HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-01-17-SC-min
Lexington School Committee
January 17, 2006
LHS Media Center
251 Waltham Street
Present: Superintendent Paul Ash, School Committee: Chair Helen Cohen, Scott Burson,
Tom Diaz, Tom Griffiths, Olga Guttag and student representative Toni Maeck
Minutes taken by Leora Tec.
The meeting was convened at 7:36 pm
I. Call to order and welcome: Helen Cohen
II. Public comment
Paul Stricker (Bridge parent): Bridge School is overcrowded.
III. Superintendent’s report
Bill Hartigan: Clarke School had a sprinkler pipe failure today. School will be open
tomorrow. Sprinkler system is fully operational. Fire alarm will be ready tomorrow
evening. Instruments and computers were not affected.
IV. Members’ Reports/Members’ Concerns
Tom Griffiths: Senior Center Siting Committee. There will not be plans for DPW for
TM, so that may affect how quickly there is a submission for the White House project for
debt exclusion because the thinking was that DPW would go together with the White
House.
Helen Cohen: Training for committee chairs in town on running public meetings.
V. Action Items:
1. Vote to approve LHS trip to Sienna, Italy: Michael Jones introduced the two advisors,
st
Samantha Lowe and Cara Bean. The trip will take place February 16th-March 1.
School Committee members received a packet with all the details. Students will be
staying with host families. SC members asked questions about chaperones and
various safety arrangements.
Motion to approve trip to Sienna (Burson, Griffiths) passed unanimously with the
understanding that the accompanying parents will become official chaperones and will be
CORIed.
VI. Discussion Items
A. Update on NEASC Accreditation Process:
Deb Hoard and Henry Turner, co-chairs of the Mission Committee have solicited
feedback in a number of ways. They are close to a final draft.
SC Meeting 1-17-06 page # 1
B. Recommended Grades 9-12 budget (presented by Guttag and Burson):
Principal Michael Jones’ priorities are protecting class size and protecting the
richness of course offerings. The high school population is stable, there is a bubble in
thth
11 grade, and a decrease in 9 grade.
373 students are taking a “light load.” There are many non-professional status
teachers who need support to become professionals. Level 2 classes usually have 18
students or fewer, so Level 1 have 25 or fewer and honors have more than 25. We
should allocate the last few fractions of FTEs after we know what classes are in
demand.
Requesting This Year Next Year Comments
English .5 FTE for Hon $23,491 $36,500 Adding AP
Senior course, English
another .5 FTE
for reading, and
5 extra
secretarial days
over 10 months
pos’n
Foreign Lab technician? $22,500 $28,645
Language
Guidance Seasonal
staffing to help
registrar
Mathematics 1 FTE and 8
secretarial days
Science 1 FTE
replacement
microscopes
Social Studies .5 FTE teacher
and 5
secretarial days
There was a discussion about balancing electives among the disciplines.
C. Recommended Grades K-5 budget (Presented by Guttag and Diaz):
\[Paul Ash addressed the concerns about overcrowding brought by Bridge School
parents to the last few School Committee meetings and said that the only solution is
that parents of children in the most crowded grades will be able to transfer their
children to Fiske or Estabrook for one year. Barbara Manfredi read a letter that she
wrote to Bridge parents in which she stated that the Bridge community is managing
and by working together they can get by until redistricting.\]
SC Meeting 1-17-06 page # 2
Literacy: Stephanie Grimaldi reported that they are requesting 0.6 FTE but are doing
significant restructuring. They are changing the focus from reading specialists to
literacy specialists.
.
Mathematics: They are requesting an additional 1.7 FTEs and anticipating year one
of a vertical program review process. The mathematics budget assumes a 15%
decrease in federal funding while the literacy budget does not.
K-5 Curriculum Office: requesting additional secretarial support.
Specific elementary schools:
Expense budgets and enrollment don’t change a lot.
Hastings: No headcount changes.
Harrington: No headcount changes. Need warranties on new equipment.
Fiske: Declining enrollment: 1 fewer K class.
Bowman: Unchanged staffing. One grade near maximum class size. Principal Steven
Flynn said they could go from 1.2 guidance counselors to 1 guidance counselor.
Bridge: One additional crossing guard. Grades1, 3, and 4 will be bursting at the
seams.
Estabrook: Principal Joni Jay wants more professional staff and fewer tutors.
VII. Motion to Adjourn to executive session, not to return to public session, to consider
collective bargaining with union employees at 10:45 PM (Burson, Guttag) Burson- aye,
Cohen – aye, Diaz- aye, Griffiths-aye and Guttag- aye.
SC Meeting 1-17-06 page # 3