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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFINAL SC Minutes December 14 2021.pdf FINAL MINUTES MINUTEMAN REGIONAL VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL DISTRICT REGULAR SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING DECEMBER 14, 2021 6 30 P M VIA REMOTE PARTICIPATION Present Pam Nourse, Chair(Acton) Michael Ruderman(Arlington) Steve LeDoux,Vice-Chair(Concord) Ford Spalding(Dover) Jennifer Leone(Lancaster) Judy Crocker(Lexington) Jeff Stulin, (Needham) Alice DeLuca, Secretary(Stow) Dave O'Connor(Bolton) Weighted Vote Weighted Vote present at start of meeting 100% Others Present Dr Edward Bouquillon,Amy Perreault, Rich Ikonen,Anthony Chiariello, Katie Bouchard,Nikki Andrade,and Julia Pisegna 1 CALL TO ORDER OPEN SESSION The Chair called the meeting to order at 6 03 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Law made by the Governor of Massachusetts on March 12,2020, such adoption to be effective until said Executive Order is rescinded or the Commonwealth's State of Emergency as referenced in said Executive Order,is terminated, whichever happens first ACTION 2021 #204 Moved(Leone)and seconded(DeLuca) To approve remote participation VOTE 9 members in room at time of vote Weighted Vote present 100% Weight needed >50 00% Names of towns opposing or abstaining. none Final percentage results of vote 100% Final status of the vote Unanimous 029 Roll Call Pam Nourse(Acton)(Yes) Michael Ruderman(Arlington) (Yes) Dave O'Connor(Bolton) (Yes) Steve LeDoux(Concord)(Yes) Ford Spalding(Dover) (Yes) Jennifer Leone (Lancaster)(Yes) Judy Crocker(Lexington) (Yes) Jeff Stulin, (Needham) (Yes) Alice DeLuca, Secretary(Stow) (Yes) 3 PUBLIC COMMENT Dr Bouquillon noted that while communications have been received regarding COVID, pooled testing,and the Test and Stay Program at Minuteman which has been in place since October,there was no request for public comment He sent copies of his responses to the school committee There is a link on the Minuteman website showing all COVID reporting He said that numbers are good, but that the Commissioner has warned Superintendents of the expectation that the numbers of COVID cases will continue to rise, and we will continue and even increase efforts on masking and cleaning. 4 CHAIR'S REPORT-Pam Nourse a For the Good of the Organization Committee Chair, Pam Nourse, shared her appreciation for the delicious baked goods that her family enjoyed at Thanksgiving courtesy of the Culinary Program Ms Nourse thanked everyone in the Minuteman community and recognized that this is a very hard time for all educators, families, and students and she appreciates how the community has come together to support each other 5 PRINCIPAL'S REPORT a Community Service Activity Mr Clement shared that the students really shine this time of year with all the fundraisers and community service projects taking place, including for the Bedford Veterans Association Students have been collecting winter gear for immigrants who have recently arrived in the area and are working with the Open Table Organization in Maynard Students from many groups have also been making handmade holiday cards for the Winchester Nursing Home The National Honor Society is collecting a lot of toys for Toys for Tots b Winter Athletics 127 students signed up for the 20-21 winter sports, a little bit more than in 19-20, including girls' basketball, boys' basketball, ice hockey and swimming Mr Clement shared that the athletes are very excited to begin -2- 030 c Safety and Security Training We recently had safety and secunty training using A-L-I-C-E (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) training Mr Clement shared that we are very fortunate to have Brian Tildsley on our team who is an expert in the field Mr Clement has a hard time digesting everything that comes through on tragedies at schools, but Mr. Tildsley studies this and it truly shows in the presentations that he delivered to the faculty Given recent events, we chose to do a preview with the students last week, talked about some issues, and it was a very productive discussion between the students and their teachers He noted that Mr Spalding was in the building during Mr Tildsley's presentation with the students The students were fabulous in their response and really understood the idea of working together and how to keep each other safe He complimented Mr Tildsley for all his hard work and keeping everyone safe Mr Clement announced the students of the term Madison Bruno (freshman) from Lexington Amy lender(sophomore) in Cosmetology from Arlington Elias Bec (junior) in Environmental from Belmont Ty Gorman(senior) in Culinary from Belmont Mr. Clement noted that these students were nominated by their teachers as students who are just doing great This doesn't mean they're getting straight A's, it does not mean they are the best athlete, it just means they are good people, doing good work, and part of the reason why we love Minuteman Some of the administrators also had a nice lunch with these students Mr Ledoux shared that he recently read an article in the newspaper about basketball players not weanng masks while playing, which is an MIAA requirement, but there have been a lot of compliance issues and asked what we are doing about this with our basketball players Mr Clement responded that we are doing our best to follow the rules but added that it is tough He noted that this rule is complied with in New Hampshire, and the kids did it last year without the vaccines, so they can do it now He noted it is a heavily aerobic sport and recognized sometimes the mask is just going to move and we continue to try to be vigilant Ms Nourse noted that there was a question in the chat asking where the swim team swims Mr. Clement replied that they swim at Hanscom. Mr Spalding shared that he was recently at Dover-Sherborn watching his granddaughter play sports and everybody had masks on, all the players were weanng masks, and you were not allowed entrance without a mask He expects that Minuteman can do the same Mr Spalding also added that he was at Minuteman the other day and had lunch with Dave Horton and Dan Matthews Mr Horton sends his best and misses the school He shared that Mr Horton and Mr. Matthews were given a tour and they were both very impressed. He added that Mr. Matthews is stepping down after 25 years as a selectman, and he was just overjoyed because of all the work that he put in over the years -3- 031 He also mentioned that Mr Tildsley did a great job He also shared that he was impressed with all the students who were absolutely riveted on the subject, very attentive to a very important detail While he knows Mr Tildsley is a great speaker,the students deserve a lot of credit as they really took it in, and he just wanted everyone to know that. 6 SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT-Dr Edward Bouquillon Dr Bouquillon provided a letter to members in their packet (page 6 and 7) and identified it as the closing comments from William Lucci, Assistant Director of the Stafford Technical Center in Rutland, Vermont They had been communicating last week and offered to supply his exit comments Dr Bouquillon added that what happens next is a draft copy of the report will be sent to us for review for any factual corrections,then the report goes back to Bruce Seavers,Executive Director of NEASC, for his approval, then to the Board of NEASC sometime in March where it will probably be on a consent agenda Overall, they were impressed with the things they saw at Minuteman, and he does not anticipate any issues at all a School Building Committee Report—Ford Spalding Mr Spalding reported that the stadium field and the baseball field are complete The softball field will be done at the end of next week. The roadways and pathways binder will be going down tomorrow, and the topsoil will be spread either next week or in the spnng Heimlich will be back in the spring to get the grass growing and for some general cleanup, so the fields are ready He added that we are starting the MSBA close-out process, so we are nearing the end b Capacity Building Update o North Building Out Bid Update For the north building progress, we expect to begin next week with a review of the contractor bids, and this project will be a combined process with the general contractor and students, looking to a 2023 conclusion The School Building Committee will keep going for a little while longer to pay bills and complete the close-out. Dr Bouquillon shared that the north outbuilding went out to bid Bids were received Friday, and the architects and engineers are currently reviewing those bids We have a School Building Committee meeting next week and we will have some more detail, but we are within budget for that project He noted that everyone's concern is about the supply chain and the deliverables of things, but if all things work out, the building will go up in the spring and will be ready for students to do some of the internal utility work such as plumbing, HVAC, and electncal It will be a great project for them and saves us some money, and the building will probably be occupiable in about a year -4- 032 o East Campus Development Proiect Update Dr Bouquillon provided an update on the east campus development project, formerly known as the Tremont School building, which is approximately 16,000 square feet We are hoping to develop a partnership with a veterinary hospital to create a teaching hospital there. Blue Pearl, which has been involved in our Program Advisory Committee for years, has been interested in it However, to properly procure this, this would have to be a public process and over the next month we will be developing a Request for Proposals which will then be reviewed with the Finance Committee and School Committee Dr Bouquillon reminded members that we had special legislation passed in approximately 2018 which allows Minuteman to enter long-term ground leases with partners who are compatible to our school mission.Any revenue generated by that partnership would go into a fund to offset the capital costs of the building We have everything in place, and it seems logical for us to exercise what we have for tools and see what we can get out of it because that project is going to be more expensive than he thought it was going to be, and we remain committed to not borrowing more money Dr Bouquillon awaits more information from Blue Pearl, and he will continue to keep members up to date on new developments c Fall 2022 Admissions Update—Anthony Chianello o Applications Received to Date Mr Chiariello shared an update on the admissions process and the status of applications and added that we have just begun the interviews, which is time-consuming and exhausting, but his favorite part of the process He begins to meet our future students, hear about why Minuteman is where they want to be, and about all their unique interests and hopes for the future. He noted that this will go on for the next two months until the February 15th deadline in the applications calendar He reported that as of this date last year, we are up about 6% in applications In terms of any given town there are no huge differences, except for Concord which has an almost 70%increase from last year Going back further,the increase is even more substantial,which he credits to how the folks at the Concord Middle School talk about Minuteman Looking at some of the other member communities that are not necessarily taking full advantage of the programs,that's where the biggest opportunity is We can advertise and educate people but the efforts of the folks at the Concord Middle School are key Ms Crocker thanked Mr Chiariello for the very informative information and expressed her kudos to Concord She noted that Mr Chiariello talked about the guidance counselors needing to have the buy in and asked if we have suggested guidance counselors come in for a tour, particularly with the new building, so they can really see what we offer Mr Chianello replied that normally the guidance counselors come to our Showcase Day He added that for Lexington, specifically, both Jenny Kim and Sharon May, the eighth-grade guidance counselors, were here and got a chance to tour While he doesn't want to give the -5- 033 impression that the guidance counselors specifically are not necessarily promoting the program, the biggest advocates for us in the schools are oftentimes the guidance counselor, and yes, we tour them We also did a presentation for all the guidance counselors last week to go over opportunities One focus is to help them and their staff see the wide range of students for whom Minuteman is a fantastic opportunity. Ms Nourse thanked Mr Chianello and added that it has not been easy recruiting during this time, and it is very impressive that the numbers continue to be up 7 FINANCE REPORT a FY23 Budget Update Dr. Bouquillon noted that Mr. Ikonen had a family emergency. In his absence, Mr. Ledoux will provide an update Nikki Andrade is also on the call Mr Ledoux reported on the FY23 budget update and that the Finance Subcommittee has looked at two iterations of the Superintendent's budget and will be looking at the third iteration this coming week and expects a recommendation to the full School Committee at the January meeting b. Vote on Paving Prior Years Bills VOTE. For authorization to use FY21 funds to pay the attached invoice from Balfour Scholastic for graduation supplies (caps, gowns & tassels) in the amount of $2,698 00, as presented Mr Ledoux noted that the Finance Committee reviewed this bill from Balfour Company who apparently forgot to bill us for cap, gowns, and tassels. This outstanding balance of$2,698 was discovered dunng an audit of their orders The Finance Committee recommends approval to pay this outstanding bill to Balfour Company in the amount of$2,698 Ms Crocker mentioned that Lexington seems to be the first out of the gate with their budget every year and that they have already had multiple financial summits She thanked everyone involved in providing the preliminary budget assessments as it is extremely helpful to have that number Mr Ledoux commented that hopefully those numbers were the worst-case scenario VOTE To authorize the use of FY21 funds to pay the attached invoice from Balfour Scholastic for graduation supplies(caps,gowns&tassels) in the amount of$2,698 00, as presented ACTION 2021 #205 Moved(Leone)and seconded(O'Connor) To authorization to use FY21 funds to pay the attached invoice from Balfour Scholastic for graduation supplies (caps, gowns&tassels)in the amount of$2,698 00, as presented -6- 034 VOTE 9 members in room at time of vote Weighted Vote present 100% Weight needed > 50 00% Names of towns opposing or abstaining none Final percentage results of vote 100% Final status of the vote Unanimous Roll Call Pam Nourse(Acton)(Yes) Michael Ruderman(Arlington) (Yes) Dave O'Connor(Bolton) (Yes) Steve LeDoux(Concord)(Yes) Ford Spalding(Dover) (Yes) Jennifer Leone (Lancaster)(Yes) Judy Crocker(Lexington) (Yes) Dr Bouquillon then continued discussing the budget and wanted all the members to be aware of the decrease in out-of-district revenues and its impact on assessments. The other item that has an impact on assessments is the changes that were made in the Chapter 70 formula Some of the implementation of the Student Opportunities Act weas postponed due to COVID Basically, it intensifies the minimum local contribution that wealthy towns need to make to their school districts Also, it was providing more money to the towns that were spending at or below foundation It became like a"perfect storm",with the implementation of SOA and out-of-distnct tuition going to zero Mr. Mahoney has been working with us to do projections over the next three or four years and after next year, it stabilizes But this year with the implementation of SOA and going to zero out of district revenues, there is going to be a lot of discussions with the towns He shared that he has already received four or five emails since the placeholder estimates were sent out and noted that several of the town managers had requested placeholder estimates He wanted to make sure the School Committee knew what those placeholders were going to be It is going to be an educational process, especially for those towns that are not part of regions that have the fluctuation, but the good messaging piece is we have a new Regional Agreement with a four- year rolling average. Ms DeLuca shared that she was pretty stunned,because for her town, it was an increase of 42% and she is going to need some senous education about how to talk about this because it is an absolutely enormous change in one year Ms Crocker agreed with Ms DeLuca and suggested that it might be worthwhile for members to have a summit session (Tracy Novick's MASC update on Ch 70) to go over this information, so all members are on the same page. -7- 035 Dr Bouquillon agreed and noted that the Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools (MARS)has also been doing that because it impacts regional schools without any logic or reason, but he definitely agrees for the need to do that Ms. Nourse agreed. Mr Ruderman stated that one of the things discussed in the Finance Subcommittee meetings is the need to have a strong and concise narrative of how we got from last year's budget numbers to this year's budget numbers He promises there will be a short, succinct, and pertinent explanation He added that Dr Bouquillon keeps reassunng that there is one more iteration of the budget to follow, so the numbers should get better Things are going to be more expensive next year, but we ought to be able to have a readily understandable explanation for why Mr Ledoux agreed. Ms Leone reiterated what has to be very clear is what is out of our power as there is so much of our budget, we should be able to control, but so much of it is about what else is happening this year We need to be very clear with the towns because it is a shocking number for some towns Our budget ballooned, because of what has happened with the state formulas and that is out of our control We need to be very clear as to which is our budget, and which is from the state foundation numbers that are coming in Mr Stulin added that we said that one of the consequences of no out-of-district students would be those assessments are going to go up, and there was some disagreement about that So, it is totally out of our control, partly the state, and partly the fact that we have achieved the goal that they have been wanting forever That is part of the reason for the increase, and we saw this coming over the last three or four years and we knew that it was going to build up This is not a surprise at all, the surprise is what the state has decided to do, which is never under our control Ms. Leone reiterated that we need to be very clear as to what is in our control and what is not. Ms Nourse agreed and shared that is all the more reason why School Committee members need to feel comfortable explaining this and having these conversations with our towns Mr Stulin suggested the need for backup documentation that we can refer to, created by the administration so he can pass it around c. Approval of the Monthly List of Donations Mr Ledoux presented the list of donations for the month of November (One case of paper) VOTE: To approve the November List of Donations ACTION 2021 #206 Moved(Leone)and seconded(O'Connor), To approve the November List of Donations, as presented -8- 036 VOTE. 9 members in room at time of vote Weighted Vote present 100% Weight needed >50% Names of towns opposing or abstaining Final percentage results of vote 100% Final status of the vote Unanimous Roll Call Pam Nourse, Chair(Acton) (Yes) Michael Ruderman(Arlington) (Yes) Steve LeDoux(Concord)(Yes) Ford Spalding(Dover)Yes) Jennifer Leone (Lancaster)(Yes) Judy Crocker(Lexington) (Yes) Jeff Stulm(Needham)(Yes) Alice DeLuca(Stow) (Yes) Mr Ledoux updated committee members that the OPEB Advisory Group meetings were held Jim Gammill (the District's Grandpa OPEB) volunteered to be Chair of that group The group spent the first meeting with the actuary, who does the actual report every two years, and most of the time was spent learning about the methodology and looking at the numbers Today we basically outlined what the group's work product is going to look like, as well as a discussion about the investment policy They will continue to get more into investment policy at their next meeting Their plan is to meet every week until they get a report to the School Committee He added that it is a good group of individuals, and they hope to come up with a product that the School Committee can consider Ms Nourse thanked Mr Ledoux and the members of the Finance Committee for all their work 8 SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS d Policy Subcommittee—Alice DeLuca Policies for Review. Ms DeLuca noted that this review will require some time to go through and that the Admissions Policy will then be submitted to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Ms DeLuca addressed nine questions that were submitted by Mr Stulin Mr Stulin's questions are in italics 1 Under III Eligibility Nonresident students the word "ALL"looks like "A I 1" This could just be my word processor but it looks odd This is a typographical error under the section 3 where the word 'all' is misspelled due to right justifying of the text -9- 037 2. Under IV Organization structure second paragraph , It talks about the SC vote on slot allocation in June I do not really understand this Will we really know in June how we will want to perform slot allocation for acceptances in Marche Furthermore, I know that this is silly, but if the time is really June should it mention that this slot allocation portents to the upcoming school year? That is obvious but some people... Mr. Chianello explained that as it is written, which is that it's a minimum slot allocation, we are not allocating the total allocation You would be voting on the formula on a yearly basis Mr Stulin shared that they still would have priority at that point over out-of-district students until later in the process 3 Next paragraph responsibilities of admission director part i) word should be data not date There was a typo—date should be data 4 Under V recruitment do we want to "hard wire"the phone number into the document? Probably will not change but it might There was agreement that since the phone number has been the same for at least 25 years, we would let that go 5 Under VI Application Procedures on incomplete applications What if an application was started before Feb 15, was incomplete, but completed on Feb 16 Does this count as on-timet It shouldn't but I can see an irate parent complaining that the application was only incomplete because of some obscure reason and not their fault Do we need language to cover this or Just deal with it when the situation arises Which it will Mr Chianello explained that a qualified applicant must have completed all parts by Feb 15. He said they work with applicants to encourage them to complete their applications. 6 VII selection criteria, C school discipline/conduct This paragraph is very confusing It is unclear which suspensions are considered in assigning point values Only ones for more than 10 days? What is meant by cumulative? You refer here to the law for explanations but I think that the paragraph is too confusing even with that referral Mr Chianello explained that one of the most significant changes made by the Department of Education regarding admissions policies is this exact language. So, instead of trying to simplify it and because it is legal in nature, and it is one of the things that was emphasized most strongly by the advocacy groups,we thought we needed to put the exact language in Mr Stulin asked for clanfication on how the days are counted— Mr Chiariello noted that the suspension must be either at least ten days long or it can be the sum of all the suspensions for a total of ten days He referenced the statutes 37, 37 -10- 038 H1/2, and 37 H3/4 (suspendable offences as referenced in the handbook) He noted these are the rules that DESE has put in place and we will follow them 7 VIII selection process definition of qualified applicant My understanding is that a student who has been suspended multiple times still a qualified applicant but just loses points in the ranking process Is this true? Same for unexcused absences?I think this is the intent but I am a bit worried especially for a student with multiple suspensions Any language about " dangerousness?"I suspect there is nothing we can do about this Mr Chiariello stated that you cannot disqualify an applicant for excessive absences, They can lose points, but they cannot be disqualified 8 Same section "If a member town does not have enough qualified applicants" should we add"fully completed by March 1" I know that the date is obvious by context but perhaps the deadline date should be repeated. Mr. Stulin said he is trying to anticipate the most extreme thing that a person could do, he believes that it is clear that it comes under that section,but somebody was to take that out of context Mr Stulin referred to the sentence 'if a member town does not have enough qualified applicants "He was interested in adding the date March 1 Dr Bouquillon was concerned that adding back another date besides Feb 15 would confuse students February 15 is the day Ms Nourse stated that she felt it was clear what a qualified applicant is—they have completed everything by Feb 15 She felt that this lays out clearly what a qualified applicant is. Ms. Leone talked about added if a member town did not have enough applicants to fill their member town allocation by Feb 15, then those slots would go to other member town applicants Dr Bouquillon pointed out that we will approve this annually, and the policy must be filed every year There is some trigger point where they require we go to a lottery This is meant to be reviewed, in the public eye, with school committees and regional vocational schools being very thoughtful about it We are very thoughtful about it, we think this policy is good, and that it is fair It is dynamic and we can adjust it from year to year Mr Ruderman asked for clanfication that each time we have a chart with a criterion on it and several points next to it, is it presumed that if the applicant meets that cntenon, then that whole number of points is assigned under that qualification For example, if someone receives an excellent rating on the interview, they are going to score 20 and the next gets a score of 15, and there is nothing in between Dr Bouquillon agreed Mr Stulin indicated that they did that on purpose to show lack of bias Dr Bouquillon noted that it must be as least subjective as possible and as objective as possible 9. Same section under item 2. "order of their application score" should be add "regardless of ongm town "Again,pretty obvious but Mr Stulin is concerned that the town officials or people in the community will not understand that if you want guaranteed slots, the application has to be received by this date and after this date, you no longer have those guaranteed slots and they then go into the general pool and in that general pool, everybody comes out of it by rank order and not by what member town they come from He is concerned if that idea is in this policy sufficiently, as well as the slot allocation procedure Ms DeLuca read from page 24-25 in the packet `If the pool of qualified member town applicants who met the February 15 deadline is exhausted and a -11- 039 seat becomes available, it will be offered to a qualified member town applicant who completed the application process after February 15th based on the rank order of their application score" and add the words "regardless of origin town" Ms. DeLuca asked for the people who must administer this if that alters anything for them. Mr O'Connor suggested we rephrase it to say `It would be offered to all available qualified member town applicants " Ms Leone suggested on the page above, there is a paragraph that says, if a member town does not have enough qualified applicants to fill their slot allocation by the February 15th deadline, (we could add)that their seats will be offered to the qualified member town applicants based on the rank order of the pool remaining qualified applicants. She suggested that clarifies it and once you have reached February 15th, it does not matter where you come from as long as you are in district Mr Stulin clarified that was the idea he wanted to make sure was included there Dr Bouquillon agreed that it seems more straightforward Ms Nourse confirmed that this would mean adding the date to that paragraph on Page 24 Mr Chianello shared that he believes we developed that pool of qualified applicants remaining Mr O'Connor agreed, suggesting "ranked on the order of the pool remaining qualified applicants" and then add a date Ms Leone suggested that applicants fill their slot allocation as of February 15th, their seats will be offered to the qualified member town applicants Ms Nourse and Mr O'Connor agreed with the clanfication Mr Stulm stated that it works for him,and he Just wanted to make sure that it didn't inadvertently change any procedure that Mr Chiariello stated that it will not be an issue Ms DeLuca stated that the Committee has now reviewed all the changes that were sent in and asked if there were any other comments Mr Stulm stated that when he saw how much care was put into this and the amount of time it has taken, he felt it was very important and the people who wrote this deserved for it to be read as carefully as he could It was because of the quality of the work put into it and how clear it was, taking into consideration how complicated this is, that made it possible for him to get through it enough times to bring up the comments Ms DeLuca praised the staff for their hard work on this policy -12- 040 VOTE: To approve the Admissions Policy for second reading, as amended ACTION 2021 #206 Moved(Leone)and seconded(O'Connor), To approve the Admissions Policy for second reading, as amended VOTE. 9 members in room at time of vote Weighted Vote present 100% Weight needed >50% Names of towns opposing or abstaining Final percentage results of vote. 100% Final status of the vote Unanimous Roll Call Pam Nourse, Chair(Acton) (Yes) Michael Ruderman(Arlington) (Yes) Dave O'Connor(Bolton) (Yes) Steve LeDoux (Concord) (Yes) Ford Spalding (Dover)Yes) Jennifer Leone (Lancaster) (Yes) Judy Crocker(Lexington) (Yes) Jeff Stulin(Needham) (Yes) Alice DeLuca(Stow) (Yes) Ms DeLuca thanked Amy Perreault, Anthony Chiariello, Dan O'Brien, Dr Bouquillon, the attorneys, everyone Policy Section B —second reading. Ms. DeLuca continued to policy Section B. which requires an edit on Page 57. There is a typo, caught by Jennifer Leone -there is no month of Mary, and it should read May Ms Nourse thanked the Policy Subcommittee for all their hard work VOTE To approve Section B of the Policy Manual for second read, as amended ACTION 2021 #207 Moved(Leone)and seconded(O'Connor), To approve Section B of the Policy Manual, as amended VOTE: 9 members in room at time of vote Weighted Vote present 100% Weight needed > 50% Names of towns opposing or abstaining Final percentage results of vote 100% Final status of the vote Unanimous -13- 041 Roll Call Pam Nourse, Chair(Acton) (Yes) Michael Ruderman(Arlington) (Yes) Dave O'Connor(Bolton) (Yes) Steve LeDoux(Concord)(Yes) Ford Spalding(Dover)Yes) Jennifer Leone (Lancaster)(Yes) Judy Crocker(Lexington) (Yes) Jeff Stulin(Needham)(Yes) Alice DeLuca(Stow) (Yes) e CAA Subcommittee—Jeff Stulin Slot Allocation Formula Mr Stulin shared that he provided a draft document for members and made a few comments Ms Nourse indicated that it was Page 111 of the packet Mr. Stulin made suggestions that since this is for a specific year,he suggested that it should have a title that matches the particular year since we are going to update this every year Next,he suggested that the table did not include the last column and that the percentages should be added in a final column Lastly, he suggested we should state that the above allocated slot reservations are only held for qualified member towns' student applications received by Should we say, "completed by February 15, 2022, and for more data details regarding the minimum admission process, please see the formal amendment Admission Policy document" Ms Crocker commented that she liked that idea, because it is a cross reference, but suggested that when we mention the Admission Policy we include the MASC letter code JF as well Ms Leone suggested including some mechanism for getting there, Mr O'Connor suggested a hyperlink, and Ms Nourse suggested using a QR code Mr Stulin noted that links always break, and we should reference the document The slot allocation is rewritten every year Dr Bouquillon suggested a hyperlink there where it says Admissions Policy Mr Stulin reiterated the three suggestions were 1) changing the title to make it specific to the particular year 2) add the percentage column in the enrollment for a year rolling average table, and 3) the disclaimer statement at the end of the document where you only get the privilege of having those slots for qualified applicants that are completed by February 15th -14- 042 Ms Nourse asked Dr Perreault and Mr Chiariello if they foresee any problem with putting particularly the date in here Mr Chianello stated no, it is the same information and that it would match the Admissions Policy Ms. DeLuca gave an example of the small community of Dover which sometimes has very few students By this methodology, there would be no seats reserved, there would only be one applicant by February 15th and applicant No 2 shows up later, they don't have their minimum anymore, and she worries about that Mr Stulin stated that if we're going to have the February 15th cutoff date,people must deal with it,we're going to do everything we can to let you understand it,then we must have a cutoff date Ms. Nourse noted that the Admissions Police was just approved and that includes the February 15 date and that is really the key date before applicants go back to the member town pool Ms DeLuca agreed and there is still a possibility that they could get in because they would be in the member town pool Ms Nourse agreed Mr Ruderman said the towns that exceed their allocations are just going to be waiting for those slots to open Ms Crocker clarified the applications must be completed by February 15, and suggested the statement read `completed applications must be received by February 15 She gave the example that one could complete the application, but if it is sitting in your mbox, then everything is to Mr Stulin's point Ms Nourse added that it should mirror the language that we just approved Mr. Chianello shared that he does not like the word `applications' to live by itself,because it's a process where all the pieces need to be completed by that date,not just the informational portion of the online or paper application Dr Bouquillon edited the language of the slot allocation document to state "only qualified applicants who have met the February 15, 2022 deadline will be considered" Mr Stulm added that he thought this revision of the document was well thought out and is quite clear and fits on one page. Ms. Nourse agreed. Dr Bouquillon shared that for those of us who weren't around during the five years of revising the Regional Agreement, the fact that we are referencing the Regional Agreement gives it strength because everyone went through the process of discussing this allocation formula VOTE: To approve the slot allocation formula, as amended -15- 043 ACTION 2021 #208 Moved(Leone)and seconded(O'Connor), To approve the slot allocation formula, as amended VOTE. 9 members in room at time of vote Weighted Vote present 100% Weight needed > 50% Names of towns opposing or abstaining Final percentage results of vote. 100% Final status of the vote Unanimous Roll Call Pam Nourse, Chair(Acton) (Yes) Michael Ruderman(Arlington) (Yes) Dave O'Connor(Bolton) (Yes) Steve LeDoux(Concord)(Yes) Ford Spalding(Dover)Yes) Jennifer Leone (Lancaster)(Yes) Judy Crocker(Lexington) (Yes) Jeff Stulm(Needham)(Yes) Alice DeLuca(Stow) (Yes) c Superintendent Screening Committee—Ford Spalding Mr Spalding read a memorandum which he will be sending to the School Committee tomorrow morning, and it will explain what this group has been doing over several weeks The Minuteman Superintendent Screening Committee met 5 times in person and interviewed the six applicants who applied for the position of Supenntendent-Director of Minuteman. The six were the only applicants. The interviews lasted 75 minutes each and the same questions were asked of all applicants Last evening the Screening Committee unanimously voted to recommend to you, the Minuteman School Committee, three finalist candidates to enter the School Committee selection process and they are Dr. Kathleen A. (Eun Kyoung) Dawson She currently is Deputy Superintendent of the Orange County Schools in North Carolina Her previous positions are Chief Innovation Officer Guilford Country Schools,NC/Executive Director of School Support& Improvement, Metro Nashville Public Schools, TN/Managing Director, EduVest, Inc Boston, MA/and before that she worked in 3 other schools in the Boston area. Kevin McCaskill: He is currently an Assistant Superintendent of the Boston School System. He served 6 years as the Executive Director(a Superintendent position) of the Madison Park Vocational School in Boston For 5 years he was the Director of -16- 044 secondary schools in Hartford, CT/6 years as Principal of Putnam Vocational in Spnngfield, MA Amy C. Perreault: She is currently the Assistant Superintendent at Minuteman Her 7 years at Minuteman also included the positions of Director of Special Education and Special Education Supervisor She also had a couple of other roles in schools The current plan for the School Committee is to complete our selection process within the month of January 2022 The process will include for each Finalist A day on the Minuteman campus for an in-person tour, in-person meetings with the Executive Administrative Team, Faculty & staff, and Stakeholders (Parents, District representatives, etc This would be by Zoom) Followed by a School Committee in- person interview The tentative schedule is January 6, 13, 20 (all Thursdays)to have the applicants on campus on individual separate dates to tour the school & campus, meet with staff, meet with stakeholders and interview with the School Committee Then on Wednesday, January 26 the School Committee meets to make its recommendation as to the next Supenntendent-Director So please save those dates to your calendar All our interviews and deliberations will be in-person Tentatively these will be at 7 pm Glenn Koocher(MASC) and Ford will coordinate all reference checks Additional information, including their original applications, will be sent to you next week All meetings, deliberations and votes are to be held in public open meetings as we move forward Finally, I wish to express my appreciation for the work of the Minuteman Supenntendent Screening Committee The members worked exceptionally hard for this assignment, and they deserve our praise and thanks The members are Jimmy Cataldo (Parent from Lexington), Adam Chapdelaine (Town Manager Arlington), Alice DeLuca (School Committee),Niki Devereaux(Minuteman Faculty), Christine Higgins (Parent/Acton), Amy Hutchings (Minuteman Faculty), Pam Nourse (School Committee), Carmin Reiss (Moderator Concord), Ford Spalding (School Committee), Al St George (Minuteman Faculty), Jeff Stulin (School Committee), Bnan Tildsley (Minuteman Administration) And our consultant Glenn Koocher(MASC) " Mr Spalding added that as the Screening Committee knows,they heard from him frequently and the School Committee will also hear from him frequently as we go through the process reminding them of things, because this process needs to be very fair, very honest, and very helpful, so we can make an informed decision as to who will be the next superintendent Mr. Stulin added that it is very important for everybody to understand that we do not talk about these candidates, except during our deliberations, and asked if some of what we are going to receive is public information or not -17- 045 Mr Spalding said that everything the committee receives will be public information Everything should go through him Mr Koocher responded that the information is about professional conduct is a matter of public record. The resumes are public. The rest of the information is considered personnel documents. Mr Spalding noted that the School Committee will receive documents,but that it is confidential information Mr Koocher reiterated that the School Committee should treat it as confidential information until the process concludes Mr. Spalding added that to be safe everybody, keep their opinions and their discussions to themselves and use those only in the deliberations with the Committee The Screening Committee did an excellent job, and he believes most people will attest to that, and while the group was in Executive Session the entire time, they never discussed the candidates outside of those meetings Ms Crocker thanked all for their hard work and asked in terms of confidentiality, would it be safer if they received documents via snail mail versus email Mr Spalding shared that email is fine, if it goes to me, responding to all is very dangerous Mr Spalding added that this is going to be a very busy January, but we are going to get the job done The job of the School Committee is to come up with one person out of the three candidates who will move forward If we cannot do that, then we go back out and start the search all over again, and if that is the case, then there is nothing wrong with that Ms. Nourse thanked Mr. Spalding for his leadership on the Screening Committee. It was a wonderful process that was very fair, and Mr Spalding set a terrific tone for it She also thanked Glenn Koocher for all his leadership and guidance through this process Mr Spalding added that we are only halfway done Mr Koocher stated that everyone should understand that MASC does not get paid until we have a signed contract with the superintendent whether it this year or the year after They are committed to the success of this process. Mr Spalding added that he believes members will find the candidates extremely interesting Ms Nourse asked members to please hold those dates and if there is any reason that they have a commitment which absolutely cannot be changed, please let Ms Pisegna know Mr Spalding asked that they let Ms Pisegna know immediately if they have a conflict because he is trying to schedule everybody,not only the candidates and School Committee members,but -18- 046 the school, the faculty, and everyone else He asked that everyone make every effort to make it work He wished everyone a restful holiday 9 SECRETARY'S REPORT,Alice DeLuca a Approval of Draft Minutes of November 14, 2021 Ms DeLuca noted that she did not receive any comments on the minutes VOTE• To approve the draft minutes of November 14,2021, as presented ACTION 2021 #209 Moved(Leone)and seconded(Spalding), To approve the draft minutes of November 14,2021, as presented VOTE: 9 members in room at time of vote Weighted Vote present 100% Weight needed >50% Names of towns opposing or abstammg• Final percentage results of vote 100% Final status of the vote Unanimous Roll Call Pam Nourse, Chair(Acton) (Yes) Michael Ruderman(Arlington) (Yes) David O'Connor(Bolton) (Yes) Steve LeDoux(Concord)(Yes) Ford Spalding(Dover)Yes) Jennifer Leone (Lancaster)(Yes) Judy Crocker(Lexington) (Yes) Jeff Stulin(Needham)(Yes) Alice DeLuca(Stow) (Yes) 9) EXECUTIVE SESSION• Only one topic was to be discussed, although two had been proposed as possibilities on the agenda ACTION 2021 #210 Moved(Leone) and seconded(O'Connor), To enter Executive Session pursuant to MGL c 30A, §20(a)(3) to discuss strategy with respect to likely litigation with the Town of Lincoln if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining or litigating position of the public body and the chair so declares Dr Bouquillon and Julia Pisegna will Join, and the committee will not return to Open Session -19- 047 VOTE. 9 members in room at time of vote Weighted Vote present 100% Weight needed >50% Names of towns opposing or abstaining none Final percentage results of vote 100% Final status of the vote Unanimous Roll Call Pam Nourse, Chair(Acton) (Yes) Michael Ruderman(Arlington) (Yes) Dave O'Connor(Bolton) (Yes) Steve LeDoux(Concord)(Yes) Ford Spalding(Dover)Yes) Jennifer Leone (Lancaster)(Yes) Judy Crocker(Lexington) (Yes) Jeff Stulm(Needham)(Yes) Alice DeLuca(Stow) (Yes) Respectfully submitted, Julia Pisegna Alice DeLuca District Assistant Secretary -20- 048