HomeMy WebLinkAboutFINAL School Committee Minutes November 16 2021.pdf FINAL
MINUTES
MINUTEMAN REGIONAL VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
REGULAR SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING
NOVEMBER 16, 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)
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
NOTE: The worldwide pandemic of SARS-CoV-2,the virus that causes COVID-19, continues in its
22nd month. There are currently worldwide issues with the supply chain. Production and shipments are
delayed,which impacts all parts of the economy including school operations and maintenance, etc.
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March 12,2020, such adoption to be effective until said Executive Order is rescinded or the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 #192
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
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
None.
4. CHAIR'S REPORT: FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORGANIZATION,Pam Nourse
a. For the Good of the Organization
Committee Chair, Pam Nourse, commented that the Acton Parents Facebook page had some wonderful
and positive comments on Minuteman after a parent attended Showcase Day and asked for opinions. She
shared that it was heartwarming to see so many wonderful comments and it is a testament to the
administration,faculty,and staff.
Mr. Stulin shared that the pictures of the student athletes on the field was awesome to see!
Ms. Crocker thanked the Culinary Arts Program for running a holiday pie program.
b. School Committee Goals and Actions for 2021-2022
Ms. Nourse added that the School Committee goals were included in the packet. She added that we will
continue to refer to these goals as subcommittees meet and throughout the year.
VOTE: To approve the School Committee Goals and Actions for 2021-2022, as presented
ACTION 2021 #193
Moved(DeLuca)and seconded(Crocker)
To approve the School Committee goals and actions for 2021-2022, as presented
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)
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Ford Spalding(Dover) (Yes)
Jennifer Leone (Lancaster)(Yes)
Judy Crocker(Lexington) (Yes)
Jeff Stulin, (Needham) (Yes)
Alice DeLuca, Secretary(Stow) (Yes)
Ms.Nourse thanked members for all their work on their goals and actions for the coming year.
5. PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
In Mr.Clement's absence,Ms.Bouchard provided members with the Principal's Report and shared some
of the recent happenings at Minuteman.
a. October 23rd Homecoming Event
Ms. Bouchard shared that it was a wonderful event and thanked all the staff who helped make that event
happen. She shared that it was refreshing to attend an on-campus sporting event as it was the first time
in five years, and it was nice to see families, students, and staff members out on the field celebrating
together. She added that she held a meeting with the Leads Teacher where they share their'High Five of
the Month"and the majority of the staff shared that their high five was attending homecoming.They truly
enjoyed being with the students on the field and chaperoning the dance. Sporting events held that day
included boys' soccer, girls' soccer, football game, and approximately 300 students at the homecoming
dance. The students enjoyed attending the extra-curricular activities.
Mr. Stulin added that going back five years when there were so many unknowns at that point in time
regarding the fields. It has taken us five years to get to this point, and to him, this is one of the greatest
moments of his entire tenure at Minuteman— 1)being the creation of the new building but next, and just
as important, is all the years of decisions, trade-offs, and meetings after meetings to create those fields,
all the delays, and then COVID, and now here we are. He does not want this moment to go by without
extra reflection on it.
b. Work Co-Op Program Update
Ms. Bouchard thanked Mr. Pitta and Mr. DiPaolo for their assistance with the Co-Op Department. She
shared that seniors are eligible to go out on co-op. Currently,there are 27 seniors out which is 22%of the
senior class. She added that she is working on a virtual job fair which is scheduled for January so that if
more students are interested in going out on co-op,they can connect with some future employers at that
time. She noted that we have not had a job fair in some time, so she is excited to reach out to employers
who have contacted Minuteman to interact with students and hope we can help fill some of their numerous
openings.
c. Current Freshman Exploratory Update
Ms. Bouchard shared that the freshman exploratory is almost half-way through the 10-week exploratory
process. So far, students have visited every program for an hour, they then picked six programs and we
scheduled them for five, and this week they are finishing up their third visit with two more remaining.
This timeline places students in their major at the end of January. To date, there has been positive
feedback from staff with having the freshman in the program for a full two weeks. They feel like they
can showcase their program and do longer projects with the students.
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Ms.Nourse asked if the interest in majors is as expected and following the usual patterns.Ms. Bouchard
responded that with the preliminary numbers, we had high numbers in the computer-based programs,
such as multi-media and DVC as those programs had trended heavy for the past couple of years. She
added that multi-media and animal science are popular, as the new programs typically are popular, and
that surprisingly,welding was extremely popular with a lot of students.
Mr. Stulin asked if there was any reason that is happening in the marketplace or in high schools to explain
why students would be so interested in welding. Ms. Bouchard noted that she does not have a specific
answer as to why.
d. Lexington BattleGreen Run Highlights
The Lexington BattleGreen run was held on November 7th. Ms. Bouchard shared that it was a beautiful
day with great Minuteman participation.
The Culinary Arts Depal lruent had a tent that served over 16 gallons of chili. It was a sell out! She noted
that there were over 20 students and staff either volunteering or running in the race, health students
shadowed the on-site medical team that was on duty, and other students guided runners along the route
and handed out water.
One of our seniors placed first in his age group for the 5K. She shared that it was a great day for the
community and a terrific event that raises money for scholarships for Minuteman.
e. Test and Stay Program Update—Dr.Amy Perreault
Dr. Perreault provided an update on the Covid-19 Test and Stay Program and reported that there are 364
students who have signed up and given consent to participate in the Test and Stay Program. To date, 66
tests have been run,and while that is not many tests,she believes it is a testament to the school community
following the protocols and guidelines that have been set up,as well as the diligence of our Health Office
tracking and ensuring that students and staff are not coming to school until they have been cleared.
We have had one student and two staff members test positive for COVID the entire school year. She
shared that the 66 tests number is low as the school has not had to do a lot of contact tracing and testing
five days in a row. According to our nurses,when students are symptomatic,they choose not to test and
stay because they are exhibiting so many symptoms that it would require them to get a test with their
pediatrician or primary care doctor.
She added that the program is being used as it was intended and Minuteman is benefitting from using it,
but we are not using it a very high rate which shows that staff, parents, and students are following the
protocols.
f. Fall 2022 Admissions Update—Anthony Chiariello
o Applications Received to Date(final item in the report)
o Showcase Day—Wednesday,November 10th
o Open House Events—Sunday,November 21"
o Virtual Family Information Session—November 15, 2021
Mr. Chiariello provided an update on the admission events which have taken place and the application
numbers received to date.
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Showcase Day was held on Wednesday,November 10th with 378 visitors from four communities—Acton,
Arlington, Concord, and Lexington. The Nashoba towns (Stow, Bolton, and Lancaster) Needham and
Dover continue to restrict fieldtrips and unfortunately students are not allowed to go on fieldtrips, and
while we would have loved to have them in attendance,we understand why those restrictions are in place.
In addition,we had over 100 Minuteman students who were in the building that day to support their career
majors, as well as generally helping with the day. He noted that these student ambassadors had the day
off but wanted to come in and support their teachers and really showcase what they do in their programs.
He shared that some of the feedback from their teachers was that they could sit back and watch as it was
the students running the showcase and their program which is a testament to how amazing our students
are.
He provided a breakdown by town as follows:
Arlington— 180 students
Lexington—85 students
Acton—70 students
Concord—43 students
Mr.Chiariello added that the last time Showcase Day was held,it was November of 2019 for the class of
2024. He highlighted the percentage increase from the towns for the class of 2024, with Arlington and
Concord well over 50%more students coming to this year's Showcase Day. Feedback cards are provided
with one of the questions asked is if they are planning to apply. He will continue to review the data to
see what impact Showcase Day had.
The Family Information Session was held virtually via Zoom on November 15th. The advantages to
having it on Zoom is that families can access it much easier without having to drive to the school and we
are able to record the event and post it in on our website for families to view at their leisure. The event
was held in the theatre and included a panel of four parents, media, and engineering students, and Mr.
O'Connors' class produced the recording. He shared that while it is great to hear from the students. The
parents talk about what Minuteman has done for their child,which is phenomenal and equally rewarding.
Open House is scheduled for Sunday,November 21St with over 230 families registered. The event will
be held from 10:00 a.m.to 1:00 p.m.where people can drop in and visit the CTE and academic programs,
guidance, special education, support services, athletics. The career and technical student organizations
will be represented and showcase the full Minuteman experience.
Mr. Chiariello then reviewed the applications received as of November 16th and highlighted the change
in numbers from last year to this year which reflects an increase in applications from where we were this
time last year. He noted that while we are still early in the process, it is always informative to see where
we currently are. He did some data analysis,and the percentage of students who end up coming to school
here,and if they applied in October or November,the percentage is very high that end up enrolling. The
more students we see earlier,the higher likelihood that they will ultimately come to school here.
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own 2024 2025 2026 Chan-e 2025 to 20
Acton 19 14 20 6
Arlington 37 28 34 6
Bolton 4 8 5 -3
Concord 2 8 15 7
Dover 0 0 0 0
Lancaster 4 3 5 2
Lexington 15 14 12 -2
Needham 3 7 6 -1
Stow 8 13 8 -5
Total 92 95 305 10
He said this is where we are now. While trying not to read too much into the numbers, Concord shows
an increased interest,and there is strong support from Acton and Arlington. Needham is standing where
it usually is. A lot of Lexington students attended Showcase Day and he is hopeful that translates to
applications and an increase in Lexington students.
Ms.Nourse commented that it is an impressive array of activity.
6. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT-Dr.Edward Bouquillon
a. District Outreach
o Superintendents Luncheon Meeting—Tuesday, October 19th
o Legislative Breakfast—Friday, October 29th
o Meeting with President Sisson of Middlesex Community College
Dr. Bouquillon added that he hosted a member town Superintendent luncheon,the first one in 3-4 years,
which included some new superintendents. He noted that the Superintendent of Concord — Carlisle
attended and has posted about Minuteman on her Twitter account and is sharing with her community our
Open House event dates. The new Superintendent from Nashoba, Kirk Downing, who was there, has
reached out regarding their school building project and the Nashoba School Building Committee is
coming to Minuteman for a tour.
Dr. Bouquillon hosted the legislative breakfast held on October 29th(Spirit Friday) and he was very
pleased with the turnout which was greater than we have ever had and included some new legislators as
well. They discussed the configuration of the District, many of whom represented overlapping districts
and vocational schools,so they had an opportunity to see what Minuteman is all about. There were good
questions asked about many issues, including admissions, waiting lists and access. He was pleased to
report that Minuteman has great access to our middle schools,unlike other vocational schools across the
Commonwealth.
We discussed legislation and the key priorities that we and the Massachusetts Association of Vocational
Administrators(MAVA)has regarding House Bill 699 which Adam Scanlon has rewritten and there are
some good things in there that would be helpful to all vocational programs and vocational schools.
The group also discussed the spending bill and the money that is available out there now. The House
Ways and Means had just recently come out with their recommendation on how to spend$5B of ARPA
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funds, and $100M of that was set aside for vocational schools for construction and related capacity
building issues which we identified here over a year ago. Actually,we identified it twelve years ago,but
nobody listened to us, and now we don't have enough room. Student ambassadors provided two tours to
the legislators.
He added that legislators from the Nashoba area and from Watertown which have received complaints
from their constituents that Minuteman was not accepting the number of students from Watertown that it
should. The legislators are trying to understand that and Dr. Bouquillon will be meeting with them
individually to discuss the issue of being a member and non-member further. Dr.Bouquillon appreciated
the way the legislators wanted to learn about what we are doing,how we are doing it, and how they can
be helpful. While some of the questions were challenging, it was because the legislator did not have the
full story, and once they had the full story,they understood.
Dr. Bouquillon shared that it was a great meeting. There was also an alumnus, Brad Spinney, in
attendance.He shared his experience about the value of a Minuteman and vocational technical education.
He graduated 12 years ago and does all the plumbing for the bio-tech firm AstroZeneca. He was very
candid and honest about sharing his personal story, and Dr. Bouquillon noted as an aside that Mr.
Spinney's uncle was Big Bird, from Sesame Street.
Dr. Bouquillon also met with Phil Sisson, President of Middlesex Community College, for a tour of the
school and a discussion of how Minuteman and Middlesex Community College can do more in the early
college area, dual enrollment, early college, articulation agreements, and he is looking forward to Mr.
Sisson working with Minuteman. They also discussed Minuteman Technical Institute,accreditation,and
his interest in setting up a satellite office for Middlesex Community College on our campus.
b. NEASC On site Visit:Nov 1 —4th Update
Dr. Bouquillon shared that NEASC was onsite for our 10-year accreditation visit, which was really 12
years since they have been on site. This visit was done in a hybrid model of accreditation and the first
hybrid visit for NEASC.It was a good experience for both them and us. He added that it was a tremendous
amount of work by the administration and teachers meeting with them,both online and in person. They
were very complimentary on several things for the exit feedback. They were impressed that we have a
full-time Communications Director and discussed how valuable that is today and the importance of
getting the message out on all forms of media. Dr. Bouquillon thanked Mr. O'Brien for his work. We
expect to receive a report mid-December where we will have an opportunity to correct any errors. The
final report in January will be shared with the School Committee and then shared with the Commission.
He reminded members that the Commission was very supportive of Minuteman during the time that we
were trying to fund the new building.He feels that they supported us by putting us on probation a decade
ago for our old facility as we were on the verge of losing accreditation due to the problems with that
facility. He believes that the hybrid model for NEASC visits should continue because it is cost effective
and may increase the number of schools that access NEASC accreditation. The prior way(in-person for
30-40 people to visit over 10 days) could result in a cost of$40,000 for an on-site accreditation.
c. Possible Vote to Authorize the Superintendent-Director to enter into a Net Metering Agreement
on Behalf of Minuteman
VOTE: To authorize Superintendent-Director as an Authorized Agent to represent
Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School District as a public entity related to
the Net Metering Program and the Superintendent-Director is authorized to sign the
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"Net Metering Public ID Signature Sheet"on behalf of Minuteman Regional
Vocational Technical School District
ACTION 2021 #194
Moved(Leone)and seconded(Ledoux)
To authorize Superintendent-Director as an Authorized Agent to represent Minuteman
Regional Vocational Technical School District as a public entity related to the Net
Metering Program and the Superintendent-Director is authorized to sign the"Net
Metering Public ID Signature Sheet"on behalf of the Minuteman Regional Vocational
Technical School District,as presented
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)
Jeff Stulin, (Needham) (Yes)
Alice DeLuca, Secretary(Stow) (Yes)
Dr. Bouquillon explained net metering to members as follows: if we produce more electricity than we
use,it goes back into the grid.The agreement that we have which was negotiated with the power company
states that we would get reimbursed for that net metering back into the grid at a higher rate than a
homeowner would. He shared that this has been negotiated over months with special counsel and Beth
Greenblatt and this is the final step in the process so that if we ever get to the point where we are putting
power back into the grid,we would be paid at that higher rate.
Mr. Ledoux asked if the agreement has an escalator clause in it for the buy-back going up over time. Dr.
Bouquillon responded that it does,but he does not know what that percentage is but that over the life that
we own it, it does have a small escalator that is tied to energy costs in the agreement. He said it floats.
Mr. Ruderman asked how long the agreement was for, and Dr. Bouquillon responded 20 years. Mr.
Ruderman added that at 20 years, the escalator clause becomes an important consideration and Dr.
Bouquillon agreed.
d. School Building Committee Report—Ford Spalding
Mr. Spalding shared the important news that on October 26`h,the Town of Lincoln Building Department
issued a full Certificate of Occupancy for our building project which officially marks the completion of
Lincoln's permitting issues for the project.
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Mr. Spalding expressed his gratitude to Dr. Bouquillon, the project managers led by Skanksa, the
architects,Kaestle Boos,and the general contractor, Gilbane. He added that it has been a long road with
them, but we now have the Certificate of Occupancy. There are a few items which need to be done
including a corrective item covered by warranty that deals with part of the roof This will be addressed in
the summer. The grass has been planted and we are in really good shape in terms of our building.
Mr. Spalding shared that the stadium field has been completed, along with the track. The baseball field
and the extended athletic field,which is the same size as our stadium field,is due to be completed by the
end of next week, followed by the safety and performance testing. We will be receiving delivery of the
turf for the softball field with an anticipated completion date for the end of December,weather permitting.
This will complete the project, other than grass being planted in the spring. He noted that Heimlich
Construction has been absolutely phenomenal. The roads around the fields will also be completed.
Mr. Spalding discussed why we built the fields and shared that there were over 220 students who
participated in fall sports which is remarkable. The girls' and boys' soccer and the football team were
able to end their season on our fields. He added that it was quite thrilling for him to witness a game with
fans watching.
Girls soccer qualified for the MIAA state tournament. The team lost in the first round, but they had a
phenomenal season. Coach Diane Dempsey was named the Commonwealth Athletic Conference Coach
of the Year, and there were four all-stars on the team.
The boys' soccer team is a young team, competed well with some close games, and they had 3 all-stars
on their team.
Cross country had 22 athletes competing. The cheerleading team continues to grow, and they were out
there cheering at the football game. The golf team finished 8-6. The football team will host Keefe
Academy for the Thanksgiving Day game beginning at 10 a.m. and he hopes to see fans there. The kids
are the reason we built the fields, the building is complete, and we can move on to the next phase of
expanding the campus.
Ms. Nourse mentioned that Mr. Spalding should be added to those to thank for the Certificate of
Occupancy. Mr. Spalding shared that it was a great committee,it was a team effort by the entire team of
the building committee,which still meets and will for some time.
Mr.Stulin added that Mr. Spalding's involvement was one of the factors that made the team so successful.
Dr. Bouquillon added that one of the items related to the School Building Committee and the Certificate
of Occupancy was that the Town of Lincoln charged permitting fees in excess of$1.1M. He noted that
as we have the Certificate of Occupancy,he is requesting reimbursement from the Town of Lincoln. He
will be sending a letter to the Town Administrator reiterating what we have discussed in emails and letters
over the last 4 '/2 years because those permitting fees were paid not relinquishing our rights to go and
revisit them once we received our Certificate of Occupancy. The level of refund that he is seeking is
significant and the reason that he is confident in asking for that is because of the work of the School
Building Committee, our owners project manager, our architects, and Gilbane because we logged every
minute that every inspector was on our campus for any inspection whatsoever. We also logged the
additional costs that were incurred by the district for requests made by various boards. He added that
when you look at what we paid for permitting and what other projects have paid for the last 10 years,the
amount of money that this district was charged by the community that is no longer a member, yet hosts
our school building,is well above what is reasonable to expect. He will be sending out a letter of request
to the Town Administrator and he will keep members informed on the progress of that.
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e. Capacity Building Update
Dr. Bouquillon reviewed the three capacity building projects.
The first is the North Building so that we can expand welding and metal fabrication. The foundation is in
place; the structure is out to bid. Kaestle Boos is handling that project as we hired them as an"on-call"
architects, so all their services are availed to us such as engineering,design services,inspection services,
and estimating services and we anticipate receiving bids on December 8th. So, with everything moving
along as we plan,we will have an expansion in place by the fall of 2022. It has been designed so that our
electrical,plumbing, and HVAC students can all be a part of finishing it off and then we will move the
equipment that is in the advanced manufacturing space into the new metal fabrication area. This will free
up space in advanced manufacturing,free up space in welding,and has a cascade effect on that end of the
building.
The second project is the Tremont School renovation into a veterinary clinic and academic classroom
space. In 2018,we had legislation passed which allows Minuteman to enter long-term ground leases for
up to 50 years for mission-compatible partners.Our regional Blue Pearl partners were made aware of that
and they are discussing this in Tampa now at the company's executive level and we anticipate feedback
from them in the next week or so if they are interested in entering into a long-term partnership. This will
go through the School Committee as the Superintendent has no authority to enter into those leases on his
or her own,and his idea is that Blue Pearl will make all of the investments in the renovation of that facility
and they will have a teaching hospital primarily built to teach Minuteman students and Minuteman
Technical Institute students which will include six academic classrooms and other spaces available.
The third capacity building project is the south foundation where we want to build as an innovative green
energy demonstration facility. Dr. Bouquillon will be meeting tomorrow with potential partners and the
CEO of SolaBlock on the next steps to getting that building built as a SolaBlock demonstration building.
SolaBlock is the Massachusetts company that we received a grant with from the Clean Energy Council
and Minuteman's role is to develop training materials.
Mr. Stulin asked with these three projects, how many students does each project allow us to add to our
total capacity. Dr. Bouquillon responded that with the first project, we would be able to add 8 students
per year for three years so approximately 24 additional students. The veterinary project would allow us
to add 60-80 students, depending on staffing, and just those two projects would get us to 800 students.
He added that the third project is to free up space in the horticulture shop and the warehouse facility so
that then becomes a storage facility and a small demonstration area. It puts some of our equipment which
is outside in to a garage,with no sheds.
Mr. Stulin stated that Blue Pearl would solve our problem with funding with respect to reaching our 800
target,otherwise we must wait into the future to do that portion of it, and Dr. Bouquillon agreed.
7. FINANCE REPORT
8. Approval of the Easement for Electric Services
VOTE: To approve the Easement for Electric Services, as presented
Mr. Ikonen provided members a copy of the Easement for Electric Services in their packet and
described the map outlining a dotted line from Marrett Road to a concrete pad PMH27546
adjacent to the stadium field which would hold the electrical conduit that powers the entire
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athletic fields. Mr.Ikonen added that approval is needed before filing with the Middlesex County
Registry of Deeds to proceed.
Dr. Bouquillon added that this allows us to turn on the lights in the field. Mr. Spalding noted
that the transformer arrived today and EverSource is on site. Mr. Ikonen added that EverSource
cannot move forward until we have approval and file this deed and it outlines restrictions and
allowances that provide for Minuteman above ground. Structures cannot be put on it.
EverSource, or a future vendor, would be able to access it, inspect it, and ensure that it is
operating properly and perform maintenance on it. He noted that this is under turf so there is no
need for them to remove brush or grass. Dr. Bouquillon added that the attorneys have also
reviewed this.
Mr. Stulin asked if this was a surprise that we had to do this. Dr. Bouquillon said it was not. Mr.
Stulin added that he assumes there is no case in which giving them this easement would restrict
something, something that we could imagine wanting to do with that land, or in the case that
they have to dig up the turf to get at the equipment, are we the ones responsible for replacing the
turf? Dr. Bouquillon responded that the district is responsible. Mr. Stulin noted that would be
expensive.
ACTION 2021 #195
Moved(Leone)and seconded(Spalding),
To approve the Easement for Electric Services, as presented
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)
Mr. Ikonen noted that Ms. Pisegna will be sending the document out to members for electronic signatures.
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9. Approval of FY22 Budget Transfers
VOTE: To approve the FY22 Budget Transfers, as presented
Mr. Ikonen reminded members that any transfer over $10,000 requires School Committee
approval. He had provided members a copy of the budget transfers in their packet in the amount
of$258,372.45.
Mr. Ledoux added that this has been reviewed by the Finance Committee and recommends these budget
transfers for approval.
ACTION 2021 #196
Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Leone),
To approve the FY22 Budget Transfers, as presented
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)
10. Discussion of FY22 First Quarter General Fund Report
Mr. Ikonen presented the first quarter General Fund Report for review and noted that there is no
vote needed. A copy of was included in the packet, outlining all the financials to date separated
by fund code.
Ms. Crocker asked why there was a deficit for Child Care — the only major with a deficit. It
turned out to be a revolving account which will discussed later.
Ms. Nourse asked for a general overview, if we are where we should be or anything he sees
standing out.
Mr. Ikonen shared that they encumbered everything for the year, including the major items such
a payroll,utilities and so forth, and that we appear to be on schedule and Ms. Andrade agreed.
12
Mr. Stulin added that one of the surprise issues when we moved into the new building was that
the cost of energy was much higher than anticipated, and he wonders if that continues to be the
case and if we understand why the cost is higher than we initially expected and if this higher cost
is what we are going to living with in the future.
Mr. Ikonen responded that we do believe that the cost is going to normalize going forward. We
continue to tweak some of the systems, specifically the HVAC, He is working with the vendors
now as well as KBA and their engineers and they are hoping to at least maintain or decrease in
the future. He agrees that utility costs are higher than what was anticipated.
Mr. Stulin asked if there were any other aspect of the new building, with respect to expenses,
that is significantly higher than anticipated or was it primarily just the energy item.
Supply chain: Mr. Ikonen responded just the energy, but noted we are changing out of filters on
a more frequent basis based on need and filters are hard to come by due to the supply chain
problems. Our order made six months ago was just delivered this week, and that would be the
only other item and he does not see any other item breaking the budget.
11. Discussion of FY22 First Quarter Revolving Fund Report
Mr. Ikonen shared that the Finance Committee discussed the negative balances at their recent
meeting. He noted that most of these are due to COVID and since pandemic last year, we were
carrying labor costs with a decreased revenue stream coming in which would normally offset
those, such as in MTI, food services, and early childcare. The secondary reason for childcare
was that we had a facilitated learning program which was for the children of our teachers and
staff Space for remote learning allowed teachers to maintain their work schedule and allow their
child to have an educational process under some guidance.
We are hopeful that when we are coming out of the pandemic and increasing the revenue stream
these will all go away by the end of the year.
Ms. Crocker thanked Mr. Ikonen and shared that it was money well spent for childcare for the
staff
12. FY23 Budget Process Update
Mr. Ikonen noted that this was his first budget process in his new role with Minuteman and it
has been a learning experience for him. He shared that he started the process in early to mid-
October when he met with the lead teachers and set expectations and told them what they should
be looking at. Many of their budgets were cut last year due to COVID-19 and not a lot of
spending was going on, so we wanted to bring them back to a level that they could maintain and
continue to provide the educational process needed.
They were given two weeks to prepare their budget and department requests. These requests
were reviewed by their immediate supervisors, which then came to the Business Office where
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they were reviewed. Mr. Ikonen thanked Ms. Andrade for her hard work, even while battling
illness, on preparing the payroll and the department requests budget.
Mr. Ikonen then met with Dr. Bouquillon and Mr. Mahoney, who is mentoring him through his
first budget to learn the process. They are proceeding to the next step and preparing the
documentation and information for presentation to the upcoming meeting of the Finance
Committee.
After that,Dr.Bouquillon will review the first iteration of his budget and it will continue through
the process until final presentation to the School Committee.
13. Approval of Members of the OPEB Advisory Group
VOTE: To approve the members of the OPEB Advisory Group
Mr. Ledoux noted that the School Committee previously authorized the formation of an OPEB
study committee and that the group was structured with a 5-member committee:
1) a member of the Finance Subcommittee
2) a Finance Director or member of the Finance Committee from one of our member towns
3) Assistant Superintendent of Operations
4) District Treasurer
5) At-large member
He added that our change in by-laws allows us to bring in outside expertise when needed. At the
last Finance Committee meeting, the following members were recommended:
1) Steve Ledoux—representing the Finance Subcommittee
2) Sandy Pooler—finance Director and Deputy Town Manager for the Town of Arlington
3) Rich Ikonen—Assistant Superintendent of Operations
4) Laurie Elliott—District Treasurer
5) Jim Gammill—at-large member
Mr. Ledoux added that at a recent Finance Committee meeting, Ms. Leone raised the issue
whether this is really a committee under the guise of our by-laws because there is only one voting
member on it, Mr. Ledoux. He noted that he looked at it as an advisory committee and a
committee that would recommend to the School Committee what would our annual contribution
to OPEB should be and that it is ultimately the decision of the School Committee what to put in
the operational budget for the upcoming year and what budget they are going to set after we have
our budgetary hearing. He added that he does not look at this as a really long process but
something that should have their task done in a few months, and he wanted to bring the kind of
dichotomy to the members' attention and asked Ms. DeLuca for comments.
Ms. DeLuca shared that she feels they need to get going on it to get it done in the timeframe
allotted and even though it does not have the same name as all of the other various things that
are in our policies, we should just make a recommendation as a group to the School Committee
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and if the School Committee is willing to accept that then move forward. Mr. Ledoux shared
that that was also his intent.
ACTION 2021 #197
Moved(Stulin)and seconded(Leone),
To approve the membership of the OPEB Advisory Group, as recommended.
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)
Mr. Stulin thanked Mr. Ledoux for putting this team together and he likes the list of members in
the group.
14. Facilities Rentals Update
Mr. Ikonen shared with the members that he hired Erin Norsen from the private sector to work
with facilities rentals and she has done a great job. She put together the flyer that was included
in the packet. She comes from a marketing background, and she used some of the photos which
were taken by the photographer in the building and put this together so that we have a hand-out
to potential renters.
Mr. Ikonen also reported that the office is receiving numerous calls daily and weekly as people
are driving by and seeing the new athletic fields and calling to inquire with no concern for cost,
they just want to use the fields. He added that our students come first, and they must be patient
and if we can work it into the schedule, we will. He added that it is an exciting time to see this
all happen as we work on the budget and do some projections for rentals.
Ms. Nourse asked if we have rented out the facilities yet, and Mr. Ikonen responded that Dr.
Bouquillon approved that late last year and we worked with MAVA who were holding classes
here some nights during the week and on Saturdays. We have also worked with a couple of other
groups for the rental of the Paul Revere Room and we just had an organization from Lexington,
Footsol, who are utilizing our gymnasium two nights per week. Most of the current inquiries
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received interfere with our schedule for sports and many are 3-4 months out for when the fields
are complete, such as baseball teams from other districts who are calling us on a weekly basis.
Ms. DeLuca added that the Policy Subcommittee is working on a Facilities Policy that Dr.
Perreault was anxious to have ready and we will be meeting to discuss that further, and that it is
important to have that in place before there is a tremendous amount of renting done as she has
read other policies and it seems that it should be already established. She added that it has taken
five years, so if they must wait another two months, it should not be a hardship.
Mr. Ikonen agreed, and that Dr. Perreault has advised him to slow it down also and she told him
she was working with the Policy Subcommittee on a Facilities Rental Policy and has given me
some tasks to assist with that.
Mr. Ikonen will proceed slowly, and Ms.DeLuca commented that we need to protect the district.
Ms. Crocker shared that she really like the brochure, and thanked Ms. Norsen.
15. Approval of the Monthly List of Donations
Mr. Ikonen presented the list of donations for the month of October. They were for$1,000 and
$50.
VOTE: To approve the October List of Donations
ACTION 2021 #198
Moved(Leone)and seconded(O'Connor),
To approve the October List of Donations, as presented
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)
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16. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
a. Superintendent Screening Committee—Ford Spalding
Mr. Spalding shared that there are 13 members on the Superintendent Screening Committee representing various
groups. They have a busy month which begins next week when they review the applications of all the applicants
to decide who will be interviewed. The Screening Committee will then come back to the School Committee by
the end of December and two or more finalists will be recommended. He added that all meetings are held in
Executive Session out of respect for the candidates as many of them have not told their employers of their
interest, so we are protecting them. When we have a recommendation for candidates, then it becomes public
knowledge.
b. Finance Committee—Steve Ledoux
Mr. Ledoux shared that we covered everything under Mr. Ikonen's report.
c. Policy Subcommittee—Alice DeLuca
Policies for Review:
Ms. DeLuca shared that they have been working on the Admissions Policy for a long time and wanted to review
a few items before we have a motion because some background may help eliminate some questions.
There has been some discussion going on for years about vocational admissions. At the moment,Dr.Bouquillon,
Dr.Perreault,Mr.Chiariello,Mr.O'Brien,Ms.Crocker,Ms.DeLuca,and the district counsel have been creating
a draft policy and we will walk through sections of that policy tonight so that we can understand what is in it.
Ms. DeLuca provided some history and shared that in January 2020, after approximately a year and a half or
work,Minuteman adopted a new Admissions Policy which was accepted by the Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education. That policy streamlined and clarified the language of a prior policy eliminating
approximately seven pages of redundant and confusing language. When read word for word, they realized
parents cannot read this and understand what it says, so it was streamlined and accepted in January of 2020.
Meanwhile,there were many discussions in the State about vocational admission policies in general,focused
particularly on a handful of schools in much more populous districts than ours. The issues are very complex
and the admissions in school vary from district to district.
In May of 2021, there was confusion in Arlington, in our district, relating to in-district and out-of-district
admissions,and it was based on this policy that was just accepted in January of 2020. In the spring of 2021,the
Policy Subcommittee and the administration were working together on additional revisions to the policy before
the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopted new regulations about vocational admissions.
In June 2021 after much discussion and many meetings, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
approved new regulations on admissions policies (603 CMR 4) and they proposed an initial very fast deadline
for approving new policies which was September and given that many subcommittees do not meet in the summer,
a waiver process was established to extend the deadline. She added that the Department is not going to approve
new policies,this is only for School Committees to approve policies.
Ms. DeLuca showed members a list of every vocational policy that was on their website in August of this year.
On any school district's website that actually had a new policy,she had the link and put it into a table. She added
that there were only five districts who had posted a more recent policy than Minuteman with the most recent one
being January of 2021, so Minuteman has one of the newer policies. All of those involved in this have attended
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a lot of meetings,with the most recent one being with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
meeting with the MASC Division 8 group to discuss the questions that people had related to admissions policies.
Ms. DeLuca added that the draft that was provided to members in their packet has been reviewed by district
counsel and the members of the Communications,Access,and Admissions Committee. The administration and
the Policy Subcommittee made some edits related to the School Committee voting to approve the slot allocation
which is on page 2 and 3 of the actual policy,and an edit to correct a mathematical error. The principles behind
the policy were taking into account that the school prepares a significant number of students to enter the
workforce directly from high school, so in addition to their tremendous skills set and the same academic
requirements as other high schools students have,they have four years to learn all of those things, as well as the
mechanics of applying for work and being on time,being a team player in a working group,all of those kinds of
things, so we are preparing students from the start and it is safe to say that the application process is part of the
education.
Ms. DeLuca highlighted that she has observed Mr. Chiariello and his discussions of admissions and how
carefully attentive they are to using data analysis to drive their work and they have demonstrated a sustained
interest in recruiting diverse groups of students from the member towns and she recognized that as in one section
of this policy we added in Section 4(i) the directive to the admissions team to review available data to identify
any awareness or opportunity gaps and she pointed out that that sentence is there to recognize the work that is
already happening and not to call out any kind of deficit.
She continued that we are preparing students for the school that they are choosing, and it is important that they
are actually deciding here as growing into adulthood they will make many decisions. They have to think things
through,put their best foot forward,show what they can do and complete the package.That is a standard process
that they experience and do again and again throughout their working life and they are 8th graders when they do
this. So, we are not proposing to rank the students harshly or to offer any kind of unfair advantage to some
students over others, and we include in the policy language for exceptional circumstances.
Ms.DeLuca asked members to use the sequential numbering located in the bottom right-hand corner of the page
and proceed to page 38, she highlighted the grade criteria for acceptance to Minuteman. She pointed out that
the A,B and C grades are counted as equal and not ranked separately so it is widely recognized that to obtain a
grade of a D or F requires significant effort. A student with straight A is not any more likely than a student with
straight C's to get accepted under this policy, but the application does show the young student planning on
Minuteman that they do need to sharpen their pencil in the middle school and keep their grades up,but it should
not induce excessive stress for the students or advantage any student who have access to extra tutoring or have
some kind of natural facility that allows them to be graded highly.
Ms. DeLuca moved on to page 38-Attendance Record. A student might have a significant number of absences
and this policy allows the administration to review the reason for the absences, not just the number of them so
for a student who has some extenuating circumstances that may have prevented them from being at school,the
administration can look and see why they were absent and may take that into consideration and noted that the
key here is showing up to school is an important predictor of being able to complete the training for a major and
students aim for completion and mastery showing up is an important component of that and they need to know
as they look ahead to Minuteman that attendance is looked at as important to success. So this application process
puts the emphasis in the right place and helps to mold the student to show them the importance of showing up.
Ms.DeLuca moved on to page 39-Discipline. The revisions in this section are mostly due to the new regulations
and they are very specific in that one piece. The recommendations on Page 39 show that the students are asked
to get a recommendation from someone, someone who thinks highly of them, someone that really knows them,
the importance of not burning bridges as one travels through the world of work might suggest itself to the student,
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and the policy is not requiring a guidance counselor recommendation specifically because guidance counselors
are over-burdened in case load and may not know the student. This policy simply asks for recommendations
from adults who know the student and it is the process of applying that is important and completion.
Page 40—Interviews-the administration differentiates the interviews that stand out and those that average.They
are not ranking interviews on a large scale, but rather two things: are they excellent or are they average. The
key here is that they actually complete the interview, they show up for the interview and discuss their interest
for this pathway of high school, and if they are not able to come to an interview,the school will go to them.
Page 50—Timeline. The timeline is important for parents and families who are trying to plan for 9th grade.
VOTE: To approve the Admissions Policy for first reading, as presented
ACTION 2021 #199
Moved(Leone)and seconded(O'Connor),
To approve the October List of Donations, as presented
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)
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)
Ms.Nourse thanked all those on the Policy Subcommittee and everyone who has worked on this for their work
on this policy as it took a lot of effort to get us to this point.
Mr. Ruderman asked if the allocation of available seats or the minimum number of seats available to each
member town will happen in June and that will be the number which will be in effect for the next school year
throughout the application process for each of the interested students.
Mr. Chiariello stated that it is the formula for how the slot allocations will be determined.As we know,the total
number of seats can vary from year to year so we would not be able to determine the exact number, but rather
the formula for determining said number would be voted on by the School Committee.
Mr. Ruderman stated that his question at heart is will the applicants and their families know what the allocation
is to be when they first submit their applications or is that going to change during their application process.
Dr. Bouquillon stated that this policy goes into effect next year, so in June of 2022, a recommendation will be
made around that specifically to the School Committee to vote on. He added that Mr. Chiariello has presented
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numerous formulas to come up with a slot allocation formula which is based on the total number of students that
we are going to accept. It is clear to Dr. Bouquillon and many of us that we cannot accept 200 students again
for the incoming freshman class,and he believes that 175 is going to be the number. The slot allocation formula
will be presented in December once we have another meeting with the Communications,Access and Admissions
Committee and review the data. Dr. Bouquillon shared that his anticipation is that there is going to be a greater
waiting list of member town students as we go through this process, despite having a really good admissions
Policy which is clearer and simpler. Dr. Bouquillon would like to take Ms. DeLuca's description of the policy
to the Depattinent of Elementary and Secondary Education, because it was beautiful, and added that we do not
have the capacity for all the students that want to come here.
Ms. DeLuca added that the slot allocation formula as it was originally designed was not a quota,not a total, it is
the minimum number such as six students for one town or 25%of the 8th grade class,it is the minimum number
and not the absolute total number. It is designed to ensure that each town gets some students into the school
because they are all paying for it.
Mr.Ruderman thinks that answers his question and shared that he thinks we are committing,at least by the time
we get to final reading and vote,that we will have some parameters of admissions numbers that we can hold out
in June, in the summertime and in the fall, as families begin to think about Minuteman applications and make
their decision.We will have something that we can at least stand on in June and there will be further adjustments
to the total number,but we will have a minimum number decided in June and we will go forward from that time.
Ms. DeLuca shared that parents should be encouraged to talk to their children about opportunities and enjoying
the process of things and not being too anxious about results,as sometimes kids get hung up on the moment and
don't understand the many different ways they can get to the same place.
Mr. O'Connor added that the nice thing about this policy is that it is very clear what expected milestone dates
are, therefore, the applicants and families have a clear understanding when those dates take place so that they
can help prepare the student,if they are interested,to successfully complete the application and get it submitted
on time which gives them, along with the outline of the policy, a greater propensity to at least be in line where
in some cases, people wait until the last second to start this process and then they wonder why they miss out.
This is clearly articulated.
Mr. Ruderman agreed and added that it will be very easy to stand on, promulgate and hold out to our member
towns that this is how we do things and that is what they want to know.
Mr. Stulin stated that we still need a cheat sheet,a shorter document that has the key dates and the key information
that parents want because they will not be able to read through this whole policy to gather that information. He
noted that sometimes the cheat sheet is out of sync with the policy,but he feels that a lot of people will not read
through the whole policy, and they will need the basic information regarding the dates—a single sheet of paper
what indicates what you need,and they can then read through the policy for all the details.
Ms. Nourse added that is something that the Communications, Access, and Admissions group can discuss and
figure out a way, so we do not have two separate documents floating around.
Ms. Crocker thanked Ms. DeLuca and Dr. Perreault and all those involved for their hard work and that she has
learned so much during the process and work with everyone.
Mr.O'Connor shared that it is important to remember that the policy is the backbone;the marketing and delivery
of how this is all done is a separate discussion. This is the foundation of how we do it and why we do it.
VOTE: To approve the Admission Policy for first reading, as presented
20
ACTION 2021 #200
Moved(Leone)and seconded(Spalding),
To approve the Admission Policy for first reading, as presented
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)
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)
1) Section B of the Policy Manual
VOTE: To approve Section B of the Policy Manual for first reading, as presented
ACTION 2021 #201
Moved(Leone)and seconded(Spalding),
To approve Section B of the Policy Manual for first reading, as presented
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)
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)
Ms.DeLuca discussed Section B of the Policy Manual which is referred to at times as"administrivia"documents
because they are painful to read. These are the governing rules what we use to plan our annual meetings and plan
21
a vote, and so forth, and as the dates of the policies indicate (6/17/75, 1/16/79 and 6/7/88), the School
Committee's before us had to revised these three things,and these documents back in the day were only on paper
and there was a conversion to digital which made our job much more enjoyable today and it was a lot easier to
look at this now as back in the day.
She noted two problems with the existing Section B which caused us a couple of hiccups in the past few years.
The first is that it does not match our new Regional Agreement which was approved by the towns. Second,the
by-laws, which are policy BBA, were chopped into sections to match MASCs archiving method so they were
put in twice as BBA and then again in each separate policy which is called duplication of documents and that
can lead to errors if you update it in one place and forget to update it in the other.
Ms. DeLuca noted that this is an interesting set of rules because they by-laws require 2/3 of the membership to
change them which is located on page 60 of the packet and Policy BEDF. She explained that this set of policies
was sent to members in two forms—the first version of the draft with the proposed changes which is the one to
consider voting on for the first reading. The second copy is the version showing the markup by the school's
legal counsel and the Policy Subcommittee over the course of several months and this was a huge lift by many
editors and something we avoided for a long time because it was so complex.
Ms. DeLuca pointed out several edits submitted by Mr. Ledoux and thanked him for his eagle eye as these are
important housekeeping edits. She added that she did not receive any additional comments. Ms.DeLuca started
at Page 47 and thanked Ms.Crocker who went through the index of these letter codes and titles and removed all
the ones being eliminated so the index matches the policies that are in the document.
Page 53 — Article IV — Members — it says the members of the committee should be appointed by the town
moderator of their community—that is no longer true because we revised the Regional Agreement and in the
new Regional Agreement,it says that the selectmen are going to appoint the members of our School committee,
unless they have some other arrangement in that town,such as a town charter.We do have one town which does
still by town charter appoint by the town moderator so there are several places in the document where it stills
needs to be changed from town moderator to appointing authority or Board of Selectman so that first sentence
is going to be changed and we will be bringing back the new language in the next version.
On the page,there are two places in Article IV where it says contact the moderator or notify the moderator—that
will be changed to notifying the appropriate appointing authority.
Page 63—Policy BBB—in the second paragraph,it reads the moderator of town shall be admitted to the district
,that must be changed because it is not from the current Regional Agreement.
Page 65 —Policy BBBE—is the unexpired term fulfillment and vacancy section—this section is not correct—it
says it needs to be a super majority,page 60 Article 11, it has to be amended by a vote of the super majority of
the committee at a meeting of the committee provided notice in writing of the particular change proposed has
been mailed postage prepaid to each member five days prior to the regular meeting to which the proposed
amendment is to be acted on. This requirement to notify members by mail of a proposed change shall not apply
if all members of the committee are present at the meeting when the change is proposed. Tonight, we are all
present, so that problem is eliminated tonight.
The voting method requirement is also referenced on Page 90—Policy BEDF.
Ms. DeLuca noted that when this comes back for the second read, that version will reflect the changes of Mr.
Ledoux relating to the appointing authority and added that she has not received any other comments.
Mr. Stulin congratulated Ms. DeLuca on her super-human effort on this accomplishment. He requested a hard
copy of these documents and that he cannot process and edit this volume online.
22
Ms.Nourse asked anyone interested in a hard copy,please let Ms. Pisegna know.
Ms. Leone would like a hard copy and shared that the amount of work done on this is amazing.
Ms. DeLuca also thanked the district's counsel, Dr. Perreault, Ms. Pisegna, and anyone else involved, for their
work on this because they did a huge heavy lift on this also.
Ms.Nourse thanked Ms. DeLuca for her very clear and concise description of two very complicated policies.
d. Communications,Access,and Admissions Subcommittee—Jeff Stulin
Mr. Stulin stated that we have covered everything that needs to be covered with this and mentioned. The two
things that are on his mind for the next Communication, Access and Admissions meetings is looking again at
the possible building projects and the timeframe of when we can consider having more students join the school
and the communications to parents and others as to the most relevant portion of the admissions documents so
that they can have a simple thing to look at in order to help them make their decision.
17. SECRETARY'S REPORT,Alice DeLuca
a. Approval of Draft Minutes of October 12,2021
VOTE: To approve the draft minutes of October 12,2021, as presented
ACTION 2021 #202
Moved(Leone)and seconded(Spalding),
To approve the draft minutes of October 12,2021,as presented
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)
David O'Connor(Bolton) (Abstained)
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 it was very nice to have Mr. Clement back again. He added that when you look at the
level of achievement and success that was covered in this meeting's agenda,it is truly remarkable and the fruits
of labor from a lot of people over a huge period of times.
Ms.Nourse agreed and expressed her gratitude to the School Committee,faculty and staff and she is very proud
to be part of this community. It's a team effort.
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Dr. Bouquillon thanked everyone and wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.Ms. Crocker added"and
Hannukah".
18. ADJOURNMENT
ACTION 2021 #203
Moved(Leone)and seconded(O'Connor),
To adjourn the meeting at 8:23 p.m.
VOTE: 9 members in room at time of vote
Weighted Vote present: 100%
Weight needed: >50%
Names of towns opposing or abstaining: Bolton
Final percentage results of vote: 92.85%
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)
Respectfully submitted,
Julia Pisegna Alice DeLuca
District Assistant Secretary
•
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