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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFINAL OS Minutes 2.12.13.pdf FINAL Approved 3 12 13 MINUTES MINUTEMAN REGIONAL VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL DISTRICT SPECIAL MEETING OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING FEBRUARY 12,2013 7 00 PM PAUL REVERE ROOM,MINUTEMAN HIGH SCHOOL Present: Alice DeLuca,Chair(Stow) Kemon Taschioglou(Lincoln) Jeff Stulin,Vice-Chair(Needham) Dore Hunter(Acton) Came Flood, Secretary(Concord) Jack Weis(Belmont)(arrived at 7 10 pm) Cheryl Mahoney(Boxborough) Mary Ellen Castagno(Wayland)(left at 8 25 pm) Bella Wong(Weston) David Horton(Lexington) David Manjarrez(Sudbury)(left at 9 25 pm) Daniel Mazzola(Lancaster) Absent. Ford Spalding(Dover),Don Rober(Carlisle),David O'Connor(Bolton),Laura Momssette(Arlington), Ed Bouquillon and Solomon Rubin were also absent Others Present. Elizabeth Rozan,Ernie Houle,Kris Luoto,Kevin Mahoney(arrived at 8 47 pm),Minuteman staff, Diane Dempsey,Gene DiPaolo,Tracey Sierra,(Minuteman faculty), Marjorie Daggett(Concord), and Dennis Berry(Wayland) 1 CALL TO ORDER OPEN SESSION The meeting was called to order at 7 00 pm It was pointed out that Dr Bouquillon was absent due to illness,and that a member was tape recording the meeting 2 PUBLIC COMMENT Two members of the School Committee announced that they were interested in making Public Comment The protocol for this was questioned It was explained that this had been discussed at Policy Subcommittee,and it had been the consensus that if a member makes a Public Comment from their seat,it blurs the line Therefore,it was suggested that if a member wishes to make a personal statement,not associated with duties as a School Committee member,the practice should be that the member recuse him/herself,and sit in the audience Ms Castagno(Wayland)moved to the Public Comment seat and noted that she wished to set the record straight regarding the Tell Mass Survey and Faculty Senate discussion She had pointed out that she had brought forward information regarding a DESE directive to establish a working group,but that she had been told this was incorrect The source of information had been questioned,and she wished to provide for the record the source indicating that Race to the Top districts were required to convene a working group(Attachment A,Commissioner Chester's June 12,2012 Memo to members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education) Mr Manjarrez(Sudbury)announced that he wished to inform the School Committee that he was invoking the "whistle-blower"protection rights afforded him under the MGL The Chair suggested that the Policy Subcommittee take another look at Policy BEDH(Public Participation in School Committee Meetings) 3 STUDENT REPORT There was no Student Report,as Mr Solomon was not present [Mr Weis arrived at 7 10 pm] 4 SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT a Municipal Breakfast Report In Superintendent Bouquillon's absence,Mr Houle reported on the Municipal Breakfast held on 2 7 13 He noted attendance by 35-40 people,including 1 State Senator and 2 State Representatives,and reported that the topics of discussion included the district sustainability grant,legislation,the MSBA Feasibility Study,the report on non- resident tuition impacts,and the FY 14 school budget b Regionalization Grant Report The Chair reported that the invitation to participate in the discussion was sent out last week to the municipalities indicated on the draft approved by the School Committee Referring to the initial membership list,the Concord member nominated an additional member,namely Gregory Howes,a former Board of Selectmen member from Concord She noted his interest in being involved in a serious effort to consider the issues that transcend the individual interests of the 16 member towns,and the following vote was taken ACTION 2013#21 Moved(Flood)and seconded(Stulin) To add Gregory Howes to the Regional Agreement Amendment Subcommittee Vote: Unanimous(with 12 members present) The member from Weston reported that her town was comfortable with representatives previously appointed Thanks were extended to the members from Concord and Weston for their proactive efforts 5 SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE REPORT a. Update on Designer Selection Process The Chair called attention to Mr Spalding's report placed at the table in his absence(Attachment B) The Chair read the report on Mr Spaldmg's behalf, and it was explained that the Designer Selection meeting with MSBA is scheduled for February 19 b. Membership Noting that voting member Jerry Wasserman(Needham)has stepped down from the School Building Committee due to illness,the following vote was taken relative to the nomination of Maryann Cooley as a replacement ACTION 2013#22 Moved(Stulin)and seconded(Weis) To appoint Maryann Cooley(Needham)as voting member of the School Building Committee Vote Unanimous(with 12 members present) The School Committee noted its thanks and appreciation for Mr Wasserman's service 6 FINANCE SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT,Jeff Stulin a Update on Treasurer Position and Posting The Business Office Manager reported that the Assistant Treasurer is now acting as Treasurer,and the position of Treasurer has been posted on School Spring He noted that some applications have come in,that the position will remain open until filled,and that he anticipates bringing a recommendation to the School Committee at the March meeting In response to questions,he gave a brief description of major duties,and confirmed that a$16,000 stipend was approved for this fiscal year for this position He asked the Chair if she would create a subcommittee to conduct interviews The Chair suggested referring it to the Finance Subcommittee as the team who will conduct interviews,and this was acceptable to the Chair of the Finance Subcommittee It was noted that the Finance Subcommittee's recommendation would come to the School Committee for approval The following vote was then taken ACTION 2013#23 Moved(Horton)and seconded(Flood) To appoint the Finance Subcommittee as the team to conduct interviews for the Treasurer position Vote. Unanimous(with 12 members present) b.Preliminary Report on FY 12 Audit It was explained that the Finance Subcommittee met with the auditor,and that while there is a clean audit,the Management Letter refers to more issues than hoped for It was further noted that some of these issues had also been raised in the prior year's Management Letter The Administration is working on creating a plan for corrective action Based on the number and complexity of issues and the time needed to develop a detailed plan,it had been determined that the Auditor's Report would be delayed until the March 12 meeting The need for an auditor to be present during review of the Audit Report was explained,and it was noted that this date is confirmed with the auditor c.Update on Marginal Cost Exploration Task Force It was explained that the lifetime of this Task Force had been extended,and the final meeting is being planned for the end of February In response to a question,it was explained that the comments were reviewed,and while some of the numbers changed and some of the language has been clarified,the overall conclusions remain the same 7 POLICY SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT, Cheryl Mahoney a Update on Policies Public Particination It was reiterated that the policy related to public participation at School Committee meetings had been taken up at several meetings,and it was the opimon of the majority of the Policy Subcommittee that it was not appropriate for a member to participate in Public Comment,as there are many more avenues for members to express opinions than for the public It was explained that in the context of a School Committee meeting,the public is considered to mean members of the community who wish to apprise the School Committee of opinions and information The Sudbury member expressed his opinion that prior to a few months ago,members of the public would come before the School Committee and no action was taken on items presented He felt that it is unreasonable and unfair that a School Committee member is disallowed from making Public Comment It was suggested by another member that any topic can be brought up by a School Committee member under"New Business" The Chair of the School Committee pointed out that the member from Sudbury had been afforded a chance to speak at Public Comment, and that she has advised the Policy Subcommittee to review the policy related to public participation at School Committee meetings Officer Term Limits/School Committee Organizational Meeting(BDA) It was stated that it is the consensus of the Policy Subcommittee that term limits are counterproductive to the business of the School Committee,however,it was explained that based on comments made at the 1 22 13 School Committee meeting related to officer term limits,the Policy Subcommittee reviewed Policy BDA,and found that the concerns could be addressed through revisions to that policy,as shown in Attachment C A member expressed his view that this was a fair proposal reflecting compromise In response to a question about why the 5 year period for consecutive service as an officer was selected,it was explained that the Policy Subcommittee considered the length of time needed to learn the job and that a vote of the School Committee would ultimately determine the outcome,without necessanly writing specifics into the By-Laws That having 5 years to experience the 3 positions made sense in terms of leadership being refreshed Why this policy was under discussion, given that a similar discussion was held as recently as 2010, was questioned It was explained that the current review began with an attempt to clarify the language in the By-Law,but that this had opened the door to reconsider the will of the Committee with respect to term limits While several members expressed comfort level with the 5 year guideline,the goal is to resolve the question before the July meeting at which a slate of officers will next be elected That achieving a super majority of the full membership in July could cause logistical problems was raised,and it was suggested that an amendment could be made to change it to super majority of the members present The process was explained,namely that if a motion was made and these revisions to Policy BDA were approved for 1St Reading,then an agenda item would be sought for a future meeting,in compliance with the notice requirements to remove the language from the By-Laws A main motion was made(Weis)and seconded(Hunter)to approve the amendments presented in Policy BDA for 1St Reading It was further explained that 1st Reading puts the policy in place as provisional,but that comments can still be made,and that this alternative was a compromise in order to move forward on resolving the central question It was emphasized that ultimately the will of the School Committee will be established by its vote An amendment was offered (Stulm)and seconded(Hunter)for the sentence beginning "A member may hold "as follows A member may not hold the same office for longer than 2 years in succession,unless that member is nominated by 2/3 majority of the members present It was pointed out that with a quorum of 9 people, theoretically,5 people could elect someone It was suggested that it is important for the Committee to maintain a high threshold for the officer positions What the Committee was looking to accomplish with the language was emphasized,how many votes were needed to nominate and to elect, and how often two votes would be taken for an election were raised It was suggested that the Policy Subcommittee should take the draft back for reconsideration,as the issue may not be settled tonight Asking a sitting officer to run again,the super majority vs a quorum,and the suggestion of 2/3 majority of the members present,and that, depending on the precise language,a candidate with the most votes might still not achieve election were additional points raised The potential value of remote participation in such matters,and the voting requirements under MGL were noted The following vote was taken on the amendment Stulm Amendment ACTION 2013#24 Moved(Stulm)and seconded(Hunter) To amend the language of the sentence beginning "A member may hold "as follows A member may not hold the same office for longer than 2 years in succession,unless that member is nominated by 2/3 majority of the members present Vote 2 in favor, 10 opposed(with 12 members present).The motion did not pass. The following vote then was taken on the main motion ACTION 2013#25 Moved(Weis)and seconded(Hunter) To approve the revised Policy BDA as presented for 1st Reading Vote. 7 in favor,3 opposed,and 2 abstentions(with 12 members present) It was noted that the Policy Subcommittee will schedule a time to meet before the next School Committee meeting, and that additional comments are welcome They will also request time on the next agenda to amend the By-laws,as discussed on 1 22 13 [At 8 25 pm,Ms Castagno left the meeting] 8 SECRETARY'S REPORT, Carrie Flood a Approval of minutes of 1 8 13 and 1 22 13 The suggested amendments received from Mr Horton and Mr Manjarrez were reviewed Deleting an unclear sentence in the 1 8 13minutes, and amending the typos in the 1 22 13 minutes were discussed,and the following vote was taken ACTION 2013#26 Moved(Horton)and seconded(Stulm) To approve the Horton amendments on the minutes for 1 8 13 and 1 22 13,as discussed Vote- Unanimous(with 11 members present) The Manjarrez amendment on the minutes of 1 22 13 was reviewed Adding a clarifying sentence was discussed, wording was amended,and the following vote was taken ACTION 2013#27 Moved(Manjarrez)and seconded(Weis) To approve the Manjarrez amendment on the 1 22 13 minutes as discussed Vote: 9 in favor, 1 opposed,and 1 abstention(with 11 members present) It was pointed out that the website listed for the School Building Committee in the 1 22 13 minutes was missing a word and needed adjustment A vote on the amended minutes was then taken as follows ACTION 2013#28 Moved(Horton)and seconded(Mahoney) To approve the minutes of 1 8 13 and 1 22 13 as amended Vote: Unanimous(with 11 members present) 9 CHAIR'S REPORT,Alice DeLuca a. Communication She explained that as Chair she fields many communications for the School Committee,and this topic will be addressed in the near future b. Mid-Year Review of Goals The Committee engaged in an informal mid-year review of goals It was noted that the effort was to mirror what staff must engage in,and that the goals were not up for amendment at this time,but for assessment of progress made to date The goals related to Policies in Section D of the Policy Manual,the newly added enrollment goal,the status of negotiations, the Superintendent evaluation instrument, the Health Care Trust,and surveys of the School Committee meetings were highlighted c. Update on Training for School Committee It was noted that the Secretary has been trying to arrange an OML training since November,and the good news is that a training has been arranged for March 12 It was noted that much work goes on behind the scenes,but the School Committee is not informed daily of what's happening The Chair asked for suggestions on other topics for training,and one suggestion was Meeting Management and Conduct that is offered for municipalities 10 NEW BUSINESS As a follow up to a comment made at the Municipal Breakfast related to the School Committee's responsibility to right size Minuteman,a motion was made(Manjarrez) that an agenda item be added within the next few School Committee meetings for a debate on right sizing Minuteman This was seconded(Weis) That this was seen as a part of the Feasibility Study activities,that this has come up more than once,and how the circular discussion gets broken down into a sequenced series of steps were issues raised Additionally,the interrelated constants, the need for serious analysis outside of the Building Committee,the efforts made in the Superintendent's 2nd year to align staff with programs,and the inability to decide on right number at this time were discussed The points were made that this was a valuable exercise for discussion,but that a decision should also consider the efforts of the School Building Committee,the OPM,and the Designer for resolution Credibility issues,risked litigation,and exercising responsibility were also raised It was noted that in response to another comment made at the Municipal Breakfast about setting differences aside,it had been noted that considering the many issues facing Minuteman is not a linear process,but rather a parallel one,with multiple components moving simultaneously Asking the Superintendent to prepare a set of parameters that outline the issues was suggested The risk of taking a premature vote on the size of the school,and the differences in right sizing for academic programs as opposed to right sizing for assessment purposes were noted,and the idea of talking about some aspect of it at every meeting was suggested It was noted that discussing the issue is within the purview of the School Committee,and is related to strategic decision-making The following vote was then taken ACTION 2013#29 Moved(Manjarrez)and seconded(Weis) To add an agenda item within the next few School Committee meetings for a debate on right sizing Minuteman Vote• 6 for,5 against,with 11 members present 11 POSSIBLE EXECUTIVE SESSION At 9 20 pm,the Chair informed the members that there was a need for an Executive Session,and the following roll call vote was then taken ACTION 2013#30 Moved(Horton)and seconded(Weis) To enter into Executive Session,pursuant to Purpose 2,to discuss strategy related to contract negotiations with non-union personnel,with Ms Rozan remaining,and not to return to Open Session Mazzola abstain Stulin yes Horton yes DeLuca yes Weis yes Mahoney yes Hunter yes Wong abstain Taschioglou yes Maniarrez no Flood yes Vote. 8 in favor, l opposed,2 abstentions(with 11 members present) 12 ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned from the Executive Session at 10 25 pm Respectfully submitted, Elizabeth Rozan Carrie Flood District School Committee Assistant Secretary ATTACHMENTS TO MINUTES 2 12 13 A Castagno Handout B Spalding School Building Report Handout C Policy BDA and Comments Handout D Amendments to Minutes of 1 8 and 1 22 13