the vote Unanimous Roll Call Pam Nourse, Chair(Acton) Sue Sheffler(Arlington) Jim Gammill (Belmont) Steve LeDoux (Concord) Ford Spalding(Dover) Dave Horton, Secretary(Lexington) Jeff Stulm, Vice-Chair(Needham) Alice DeLuca(Stow) 2 CHAIR'S REPORT, Pam Nourse a For the Good of the Organization Ms Nourse confirmed with members that the date of the next School Committee meeting will be Tuesday, June 23rd at 6 30 p m, followed by the July 14th meeting which will be the annual reorganization and election of officers meeting. Ms Nourse thanked Dr Bouquillon and the administration for the wonderful graduation ceremony held for the students Mr Spalding shared that it was the best graduation he has attended and that all students and their families had a great time 3 SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT, Dr Edward Bouquillon a Opening of School Update (Fall and Summer) Dr Bouquillon reported that DESE has provided some guidance on the opening of school, PPE requirements, and the social distancing guidelines to follow The District is currently planning for a week on/week off, half day/every day schedule with formats for 9-11 students and 10-12 students which focuses on core academics and the needs of students, and shared that he is confident that the District will be prepared so that families can feel assured they are sending their students back to a safe environment Dr Bouquillon will continue to update Committee members when the schedule and plan are complete. 2 b Appointment of Attendance Officer Dr. Bouquillon provided members in their packet with information from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and laws relative to the requirement for Districts to have an Attendance Officer, and he recommended Cheryl Mixon Dr Bouquillon shared that Ms. Mixon currently deals with students and attendance issues and noted that the position includes a stipend in the amount of$5,000 per year Ms Mixon shared her responsibilities of working with the teachers, administration and students when attendance issues arise,but noted the importance of contact with students, especially under the current situation and remote learning. ACTION 2020 #29 Moved (Spalding) and seconded(Sheffler) To appoint Cheryl Mixon as Attendance Officer for the District VOTE 8 members in room at time of vote Weighted Vote present. 82 10% Weight needed. >41.05% Names of towns opposing or abstaining none Final percentage results of vote 82 10% Final status of the vote. Unanimous Roll Call Pam Nourse, Chair(Acton) Sue Sheffler(Arlington) Jim Gammill(Belmont) Steve LeDoux (Concord) Ford Spalding(Dover) Dave Horton, Secretary(Lexington) Jeff Stulm, Vice-Chair(Needham) Alice DeLuca(Stow) (Ms Leone joined the meeting at 6 47 p m) c School Building Prosect—Ford Spalding i Project Update Dr Bouquillon provided an update as follow • Punch List Item Update - 100 punch list items remain • Certificate of Occupancy(CO)Update - The final Certificate of Occupancy is waiting on final plantings which will be completed in the next week. • Photovoltaic System Update - The photovoltaic system on the roof of the building is moving forward Dr Bouquillon noted that a Letter of Intent has 3 been signed with a new company and secures $2 M LEED incentives for the District Mr Gammill noted that the Finance Committee has reviewed the analysis of the proposal of the previous company, and he encouraged the administration to make certain that the terms were as favorable as could be negotiated Dr Bouquillon noted that Ms Greenblatt had completed her analysis ii Athletic Fields Update and Presentation Moved(Spalding) and seconded(Stulin) VOTE to authorize the expenditure of $5,965,000 for the purpose of constructing three (3) synthetic turf athletic fields, including equipment, scoreboards, fencing, portable bleachers and all related general and administrative costs as the base scope of work, and further, that the construction documents include as an add/alternate the scope of work to include field lighting in each field, and further as a 2nd add/alternate the scope of work to include a track and related infrastructure. To fund the base contract, the School Committee authonzes the actions listed below. • Use of $3,700,000 of available funds from the school building project account, • Authorize the use of $555,000 from the Facilities Rental Revolving account; • Authorize the use of $1,215,000 from the Capital Stabilization account, subject to approval of funding included in the FY21 Budget • To amend the FY21 budget to appropriate the sum of$495,000 to be raised from the collection of FY21 capital fees for a total of$5,965,000 Further, authorize to move forward on an add/alternate scope of work subject to review and funding by the School Committee Dr Bouquillon shared the PowerPoint presentation on the fields with Committee members Heather Plater, Director of Athletics, presented an overview of enrollment and student interest in Minuteman athletics, noting the importance of athletics for prospective students, as well as the social-emotional growth of students which builds confidence, self-esteem, relationships, teamwork, and health and wellness skills The District continues to offer no- cut, no-user fees to all athletic programs. The added fields would strengthen the existing teams and add capacity for additional teams for girls, and allows the District to meet the Title IX threshold of having little to no gender equity gaps in opportunities for males and females Ms Plater reviewed the number of students participating in sports and also highlighted the recommended field project (#6) which supports fall/spring boys and girls soccer, football, and potentially girls field hockey, as well as boys baseball, girls softball, boys lacrosse and potentially girls lacrosse 4 Mr Spalding then shared the strong desire from local organizations to rent the athletic space The District has confirmed that 12 area organizations are interested in renting the athletic fields and reviewed an independent analysis for the potential annual field rental revenue of $400,000 to $500,000, as well as rental opportunities for graduations, tournaments and summer camps. Dr. Bouquillon noted that the temporary loss of Arlington High School fields presents another potential opportunity for modest revenue in support of a member Town Mr Spalding discussed the options which were reviewed which included Option 1 —Natural open meadow, Option 2 — Natural open lawn, Option 3 — Synthetic turf field with lawn, Option 4 — Synthetic turf field with track and lawn, Option 5 — three multi-sport synthetic fields (no track), and the preferred option — Option 6 — three synthetic fields — one each for multiuse, softball, and baseball. Mr Spalding reviewed the field construction options and estimated the project cost for each of the options no 1-6, and recommended option no 6 with an estimated project cost of $5,965,000 Brian Tildsley, Assistant Principal and Varsity Football and Lacrosse Coach, discussed the growing demand for girls lacrosse and field hockey, and shared that Minuteman remains competitive in recruitment and the admissions process. He also listed the many uses for the fields during physical education class Ms DeLuca addressed a point of order noting that this vote was included in an email to Committee members this afternoon, the vote does not appear on the agenda, and the entire Committee is not present, and seeing that the vote was not properly noticed and the magnitude of the vote, it would be best to have the whole Committee present to support it Dr. Bouquillon noted that a motion was made and seconded. The Committee has the option to vote on the item or table the item to a future meeting Ms Nourse suggested that the presentation continue, and the matter can be discussed further at the end of the presentation to decide if the Committee is ready to vote or table the item to a future meeting. Mr Mahoney then proceeded with the finance plan for the recommended option 6 — three synthetic fields project, and noted that the Finance Committee has reviewed this information also He highlighted the source and amount of the funds, and discussed the history of the capital stabilization account and budgets, and the plan to replenish all reserve funds Further, he noted that the strategy going forward to replenish the capital stabilization fund would be to budget $100,00 a year in the District budget, and cited the additional facilities rental resources of the theater, the new gym and conference facilities, as well as the use of projected and collected capital fees 5 Mr Mahoney reviewed the financial model as a self-sustaining operation, including capital replacement, and would not impose additional costs to the district budget and member assessments with the projected annual revenue, operating expenses, annual capital reserve funding, and an independent review, with the total projected operating surplus of$113,450 He also reviewed the funding of the field lighting add/alternate and the tax exempt municipal lease lighting, principal and interest, for each field Mr Tildsley closed the presentation stating that the addition of fields completes the vision of the Minuteman construction project with a state-of-the-art building and an athletic facility which would be a source of pride for Minuteman for years to come. Discussion ensued as committee members shared their comments and concerns Mr Stalin discussed concerns relative to the potential impact to assessments, risks to the stabilization fund, and the timing of undertaking a project which requires money being spent during a pandemic and all the uncertainties surrounding it, as well as the loss of momentum and the team that is currently in place, but he noted that this is a reasonable proposal, the timing is right, and the District has found a way to pay for it. He asked that an additional outside independent entity review the proposals for a final sense of certainty Mr. Gammill shared that the Finance Committee has discussed and reviewed all items and that selling one or more of the Mill Street properties becomes a more attractive option when considering the least impact on member town assessments going forward, and commented that the District is rich in resources Ms. Sheffler shared that after seeing the presentation and the details included it in, she feels strong that this should be done because investing this much in the students that will use this facility for decades to come is the right thing to do, and noted that Mr Mahoney's input gives her a feeling of stability to the project and thanked the administration for all their hard work Mr Mahoney shared that there were conversations with the auditors, bond counsel and Umbank Fiscal Advisors relative to the mechanics of the funding sources, terms, and different options. Ms DeLuca reiterated that she supports sports, but the optics of moving forward with this vote is potentially detrimental to the school, since we are asking smaller communities to increase the cost per student because the capital fee revenue will not be returned to them, and she feels that at this time, especially in light of the pandemic and the number of people currently out of work, it is imperative that the District has done their due diligence to ensure that every possible thing was done to keep costs down Ms DeLuca also shared that she resents being asked to vote on an item that she was not aware there was going to be a vote on 6 Ms Leone agreed with Ms DeLuca and that she is not able to vote on this item this evening, and would like to discuss this with her Town Finance Subcommittee, and noted that the biggest obstacle in Lancaster would be the use of the capital fees. Ms Nourse thanked the administration for their presentation and all the information provided, however, due to the COVID pandemic, she does not feel comfortable voting on this at this time as the uncertainties of what school will be like next year, and the potential costs that may be associated with the opening of schools Mr Horton agreed that it would be best to vote on this at the next scheduled School Committee meeting, and noted that selling land is a huge decision to undertake for the District and he is not a supporter of selling land. Mr Spalding withdrew his motion currently on the table and asked Committee members to check with their Town officials, but he noted the importance of taking a vote at the next scheduled meeting on June 23rd as there are several School Committee members leaving and the construction team is coming to the completion of the project Mr Gammill suggested Dr Bouquillon contact the Lincoln Community Development staff relative to the sale of the Mill Street parcels. Ms Nourse accepted the withdrawal of Mr Spalding's motion Roll Call Pam Nourse, Chair(Acton) Sue Sheffler(Arlington) Jim Gammill (Belmont) Steve LeDoux (Concord) Ford Spalding(Dover) Jennifer Leone (Lancaster) Dave Horton, Secretary(Lexington) Jeff Stulin, Vice-Chair(Needham) Alice DeLuca(Stow) 5. DIRECTOR OF FINANCE'S REPORT, Dr. Robert Gerardi a Finance Subcommittee—Jim Gammill Mr Gammill noted that there was no Finance Subcommittee report, as all items have been previously discussed. b, FY20 Budget Transfers Dr Gerardi requested the Committee authorize the recommended line item budget transfers in the FY20 budget noting that this is an annual housekeeping measure to move identified surplus balances to fund projected under-budgeted line items to close out the year with all function codes having a net surplus balance VOTE: To approve FY20 transfers, as presented 7 ACTION 2020 #30 Moved (Leone) and seconded(Sheffler) To approve the FY20 transfers, as presented VOTE. 9 members in room at time of vote Weighted Vote present. 93.49% Weight needed >46 745% Names of towns opposing or abstaining none Final percentage results of vote 93 49% Final status of the vote• Unanimous Roll Call Pam Nourse, Chair(Acton) Sue Sheffler(Arlington) Jim Gammill (Belmont) Steve LeDoux (Concord) Ford Spalding(Dover) Jennifer Leone (Lancaster) Dave Horton, Secretary(Lexington) Jeff Stuhn, Vice-Chair(Needham) Alice DeLuca(Stow) 6. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS a Policy Subcommittee -Alice DeLuca Ms DeLuca noted that the group is looking into a policy to appoint associate members as non-voting participants, who have particular expertise in certain areas, to the subcommittees and task forces Dr Perreault has brought the item before the attorney for further discussion Ms DeLuca will continue to keep members updated on this item b Superintendent Negotiations and Evaluation Subcommittee -Jennifer Leone Ms Leone noted that this item was voted on at the previous School Committee meeting, but for the purposes of the record, the vote has been added to this agenda for a formal vote VOTE To approve the annual salary increase of 2 33% for Dr Edward Bouquillon ACTION 2020 #31 Moved(Horton) and seconded(DeLuca) To approve the annual salary increase of 2 33% for Dr Edward Bouquillon, as presented VOTE. 9 members in room at time of vote Weighted Vote present. 93.49% Weight needed >46 745% Names of towns opposing or abstaining none 8 Final percentage results of vote 93 49% Final status of the vote. Unanimous Roll Call Pam Nourse, Chair(Acton) Sue Sheffler(Arlington) Jim Gammill (Belmont) Steve LeDoux (Concord) Ford Spalding(Dover) Jennifer Leone (Lancaster) Dave Horton, Secretary(Lexington) Jeff Stuhn, Vice-Chair(Needham) Alice DeLuca(Stow) 7. SECRETARY'S REPORT,Dave Horton a Approval of Draft Minutes of May 21, 2020 VOTE To approve the draft minutes of May 21, 2020, as presented ACTION 2020 #32 Moved (Horton) and seconded(Stulin) To approve the draft minutes of May 21, 2020, as presented VOTE. 9 members in room at time of vote Weighted Vote present 93 49% Weight needed >46 745% Names of towns opposing or abstaining. none Final percentage results of vote• 93 49% Final status of the vote Unanimous Roll Call. Pam Nourse, Chair(Acton) Sue Sheffler(Arlington) Jim Gammill (Belmont) Steve LeDoux (Concord) Ford Spalding(Dover) Jennifer Leone (Lancaster) Dave Horton, Secretary(Lexington) Jeff Stulm, Vice-Chair(Needham) Alice DeLuca(Stow) 8 POSSIBLE EXECUTIVE SESSION Dr Bouquillon noted that there was no need for an Executive Session 9. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the School Committee took the following vote. 9 ACTION 2020 #33 Moved(Leone) and seconded(Stulin) To adjourn the meeting at 8 28 PM VOTE. 9 members in room at time of vote Weighted Vote present 93 49% Weight needed >46 745% Names of towns opposing or abstaining none Final percentage results of vote• 93 49% Final status of the vote. Unanimous Roll Call- Pam Nourse, Chair(Acton) Sue Sheffler(Arlington) Jim Gammill (Belmont) Steve LeDoux (Concord) Ford Spalding(Dover) Jennifer Leone (Lancaster) Dave Horton, Secretary(Lexington) Jeff Stulin, Vice-Chair(Needham) Alice DeLuca(Stow) Respectfully submitted, Julia Pisegna Dave Horton District Assistant Secretary 10