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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFINAL OS Minutes 1.22.13.pdf FINAL Approved 2 12 13 MINUTES MINUTEMAN REGIONAL VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGET HEARING/SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING JANUARY 22,2013 7 00 PM PAUL REVERE ROOM,MINUTEMAN HIGH SCHOOL Present: Alice DeLuca,Chair(Stow) Jeff Stulin,Vice-Chair(Needham) Laura Morrissette(Arlington) Came Flood, Secretary(Concord) Dore Hunter(Acton) Ford Spalding(Dover)(left at 10 00 pm) Jack Weis(Belmont) Cheryl Mahoney(Boxborough)(arrived at 7 29 pm) Mary Ellen Castagno(Wayland)(left at 10 00 pm) Bella Wong(Weston) David Horton(Lexington) David Manjarrez(Sudbury) Daniel Mazzola(Lancaster) Absent. Kemon Taschioglou(Lincoln),Don Rober(Carlisle),David O'Connor(Bolton) Student Representative Solomon Rubin Others Present Ed Bouquillon(left at 9 00 pm),Elizabeth Rozan,Ernie Houle,Kevin Mahoney,Kris Luoto,John Pelletier,Kevin Lynn,Ron Marino,Diane Dempsey, Sheila Nagle,Gene DePaolo,Marjorie Daggettt,Elisabeth Nardone,Erin Bordeau,Dennis Berry,William Blake,Deanne Dupont,Chris Sarno,Tracey Sierra,Bob McLaughlin,Michele Resendes BUDGET HEARING ON PROPOSED FY 14 BUDGET, Dr Bouquillon, Superintendent 1 CALL TO ORDER OPEN SESSION The Chair called the meeting to order at 7 00 pm, acknowledged that a member was recording,and turned the floor over to the Superintendent for the public hearing on the proposed FY 14 Budget a. Presentation on Proposed FY 14 Budget The Superintendent reviewed the mission statement and the budget drivers for FY 14 He reviewed projected capital expenditures,the overall budget,assumptions,proposed budget,estimated revenue plan,assessments to member towns,the trend in staffing,actual dollars of total salary,the trend in per pupil expenditure and Minuteman per pupil expenditure With respect to the revenue plan,the Superintendent stressed that figures for state aid are preliminary pending action by the legislature He also discussed enrollment,enrollment comparisons,and district and program comparisons to other technical schools,SPED enrollment and average academic class size (Full presentation material can be found as Attachment A) b. Public Comment on Budget There were no questions or public comments on the budget as presented 2 ADJOURNMENT The following vote was then taken ACTION 2013#5 Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Horton) To close the public hearing at 7 17 pm Vote. Unanimous,with 13 members present REGULAR MEETING 1 CALL TO ORDER OPEN SESSION The Chair then called the regular meeting to order at 7 17 pm She noted that Dan Scharfman,a member of the Belmont School Committee,has passed away,and asked for a moment of silence She then turned the floor over to the Chair of the Finance Subcommittee 2 FINANCE SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT a. FY 14 Budget and Annual Operating Assessment A motion was made(Stulin)and seconded(Horton)to approve the FY 14 Budget and Annual Operating Assessment Discussion involved concerns related to the difference between Prior and Current Year Tuition,the School Committee's goal of driving down reliance on the current year tuition,understanding the assessment formula and the components of the capital assessment,the revenue base,the tuition process that involves projection and timing that requires a cushion,the need for non-member distracts to pay their fair share, and managing funds and expenditures prudently Estimating utility costs, and listing out grants and Medicaid amounts were also raised A member expressed her concern that the level of detail was less than had been provided in prior years and noted her request that it be restored She noted the material presented included some changes from what had been distributed to members in advance of the meeting Another member raised a concern about his ability to sell the budget to his town,and he urged that the administration have better answers to address the holes that were raised, he also indicated that he was unable to vote for this budget A vote on this budget was then taken as follows ACTION 2103#6 Moved(Stulin)and seconded(Horton) To approve the proposed FY14 Operating Budget,as described by State Function Code,in the amount of$18,547,098,with Preliminary Assessments to member towns totaling$10,477,562,including the Middle School Programs Vote. 11 in favor and 2 opposed,with 13 members present The Budget material as presented and discussed at the meeting can be found as Attachment B b. Update on FY 12 Audit The Chair of the Finance Subcommittee noted that the Finance Subcommittee will meet with the Auditor at their January 29,2012 meeting,and anticipates that the full FY 12 Audit report will be ready for the School Committee at their February 12 meeting c Update on the Appointment of Treasurer The Assistant Superintendent for Finance reported that he is working with the Assistant Treasurer,Andrew Gould, during the transition,and that Mr Gould is willing to fill in temporarily until the Officers post and fill the position of Treasurer on a permanent basis Mr Gould is already an authorized signer on District accounts d Tuition Issue The Chair of the Finance Subcommittee reported on the progress of the Marginal Cost Task Force,noting that the goal was to look at the impact on member town assessments of tuition paid for full time,regular education,out-of- district high school students They have found that there is a beneficial effect,but the work is not yet complete The Task Force is recommending that this issue be brought up at the February 7,2013 Municipal Breakfast,and this motion was moved(Spalding)and seconded(Flood) The discussion covered the fixed costs,the value of the Minuteman education,the ratio of subsidy to marginal contribution,the June 30,2012 expiration of the reduced rates that had been provided to Medford and Watertown, and the maximum tuition charge allowed under state guidelines One member expressed his concern that tuition students are a price-sensitive and unreliable base,and that,in his view,they represent a financial loss to the district Another member noted that when the cost to non-district towns was$12K,they were happy,now that the cost has increased,there is dissatisfaction,though the quality of education has not declined The idea that non-district towns should be assessed fairly was raised,namely that member towns should not have to subsidize non-member towns Another viewpoint was offered that barriers to receiving a career and technical education should be eliminated for those who wish to attend An opposing opinion was that out-of-district tuition students are the responsibilities of the Commonwealth and their sending towns to provide vocational education resources They are not the responsibility of the District's member towns Rejecting the School Choice option,the need to not duplicate programs,and the long-standing concern with the out-of-district tuition were also raised It was suggested by a member that the committee not lose sight of the benefit of fully utilizing the building,and the potential value of taking on other communities as full members of the district Eliminating barriers,inviting towns to join and making it attractive to become a member of the district were suggested A member also noted that he has expressed via email his concerns about the factors he believes have been left out of the calculation of marginal costs and benefits Another member stated her full support of discussing this at the February Municipal Breakfast A member moved the question (Mahoney),and the following vote was taken ACTION 2103#7 Moved(Mahoney)and seconded(Hunter) To move the question and end debate Vote: 9 in favor and 3 opposed,and 1 abstention,with 13 members present A vote on the main motion was then taken as follows ACTION 2013#8 Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Flood) To discuss the Tuition Issue at the February 7 Municipal Breakfast Vote. 11 in favor,no one opposed,and 2 members present but not voting,with 13 members present e. Marginal Cost Exploration Task Force It was suggested that there is a need to extend the work of the Marginal Cost Exploration Task Force,and a motion was made(Stulin)and seconded(Hunter) to extend it as requested until the end of February in order to finish editing the final draft of the report It was noted that comments have continued to come in,and that there is still some thought,writing,and editing to do on the final report,and that the process has been slow,but deliberate It was also suggested that the Draft Report be circulated to the Municipal Reps again in preparation for the February 7 meeting The following vote was taken ACTION 2013#9 Moved(Stulin)and seconded(Hunter) To extend the work of the Marginal Cost Exploration Task Force until the end of February to finish editing the final draft of the report Vote 12 in favor and 1 abstention,with 13 members present Thanks to the Task Force for their work and their willingness to participate in extra meetings were extended 3 PUBLIC COMMENT There was no Public Comment 4 STUDENT REPORT,Solomon Rubin, Student Representative There was no Student Report 5 SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT,Dr Bouqudlon,Superintendent a. Report from Faculty Senate Members of the Faculty introduced themselves and gave comments on their experience with the Faculty Senate Concept Speakers were Al St George,Beth Nardone,Erin Bordeau,Tracey Sierra,Jeff Albert,and Sheila Nagle It was explained that the group was established as a faculty-run,volunteer group in response to the Tell Mass Survey and is focused on improving things at Minuteman They explained that they are looking at the disparities in the Tell Mass Survey between Minuteman and the state average,teacher time,and student discipline They reported that open discussion,positive implementation,and listening were key components of the experience to date They noted that all aspects of the Minuteman Community are represented,and it has been an open and honest,productive process,with Dr Bouquillon facilitating Seeing both sides of the educational experience at Minuteman, and having a safe,non-threatening environment in which to share concerns to improve things at Minuteman were expressed as positive aspects of the meetings It was noted that as a group they really care about the students,the school, and the progressive educational program Determining as a group what the common values are,and making a plan to go forward from that basis, was described as an important early step The group characterized their work as being all about the quality of education at Minuteman A School Committee member asked for clarification on numbers of attendees(23 volunteers,9-12 at each meeting so far),and how many measures were being looked at(2 at this time student conduct and teacher time) The Vice- President of the Faculty Association was invited to speak,and was asked about the teacher morale issue She noted that she has missed one meeting,but that teacher morale did not come up Asked if in her opinion the teachers wish it would come up,she thought yes She noted that the Faculty Senate may not be a comfortable place to address this issue,as they are focused on addressing student conduct and time Another School Committee member emphasized that the teachers are an amazing group of professionals who"care" and are doing great work He noted that this was a great opportunity to hear from teachers,and he extended thanks to them for all they do This was echoed by another member who offered commendations for the level of commitment she had experienced,when her child attended Minuteman Another member asked if the substance of the meetings has been shared with other faculty members It was explained that there have been 4 meetings, they are still analyzing the data,and results have not yet been disseminated It was noted that other faculty,who may not be members of the Faculty Senate,are welcome to drop in,the goal is to look at the big picture in hopes that their work will lead to institutional change that benefits everyone A member explained that the Faculty Council in Newton,where he teaches, works very well Teacher morale has been raised as an issue,but dissatisfaction often stems from state imposed mandates Another member expressed that there are limited ways for the School Committee to communicate directly with the teachers,and that he appreciates them coming forth to share directly He suggested that teacher morale should be their next issue of focus,as the school community depends on teachers He stressed his appreciation for their superior level of commitment Emphasizing that the School Committee doesn't get to see the day-to-day operations at Minuteman,another member expressed that he is thrilled at hearing about their efforts to make Minuteman a better place He expressed that he was glad to hear about the self-governing nature of the group and the issues they are choosing to focus on He is interested in hearing more,and noted that they should know that their work is supported by the School Committee and that they should feel empowered Another member suggested that the School Committee take a hard look at what its own job is in this regard The benefits of using a survey as a way of allowing a broader range of people to express their concerns anonymously was suggested One member of the Faculty Senate noted that a survey was already done,through the Tell Mass survey It was anonymous,it covered all areas of questions,and sought wide input She expressed her opinion that teachers are unhappy across the United States,due to economic realities Another member of the Faculty Senate noted that it is good to hear about Newton's experience, and that the suggestions are helpful, but that Minuteman's Faculty Senate is just starting,and it may not be a good idea to delve into their methods right away She also noted that it is important to support all teachers It was further explained that Newton's Faculty Council is well established,and operates with bylaws While they work outside of the School Committee's political focus,changes cannot be made without the support of the Administration Establishing a strong working group takes time,and it is a valuable effort for the school A School Committee member emphasized that an invitation should be extended to other faculty members to join She noted that in her place of employment,a staff survey is done every other year,and is shared with department heads The Vice-President of the Faculty Association noted that as a member of the Faculty Senate,she welcomes the opportunity to conduct a staff survey,as there are issues of concern that haven't yet come up A School Committee member noted how the Faculty Senate developed the Mass Tell Survey results were publicized and discussed Comments and suggestions were made,and the Faculty Senate was established as a new entity to fashion itself and to grow, as a way of positively dealing with some of the issues Another member disagreed,and pointed out her understanding that the DESE mandated the creation of a Faculty Senate Thanks were extended to the members of the Faculty who came to share their experience b. Update on Regionalization Grant The Superintendent gave an update on the Regionalization Grant He noted that an RFP was sent to three vendors (NESDEC,Tobin,and MARS) MARS,the Mass Association for Regional Schools,responded He has met with the Executive Director,and will be discussing the grant with the Town Managers and deciding on next steps He explained that there is a tight window,as these DESE funds need to be used by June They will conduct an analysis, and hope to have a progress report in March time frame,with a final report in the May time frame One possible goal is to bring the issue up as a warrant for a special Fall Town Meetings In response to questions,he clarified that Watertown,Medford,and Waltham are not specified in the grant,but that there are some cities and towns that have expressed interest in being on an advisory committee to be part of the discussion,and the hope is that there are sufficient funds to create that option He clarified that at this time,Boston is not one of them,and that the grant reports will be posted on the web site He also clarified that various options will be considered, including looking at sustainability issues and including other communities, looking at the process and financial implications of dissolving the region of 16 towns,and using a charter school or collaborative model Positive feedback was expressed around the work to be done under this grant He clarified that further direction can be anticipated by the towns c. Legislation The Superintendent also raised the proposed legislation(Senate Docket# 1052)under consideration that would add MSBA reimbursement for Regional School Districts He explained this would add an additional 10% reimbursement rate to a total facilities grant for academic regional school districts,and an additional 20% reimbursement rate to total facilities grant for a regional vocational technical school districts It was pointed out that this presents a great opportunity to work with communities to get this passed,and that the School Committee could refocus its efforts in this direction [At 9 00 pm,Dr Bouquillon left the meeting] 6 SCHOOL BUILDING REPORT,Ford Spalding It was explained that the Designer Review Subcommittee will convene on January 28 for an all day meeting to review applications for the designer He emphasized his appreciation for the knowledgeable members of the School Building Committee who have volunteered to serve on this Subcommittee He also noted that he,Dr Bouquillon, and Mr Stulin met in Needham last week with their Minuteman Subcommittee to discuss issues He explained that the current Needham representative of the School Building Committee must step down,and a fine replacement has already been recommended He expressed appreciation for the commitment He also referred to the website www mmutemanschoolbuildmn ore,and encouraged people to sign up for the list serve,and to send the link to their municipal representatives so that they may access updates as they are posted In response to a question about the rationale for the enrollment study number,Mr Spalding suggested that all relevant information is available on the website 7 POLICY SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT, Cheryl Mahoney a. Policies for 2"d Reading: AC(Non Discrimination),ACA(Non Discrimination on the Basis of Gender), and BE(School Committee Meetings and the Open Meeting Law) Ms Mahoney gave a summary report of the business taken up by the Policy Subcommittee on 1 10 13 She clarified that the 1St reading of a policy puts it forth as provisional,while the 2"d reading establishes it as a firm policy After explaining the three policies presented for 2"d Readmg,and clarifying some questions,the following vote was taken ACTION 2013#10 Moved(Stulin)and seconded(Hunter) To approve Policies AC(Non-Discrimination),ACA(Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender)and BE (School Committee Meetings and the Open Meeting Law)for 2nd Reading Vote: 12 in favor and 1 abstention,with 13 members present b. Policy BCA Ms Mahoney explained that this policy was not yet ready for 1St Reading,but that it is being distributed and that she will send out an Excel spreadsheet for comments,which will be compiled and readied for 1St Reading at an upcoming meeting A question arose about whether there were any other towns with a similar policy,and the MASC website was referred to as a source to find out c. Policy BBA(School Committee By-Laws) The history of why the change in this policy was up for consideration was reviewed It was explained that a formal vote must be made the by full School Committee to consider any change to the By-Laws,and a five day notice must be given before the change is formally voted upon The vote sought is to allow the Subcommittee to remove the language addressing term limits from Section V of the policy It was noted that 24 other towns were researched on the MASC website,and it was found that 22 do not include term limits in their language,yet they adhere informally to a process that encourages leadership among members A member raised the issue that there are many talents on a committee,and that rotating through membership provides an opportunity for anyone to run,while avoiding cliques, intimidation,and unhealthy stagnation Another member stated his position that the legal opinion received clouded the issue and was a waste of money It was clarified that taking a requirement out of the By-Laws does not preclude the right of the School Committee to select officers based on conditions at the time More latitude is then given to govern itself Reasons for keeping term limit language included preventing insularity,providing fresh energy, supporting a shared responsibility,and allowing for someone else to step forward While another member agreed with the idea of rotation,he felt that specifying it in the By-Laws causes it to be unnecessarily codified The question of why anyone would want to run was raised, and the substantial time commitment and an iron clad stomach were mentioned as requirements for an officer position The idea that someone could put forth their intention sooner with a description of what they might want to accomplish in the role was suggested Preventing intimidation and considering the feelings of the members were mentioned It was noted that running for an office does not mean that there is dissatisfaction with leadership The conditions leading to the addition of the current language were mentioned,namely that one member had been in the position for a number of years,that he was going to have to stop,and that there was a desire to relieve him, since no one else was stepping forward It was noted that it often takes two years to figure out what's going on, then two more years to accomplish anything in any leadership position One member made it clear he was not interested in running for office Another pointed out that the officer job is the hardest because you are insulted,challenged,and have to put in many hours to get the job done,and that not everyone has the time Everyone finding their niche was mentioned,as was ambivalence about the language and that the School Committee should be able to vote what it wants to vote without restriction One member asked most recent officers why they decided to run Feasibility Study, having the time,and because no one else would run were cited A member(Mornssette)moved the question and the following vote was taken ACTION 2013#11 Moved(Morrissette)and seconded(Hunter) To approve move the question and end debate Vote• 10 in favor and 3 opposed,with 13 members present The following vote was then taken ACTION 2013#12 Moved(DeLuca)and seconded(Mahoney) To approve the Policy Subcommittee's recommendation for the removal of language specifically addressing term limits from Section V of Policy BBA(School Committee By-Laws)and to present suggested revisions for comment at the next regular meeting Vote: 9 in favor, 3 opposed,and 1 abstention,with 13 members present Noting the time,the following vote was taken ACTION 2013#13 Moved(Stulin)and seconded(Horton) To continue past 10 00 pm Vote: 8 in favor,4 opposed,and 1 abstention,with 13 members present [Ms Castagno and Mr Spalding left the meeting at 10 00 pm] 8 SECRETARY'S REPORT, Carrie Flood a. Approval of past minutes. 12.18.12 It was moved(Stulin)and seconded(Horton)to approve the past minutes of 12 18 12 as written The Secretary noted that one proposed amendment had come forward,which raised a question if someone reads a statement at the meeting but the written statement is not distributed at the meeting,is that written document officially a part of the record? The amendment was then presented,a friendly amendment to the language was offered and accepted with the effect that the written statement will not be listed as an attachment to the minutes,and the following vote was taken ACTION 2013#14 Moved(Weis)and seconded(Flood) To amend the minutes of 12 18 12,under Item 9 a as follows The Chair read a summation of the meeting with the Belmont representatives She noted that Henry Hall, who joined her, was the first Chair of the Minuteman School Committee, and a former moderator with the Town of Belmont Mr McLaughlin concurred that the summary represented a fair assessment of the meeting Vote Unanimous,with 11 members present A vote on the minutes as amended was then taken as follows ACTION 2013#15 Moved(Stulm)and seconded(Horton) To approve the past minutes of 12 18 12 as amended Vote: Unanimous,with 11 members present 9 CHAIR'S REPORT,Alice DeLuca The Chair extended thanks to Ms Rozan for getting the packets out on time She also asked that as part of the New Year's efforts,people please respond to the inquiries sent out regarding attendance at meetings This is done to ensure a quorum She noted that another OML complaint has been filed by Mr Man]arrez,that she has referred the complaint to School Committee Counsel and will not be responding at this time School Committee members will be contacted regarding scheduling a meeting She also noted that the survey tool,used last year,will be reinstated to get feedback on response to the meetings 10 NEW BUSINESS A request was made that the documents used as part of the Budget Presentation be sent electronically to all members A question was raised about when the draft minutes are available It was clarified that the Open Session draft minutes are a public document and could be read to a member over the phone,and that all approved open session minutes are available on the website 11 ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 10 10 pm Respectfully Submitted, Elizabeth Rozan Carrie Flood District School Committee Assistant Secretary ATTACHMENTS TO THE 1 22 13 MINUTES A Dr Bouquillon's presentation matenal B FY 2014 Proposed Budget