HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-06-19-SC-min
LEXINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Lexington Town Office Building, Selectmen’s Meeting Room
1625 Massachusetts Avenue
Present: Superintendent Paul Ash, School Committee Chair Tom Diaz, School Committee
Members Margaret Coppe, Tom Griffiths and Ravi Sakhuja. The minutes were taken by
Leora Tec.
The meeting was convened at 7:40 p.m.
I.Call to Order and Welcome (Tom Diaz)
II. Public Comment
Liz Weiss (Bridge and Clarke parent, parents for Healthy Balance): There is a
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homework overload of 2-4 hours of homework for our 6 graders. This is quite a
discrepancy from the policy on the website. They have limited opportunity for a break to
move their bodies. There is no formal recess. Breaks would be beneficial. No snack is
allowed. They have a hard time concentrating. They could have a 5 minute time to eat a
snack. The length of the lunch break is a problem. Lack of social interactive time for
students is a concern. They need a more balanced life.
Mickey Feldman Simon (Bridge, Clarke): Clarke hasgreat teachers, my child is an
honor student but there is too much homework. He is up until 10:00 p.m. doing
homework.Homework has taken over his life. We don’t want them to lose their love of
learning. At 11 or 12 they are still kids and should still have time for other activities. The
middle school homework policy should be enforced.
Nancy Williams (lifelong Lexington resident, 2 children at Bridge, 1 child at Clarke): My
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6 grader has had 4 hours of homework a night. He feels stupid. He wonders why he can’t
complete his assignments. Not completing the homework affects his grade.
Liz Weiss: 2-3 hours a night creates stress. Our group wants to survey parents and
students. Dr. Flynn suggested we worked with the Wellness Advisory Board to gather this
objective data. We want to do this in the fall. We want to work with you and Dr. Flynn to
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enforce the School Committee’s policy of 1 hour a night for 6 1.5 for 7 and 2 for 8
grade.
Tom Griffiths: One proposal has been adding to the school day. Do you have an initial
reaction?
Liz Weiss: I would advocate for it if it was a balanced day.
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III.Superintendent’s Announcements
Administrative Council had its final meeting today. It was a solid ending to the year.
IV. Members’ Reports / Members’ Concerns
Tom Griffiths: Leora Tec did a great job on the party for David Crump’s retirement and
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Harrington’s 50 anniversary.
Tom Diaz: Praise for State representatives Jay Kaufman and Tom Stanley. The State’s
METCO program will get an additional one million dollars of State Aid and hopefully we
will get more in the future. And thanks to our senators too for their support of the
program.
V. Discussion Items
1. Report on the English Language Learner Program
English Language Learning Program Coordinator Robin Dowling-Grant presented the
report.
Tom Diaz: What is an example of high-interest grade level material?
Robin Dowling-Grant: The content is accessible to the student. In science we just
did a unit on the peregrine falcon and the effects of DDT.
Ravi Sakhuja: Did you say one textbook in primary and one in secondary?
Robin Dowling-Grant: One series. A-F in elementary school. In high school and
middle school there are 4 levels.
Tom Griffiths: I don’t understand the basis for state funding for this program.
Robin Dowling-Grant: English learners get about $1000 per student more if you put
SIMS data correctly on top of the foundation formula. There is also Title 3 funding.
Robin Dowling-Grant: My goal would be to assign ELL kids to teachers who had
been trained but we can’t do that yet. Better to just train everybody. We do that over
the summers.
2. FY07 Budget Projection (members have copies)
Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations Mary Ellen Dunn:
Preliminary June financial report. SPED has been very accurate. $50K for unpaid bills
is included in this projection as is the insurance deductible. Utilities: electricity is
declining, projected deficit declined.
Mary Ellen Dunn gave the report.
We are getting credits for NSTAR projects. We have another payroll to go. The town
wants us to have two warrant signings.
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The discussion included the Instructional Assistant projected increase, deficit in
building repair and maintenance and energy costs and savings.
The Committee discussed additional motions that might be needed to request funds
from Appropriation Committee reserves.
Tom Diaz noted that $25K was needed to cover the deductible for damage at Diamond
from the sprinklers being set off.
Motion for the School Committee to request a reserve fund transfer for $25K
(Griffiths, Sakhuja). The motion passed 4-0.
Motion for the School Committee to request up to $100K for any unforeseen
operating budget deficit (Griffiths, Coppe). The motion passed 4-0.
3. Report on the New Wellness Policy
Paul Ash: Section two of the policy about recess not being used as a reward or a
punishment shall be amended to allow the principals flexibility. It was a very active
Committee. Thank you to the members of the Committee.
Margaret Coppe: I do want to listen to what the principals say. What about saying it
shouldn’t be used excessively as punishment?
Tom Griffiths: It would be nice if it said it were not used in an excessive way.
Motion to remove the sentence on p.1 that begins furthermore and ends
punishment(Griffiths, Sakhuja). The motion passed 4-0.
Liz Weiss: Thanks to K-12 Physical Education and Wellness Coordinator Kate
Cremens-Basbas for her service Who will lead the Wellness Advisory Board and will
it reconvene in September?
Paul Ash: We will meet tomorrow with PE and Health and talk about leadership.
Liz Weiss: There is an opportunity to look at wellness in middle school and create a
bridge between the WAB and Parents for a Healthy Balance.
4. Update on Summer Facilities Work (first) Sean Newell, Lisa McGuire and Bob Martin
introduced by Mary Ellen Dunn.
Mary Ellen Dunn thanked them for stepping up to the plate. A memo was in the
School Committee packet. An insurance claim will be filed for the recent damage at
Diamond Middle School
There was a Q & A which covered: the control system at Fiske, job descriptions of the
various people in the facilities department, zones in buildings and computers being on
at night in Clarke.
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VI. Action Items:
1.Vote to Accept $1,500.00 Donation to the Hastings School
Motion to accept $1,500.00 Donation to the Hastings School (Griffiths, Coppe).
The motion passed 4-0.
2.Units A and C agreed to a 1 year agreement with a 2 .75% cost of living adjustment
and contract language that gives teachers the option of getting 26 checks instead of 21
and a study committee to study workloads in the high school. Thanks to Assistant to
the Superintendent for Human Resources Carol Gregory and Ravi Sakhuja.
Motion to ratify the agreement (Griffiths, Sakhuja). The motion was approved 4-0.
VII. Motion to go into executive session for the purpose of collective bargaining not to
return to public session. Diaz-aye; Griffiths-aye; Sakhuja-aye; Coppe-aye.
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