HomeMy WebLinkAboutFINAL SC Minutes October 12 2021.pdf FINAL
MINUTES
MINUTEMAN REGIONAL VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
REGULAR SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING
OCTOBER 12, 2021 6:30 P.M.
VIA REMOTE PARTICIPATION
Present:
Pam Nourse, Chair(Acton) Michael Ruderman (Arlington)
Steve LeDoux(Concord) Ford Spalding(Dover)
Jennifer Leone (Lancaster) Judy Crocker(Lexington)
Jeff Stulin, Vice-Chair(Needham) Alice DeLuca, Secretary (Stow)
Absent: Dave O'Connor(Bolton)
Weighted Vote: Weighted Vote present at start of meeting: 92.85%
Others Present: Dr. Edward Bouquillon,Amy Perreault, Rich Ikonen, Anthony Chiariello, Katie
Bouchard,and Julia Pisegna
NOTE: This meeting occurred in the 20`h month of the worldwide pandemic declared in March of 2020.
The pandemic continues to play a huge role in school planning,transportation, staffing, and budgeting,
and in the lives of families and children.
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March 12, 2020, such adoption to be effective until said Executive Order is rescinded or the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 #184
Moved (DeLuca) and seconded(Leone)
To approve remote participation
VOTE: 8 members in room at time of vote
Weighted Vote present: 92.85%
Weight needed: >46.42%
Names of towns opposing or abstaining: none
Final percentage results of vote: 92.85%
Final status of the vote: Unanimous
Roll Call:
Pam Nourse(Acton)(Yes)
Steve LeDoux(Concord)(Yes)
Ford Spalding(Dover)(Yes)
Jennifer Leone (Lancaster)(Yes)
Judy Crocker(Lexington)(Yes)
Jeff Stulin, Vice-Chair(Needham)(Yes)
Alice DeLuca, Secretary(Stow)(Yes)
3. PUBLIC COMMENT
None.
4. CHAIR'S REPORT: FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORGANIZATION,Pam Nourse
Committee Chair, Pam Nourse, commented that as part of her participation in the Superintendent Screening
Committee, she had an opportunity to visit the new school and shared how amazed she was by having had the
opportunity to see the new building,and that it would be nice for all School Committee members to take a tour
of the school to remind themselves of the extraordinary building and programs that are in it.
Dr.Bouquillon identified some available dates for tours,and she asked that members contact Ms. Pisegna by the
end of the week with their availability for a tour of the school. Dr.Bouquillon shared that there could be multiple
tours, because if there were five or more members together at a time, it would need to be considered a School
Committee meeting. Ms.Nourse stated that the tours would be split up in the correct manner.
Ms. Nourse requested that each subcommittee meet and think about their goals for the coming year so they can
be reviewed and adopted at the next scheduled School Committee meeting.
Ms.Nourse confirmed for Ms.Leone that if the Negotiations Subcommittee goals did not change,she can simply
submit the same goals.
5. PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
Dr. Bouquillon shared that in Mr. Clement's absence,the members of the administration will be sharing
his report.
a.School Transportation
Dr.Bouquillon shared that there are school transportations issues all over,and Mr.Chiariello will provide
an update on transportation. Dr. Bouquillon stated that the District continues to work with NRT Bus
Company regarding bussing issues.
Mr. Chiariello shared that for the past two weeks, bussing has been better than in previous weeks and
there has been a significant improvement in just the past two weeks with the busses arriving on time. He
shared that NRT Bus Company has begun to move drivers through the re-licensing process, and it is
trending in the right direction, and he continues to monitor the situation. He added that the late busses
now running in the afternoon for activities have been arriving on time and have been running better since
the last School Committee meeting.
Ms. Leone noted that with the upcoming winter months,we need to communicate with the bus company
when there is a 2-hour delay for school to avoid students potentially missing the bus.
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Mr. Ledoux shared that given the fact that the District has one year left on the bus contract, he wonders
whether the District should do an analysis and cost-benefit of how we are doing it now versus the District
running the transportation in-house and leasing the school busses with town employees as bus drivers.
He noted that we should consider doing that now, as the analysis will take some time to do and there is
only one year left on the contract.
Dr. Bouquillon agreed and stated that is a project for the Finance Committee. Mr.Ledoux stated that the
group will discuss this further at a future meeting. Dr. Bouquillon shared that there was an analysis done
years ago and one issue that we have now would be where to store our own busses, as well as having a
fueling depot on campus, and that there are many issues to consider other than leasing our own busses
and hiring drivers.
Dr. Bouquillon added that they had a great consultant, Richard Labrie, who worked with the District in
putting together the more recent RFP and he has worked with other Districts in doing their cost analysis.
Dr. Bouquillon will reach out to Mr. Labrie to see his thoughts on the topic and meet with the Finance
Committee to discuss the option further.
b. October 1St Report
Dr. Bouquillon provided members with a copy of the recent October 1st Report and shared that the
numbers are trending as predicted with a growing number of in-district enrollment. There were no
questions on the topic.
c. Homecoming Event
Dr.Bouquillon shared that the Homecoming event is scheduled for Saturday,October 23rd. Mr.Chiariello
provided details of the events scheduled for that day which includes boys' soccer, girls' soccer, football
game, followed by a Homecoming dance for students in the evening. He thanked Erin Bourdeau, Brian
Tildsley, Heather Plater, and Erin Norsen and others for all their hard work in organizing these events.
He shared that students are very excited about the events, which highlights the community that is being
developed at Minuteman. He added that his will also be the unveiling of the football field which is an
exciting benchmark on the completion of the fields project.
Dr. Bouquillon updated Committee members on community outreach scheduled as follows:
• Superintendents Luncheon—Tuesday, October 10
• Legislative Breakfast—Friday, October 29th
He shared that both events will be well-attended with all but one of the superintendents attending. Mr.
O'Brien is putting together a legislative packet that will include some statewide issues which are going
through Beacon Hill at this time regarding funding for Chapter 74 programs,building study commissions,
changes being made in licensure which we continue to monitor closely, as well as working with MAVA
leadership to provide testimony and written statements to the legislatures. He shared that there has been
a lot of work to do this year on the legislative side of things because of the attention paid to the admissions
issues on the statewide level surrounding career and technical education, as well as increased interest in
Innovation Pathways at comprehensive and city schools. He shared that there have been a lot of issues at
the state level and fortunately they have been able to keep ahead of it. He is also working closely with
the Alliance for Vocational Technical Education (AVTE) which is a group Dr. Bouquillon has been
involved with from the beginning, which includes community-based organizations, powerful business
organizations and traditional superintendents and CTE superintendents. They all agree that high quality
career technical education needs to be more accessible to more students.
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d. Test and Stay Program
Dr. Perrault shared that the new Test and Stay Program began today and the first day went smoothly.
Approximately 165 students have given consent. One student was seen today for mild symptomatic
reasons who tested negative and went back to class, so the program is working the way it was designed.
She added that at this time,there is one full-time tester who is there from the beginning of school to the
end of school, five days per week, and the District is scheduled to get an additional tester so that there is
a backup in the event that someone is sick, there will always be a tester. The COVID-19 waiting area is
right across form the nurse's office and they have worked well together. There is also a communicator
who works with Dr.Perreault and assists in navigating all the in and outs of the program,and Dr.Perreault
feels that the program is very well run.
Dr. Bouquillon added that today Governor Baker activated an additional 200 members of the National
Guard to assist in the COVID-19 testing program in public schools. These National Guard members will
be trained to do the testing which does not require being a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse and
shared that this shows how difficult it was to get this program up and running across the state, and he
thanked Dr. Perreault and the nurses for working to get this program started at Minuteman.
Mr. Ruderman asked about the pool of students being tested. Dr. Perreault shared that Minuteman is
participating in two of the program options:
1) Symptomatic: if a student comes to school and they are feeling fine but at some point during the day
they begin to feel ill,and are presenting any symptom outlined in the DESE and CDC as possible COVID,
the student would swab themselves, and the results come back within 15 minutes. If they are negative,
the student may still get home because they may be sick. If the results come back positive, the student
goes homes and follows up with their primary care provider. If they are sick,they may still go home.
2)Test and Stay: if a student tests positive and they were in school,we figure out who their close contacts
were while in school, and that group of students get tested every day for five days. As long as those
results continue to come back negative, the students remain in school, but in the event a close contact's
test came back positive, we would follow the protocols in place for when a student tests positive.
e. School Building Report—Ford Spalding
Mr. Spalding shared that Homecoming is scheduled for October 23rd and reported that the stadium field
will be completed and will host both the boys' and girls' soccer games and the football game, and that
the girls' soccer and the football team have winning records.He invited members to watch the games and
stop by to see the fields.
He shared that the baseball turf field is being put into place and is all green. He anticipates the striping
work to be completed within the next 8-10 days. The softball field's turf will arrive within the next 10 to
14 days, and he anticipates by December 1St, the athletic complex will be the envy of many places! He
mentioned that it is still a construction site, but it will all be fenced off and safe for the October 23rd
events.
Mr. Stulin added that it is very impressive and very important for members to go visit the school to see
where the money went and why it costs a lot of money,particularly when you see it in person and see the
size and quality of the project. Mr. Spalding also added much of the expense is for work which is
underneath the fields in the foundation and drainage system to prevent water pooling.
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Ms. Nourse asked what else was being included with the fields, and Mr. Spalding responded that the
lighting is in place, there will be dug-outs for both the boys' and girls' baseball and softball teams,there
will be some equipment storage, grassed in area, and the fields for both baseball and softball are multi -
use fields for practices. He believes there will be tremendous opportunity for rental income,but basically
a grassed in area,and parking is where the student parking is located now. There will not be grandstands,
although there may be temporary ones added, but they will not be in place on October 23rd. The main
grandstands, Fieldhouse and the tennis courts will not be in place on October 23'and is part of the next
generation of work to be done which he is hopeful will happen in the near future, dependent on funding.
Ms. Crocker asked if there was going to be a ribbon cutting ceremony,and Dr.Bouquillon responded that
he would like to see everything complete when they do a ribbon cutting.
Ms. DeLuca shared that we should have 13-14 ribbons to cut symbolizing each year that it took to get us
to this point, as a lot of people do not realize how long the process was and that it is just a huge
accomplishment to get us to this point.
Ms.Nourse thanked Committee members for their perseverance on this project.
6. FINANCE REPORT
Mr. Ikonen provided the FY21 Student Activity Account activity and balances to members in their packet.
There were no questions.
ACTION 2021 #185
Moved(Ledoux)and seconded(Leone),
To approve the FY21 Student Activity Accounts: Fund Activity and Balances,
as presented
VOTE: 8 members in room at time of vote
Weighted Vote present: 92.85%
Weight needed:>46.42%
Names of towns opposing or abstaining:
Final percentage results of vote: 92.85%
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 Stulin(Needham)(Yes)
Alice DeLuca(Stow)(Yes)
Mr. Ikonen presented the FY21 Revolving Accounts: Fund Activity and Balances.
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ACTION 2021 #186
Moved(Leone)and seconded(Spalding),
To approve the FY21 Revolving Accounts: Fund Activity and Balances, as
presented
VOTE: 8 members in room at time of vote
Weighted Vote present: 92.85%
Weight needed: >46.42%
Names of towns opposing or abstaining:
Final percentage results of vote: 92.85%
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 Stulin(Needham)(Yes)
Alice DeLuca(Stow)(Yes)
Mr. Stulin shared that the document is very hard to read and difficult to interpret due to the small print and
black and white(although some of it is in red and that is not visible). He suggested that members be mailed
a larger printed copy for easier reading. He reminded members of the challenges that there was during a
five-year period in an attempt to get control over these accounts, eliminate the negative balances and get
the revenues and expenditures of these accounts to the proper balance, such as revenues being greater than
expenditures. He acknowledged that during COVID, it was necessary to be less fussy on that in a few
areas,however, it is unclear to him the overall picture of the revolving funds, such as which ones are doing
well financially, and which ones are not doing well. For those not doing well, is it due to COVID or is
there an ongoing problem. He does not want to go back to the situation we were in not too long ago when
the finances of these accounts were very unfortunate.
He requested a new copy of the document which is easier to read and asked for an overview of what
situations are temporary COVID-related and which items need long-term attention as it is hard to fully
verify in reading this form.
Mr. Ikonen addressed those items which are primarily COVID-related, such as Child Development. He
stated that due to COVID, there were no children inside the building and salaries were still being paid out
of that account.
Food Services Account: He shared that even though we were being subsidized,we continued to pay salaries
out of that account.
Community Education and Minuteman Technical Institute: Mr.Ikonen is working directly with Ms.Houle,
Director of MTI, to improve the budget system. Some of that is related to COVID as well, but we need to
address the budget development process particularly.
Mr. Stulin requested a report for comparison purposes for future years which indicates things which we
expect to be a one-year issue or issue for more years as we are focusing on moving forward, and to have
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further discussion on that at both the Finance Committee and School Committee level. He does not want to
see these negative balances fester, and if more money needs to be added from the budget as we have done
in the past,then we need to do that. For those that are going south due to revenue,then we need to address
that also in the short term and not return to the situation we were in not so long ago. He would like the
Finance Committee to look into this. It is important work and he hopes to hear more about this in the near
future.
Mr. Ledoux added that the Finance Committee does review these accounts on an on-going basis, and we
continue to try to stay on top of it.
Mr. Spalding inquired about 213 Culinary PS and shared that Culinary did an amazing job during the year
of COVID offering meals on a weekly basis which he participated in. He added that it shows no income
and asked if they received income from the Lexington and Arlington programs.
Dr. Bouquillon stated that reflects the post-secondary program which did not operate during COVID.
Ms. DeLuca shared that she is also confused by the Summer School and Community Education lines. She
pointed out the note at the bottom which read `fully funded by awarded grants not reflected in the report',
and that there is a summer school listed in the Community Education section with a small revenue which
she does not understand.
Ms. Andrade explained that figure is actually for the fiscal year before, so July and August of 2020, and
that summer programs for 2021 actually are in the fiscal year 2022. She added that due to COVID, those
programs did not run and most of the revenues received needed to be refunded back.
Ms. DeLuca asked if the summer school 2021 which starts July 1St and is in the next fiscal year, is that
actually handled someplace else,and Mr. Ikonen confirmed that is in FY22 report. Ms. DeLuca added that
the explanation indicates that it was fully funded and is not reflected,and while she understands that it is in
a different fiscal year, she was confused by the comment indicated on the bottom of the sheet.
Ms. Nourse explained that as described by Ms. Andrade, the amount of$850 was summer school for the
summer of 2020. Mr. Ikonen and Ms. Andrade confirmed that was correct and added that this report ends
on June 30,2021 so the extra additional revenues or expenses would not be included in July or August until
the next quarterly report but noted that we did receive grants to cover that so none of those funding will go
through the revolving accounts as noted here because they were covered by federal and state grants
received.
Ms.DeLuca asked for confirmation that those will not appear in the FY22 reports. Ms.Andrade confirmed
that those will not because this is the revolving fund report and those were covered by grants which was a
different source of funding.
Ms. Nourse asked for confirmation that the note for summer school 2021 refers to the June 2022 report,
and Ms. Andrade confirmed that it was added in an attempt to avoid any confusion.
Ms. Crocker requested that in addition to the enlarging the size of the financial reports that were difficult
to read,could the enrollment projections also be rotated to portrait instead of landscape because it is difficult
to read on laptops.
Ms.Nourse reiterated this request, noting that the numbers in color should be shown in color.
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c. Approval for the monthly informational list of donations
Mr. Ikonen provided members a copy of the September list of donations in their packet. There were no
questions.
ACTION 2021 #187
Moved(Ledoux)and seconded(Leone)
To approve the September list of donations, as presented
VOTE: 8 members in room at time of vote
Weighted Vote present: 92.85%
Weight needed: >46.42%
Names of towns opposing or abstaining:
Final percentage results of vote: 92.85%
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 Stulin(Needham)(Yes)
Alice DeLuca(Stow)(Yes)
d. FY22 Budget Calendar Review
Mr. Ikonen provided members a copy of the FY23 budget calendar for informational purposes and noted
that no vote is necessary.
e. Finance Committee—Steve Ledoux
Mr. Ledoux shared that the Finance Committee members have had discussions, as have many other
municipalities and school districts, surrounding the issue of the unfunded liability related to OPEB (other
post-employment benefits) primarily health insurance benefits for those that retire. He noted that the
accrued liabilities are huge and noted that some communities and school districts have done better than
others in trying to pay down that liability. He shared that when he and Dr. Bouquillon went before a joint
meeting of the Concord Select Board and Finance Committee, they commented on the lack of
aggressiveness on trying to fund our OPEB liability. The District's liability is approximately$32M and we
have typically budgeted$60,000 per year, so it will take a long time to pay off that liability. We have also
discussed using the ESCO lease funds, when that is paid off,to pay those monies towards OPEB liability.
Finance Committee members discussed strategies to tackle OPEB more aggressively than what we have
been doing in the past and decided on an OPEB Study Committee. They considered a charge to this Study
Committee to work with the consultant who does the actuarial analysis to try to understand what
calculations and assumptions drive that number,come up with some action items on how to deal with OPEB
for FY23 and beyond,and then try to understand what our investment policy has been relative to the OPEB
Trust Fund.
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Mr. Ledoux recommended a committee of five members, one of which would be a member of the Finance
Subcommittee,the Assistant Superintendent of Operations and Facilities or designee, District Treasurer or
designee, Finance Director from a member town or Finance Committee member(not noted in the packet),
and an at-large person with OPEB knowledge and expertise but not necessarily associated with the district.
He noted that the School Committee passed a policy last year that gave that flexibility, and suggested Mr.
Jim Gammill,as he has experience with OPEB, and he has indicated that he would be interested in serving
on this group. Mr. Ledoux reported that he anticipates receiving a new actuarial study in the near future
which is done every three years so we will have new numbers to work off of, and that the study committee
will be disbanded in a relatively short period of time once we complete our task.
Mr. Stulin thanked Mr. Ledoux for his work, and he approves the way that this study committee is being
set up and that it is the right way to move forward.
Ms. Leone shared that while OPEB is not something that everyone understands completely, it was also
discussed when the consultants would come and speak to the full school Committee. She suggested that we
have a recommendation from the OPEB Study Committee in order to review what they say so we can ask
the consultants any questions that we might have, rather than just receiving an overview of what we have
now.
Ms.Nourse thanked the members of the Finance Committee for taking this OPEB item on.
Mr. Ledoux noted that we will bring forward a list of members for the School Committee to vote on at a
future meeting.
ACTION 2021 #188
Moved(Stulin)and seconded(DeLuca),
To approve the formation of the OPEB Study Committee
VOTE: 8 members in room at time of vote
Weighted Vote present: 92.85%
Weight needed: >46.42%
Names of towns opposing or abstaining:
Final percentage results of vote: 92.85%
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 Stulin (Needham)(Yes)
Alice DeLuca(Stow)(Yes)
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7. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS, Ford Spalding
a. Superintendent Screening Committee
Mr. Spalding shared that the position for the next Superintendent of Minuteman was posted on October 1"
and applications are due by November 12th. He shared that the goal is to present to the School Committee
in late December two or more finalists for action in the beginning of January.
He invited members to go to the Superintendent's page of the Minuteman website to the section entitled
Superintendent Search Process 2021-2022 which includes the documents which were voted on by the
Committee. Mr. Spalding shared that an organizational meeting was held where members went through
the process, along with a tour of the building, with all but one member in attendance. Also listed on the
website is the District Profile,Minuteman Superintendent Profile,which is the document that the members
of screening committee and the School Committee will be judging the candidates on.
The next meeting is scheduled for November 4th where we will review the documents and our questions,
as well as a public session which we are required to have. The invitation went out through MASC. The
application requires that the applicants provide written answers to three questions.He said Mr. Koocher
says this is one of the more thorough processes he has seen to date.
Ms. DeLuca added for point of clarification that applications will not be sent to the school,but rather to the
Massachusetts Association for School Committee. Mr. Spalding confirmed that Massachusetts Association
for School Committee will hold the applications, as well as all documents and materials. He shared that
the process the District is undertaking is a confidential process in Executive Session to protect the
candidates, not Minuteman, as many of the candidates have not notified their current employer that they
are exploring this opportunity. As soon as the finalists are announced, then it becomes a public process,
and they will have notified their employer at that point. For now, it is the Screening Committee, and they
know that they are not to speak to anyone regarding any candidate.He added that the months of November
and December will be very busy.
b. Communications,Access and Admissions Subcommittee—Jeff Stulin
Mr. Stulin shared that there will be updates from Mr. O'Brien and Mr. Chiariello.
• Communications Report—Dan O'Brien
o Lexington Re-Discovery Day—Saturday, October 9th
Mr.O'Brien provided an update on recent communications as there has been a lot done behind the scenes.
He has worked with Mr.Chiariello to revamp the brochures and showcase what is new at Minuteman and
highlight the life at Minuteman.
Another big project has been the development of the new website which he hopes to launch in December
which will be more robust and more attractive to prospective parents.
Mr. O'Brien has interviewed many current students and alumni and one of the brochures highlights those
interviews, as well as some of the statistics on the success rates from the most recent year of graduates.
He highlighted that 92% of those graduates went right into college or career after graduation. Examples
from the brochures included athletics,the new fields,the very successful First Robotics Club,the female
student who refurbished a 1951 GMC pick-up truck, as well as the co-op programs which provides
students with hands-on experience in fields such as electrical and horticulture.
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Mr. O'Brien also attended the Re-Discover Lexington Day event and created the flyer which showcased
the public services and fall events and happenings at Minuteman and the MTI Adult Learning programs.
He included QR codes that one can simply scan to go right to the website, promotion of the District
Restaurant,which is now open in person, in addition to the salon, auto repair, and the daycare(currently
at capacity),as well as the rentals at Minuteman. He noted we have been getting a lot of inquiries about
renting facilities.
He added that he is excited about the website and has been working with Allison Barry and Jim
McNamara,Design Visual Communication teachers,have been a tremendous help in putting the website
together. He hopes that it will be a state-of-the-art website which makes us more competitive with some
of the schools in our member towns.
He shared some examples of other districts who use the vendor Finalsite.Mr. O'Brien has recently hired
a photographer, Reba Saldanha of Andover, for short-term work to gather professional photographs for
marketing purposes for Minuteman,including photographs of every CTE program,academics,and sports
games. These high-quality images will be used on the website and also for our brochures. Mr. O'Brien
hopes to have professional photography done every two or three years to assist in marketing the school
and showed a variety of photograph slides.
Another project underway is the athletics rebranding which will go in line with the new facilities and
fields. There were a number of focus groups held with faculty and staff which included coaches,teachers,
and a staff member who previously worked in college athletic departments to truly get a sense of what
people wanted. He feels confident that the rebranding is reflective of the group feedback.
He has also been busy with day-to-day communications with COVID, Test and Stay Program, and bus
routes. He has been liaising with the Minuteman Parents Association and shared that the president, Ellen
Lawton has been a great ally and truly wants to partner with us to make the best outcome for the students.
He also shared the recent news coverages and stories and highlighted the Animal Science Program which
was profiled on Channel 4 and was filmed at Blue Pearl Animal Hospital in Waltham. He thanked all
those involved.
Social media continues to grow with each group of new parents and students, but he believes that some
of the increase is due to consistent postings on social media of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The
monthly newsletter will relaunch soon, repurposing some of the content that is already being put out- it
is a great way to communicate as not all of our parents are on social media.
Mr. O'Brien shared a photo from the Re-Discovery Lexington Day event. He was impressed by how
well-attended the event was. Their booth was very busy all day with a lot of flyers being distributed. He
thanked the four student ambassadors(the group is run by Sheila Nagle)who were great and did a terrific
job talking about the school, as well as Erin Norsen,Nancy Houle and Anthony Chiairello. He noted the
divide of Lexington families that half knew all about Minuteman and the other half who did not realize
that this wonderful resource was in their town.
Ms.Nourse commented that the materials look fantastic and thanked Mr. O'Brien for his work.
Mr. Spalding agreed. He requested a copy of the PowerPoint be sent to the Committee.
Ms. DeLuca added that once again, Minuteman will be driving change in education in Central
Massachusetts and beyond. She commented that the marketing looks great and way above the top in
terms of comparisons to other school districts. It raises the bar for all.
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Ms. Crocker thanked all for their participation in Re-Discovery Lexington Day.
Dr. Bouquillon praised his staff,and shared that in addition to these events,we hosted the Middlesex
Valley Superintendent's Round Table, and is another great event for the school and he is enjoying the
outreach and having all come to Minuteman. He said everyone else makes his job easy while he makes
everyone's job hard. He will miss everyone.
• Fall 2022 Admissions Update—Anthony Chiariello
o Applications Received to Date
Mr. Chiariello shared that it is the beginning of admission season and we have begun presentations to
sending schools, which include both in-person and remote. We recently had our first in-person
presentation at Luther Burbank which was our first in-person event in two years, and also held the first
of three events at the Diamond Middle School(keeping the groups small). He is also scheduled for
Dover-Sherborn, as well as other virtual events scheduled. He thanked the dedicated student
ambassadors whose presentations at each of these events are tremendous.He said they take a lot of
pride in representing Minuteman and are very excited to go to their alma maters. He shared that he and
Mr. O'Brien have worked hard on those brochures, as well as mailings that have recently gone out.
He added that applications are coming in and we are currently up 38 applications or 15%from where
we were this time last year, and to date,there are also 17 out-of-district applications received.
o Showcase Day—Wednesday,November 10th
Showcase Day is scheduled for Wednesday,November 10th,which will include four of the nine member
towns Acton,Arlington,Concord,and Lexington,and added that a number of towns still have restrictions
on field trips in terms of their district policy.
He explained that Showcase Day is a field trip to Minuteman where students visit two of our career and
technical education majors. A virtual family information day will be held live on November 15th. The
event will also be videotaped so it can be sent out to those interested.
o Open House Events—Sunday,November 21"
The Open House event is scheduled for Sunday, November 21" from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. He added
that tours of the building continue in the afternoon and evenings and will include additional tours and
weekends tour in December.
Mr. Chiariello emphasized that as of the October 1"report numbers,we are now at 82%in-district students
total.For the freshman and sophomore classes making up more than half of the building 92%are in-district
students and we are trending in the right direction which is due to all the hard work.He says we have"lifted
the curtain off the unicorn that is Minuteman", as we always had great programs,teachers and students but
now we have the building to reflect all of those people and programs.It is a fantastic educational experience
to communicate to our member towns.
Mr. Stulin asked that Mr. O'Brien send the printed brochures to School Committee members so that they
can pass them around as he would like to have them in hand. He added that the Communications, Access
and Admissions group is working on two important documents 1)the draft of the Admissions Policy and
2)he suggested that there would be a shorter document which includes an explanation of the Admissions
Policy which can be sent to all of our member communities so that there will be no questions or mistakes
on how they should proceed with deadlines for students of member towns to apply.
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He added that it is important to stay on track with the number of students increasing as it is,they will not
be able to go in the current building as it is now. He said there are plans to expand these programs into
other parts of the building which will cost money to do, and it is important that we time the creation of the
new spaces before the new students arrive,which is a multi-year project that will culminate after Dr.
Bouquillon's tenure with the district.
Mr. Stulin shared that he has been with Minuteman for a very long time and that the communications
team, Mr. O'Brien and Mr. Chiariello, is the strongest team that has been at Minuteman during his tenure,
and there is not a close second,based on the items created and the pace.
Ms.Nourse thanked all those working on this very important work.
8. SECRETARY'S REPORT,Alice DeLuca
a. Approval of Draft Minutes of September 14th and September 23rd,2021
VOTE: To approve the draft minutes of September 14th and September 23", as presented
ACTION 2021 #189
Moved(Stulin)and seconded(Leone),
To approve the draft minutes of September 14th, as presented
VOTE: 8 members in room at time of vote
Weighted Vote present: 92.85%
Weight needed:>46.42%
Names of towns opposing or abstaining:
Final percentage results of vote: 66.51%
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)(Abstained)
Judy Crocker(Lexington) (Abstained)
Jeff Stulin(Needham)(Yes)
Alice DeLuca(Stow)(Yes)
ACTION 2021 #190
Moved(Stulin)and seconded (Leone),
To approve the draft minutes of September 23rd
VOTE: To approve the draft minutes of September 23', as presented
VOTE: 8 members in room at time of vote
Weighted Vote present: 92.85%
Weight needed:>46.42%
Names of towns opposing or abstaining:
Final percentage results of vote: 92.85%
Final status of the vote: Unanimous
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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 Stulin(Needham)(Yes)
Alice DeLuca(Stow)(Yes)
Ms. DeLuca added that she has spoken to Ms.Nourse about having a consent calendar which allows us to
not record 10,000 roll call votes on minutia. Ms.Nourse agreed. Dr. Bouquillon stated we will review the
item during the Officers meeting.
Mr. Stulin added that the two advantages are that the minutes are being done extremely well and things are
not dragged out unnecessarily.
Ms.Nourse thanked Ms. DeLuca and Ms. Pisegna for their work with the minutes.
9. ADJOURNMENT
ACTION 2021 #191
Moved(Stulin)and seconded(Leone),
To adjourn the meeting at 7:44 p.m.
VOTE: 8 members in room at time of vote
Weighted Vote present: 92.85%
Weight needed:>46.42%
Names of towns opposing or abstaining:
Final percentage results of vote: 92.85%
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 Stulin (Needham)(Yes)
Alice DeLuca(Stow)(Yes)
Respectfully submitted,
Julia Pisegna Alice DeLuca
District Assistant Secretary
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