HomeMy WebLinkAboutFINAL School Committee Minutes November 17 2020.pdf FINAL
MINUTES
MINUTEMAN REGIONAL VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
REGULAR SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING
NOVEMBER 17, 2020 6.30 P.M.
VIA REMOTE PARTICIPATION
Present.
Pam Nourse, Chair(Acton) Jeff Stuhn,Vice-Chair(Needham)
Alice DeLuca, Secretary(Stow) Michael Ruderman(Arlington)
Steve LeDoux(Concord) Ford Spalding(Dover)
Jennifer Leone (Lancaster) Judith Crocker(Lexington)
Absent Dave O'Connor(Bolton)
Weighted Vote Weighted Vote present at start of meeting 68 92%
Others Present Dr Edward Bouquillon,Dr Robert Gerardi,Dr Amy Perreault, George Clement,
and Julia Pisegna
1 CALL TO ORDER OPEN SESSION
The Chair called the meeting to order at 6 31 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Order is rescinded or the Commonwealth's State of Emergency as referenced in said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 2020#116
Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Stulm)
To approve remote participation
VOTE 7 members in room at time of vote
Weighted Vote present 68 92%
Weight needed >34 46%
Names of towns opposing or abstaining none
Final percentage results of vote 68 92%
Final status of the vote Unanimous
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Roll Call
Pam Nourse(Acton)
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 GOOD OF THE ORGANIZATION
Ms Nourse congratulated Dr Bouquillon as the recipient of the Dr Patrick A Schettmi Jr
Memonal Award from the Middlesex Partnership for Youth for his well-deserved long-standing
commitment to the safety of students and staff at Minuteman
Dr Bouquillon shared that he is deeply honored to receive this award but noted that it is a team effort Mr
Stulm shared that the list of Dr. Bouquillon's accomplishment is impressive.
(Mr Ruderman joined the meeting at 6 47 p m)
4 SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT
1 Athletic Fields Proiect Budget
VOTE That the Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School District(the"District")hereby
appropriates the sum of One Million Nine Hundred Thousand Dollars($1,900,000)to pay additional
costs of completing the athletic fields complex, including, but not limited to, costs of constructing
turf fields, costs of field lighting, site work and the payment of all other costs incidental and related
thereto,said sum to be expended at the direction of the School Building Committee,and to meet this
appropriation there is hereby authonzed, under and pursuant to G L c 71, §16(d) and the District
Agreement,as amended,and any other enabling authority,the incurring of debt on the full faith and
credit of the District in the amount of One Million Nine Hundred Thousand Dollars ($1,900,000)
Any premium received upon the sale of any bonds or notes approved by this vote, less any such
premium applied to the payment of the costs of issuance of such bonds or notes, may be applied to
the payment of costs approved by this vote in accordance with G L c 44, §20,thereby reducing the
amount authorized to be borrowed to pay such costs by a like amount
FURTHER VOTE That within seven(7)days from the date on which this vote is adopted the
Secretary be and hereby is instructed to notify the Board of Selectmen of each of the member towns
of this District as to the amount and general purposes of the debt herein authorized, as required by
Chapter 71, Section 16(d), of the General Laws, and by the District Agreement
Dr Bouquillon provided members with an update on recent meetings held with the member Towns and shared
that they have all been neutral to positive He feels that the process has been a good opportunity for him to
reengage with the Towns,particularly with the new members, and to share the Minuteman story
Dr Bouquillon noted that the motion language was developed by Rick Manley,Bond Counsel, and has been
reviewed by the District's financial consultants at Unibank
ACTION 2020#117
Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Ledoux),
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VOTE That the Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School District(the
"District")hereby appropriates the sum of One Million Nine Hundred Thousand
Dollars($1,900,000)to pay additional costs of completing the athletic fields
complex, including,but not limited to, costs of constructing turf fields, costs of field
lighting, site work and the payment of all other costs incidental and related thereto,
said sum to be expended at the direction of the School Building Committee, and to
meet this appropriation there is hereby authorized,under and pursuant to G L c 71,
§16(d) and the District Agreement,as amended,and any other enabling authority,
the incurring of debt on the full faith and credit of the District in the amount of One
Million Nine Hundred Thousand Dollars($1,900,000) Any premium received upon
the sale of any bonds or notes approved by this vote, less any such premium applied
to the payment of the costs of issuance of such bonds or notes,may be applied to the
payment of costs approved by this vote in accordance with G L c 44, §20,thereby
reducing the amount authonzed to be borrowed to pay such costs by a like amount.
FURTHER VOTE That within seven(7) days from the date on which this vote is
adopted the Secretary be and hereby is instructed to notify the Board of Selectmen
of each of the member towns of this District as to the amount and general purposes
of the debt herein authorized, as required by Chapter 71, Section 16(d), of the
General Laws, and by the District Agreement
VOTE 8 members in room at time of vote
Weighted Vote present 92 85%
Weight needed >46 42%
Names of towns opposing or abstaining
Final percentage results of vote. 92 85%
Final status of the vote Unanimous
Roll Call
Pam Nourse, Chair(Acton) (Yes)
Michael Ruderman(Arlington) (Yes)
Steve LeDoux(Concord)(Yes)
Ford Spalding(Dover) (Yes)
Jennifer Leone (Lancaster)(Yes)
Judith Crocker(Lexington)(Yes)
Jeff Stulin(Needham)(Yes)
Alice DeLuca(Stow) (Yes)
Mr Stulin expressed that he is pleased to have this motion before the Committee and thanked all
those for their hard work in making the Committee and member Towns comfortable with this vote,
despite the pandemic environment The clarity of the presentation,expertise that was brought in,and
the conversations that the administration held with the member Towns contnbuted to this
comfort Mr Stulin shared that for those reasons,he feels very comfortable in voting to approve this
item.
Mr Spalding shared that this important vote and is the nght thing to do, noting that it was in the
onginal plan from the very beginning for both the new building and an athletic complex, and that all
students will know Minuteman is a great place to go He shared that athletics can do a lot for students
who might be academically challenged, but good athletes, and that they bring that confidence back
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into the classroom Mr Spalding thanked the communities for their support, and he is happy to
support this important item
Ms Crocker thanked the Finance Committee for their work, as well as the administration and Dr
Bouquillon for being available for all the Town meetings.
Ms DeLuca shared that she is happy to vote for this,as there has been a tremendous amount of work
done on this project to make it an acceptable package, and she was happy not to receive tremendous
opposition in her community
Mr Ledoux shared that he too supports this project as it is the right thing to do for the students He
noted that he did receive questions as to why now, why not wait until the Town meeting cycle, and
he shared that the numbers speak for themselves, contractors are hungry because of COVID, the
interest rates are great,and the timing is absolutely right,and that the Finance Committee recognized
these factors as well
Ms Nourse also acknowledged the amount of work that has gone into this project and noted that meetings
and outreach to the Towns continue Dr Bouquillon noted that each Town has different process, and the
importance of hononng that process, and he looks forward to the continued dialogue with Towns. He shared
that he enjoys all the Town meetings and talking about Minuteman and what we do
Ms Leone shared a question from a Town member which she received regarding revenue received which
exceeded the required amount for debt payment or funds intended to be put aside in the revolving funds,could
those funds be transferred to the general fund Dr Bouquillon responded no, the monies would stay in the
revolving fund and the funds would be expended on the asset that generated the revenues.
Mr Stuhn shared that 2/3 vote is necessary to pass, and not a weighted vote Dr Bouquillon confirmed that
a 2/3 vote is correct and that six votes of the membership was needed to pass
Ms Nourse congratulated all of those who have worked so hard on this project
b Enrollment Taskforce—Jeff Stulm
Dr.Bouquillon shared an update on the student enrollment applications received,noting that we are ahead of
where we were at this time last year,mostly from member towns Mr Chiarello has been providing individual
tours for one parent and one student He also reported progress in some communities in which we were
having full access issues to 8th graders has improved
The Virtual Parents Night is scheduled for tomorrow evening via Zoom webinar The event has been
promoted on social media and at the middle schools
Dr Bouquillon shared the October 1St report and highlighted enrollment number of 634 students,467 of which
were from the nine member towns,and 80 from the declarant towns,and 88 students from non-member towns
Dr Bouquillon noted that the building was designed for 628 students, but the number in the building is
reduced due to COVID He shared that he is in the process of reviewing ways in which we can safely and
effectively get 700-800 students into the building He has shared some of the work and data analysis he has
done with the Enrollment Taskforce,and noted that the CTE square footage in the building could easily hold
800 students, assuming that the Animal Science Program is fully enrolled, and that a number of upgrades
were done to the building, and that the limitation is due to the number of academic classroom spacing due to
MSBA requirements and standards He is looking at ways to add academic space to the existing footprint,as
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well as the two foundations at each end of the campus and the Tremont School which is 16,000 square feet
He expressed his enthusiasm for need continuing to plan for the future to maximize the enrollment Dr
Bouquillon reiterated that having a waiting list is nothing to be proud of,whether it is comprised of member
town students or non-member town students He will look closely at the possibility of adding 150 students
and work with the Finance Committee and Enrollment Taskforce on this and will have a future presentation
to the full School Committee
Mr Stulin shared that the Enrollment Taskforce is delighted with the presentations Dr Bouquillon has made
regarding a number of issues, including the possibility of expanding the student body at Minutemen for a
modest price, noting that this is possible because of the design of the building that we currently have He
noted that the State is exploring the idea of waiting lists and access, both of which pushed us towards
development of a smaller school
He shared that the Enrollment Taskforce is taking a long-term review at its goals and working towards a series
of goals, including the feasibility of increasing enrollment to 800 students, ensuring that all communities
utilize Minuteman effectively, increasing diversity of the student population, overseeing enrollment efforts
of MTI He noted the importance of continued review of the admissions process and communications Mr
Stulin shared that the group is happy with the work of the Superintendent and the administration
Mr. Spalding shared that looking at the freshman enrollment over the past two years of approximately 180
students, and the increase in number of enrollments from the nine member towns, families are looking at
Minuteman as a huge opportunity for their student to develop career opportunity He noted that this is due to
the awesome work done by Mr Clement and his team, not Just the new building Mr Spalding shared an
email with the principal of Dover Middle School,and he quickly received a reply stating that the email would
be sent along to all 8th grade parents and that there is real enthusiasm about the school
Ms Nourse thanked the administration for the creative ways admissions is reaching out to 8t' graders and
families and providing one-one-tours
c Full In-Person Learning
Dr Bouquillon shared that the trends overall are not going in a good direction at this time,but that there have
been no COVID-19 cases at the school to date He shared that the students have been remarkable about
wearing their masks and social distancing He has discussed with the administration their hope to have all
students back in January,as it is a natural break in the semester,and that there have been valid questions from
families regarding a return to school He shared that the Governor and the Commissioner of Education are
encouraging them to bring more kids back to school He shared that some schools who have more students
back with a staggered start and reduced learning requirement were granted a waiver by the State because they
were bringing more students in He shared that we need to reflect on the flexibility of the State and that he
will continue discussions with his team and bring a recommendation before the full School Committee for a
vote
Mr Stulin commented on his school experience and the pressure from parents to go to a hybrid schedule and
the trade-off of students coming in and that actual time in learning would be reduced He also shared that we
may know more in January, and whether or not the nsks are worth it, as opposed to staying the course until
the end He also stated that he has been impressed with the balance of Minuteman
Ms DeLuca shared that she appreciates knowing that the administration is thinking ahead and stated that
when the new federal administration takes office, there will be better guidance and possibly a better supply
chain of equipment, especially with the vaccine trials She feels that waiting until the new year starts is very
sensible, as there will still be a sense of chaos for the next couple of weeks
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d MTI Grant
Dr Bouquillon reported to Committee members that they are in the process of preparing a grant for MTI
funded within the Governor's budget which will assist getting more adult students into the MTI programs,
such as advanced manufacturing and carpentry He shared that we have received confirmations from five
companies who will work with us in terms of placing students who complete the program, as well as current
Memorandum of Agreements with three career centers that cover our region
5 PRINCIPAL'S REPORT—George Clement
a Remote Schedule
Mr Clement shared that one of the special things about Minuteman is that we are really close to the staff,
students, and parents The administration has been listening to them about the original hybrid schedule and
remote learning schedule, and it was decided that adjustments needed to be made He noted that teaching is
difficult through a computer, and while it is working, the expectations of Minuteman are much higher He
shared stories from teachers expressing their frustrations at teaching Two main issues that were expressed
were the amount of time on screen for both students and faculty,known as screen fatigue, and secondly,the
ability to give students individual attention and students falling behind
The administration then met with lead teachers to discuss these issues, held follow up meetings, proposed
ideas,and created a new remote schedule The revised scheduled includes such features as reduced class time
for each period and additional facilitated support time one-on-one with teachers, so students have a break
from screen time Mr Clement shared that the feedback from faculty, students and parents has been positive,
and that the administration felt it was important to listen to these concerns He noted that the schedule change
only affects academics,and that the CTE schedule is similar
Mr Clement shared that the roll-out has gone smooth He hosted an event with the Minuteman Parents
Association to discuss the schedule changes and sent many communications.
Ms DeLuca inquired about how Internet service for students was going Mr Clement shared that all Internet
Issues are addressed,and that there were approximately 12 students that we covered to ensure that they have
Internet services at home for various reasons, but added that some of the older computers have been
overloaded
Mr Stulin shared his views on 90-minutes blocks for students where he works,contrasting that to Minuteman
He commented that the Minuteman staff is fortunate to have an administration that listens to them and react
to suggestions that they make, and he appreciates the relationship that Mr Clement has with his teachers
Ms Crocker asked if Minuteman has ever looked into changing their start times Dr Bouquillon shared that
while it has been considered, it was decided not to pursue an earlier start time mainly due to the fact that our
students come from 35 different communities and transportation would be a serious issue He noted that the
District understands the research and while not opposed to it,there is no practical way of implementing it due
to transportation
Ms Leone added that students in Lancaster will be arriving home at 8 00 in the evening and noted that due
to the size of the district,the early start time of 7 45 a m is necessary
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b MCAS Update
Mr Clement shared that MCAS testing will be rolled out for juniors this year in January The format
of the test will also be changed from the next generation test that students have been preparing for the
past two years,to the legacy test that the State has reverted back to
Mr Clement shared that they will begin Saturday support classes to prepare students for the MCAS
He expressed a concern with computers and lag time issues He continues to work with Victor
Woodroffe, Director of Technology, and the IT department to resolve potential issues, and to make
certain that every computer is available for the test because,as in the past,there are no backup laptops
available
Mr Clement shared his concern for the students and faculty and does not agree with the decision by
the State to hold MCAS He stated that the staff spent a lot of time in the fall learning about trauma
and stress on kids due to COVID, and that this would be a trauma-inducing event for the students and
he hopes that the State will change their decision to hold the MCAS tests He is also aware of petitions
so that junior and sophomores will not be held to the MCAS as a graduation requirement He stated
that he is proud of Minuteman's record with MCAS, especially as a Blue Ribbon School, dnven by
student accomplishments and that this is not the time for MCAS, but that all steps will be taken to
ensure that students perform
Ms Leone expressed a concern with holding a large number of students together in one location and
asked whether any guidance has been provided relative to that, as well as the potential number of
students failing the test due to students being out of school since March
Mr Clement noted that no date has been provided, and that the District is already making
accommodations under a very tight time schedule He stated that the scaling aspect is the reason why
the State is returning to the legacy format
Mr Stuhn expressed a concern of having no computer backups Mr Clement is looking into all
available options, including borrowing computers,but noted that it is not an ideal situation
Ms DeLuca shared that she follows the MASC list-serve and while there have been discussions
relative to MCAS, they have not discussed students taking the test and being in one place for a long
period of time, she wonders if that issue has been brought to a higher level at the Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education Mr Clement was not aware of whether or not that had been
discussed,but expressed his concern over the social distancing aspect
Dr Bouquillon noted that the Commissioner of Education does not have the authority to waive the
MCAS requirement as that requires federal and legislative action and is not a Department of Education
of Secondary Education decision
Ms Nourse shared that she had heard that also, and that there is currently legislation before the
Legislature regarding MCAS
Ms DeLuca shared that the Committee should look into this further to advocate for some relief,
possibly under House Bill 4947, and that the Committee should take some kind of action to support
legislation She expressed that there are students who are not yet back in school and that the whole
idea is ludicrous
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Ms Nourse referred to Amendment No 460 to the State budget
c Allison Barry, Design and Visual Communication Teacher — Recipient of the Carl J Schaefer
Memonal Award
Mr Clement announced that Allison Barry, Design and Visual Communications Teacher, was
awarded the Carl J Schaefer Memorial Award which recognizes an outstanding CTE teacher who
continues to excel in her profession, and shared that she is a tremendous help to all at Minuteman
Dr Bouquillon and Committee members congratulated Ms Barry for her award
6 DIRECTOR OF FINANCE REPORT,Dr Robert Gerardi
a Finance Committee Update—Steve Ledoux
Mr Ledoux deferred to Dr Gerardi for the Finance Committee report as all items discussed at the
meeting are contained in Dr Gerardi's report
b. 1st Ouarter Reports
Dr Gerardi presented to the Committee the 151 Quarter Reports on the revolving funds and noted that
several accounts, such as food service, have negative balances which is likely to remain the case for
the remainder of the year due to compliance with COVID State and the Department of Elementary
and Secondary Education requirements and the limitation on the number of students
Dr Gerardi thanked the members for their previous approval of the salary and energy expense transfers
out of the rental account which allowed for that account to have a sufficient balance to support the
athletic fields project
He noted that the capital fees and revenues remain strong this year, and that increasing the total
enrollment assisted in the accounts remaining strong
Mr Stulin shared that the problems with the cafetena must be universal to all schools and asked if
there were any grants available specifically to that issue, noting that it reflects on the restaurant
industry as well Dr Gerarda agreed that these are issues which are across the board and that at this
time,there have not been grants available to offset those expenses at and that the District continues to
work on reducing those deficits and to save money with decreased expenditures
Dr Gerardi then reviewed the Student Activity Report, noting that there is very little activity due to
COVID-19 He noted that,to date,there was only one donation made to the Horticulture Department
in the amount of$150 00 from the Lincoln Garden Club
Next Dr Gerardi reviewed the General Summary Report and the General Fund Detail Report and
highlighted the items which were significantly over expended,such as district-wide technology,salary
items that were shifted, additional secunty services, utility services and retirement insurance He
shared that the Distnct will be able to recover most of the COVID-19 expenses through the multiple
grants which the District has already been awarded He provided notes in the column on the General
Fund Detail Report which provides further details for each line item
b Update on Capital Skills Grant
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Dr Gerardi reviewed the Capital Skills Grant and reported that the Distnct was able to secure a
favorable bid for additional associated technology equipment. He noted that while doing reference
checks,he learned that the equipment has been in use for over a decade with very limited down-time
industry-wide, and that this Capital Skills Grants provides cutting-edge technology to students
c Update on CvRF Municipal Grant
Dr Gerardi reported that, to date, six out of the nine districts have submitted Minuteman COVID-19
expenses as part of their COVID-19 municipal grants which helps to offset our COVID-19 expenses
Ms DeLuca stated that her Town Manager was very complimentary about the professional nature of
the paperwork, data, and methodology provided which made it very easy to work with Minuteman
d FY22 Budget Process Update
Dr Gerardi provided the Budget Calendar to members for reference, noting that all meetings are on
target The Executive Team will present to the Finance Committee on November 30th He continues
work on the projected expenses for next year, and sees areas where prudence has paid off, such as
transportation, health care and the reduction in staff. He noted that this is the final year of borrowing
so capital debt will increase, as well as the cost of insurance for the building has increased
Mr Stulin expressed that he is impressed with how smoothly things are going taking into consideration
the current environment and thanked the Finance Committee and the administration
7. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
a Policy Subcommittee Update—Alice DeLuca
Ms DeLuca shared that work continues on reviewing the policies and MASC policies She expressed
concern that the policies posted on the District website are not up-to-date and noted that it is main goal
of the Policy Subcommittee to have this resolved
Mr Stulm stated that this should be marked as a future formal agenda item and noted the importance
of having policies available and up-to-date
Ms. DeLuca shared that the existing policy prohibiting Sexual Harassment needs to be removed due
to the approval of the newly mandated Harassment Policy and pointed to the copy of the letter from
the District's counsel in the packet stating the reasons for this change
Ms Leone inquired as to the possibility of the mandated Harassment Policy being reversed in the
coming year,and Dr Bouquillon stated it is 100%likely
Policies for Review
1) Sexual Harassment—Policy ACAA
VOTE To approve the removal of Sexual Harassment— Policy ACAA from the Policy Manual, as
presented
ACTION 2020#118
Moved(Leone)and seconded(Ruderman),
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To approve the removal of Sexual Harassment—Policy ACAA from the Policy
Manual, 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
Final percentage results of vote 92 85%
Final status of the vote Unanimous
Roll Call
Pam Nourse, Chair(Acton)(Yes)
Michael Ruderman(Arlington) (Yes)
Steve LeDoux(Concord)(Yes)
Ford Spalding(Dover) (Yes)
Jennifer Leone (Lancaster)(Yes)
Judith Crocker(Lexington)(Yes)
Jeff Stuhn(Needham)(Yes)
Alice DeLuca(Stow) (Yes)
8 SECRETARY'S REPORT,Alice DeLuca
a. Approval of Draft Minutes of October 27,2020
VOTE To approve the draft minutes of October 27,2020, as presented
ACTION 2020#119
Moved(Stulm)and seconded(Leone),
To approve the draft minutes of October 27,2020,as amended
VOTE 8 members in room at time of vote
Weighted Vote present 92 85%
Weight needed >46 42%
Names of towns opposing or abstaining
Final percentage results of vote 92 85%
Final status of the vote Unanimous
Roll Call
Pam Nourse, Chair(Acton) (Yes)
Michael Ruderman(Arlington) (Yes)
Steve LeDoux(Concord)(Yes)
Ford Spalding(Dover) (Yes)
Jennifer Leone (Lancaster)(Yes)
Judith Crocker(Lexington)(Yes)
Jeff Stulm(Needham)(Yes)
Alice DeLuca(Stow) (Yes)
9 EXECUTIVE SESSION
VOTE To enter Executive Session as follows and not return to Open Session
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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,Dr Edward Bouquillon
Ms Nourse noted that only School Committee members will attend the Executive Session
The committee would not be returning to open session following the Executive Session
ACTION 2020#120
Moved(Ruderman)and seconded(Crocker),
To enter into Executive Session and not return to Open Session,
VOTE 8 members in room at time of vote
Weighted Vote present 92 85%
Weight needed. >46.42%
Names of towns opposing or abstaining.
Final percentage results of vote 92 85%
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)
Judith Crocker(Lexington)(Yes)
Jeff Stulin(Needham)(Yes)
Alice DeLuca(Stow) (Yes)
Respectfully submitted,
Julia Pisegna Alice DeLuca
District Assistant Secretary
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