HomeMy WebLinkAboutFINAL SC Minutes February 8 2022.pdf FINAL
MINUTES
MINUTEMAN REGIONAL VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
REGULAR SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING
FEBRUARY 8, 2022, 6:30 PM
Present:
Pam Nourse, Chair(Acton) Jeff Stulin, Vice-Chair(Needham)
Alice DeLuca, Secretary (Stow) Michael Ruderman (Arlington)
Steve LeDoux (Concord) Ford Spalding (Dover)
Judith Crocker(Lexington) Jennifer Leone (Lancaster)
Absent: Dave O'Connor(Bolton)
Weighted Vote: Weighted Vote present at start of meeting: 92.85%
Others Present: Dr. Bouquillon, Dr. Perreault, George Clement, and Julia Pisegna
Note: The COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020 continues, and therefore these minutes
contain several references to the impact of this pandemic on life at Minuteman and the community.
1. CALL TO ORDER: OPEN SESSION
The Chair called the regular meeting to order.
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Order is rescinded or the Commonwealth's State of Emergency as referenced in said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 2022 #1616
Moved(Leone) and seconded(DeLuca)
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
1
Roll Call:
Pam Nourse (Acton) (Yes)
Michael Ruderman (Arlington) (Yes)
Steve LeDoux (Concord) (Yes)
Ford Spalding (Dover) (Yes)
Jennifer Leone (Lancaster) (Yes)
Judith Crocker(Lexington) (Yes)
Jeff Stulin, Vice-Chair(Needham) (Yes)
Alice DeLuca, Secretary (Stow) (Yes)
3. PUBLIC COMMENT:
Dr. Bouquillon reported that no public comments were received.
4. CHAIR'S REPORT
Ms. Nourse noted that the membership for the subcommittees was approved last fall, and that the
Superintendent's Negotiation and Evaluation Subcommittee currently consists of Jennifer Leone,
serving as Chair, Dave O'Connor, Ford Spalding, and Pam Nourse. She asked for a vote to remove
herself and Ford Spalding and add Mr.Ledoux to that subcommittee,so that the subcommittee would
now include Jennifer Leone as Chair, Dave O'Connor, and Steve Ledoux.
Mr. Stulin thanked the members for their service.
Ms. Leone added that Mr. Ledoux will be a real asset to the group with his experience from Acton.
ACTION 2022 #17
Moved(Stulin) and seconded(Spalding)
To approve Jennifer Leone (Chair), Dave O'Connor and Steve Ledoux as members
of the Superintendent's Negotiations and Evaluation Subcommittee
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)
Michael Ruderman (Arlington) (Yes)
Steve LeDoux (Concord) (Yes)
Ford Spalding (Dover) (Yes)
Jennifer Leone (Lancaster) (Yes)
Judith Crocker(Lexington) (Yes)
Jeff Stulin, Vice-Chair(Needham) (Yes)
Alice DeLuca, Secretary (Stow) (Yes)
Ms. Nourse thanked the members for their work on this committee.
2
Ms. Crocker shared that the Lexington Quincentennial Commission announced the contest to create
the logo celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington which will take place in April
2025.
The entries will be judged by a panel of artists and community members and displayed in a special
showing at a local gallery. She added that the winning design will be awarded$1,000.00 and will be
advertised widely with regional tourism and news media recognition. The second and third runner-
ups will be awarded $500.00 and$250.00, with their logo displayed on a variety of digital and print
media. All high school students in Lexington are invited to submit entries. Ms. Crocker will forward
the details to Dr. Bouquillon. She reminded members that the current winner of the downtown area
logo project was a Minuteman student.
Ms. Crocker also added that the Lexington Youth Lacrosse team is interested in the new fields.
Mr. Ruderman added that he has received requests from some parents for a public forum or town
hall meeting regarding Covid, what Minuteman is doing about Covid, and what is the current state
of Covid at Minuteman. While they recognize the very significant volume of messages that continue
to go out to families, they do have some questions and would like the opportunity to discuss this
with the school administration.
Dr. Bouquillon invited Mr. Ruderman to contact him to discuss this further.
5. PRINCIPAL FINANCE'S REPORT, George Clement
Mr. Clement reported that the at-home testing program for Covid has begun. To date, we have 472
students signed up for this optional program, along with 119 staff members registered for the
program. The sophomores and seniors have received their tests, and the freshman and junior class
will receive their tests next week. We will also ensure the that students have sufficient tests for
during vacation week. The staff have been using the program for a week, and so far,there have been
no complaints.
Mr. Clement presented three field trips for approval:
Trip 1: Approval of the out-of-state field trip for the Horticultural Program to the Logees
Greenhouses
in Danielson, Connecticut on February 10th (sophomores and seniors) and February 17th
(freshman/juniors)
VOTE: To approve the out-of-state field trip for the Horticultural Program to the
Logees Greenhouses in Danielson, Connecticut on February 10th(sophomores and seniors)
and February 17th(freshman/juniors), as presented
ACTION 2022 #18
Moved(Leone) and seconded(DeLuca)
To approve the out-of-state field trip for the Horticultural Program to the
Logees Greenhouses in Danielson, Connecticut on February 10th(sophomores and seniors)
and February 17th(freshman/juniors), as presented
VOTE: 8 members in room at time of vote
Weighted Vote present: 92.85%
Weight needed: >46.42%
3
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)
Michael Ruderman(Arlington) (Yes)
Steve LeDoux (Concord) (Yes)
Ford Spalding (Dover) (Yes)
Jennifer Leone (Lancaster) (Yes)
Judith Crocker(Lexington) (Yes)
Jeff Stulin, Vice-Chair(Needham) (Yes)
Alice DeLuca, Secretary (Stow) (Yes)
He added that students were excited to go to the Logees Greenhouse which houses rare and unusual
plants, a 150-year-old citrus tree with ten different grafts on it, and a retail store. Students will
observe the operation of the greenhouse works from both the wholesale and retail side, and one
student commented it was their favorite trip.
Mr. Clement added that all Covid protocols will be followed.
Ms. Crocker asked for clarification on the two different travel dates, and Mr. Clement responded
that it reflects the students who are on their CTE programs one week, and the opposite week is the
academic programs, and this ensures that no academics will be missed for students participating in
the field trip.
Mr. Stulin stated that he approves these field trip if all Covid protocols are in place and if parents
have agreed to these field trips as it still may be riskier than we would like at this point in time.
Dr. Bouquillon and Mr. Clement confirmed that all Covid protocols will be adhered to.
Mr. Clement presented the next field trip for the Environmental Program to the University of
Connecticut's
hydrology field training station for approximately 12 students on May 9th (rain date of May 1 lth)
He explained that the water resources field station provides a location for developing field data
mapping, drilling hydraulic well testing and water quality analysis and provides a connection
between the classroom and real-world experience. He added that all Covid protocols will be
followed.
Trip 2: Approval of out-of-state field trip for the Environmental Program to the University of
Connecticut's hydrogeology field training station on May 9th (or May 11th)
VOTE: To approve the out-of-state field trip for the Environmental Program to the
University of Connecticut's Hydrogeology field training station on May 9th (or May
11th), as presented
ACTION 2022 #19
Moved(Leone) and seconded Crocker)
To approve of out-of-state field trip for the Environmental Program to the
4
University of Connecticut's hydrogeology field training station on May 9th(or May
11th)
REVISED VOTE (to correct the name of the program): To approve the out-of-state
field trip for the Horticultural Program to the University of Connecticut's Hydrogeology
field training station on May 9th(or May 11th) 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: none
Final percentage results of vote: 92.85%
Final status of the vote: Unanimous
Roll Call:
Pam Nourse (Acton) (Yes)
Michael Ruderman(Arlington) (Yes)
Steve LeDoux (Concord) (Yes)
Ford Spalding (Dover) (Yes)
Jennifer Leone (Lancaster) (Yes)
Judith Crocker(Lexington) (Yes)
Jeff Stulin, Vice-Chair(Needham) (Yes)
Alice DeLuca, Secretary (Stow) (Yes)
Mr. Clement presented the next field trip for the horticultural program to attend the 92 Annual Future
Farmers of America State Convention at the Sturbridge Hotel in Sturbridge with approximately 25 students
participating in the event scheduled for March 16th.
He added that the cost of the trip is funded by the FFA account. Students are preparing for different
competitions as a chapter exhibit reporters science fair, and students working on a service and leadership
programs, and it is a great way to get students interested in the life sciences.
Dr. Bouquillon pointed out that it is really the FFA Chapter that is attending, not specifically the
Horticultural Program.
Trip 3: Approval of the overnight or day trip over three days field trip for the FFA Chapter to the
92nd Annual FFA State Convention at the Sturbridge Host Hotel, Sturbridge, MA.
VOTE: To approve the overnight or day trip over three days field trip for the FFA
Chapter to the 92nd Annual FFA State Convention March 16-18th at the Sturbridge
Host Hotel, Sturbridge, MA, as presented.
ACTION 2022 #21
Moved(Leone) and seconded(DeLuca)
To approve the overnight or over three days field trip for the FFA Chapter to the
92nd Annual FFA State Convention March 1648th at the Sturbridge Host Hotel,
Sturbridge, MA, as presented
5
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)
Michael Ruderman (Arlington) (Yes)
Steve LeDoux (Concord) (Yes)
Ford Spalding (Dover) (Yes)
Jennifer Leone (Lancaster) (Yes)
Judith Crocker(Lexington) (Yes)
Jeff Stulin, Vice-Chair(Needham) (Yes)
Alice DeLuca, Secretary (Stow) (Yes)
Mr. Clement commented that it was great to see the students back out on field trip and we held the first
in-person assembly with students and an outside agency in the new building, and it's nice to get back to
some sense of normalcy.
6. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT—Dr. Edward Bouquillon
Ms. Nourse noted that a letter of resignation by Mr. Mahoney as the member of the Minuteman
Retirement Board was included in the packet and she recognized Mr. Mahoney and thanked him for his
many years of service.
a. Approval to appoint Nikki Andrade as the Minuteman Retirement Board Representative
Dr. Bouquillon added Mr. Mahoney's resignation is accepted with gratitude. He asked that the School
Committee approve Ms. Nikki Andrade, Business Manager, as the representative to the Minuteman
Retirement Board effective March 1, 2022.
Mr. Stulin asked if there were any specified qualifications to be a member or can anyone be chosen.
Dr. Bouquillon added that Ms. Andrade has all the qualifications, and she has his recommendation.
Mr. Spalding noted that he has attended their Board meetings in the past and there are no special
qualifications required.
Ms. Leone added that Ms. Andrade is an excellent choice, and she would highly recommend her also.
Mr. Ruderman asked if Ms. Andrade had agreed to serve, and Dr. Bouquillon responded that she has.
VOTE: To appoint Nikki Andrade as the Minuteman Retirement Board
Representative
ACTION 2022 #22
Moved(Leone) and seconded(Ledoux)
To approve the appointment of appoint Nikki Andrade as the Minuteman
6
Retirement Board Representative effective March 1, 2022
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)
Michael Ruderman (Arlington) (Yes)
Steve LeDoux (Concord) (Yes)
Ford Spalding (Dover) (Yes)
Judith Crocker(Lexington) (Yes)
Jennifer Leone (Lancaster)
Jeff Stulin, Vice-Chair(Needham) (Yes)
Alice DeLuca, Secretary (Stow) (Yes)
Ms. Nourse thanked Ms. Andrade for accepting the position on the Minuteman Retirement Board.
b. Vaccine Clinic
Dr. Bouquillon reported that 88 individuals received vaccinations at the Minuteman Vaccine
Clinic, which included both first-time shots and boosters. He added that the clinic was open to the
Town of Lincoln community. The medical staff said that it was the best place they have ever had a
vaccination clinic.
c. School Building Committee Report—Ford Spalding
Mr. Spalding reported that the budget was reviewed at the recent School Building Committee
meeting. Counting all committed funds that we are aware of to date, we expect to have remained
$637,565.00 at the end of the project.
Mr. Stulin asked for a formal report, in the not-too-distant future, on the running costs and the
maintenance plan for the new building. As we continue to understand the energy costs, he recalls
ongoing conversations of the fairly complicated system needed to run the building and the need for
higher level staff to be able to run those systems better. He would like to know how we well are
doing, do we understand how the system is running, and do we have the long-term plan in place for
the maintenance of the building.
d. Capacity Building Update
o North Outbuilding Project Presentation
Dr. Bouquillon introduced Greg Joynt from Kaestle Boos Associates (KBA) to help answer any
questions.He added that the work continues to move forward on our capacity building project.There
will be approximately $630,000.00 left over from the project, and he wanted to provide additional
background information on the north building project.
7
He noted that as he reviewed the minutes from the School Committee meetings over the past two
years, this project was mentioned in all meetings but one, and he is very pleased that this is moving
forward and that it seems to be within our budget of$780,000.00 that has been presented previously.
He added that he has spoken to the attorneys to ensure that we are doing everything we are required
to do for the east campus project, which is not part of the MSBA project, and that there are votes
specifically asking the School Building Committee to be involved in the review of this process
because that is an added requirement or an added request that the school district is making of the
School Building Committee.
ACTION 2022 #23
Moved(Leone) and seconded(DeLuca)
The following three votes were moved as one item.
VOTE: To appropriate $650,000.00 from the Capital Stabilization Fund for the
purpose of paying for costs associated with the construction of the North
Outbuilding project and
VOTE: To award the contract for the construction of the Minuteman Regional
North Outbuilding to Seaver Construction and authorize Dr. Edward Bouquillon to
execute the contract in the form presented to the Committee and
VOTE: To request that the School Building Committee oversee the North
Outbuilding project.
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)
Michael Ruderman(Arlington) (Yes)
Steve LeDoux (Concord) (Yes)
Ford Spalding (Dover) (Yes)
Jennifer Leone (Lancaster) (Yes)
Judith Crocker(Lexington) (Yes)
Jeff Stulin, Vice-Chair(Needham) (Yes)
Alice DeLuca, Secretary (Stow) (Yes)
Mr. Joynt presented an aerial picture of the campus during the construction and during the original
MSBA project and pointed out that there were two foundations included within that project for future
buildings. The original intent had been for storage buildings, keeping in mind the planning board
and building codes. As the enrollment of the school increases, we investigated the opportunity to
expand capacity of either of those buildings, particularly the north building for advanced
8
manufacturing - there is growing room if some of the metal fabrication equipment storage was not
located inside the shop that they share.
As we looked at the building, we reviewed what the cost would be to build a pre-engineered metal
building on the existing foundation that could service the heavy equipment associated with metal
fabrication that is primarily used to do the large cutting and shaping of materials as they come in.
That would prepare them for what happens in the welding area of the shop.
As they reviewed the project timeline, they originally thought that the work could be done by the
2022 fall term,which includes some work being done by the Minuteman students as student projects,
given that we have started looking at this during Covid and their ability to go to outside projects had
been severely limited. This seemed to be an opportunity to get some useable square footage to help
with enrollment, and some project-based learning that some of the trade shops could participate in
over time.
Mr. Joynt noted that since that original timeline, the project has been put out to bid and the general
contract and the students are never really overlapping since the general contractor will come in and
get the metal building weather tight which allows for the Minuteman trade shops to come in and
install a moderate amount of electrical mechanical systems, plumbing and painting, as well as
additional items that are associated with finishing out a building. He noted that the primary portions
of the building are kind of pre-finished, basically erected and then finished in place.
Mr. Joynt added that we are trying to figure out how to get metal building availability on site. These
are very high demand products at this time due to Amazon's buying everything manufactured and
needed to make warehouses. Materials are in demand but the cost per square footage remains
competitive and better than the option of a stick-build construction. For this reason, we chose to go
this route. He stated that the new completion of the building with students in class would start
January 2023, and while it is a slight delay, it is a reasonable timeline given the supply chain issues
at this time.
He noted that originally,the total project cost was projected at$785,000.00. We have received bids
for the general contractor portion of the project and have removed all the escalators that we put in,
and right now the projected total cost would be approximately $823,000.00. A gain, these are initial
costs, and we believe there is some cushion there. The estimate includes $36,000.00 worth of
contingencies, legal and advertising fees. While it is unlikely we will use all of that, he wants to
make sure that there is enough money accounted for to complete the project.
9
North Out Building—Updated Based on Low Bidder Opinion of Probable Project C
UmMosEmrink
Ow•rd 1;wV.0
E Y[.KM
'a• 'N! i.10 A110 ew.Ww..
NYA[ 110S 000 4\.w.1*~
SX1600 Dr.ma..
sw..wd`..r r...b c..w s144.>00
O..q.E Ibmmon[orwY•.Y 00% lD 00
Construction Costs : $689,000 --G -; 40% 10 00
0 DM 10 CO
Total Project Costs: C`823r 000 00011 pm
j f Nw.i 0DOA
OOVA 1e10
..] F..ws. SO 00
!Pod u..rmmm Cam 0000.70E
rwre,E...wrrr 1Ni•tq
gmigtaftnUalis
Osumi\Aft Norm
Frlr.MIA,ti..m. s+.
Major Project Scope "'«
FM low. seo03
General Contractor/Sub Minuteman—Student """""'
so..+..wr.v ,Mc
040101Ilindor rd ,w
Slab On Grade Electrical r..r..+w.wh.
Au.w
Metal Building HVAC imam*.
CairmaNkumer co.Em.+ ,MC
N.7 0010,00t00000...‘44 1„t
Windows Plumbing '"°"• Er°
�rwsrw+rw,r.... >to
waldism
Doors& Hardware Technology E' ..M uaa
510 eco
Fire Alarm Excavation
Overhead Doors Total Esr,matad Project Cos t- 5622.049
Ms. Leone asked for the balance of the capital stabilization fund.
Dr. Bouquillon reminded Committee members that last year the School Committee voted to
appropriate $1.2M out of the capital stabilization fund for the athletic fields which were rolled into
the MSBA project and we anticipate using half of that, and if we use all of that,by July 1St,assuming
the FY23 budget is passed, we will have approximately $1.4M in the stabilization account,plus the
$600,000 left over from the building project.
Ms. Leone asked for confirmation that it was almost $2M, minus the money we are asking to
withdraw at this point, so approximately$1.3M left in the stabilization fund if we do this.
Dr. Bouquillon noted that in our budget book, page 21-22, we have the projected balance of the
capital stabilization fund for each year and then projected through the end of this fiscal year,
assuming there is another $500,000.00 contribution to the capital stabilization fund in FY23.
Mr. Stulin added for the record that this project is something that we have been looking at for half a
year or so and this is all in line with what our understanding has been over that period, so there is
nothing new here, except as to some of the final numbers.
Dr. Bouquillon agreed but added that we have been looking at this for 23 months.
Mr. Stulin asked who reviewed the contract.
Dr. Bouquillon responded that we hired Kaestle Boos as our on-call architect.
Mr. Joynt of Kaestle Boos replied that the contract that was used was different than the one used for
the school building project. He noted that the school building project was a DCAM contract based
on the Department of Capital Asset Management, and it was specifically geared towards CM-at-risk.
This project is not big enough to be CM-at-risk, as that requires it be over $10M, and the market is
not there to support the small project and public sector CM-at-risk, so this is a straight-forward
general contract bid.
10
He added that KBA does approximately 80% of its business in contracts are "149 general
construction bids" in Massachusetts. Because the projects are so big, it evens out to about 50/50.
This contract is an American Institute of Architects standard contract form that has been modified
to incorporate a number of provisions that are inherent in Massachusetts General Law and KBA has
their in-house counsel review,just to make sure we get things right as we modify it. But ultimately,
KBA is not party to the contract, so the contract was reviewed by the district's attorneys, as well as
the district's insurance provider due to the insurance provisions within the contract that takes input
from both of them. They have both had the opportunity to review this contract, and it is a fairly
standard contract form that is used broadly and is a proven contract form.
Ms. Crocker stated that she noticed words crossed out on pages 3, 6, and 7 and initialed by Seaver
signee and asked if this is standard operating procedure.
Mr. Joynt confirmed that there were some minor deviations in the contract that we published from
the advertised bid documents, which explains why these were just crossed off and they do not have
any meaningful effect on the project itself. There were some clarifications to dates and a code
drawing that we did not end up needing in the contract document that was inadvertently listed in the
list of drawings.
(The vote occurred following the KBA presentation.)
o East Campus Development Project
Dr. Bouquillon reminded Committee members that this is the Tremont School building, formerly
the MIT Lincoln Lab Daycare Center, and is an approximately 16,000 square foot building which
could add more capacity to the school, specifically in service to our veterinary assistance animal
wellness program and additional classroom space.
He added that the State legislation that was passed in 2018 for Minuteman, a copy of which was
included in the packet, which allows Minuteman to enter into long-term leases with mission-
compatible strategic partners, and any revenue generated from that partnership is to be deposited
into a fund that has to offset the capital debt obligations of the district. This law was established and
passed with the assistance of Jay Kaufman and Cindy Friedman, as well as the rest of the legislature
in order for us to pursue a public-private partnership, because at that time, we believed we had a
recreational athletic field partner, one of those partners was expected to be the Town of Lexington
and some other semi-private and for-profit companies. However,while those options never worked
out, we still have the legislation and there is now a form of this legislation being proposed for the
entire state where any regional school or any school district could have long-term leases with
mission-compatible companies. The purpose is to make the business model more attractive for
outside partners to invest in our facilities and invest in our mission. As we look to try to add capacity
to the school district without adding more debt, this option seems to be a logical vehicle to use.
He advised members that in 2018-19 a Request for Information (RFI) was put out on the street.
Beginning on page 25 of the packet is a draft of a similar kind of RFI which targets the animal health
and wellness facility. He believes it provides the most opportunity with the lease amount of cost to
the district, but the benefits are significant. We do not now have any company or strategic partner
that is lined up. We do have Blue Pearl which has agreed to donate design services and equipment.
With respect to the cost of the renovation, Blue Pearl is not committed, and this is an attempt to try
to get a strategic partner to see the value-add for investing in that part of our campus over the long
haul. He reiterated that this is a Request for Information(RFI)and not a Request for Proposal(RFP).
If enough folks were interested, that would help us write an RFP.
11
a. Town of Lincoln and Permitting Fees Refund Update
Dr. Bouquillon updated Committee members that he was informed by our attorney that he had
spoken with the attorney for the Town of Lincoln, all of which would need to be discussed further
in Executive Session at a future meeting that will include the recommendations from our attorney to
pursue the recovery of these excessive permitting fees.
o Watertown
Dr. Bouquillon confirmed that no response has been received by Ms. Nourse or himself from the
communication previously sent to Watertown. He noted that he did view the Watertown School
Committee meeting and they did mention the ad hoc committee on vocational technical education
which was established and identified the consultants who were hired to assist them in their study.
7. FINANCE REPORT—Rich Ikonen
a. Finance Subcommittee Update—Steve Ledoux
Mr. Ledoux reported that the Finance Committee met last evening and reviewed the calculations for the
capital fees for our non-district students which the Superintendent will submit to the Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education. He noted that the increments for Type A municipalities will be
$8,920.27. The fee for Type B municipalities will be $6,690.20. He added that this does not require
School Committee vote, but rather is a submission to the Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education.
He reported that as a result of the formation of the OPEB Advisory Group, one of the recommendations
from that group was for the Finance Subcommittee to review of the financials and investment
performance of the Open Trust Fund on a semi-annual basis which was recently completed. He noted
that everything looks fine and that the investments have been done in accordance with our investment
policy. While he did not have the actual numbers present, he estimated that we currently have over
$400,000.00 in the trust, which will be growing once we start following the recommendations of the
advisory group.
b. Approval of the Special Education Increment Fee for Nonresident Students for FY23 to be
$7,100.00
Mr. Ikonen presented the approval of the special education increment fee of$7,100.00 for non-resident
students for FY23.
ACTION 2022 #24
Moved(Leone) and seconded(Spalding)
VOTE: To approve the Special Education Increment Fee for Nonresident Students
for FY23 to be $7,100.00
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: 46.42%
Final status of the vote: Unanimous
12
Roll Call:
Pam Nourse (Acton) (Yes)
Michael Ruderman (Arlington) (Yes)
Steve LeDoux (Concord) (Yes)
Ford Spalding (Dover) (Yes)
Jennifer Leone (Lancaster)
Judith Crocker(Lexington) (Yes)
Jeff Stulin, Vice-Chair(Needham) (Yes)
Alice DeLuca, Secretary (Stow) (Yes)
Ms. DeLuca commented that she believes the reason that there were no questions was because it was
very clear.
b. Approval for the Monthly List of Donations
Mr. Ikonen presented the monthly donations which include 15 boxes of office supplies that were
donated by an anonymous parent of a current student
ACTION 2022 #25
Moved(Leone) and seconded(Spalding)
VOTE: To approve the list of monthly donations, as presented
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)
Michael Ruderman (Arlington) (Yes)
Steve LeDoux (Concord) (Yes)
Ford Spalding (Dover) (Yes)
Jennifer Leone 9Lancaster) (Yes)
Judith Crocker(Lexington) (Yes)
Jeff Stulin, Vice-Chair(Needham) (Yes)
Alice DeLuca, Secretary (Stow) (Yes)
8. COMMITTEE REPORTS
a. Communications, Access, and Admissions Subcommittee—Jeff Stulin
o Fall 2022 Admissions Update—Anthony Chiariello (not available)
➢ Applications Received to Date
Dr. Bouquillon provided an update on the number of applications received to date which totals 291
from our nine member towns. He added that number is up 14% from last year, and an increase of
approximately 49% from five years ago.
13
Applications Received
Comparison Out of District
As of 2.8.2022 :..
Eup _., InLObb Tsnxn'
City 2026 2025 2024 Change'25-'26 :` 1 ,; ,,, ""°
Acton 43 38 35 5 '"'°'"'r' `- """"' '
Cando 5 Boston
Arlington 103 102 90 1 m"°n10 Caewe
Bolton 12 12 8 0 Viater en 1' Everett
MN,W,E : fram.notir
Concord 29 17 12 12 wow., 7 Hanscom Blb r
Valrochontee 1 Hudson 1
Dover 3 3 3 0 TOh1 50 Malden 5.
MaNberough 5
Lancaster 23 15 18 8 Maym.om 5
Medforq
Lexington 37 32 37 5 McIrme
Newt. 1
Needham 15 14 14 1 swims 1
Wa,reFefd 1
Stow 26 22 18 4 - Waldman
Totals 291 255 235
MINUTEMAN
Dr. Bouquillon pointed out some of the highlights of the changes over the year, such as the significant
increase in Concord. He defined a qualified applicant as a student who has gone through the interview
process, all records have been received, and now we have 255 fully qualified applicants for 160 slots
allocates based on our current enrollment capacity of 628.
His PowerPoint slide showed the difference as it stands now between the slots available and the
number of applicants that have applied and indicates nearly 100 students are over the slot allocation
and 175 students will be accepted. He added that as the process is underway, there is usually a fall-
off in the number of qualified applicants who actually accept enrollment.
To date, we have 97 out-of-district applicants. We are required to process those, even though there
is one week left for our member town applicants to submit their full applications and become
qualified. He noted that based on our policy, we still are required to accept out-of-district
applications, even though we are being very clear with these families that there will probably be no
out-of-district applicants accepted for the fall. He added that there may be some transfers that we do
not know about, or someone relocates from one town to another, but as far as the process goes, this
is the information to date.
Mr. Ruderman noted that in the previous slide, Hanscom was counted as a municipality and Dr.
Bouquillon confirmed that are part of the Lincoln Public Schools.
Mr. Ruderman stated that Arlington is over-subscribed by more than 100%. Dr. Bouquillon added
that there is a middle school in Hanscom is run by the Lincoln Public Schools, so they are considered
out-of-district.
Ms. DeLuca expressed that she is sorry we cannot take all the students and commented that this
speaks to this type of education is exactly what the kids want, and Minuteman is doing it right and
she wishes we had a way to offer it to everyone.
Ms. Nourse agreed.
Dr. Bouquillon added that if we get the capacity building projects done, we will be able to offer it to
more.
14
Mr. Stulin shared that while this is very sad and there will be some unhappy families who are going
to want to talk to us, we have to understand that is going to happen and having so many students
unable to attend is sad. He added that it is good to see that the popularity of this kind of education is
reaching more students for whom it could make a big difference in their life, and that's a good thing,
but he is left speechless looking at some of these numbers, and like Ms. DeLuca, he wishes we could
take all the students and he hopes in the near future we will be able to accept more students.
Dr. Bouquillon stated that he appreciates and shares the frustration and anger that we do not have a
school big enough.There will be a point in time when we cannot even consider out-of-district students
and it is an incredible amount of time and resources that Mr. Chiariello has to expend. He asked that
Committee members take into consideration and not even consider out of districts applicants next
year due do this process. He added that Mr. Chiariello will spend time next month interviewing 100
students who are not going to be accepted into the school.
Mr. Ruderman reviewed the previous slide relative to qualified applications by member towns and
asked for clarification that when a town has more qualified applicants than slots available, is the pool
of applicants competing against the general pool of all applicants from all district towns,are they first
competing for the slots within that town, or do we actually have nine acceptance rates?
Qualified Applicants vs Slots Allocated
As of 2.8.22
Anticipated Qualified Difference(Slots-Qualified
City Applicants Slots Applicants)
Acton I 31 i 18 -13
Arlington 92 38 -54
Bolton 12 I 12 0 _
Concord 25 _ 14 -11
Dover L 3 9 6
; Lancaster I 21 18
Lexington i 33 21 -J -12
Needham 14 14 0
Stow 24 16 -8
•
Totals 255 160 -95
'Anticipated Qualified Applicant is defined as an applicant who has completed or
will meet the m
Dr. Bouquillon responded that the policy describes how applicants are ranked and they are ranked in
a way that fills the allocation of each town and then the applicants are all pooled after that.
Mr. Ruderman asked if beyond Arlington's 30-40 students, they would be pooled with the other
towns, and the best of the rest compete against everybody else that is above that town's number of
slots.
Dr. Bouquillon hesitated to use the word "best" in this scenario, and that we are using a process to
rank applications and the ranked applications are processed in accordance with our policy, and then
if the student is offered admission, and we do not hear back from them by the March 1st deadline,
then they go into that pool.
Ms. Leone requested that the information(presentation) be provided to school committee members.
15
Ms.Nourse commented that last year at Town Meetings,the theme was"managing our success", and
this certainly is part of what we are looking at now. She added that while we are ending this
conversation on a sobering note, she does want to reflect on how uplifting it is to see the interest in
Minuteman right now and that is important to remember.
b. Policy Subcommittee—Alice DeLuca
Policies for Review:
1) Usage of Facilities Policy(KF)
Ms. DeLuca moved on to page 55 of the packet which the Policy Subcommittee has worked on with
Dr. Perreault and Mr. Ikonen. The policy has been under consideration since 2019, before the
pandemic. She noted that in November 2021 they learned that the Town of Lincoln does not allow
one day liquor permits. A disagreement about liquor permits had stalled the policy before, but
Lincoln's policy has ended further discussion on that topic, and that is now reflected in the policy.
Page 58 the facility usage guidelines allows the district to make the needs of Minuteman a priority
over any potential rental of the facilities from any outside group or organization as reflected in the
second sentence. Minuteman students come first and then, the school district may choose to do other
things to realize some rental income from the property.
She noted that she recently received comments regarding page 60 where it says a 25%down payment
is required at least two weeks prior to the event,but on page 63 payment is due in full when the permit
request is submitted.
Mr. Ikonen stated that was an oversight on his part and he will make that revision. The information
on page 60 is correct. The 25% is to make sure that the prospective renter is serious and not wasting
the district's time.
Ms. DeLuca reminded the committee that the vote is only on the policy, not on the procedures.
Mr. Stulin asked where the facilities rental fee rates come from. Dr. Bouquillon stated that eight or
nine months ago, we reviewed what other venues were charging to get a sense of the market, and
while we are providing our member towns with an advantage, we are not providing for-profit
companies or non-member communities with an advantage. He noted that we have received a lot of
interest. He stated that even our non-member for-profit rates are reasonable.
Mr. Stulin asked about the theater, and whether we are charging enough for this unique space. Dr.
Bouquillon says we will see what the market will bear and whether there are collaboration
opportunities for the school.
Ms. Leone stated that the first section of the policy requires 80% of the nonprofit memberships to
come from a member community, and she believes that seems high.
Mr. Ikonen clarified that 80% represents when a member town has an athletic group playing, for
example Concord-Carlisle — 80 % would have to come from the member town (Concord). It is for
organizations that cross town borders.
Ms. Leone suggested that be made clearer in the policy. Mr. Ikonen will clarify.
Ms. DeLuca thanked Dr. Perreault and Mr. Ikonen for their work on this policy.
16
ACTION 2022 #26
Moved(Leone) and seconded(Crocker)
VOTE: To approve the Use of Facility Policy(KF) for first reading, as presented
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)
Michael Ruderman (Arlington) (Yes)
Steve LeDoux (Concord) (Yes)
Ford Spalding (Dover) (Yes)
Jennifer Leone (Lancaster) (Yes)
Judith Crocker(Lexington) (Yes)
Jeff Stulin, Vice-Chair(Needham) (Yes)
Alice DeLuca, Secretary (Stow) (Yes)
Ms. Nourse noted that there are not minutes for approval.
9. EXECUTIVE SESSION
VOTE: To enter Executive Session and not return to Open Session for the following
reason(s):
1. To conduct strategy sessions in preparation for negotiations with nonunion personnel or to
conduct collective bargaining sessions or contract negotiations with nonunion personnel,
namely the Superintendent/Director-Elect, Dr. Kathleen Dawson; and
2. Pursuant to Purpose 3 (MGL Ch. 30A, Sec. 21 (a) (3)) to discuss strategy with respect to
collective bargaining with the Minuteman Faculty Association, as an open meeting may have
a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the School Committee, and the Chair so
declares.
School committee members, Dr. Bouquillon, and Julia Pisegna will attend item 2, which will be
taken up first.
ACTION 2022 #27
Moved(Leone) and seconded(Stulin)
To adjourn the meeting at 7:38 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: none
Final percentage results of vote: 92.85%
Final status of the vote: Unanimous
Roll Call:
17
Pam Nourse (Acton) (Yes)
Michael Ruderman(Arlington) (Yes)
Steve LeDoux (Concord) (Yes)
Ford Spalding (Dover) (Yes)
Jennifer Leone (Lancaster) (Yes)
Judith Crocker(Lexington) (Yes)
Jeff Stulin, Vice-Chair(Needham) (Yes)
Alice DeLuca, Secretary (Stow) (Yes)
Respectfully submitted,
Julia Pisegna Alice Deluca
District Assistant Secretary
18