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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-05-07-SC-min LEXINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Tuesday, May 7, 2024 Meeting Minutes AGENDA: CALL TO ORDER AND WELCOME: 5:32 PM SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT Sara Cuthbertson, Chairperson Deepika Sawhney, Vice-chair Kathleen Lenihan, Clerk Eileen Jay Larry Freeman (joined after the vote to enter Executive Session) SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PRESENT Dr. Julie Hackett, Superintendent The minutes were taken by Julie Kaye, School Committee Meeting Recording Secretary. The School Committee convened at the School Committee Meeting Room at Central Office and remotely. Members of the public can view and participate in person or in the meeting webinar from their computer or tablet by clicking on the link provided with the meeting agenda. Please note that this meeting is being recorded and that attendees are participating by video conference. This evening's meeting is being broadcast live and also taped by LexMedia for future on-demand viewing. All supporting materials that have been provided to members of this body are available on the Town's website unless otherwise noted. EXECUTIVE SESSION The School Committee took a vote to enter into Executive Session. Ms. Lenihan moved that the School Committee enter Executive Session under Exemption 3—For the purpose of discussing strategy with respect to collective bargaining with the Lexington Educators Association (LEA), as the Chair so declares an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the School Committee, Ms.Jay seconded. Ms. Cuthbertson took a roll call vote, passed 4-0. The School Committee went into Executive Session at 5:33 PM and re-entered Open Session at 6:09 PM. CONSENT AGENDA Ms. Sawhney read the following consent agenda items: Payroll and Accounts Payable Warrant Approval a. May 3, 2024- Payroll in the amount of$4,709,126.58 JK 5/7/24-DRAFT b. May 10, 2024-AP Warrant in the amount of$1,202,861.47 Ms. Lenihan read the following consent agenda items: Minutes a. February 27, 2024 b. March 12, 2024 c. March 18, 2024 Ms.Jay made a motion to remove the Field Trips from the consent agenda to have a brief discussion of field trips A and C and also to remove item B from a vote, Mr. Freeman seconded. Ms. Lenihan motioned to approve the entire consent agenda minus the field trips, Mr. Freeman seconded. Ms. Cuthbertson took a roll call vote, passed 5-0. FIELD TRIP DISCUSSION Ms. Jay explained that in 2017, the international field trips policy was revised. "The School Committee is involved with approving international trips, and we had made a policy that requested that the proponents of trips come to have a pre-meeting with the secondary group just so that there's an opportunity to give some feedback. And so they would have a chance to address any concerns or maybe make revisions to a proposal." Ms. Jay spoke about the change to the trip to Andalusia,Spain with Mr. lannuzzi. "The original proposal had students going through April break then missing four days of school the following week, and we just thought that seemed unnecessary. So the updated itinerary here, they are leaving earlier, still getting in the four concerts they were hoping to do, but that now they will return the Tuesday of the following week" Adding other learning opportunities to this trip was also discussed. Ms. Gaudet spoke about financial aid and fundraising for the trip. Mr. Freeman asked if we offer any assistance in getting visas and passports for students. Ms. Gaudet responded that she would have to ask about this, but she imagines that we would. Ms. Jay also said the secondary group would like to take a broader look at field trips, establishing some guidelines and parameters that would just make it clearer for anyone proposing a trip, as well as balancing equity. Mr. Freeman asked about how trips are presented to students. Ms. Rankin [the French teacher proposing the Viex Fort & Ste Anne trip] replied that past students are the first to tell other students about their experiences and how they grew from it, and then they get estimated costs, who is eligible, and other logistical information. Ms. Rankin added, "Additionally, in the parent packet that we send through Google Classroom,in the beginning, it's a lot about sort of the the theory and the vision of the trip. And right up front, one sentence says, we estimate this to be the cost, and the next sentence, and I could tell you, verbatim, it's in the packet, it says something to the effect of 'please do not let cost hinder your application' because we've been able to meet needs with our scholarships." Mr. Freeman asked if we could redesign the introduction to not mention cost at first to gauge interest. JK 5/7/24-DRAFT Ms.Jay moved to approve the LHS Field Trip to Andalusia, Spain from 4/21/25-5/1/25 using the updated itinerary and the LHS Field Trip to Viex Fort(Bosse Terre)&Ste Anne (Haute Terre)from 2/11/25-2/22/25, Ms. Sawhney seconded. Vote passed 5-0. PRESENTATION: LHS Building Project LHS Massing Concepts A. Community Forum #4 Massing Concepts Recording B. Community Forum #4 PowerPoint C. Evaluation Matrix - Blank D. SMMA Evaluation Matrix Ms. Jay recused herself from this agenda item as she is an abutter to high school property. • Matt Rice, Architect with SMMA, Rosemary Park, Educational Planner with SMMA, and Phil Poinelli, Educational Planner with SMMA,joined the School Committee to discuss the different construction recommendations. There are 18 plans. Mr. Rice explained that a minimum of three different plans need to be picked to move forward, one of which needs to be a renovation plan. He added, "The goal is to try to focus in on the options that really have discernible differences between them." Five plans (B.1, B.3, C.1d, C.Sb, and C.6) have been "hearted"; those are the plans that SMMA recommends. Mr. Rice briefly explained each of the plans: o B.1 (Renovation & Addition): 2-4 Floors Phased-in-Place, Retain Building G &J Structure o B.3 (Renovation & Addition): 4 Floors Phased-in-Place, Retain Building C & D o C.1d (New Construction): 4 Floors on Fields 1 Phase, Reduced wetland impact o C.Sb (New Construction): 4 Floors on Fields 1 Phase Reduced wetland impact o C.6 (New Construction): 4 Floors on existing footprint. Multiple Phases Reduced wetland impact, Reduced Art 97 impact • The field house was discussed. Renovating our existing fieldhouse is within the scope of the project with the MSBA; building a new field house is not. • Mr. Freeman is concerned about parking distance and accessibility. Mr. Rice replied to try not to make a decision based on parking because the ADA, the American Disabilities Act, and the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board require us to place the accessible spaces within a certain proximity to the building. Parking in these plans can evolve and is not yet set in stone. • Ms. Cuthbertson spoke further about concerns over the field house and what would happen if a new construction option was chosen. Mr. Rice pointed out that the only option that presents the problem is B.3, where we're building on top of the existing fieldhouse. • Ms. Sawhney asked which option is the least disruptive to the kids over the five years, and Mr. Rice replied C.1d and C.Sb. She also asked what determines the cost (—$600 million) of a project, Mr. Rice responded that it's built off of two primary areas; the cost for the site, and the cost for the building. The cost of the building has many drivers but is based on $1 per square foot construction, they work with a cost estimating consultant, JK 5/7/24-DRAFT "All the options have assumed that they're gonna have the same amount of square footage because they have the same educational program. And so that's a reason why you don't see large fluctuations between the dollar values in the different options because they're all based off of the same program. And they're all based off of the same dollar per square foot right now, because we don't really have enough information to create variations there." Mr. Poinelli added, "I want to remind us all that these are not cost estimates, they are cost comparisons. So they're intended to compare one option against another option against another option. They're not dollar values that represent a design" Ms. Sawhney asked why the building option with five floors is the cheapest. Mr. Rice responded that it might have to do with the potential for modular classrooms and a smaller footprint. Ms. Jay rejoined the meeting at the conclusion of the discussion. SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS AND LIAISON REPORTS Mr. Freeman announced that there's a Human Rights Committee meeting tomorrow morning at 8:45 am. Ms. Lenihan attended the Bowman PTO meeting. Ms. Jay reminded everyone of the Cary Library Full Board meeting on May 15th at 12:00 pm, lunch will be served. She also announced that it is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month and that there are a number of activities planned. One is sponsored by the Chinese American Association of Lexington (CAAL) and is called "Immigration Stories" The AAPI 5k Run 'n' Walk will be on May 18th, as well as the Holi Festival of Colors and CALex's "My American Story" event. Ms. Jay also announced that our own students have organized the "Asian-American Food Fest" that will be on May 23rd from 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm at LHS. She also pointed out that there are AAPI banners in the center of town that celebrate noted people who are of AAPI descent. Ms. Sawhney congratulated the Diamond and LHS teams on winning the National Science Bowl. LHS placed first, and Diamond placed in the top 10. She also spoke about the Lexington Refugee Assistance Program (LexRAP) and how it is helping families. They will be having a meeting on May 14th at 7:00 p.m. at the Lexington Community Center. Ms. Lenihan added that the LexSeeHer monument will be unveiled on May 15th in front of the visitor center. Ms. Cuthbertson does not have any announcements or reports. COMMUNITY SPEAK Aviram Cohen (in person): He talked about the conversation he had with the architect. He is wondering what the additions are for, he is concerned about parking. JK 5/7/24-DRAFT SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT Dr. Hackett reviewed her Superintendenfs Report with the School Committee. The highlights from her report include: • Superintendent Shoutouts o With Gratitude for Our Talented LPS Educators and Staff. Dr. Hackett stated, "Before I go further into my report to,just say a little bit about the amazing people that we have working in our school system. Last time at Community Speak, we heard some comments that were very hurtful to some of the staff and offensive to many of us who heard them as well. And, of course, we recognize and respect people's First Amendment rights. And we also know that o when we're here together in a space, we need to talk with a certain level of decorum, we need to present views in ways that can be heard. And when that's not done, such as was the case last school committee meeting, that is really difficult for people, and it has an impact on our community. I met with our employees of color after that meeting, and spent time with them and tried to listen and understand sort of how those types of remarks land on them. And it's particularly painful. And I at one point thought about reading some of the emails I got from staff who are terribly hurt and offended because they have worked hard. They've worked hard all of their lives. As we talked yesterday in our meeting. Often it is the case, and always I could say is the case, that people of color have to work much, much harder, and for much, much longer to be in, you o know, the positions that they're in. And they felt that I think deeply. And I tried to reassure them on your behalf and mind that they're here because they are talented and amazing people who make a difference in our kid's lives every day. They work hard. We are extremely and exceptionally proud of them. And I thought it was fitting when we're talking about Deshawn and Jacqui to just acknowledge that for the public, and to let our staff who are listening and let our o students who are listening, our students were here in the room at that particular point in time. But to let people know that when people come and share a point of view that doesn't necessarily match our values, there are going to be times when we speak up and talk about that publicly at the right and appropriate time. And I felt like this was done in this particular case. So,just a shout-out to all of • our amazing, incredible educators on National Teachers Day and National Nurses Day tomorrow. I am super proud of everybody and just really thankful to work in Lexington." o Special Olympics on Friday, April 26, 2024 • 28 Amazing LHS Students Win the Most Valuable Team Award at the Annual Tenacity Challenge Competition o LHS National Science Bowl Team Defends its Championship, Placing First in the Nation for the Second Year in a Row o LHS Wind Ensemble Receives a Top Gold Medal Score o NAMM Foundation has Named Lexington Public Schools as a National "Best Community for Music Education" JK 5/7/24-DRAFT o LHS PE Teacher Frank Pagliuca was named D1 Boston Globe All-Scholastic Coach of the Year o May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month • Administrative Appointments o Michael Horesh will be the new Dean of Lexington High School o Hiring search for Director of Elementary Education • We All Belong o METCO Advocacy Day, "we're urging them to support a $3.6 million increase in o funding for METCO" o Upcoming Holidays & Observances o The 3rd Annual IDEAS Conference was held on Saturday, April 27th o Combating Islamophobia at LHS: All students were invited to attend a screening and panel discussion of Marc Scarcelli's TED Talk "Dangers of Islamophobia" o LHS Students Visit Auschwitz Exhibit: Not Long Ago, Not Far Away • Lexington High School Project Updates o Learn more about the LHS project on the buildinLi proiect website o The fourth community forum was held o There is an open survey on the massing concepts on ThoughtExchange, it will close on May 16th • Better Tools for Identifying and Monitoring Student Progress o "This has to do with our multi-tiered layer of supports" o New data warehouse; Linklt • Joint Lexington Fife & Drum Weekend on Saturday, May 4 • Upcoming Events o AAPI 5K Run 'N Walk Lexington on May 18th Mr. Freeman thanked Dr. Hackett for what she said about employees of color. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Vote Draft 2024-2025 SC ee 'n Dates Ms. Lenihan made a motion to approve the 2024-2025 School Committee Meeting Dates, and Ms.Jay seconded. Vote passed 5-0. COMMUNITY SPEAK Olga Guttag - 273 Emerson Rd (virtual): She is a former School Committee member (2003-2007). A couple of months ago, she asked if an organizational chart of all the positions in the school system would be provided to the public. She states, "We all know about teachers, we know about some support personnel, but I know that there are a lot of personnel in positions that most people don't know about. And given that we're going to be going out for a huge debt exclusion, it would be good if the public could take a look at the budget and say, yeah, this makes sense." Ms. Guttag requested an update from the School Committee as to when the JK 5/7/24-DRAFT public can expect this chart. Dr. Hackett stated, "I just wanted to make mention that for your benefit that the organizational chart is in the budget book. And the budget has already been approved. So you can find the organization chart right in that document. It's also on the town website and on our website as well." POSSIBLE ACTION ITEMS Ms. Sawhney requested an additional School Committee meeting to review financial and budget data before the end of the year. Ms. Jay requested the following action item to be added: Secondary Team review of field trip parameters/guidelines. ADJOURNMENT Ms. Lenihan made a motion to adjourn at 8:23 PM, Mr. Freeman seconded. Vote passed 5-0. JK 5/7/24-DRAFT