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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFINAL OS SC Minutes 5 20 14.pdf FINAL Approved 6 17 14 OPEN SESSION MINUTES MINUTEMAN REGIONAL VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL DISTRICT REGULAR SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING MAY 20,2014 7 00 PM PAUL REVERE ROOM,MINUTEMAN HIGH SCHOOL Present: Alice DeLuca,Chair(Stow) Kemon Taschioglou(Lincoln) Jeff Stulin,Vice-Chair(Needham) Laura Morrissette(Arlington)(amved 7 10 PM) Came Flood, Secretary(Concord) Jack Weis(Belmont)(amved 8 40 PM) Ford Spalding(Dover)(left 10 30 PM) Mary Ellen Castagno(Wayland) Cheryl Mahoney(Boxborough) Dave Horton(Lexington) Judy Taylor(Carlisle) Daniel Mazzola(Lancaster)(arrived 7 05 PM,left 9 25 PM) David Manjarrez (Sudbury) Doug Gillespie(Weston)(left 10 30 PM) Nancy Banks(Acton) David O'Connor(Bolton) Others Present Ed Bouquillon,Kevin Mahoney,Ernie Houle,Brendan Dutch,Elizabeth Rozan, Gina Condon, Antonetta DiCicco,Colleen Ryan, Georgiana Condon,Isabella Sansevermo, David Howe, Chrystal Auger,Karen Tan,Cindy Jaquith, John Pelletier, Steven Tutem, Chasidy Jaquith, DeAnne Dupont, Sheila Nagle, Gene DePaolo,Marjorie Daggett,Terry Regan,Diane Dempsey,Dan Matthews, and Nancy Pierce 1. CALL TO ORDER. OPEN SESSION The Chair called the meeting to order at 7 00 PM,and welcomed the staff, students,parents,and others who were present Hearing no objection,she took the Ski11sUSA item out of order 2. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT, Ed Bouquillon a. Ski11sUSA Approval of Out-of-State Field Trip and Funds The Superintendent introduced SkillsUSA staff advisor Terry Regan,who explained that 63 Minuteman students competed at the SkillsUSA Leadership Conference in May,and of these students, 12 are eligible to move on to the national competition on June 23-28 in Kansas City The shop teachers who will accompany the students introduced themselves,as did the students in attendance The excitement of the awards ceremony was noted,and the School Committee took the following vote(one vote for both items) ACTION 2014#52 Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Banks) To approve the out-of-state field trip for the Ski11sUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference,held in Kansas City,MO from June 23-June 28,2014,and to approve funds in the amount of$33,608 to finance the trip Vote- Unanimous Mr Regan extended his appreciation for this vote, and noted that the award ceremony is streamed live 3. PUBLIC COMMENT The Chair explained the Public Comment guidelines,and the following comments were heard a. Dan Matthews,Needham Board of Selectmen,urged the Minuteman School Committee to move the Capital Project away from the"up to 800 student"model,to commit to right-sizing the school project based on reasonably certain in-district enrollment,and to make that commitment soon His written comments appear as Attachment A b DeAnne Dupont,Arlington,expressed her concern about the multiple material weaknesses and deficiencies noted in the management letters year after year,and voiced her opinion that the leadership should have higher standards and expectations for internal controls than it appears to have Her written comments appear as Attachment B c Dave Manjarrez, Sudbury,voiced concerns related to his understanding of a 2 5M budget shortfall,that he believes member town assessments are paying to subsidize out-of-district students,and that the Superintendent performance evaluation does not address the needs of the District 4. STUDENT REPORT There was no Student Report 5. FY 13 AUDITOR'S REPORT,Sheryl Stevens-Burke,Melanson Heath Ms Stevens-Burke was introduced,and the Chair noted the importance of having the Auditor actually present to give the report Ms Stevens-Burke then gave a brief overview of the Melanson Heath FY 13 Auditor's Report, reviewing both the FY 13 Financial Statements and FY 13 Management Letter(shown as Attachment C) She described the various ways in which the information is presented in the report,and highlighted key sections, pointing out that this year's report includes an audit of the Retirement System,and therefore is considered a"clean" report In response to questions,the way in which tuition is collected and used was discussed The member from Sudbury reiterated his concern that, according to his reconciliation of budgeted expenditures vs actual expenditures over the last 5 audited years,it appears that$2 9 M is missing The Chair of the Finance Subcommittee asked for clarification from the Auditor,who noted that she was not aware of missing funds It was clarified that,while the financial statements present information at a high level,accounting detail was necessarily reviewed in the process of preparing summary reports Adequacy of the software(BudgetSense),and use of its capacity was discussed,as was the appropriateness of the two upcoming votes related to deficit balance close-outs She confirmed that these votes were appropriate,given the impact of the deficit balances on the E&D The Chair of the Finance Subcommittee noted that after these deficit balances are closed out,the Revolving Account programs will need to be monitored closely and decisions will need to be made about their sustainability It was pointed out that much of the deficit was accumulated prior to implementation of current software and revised accounting protocols In response to a question about what regular reports the School Committee should be receiving,Ms Stevens-Burke suggested quarterly balance sheets Regarding the delay in the receipt of the FY 13 Auditor's Report,Ms Stevens- Burke noted that the aim with any government agency audit is within is within 6 months of year end However, she noted that there were many moving parts,due to the changes in the Business Office,and that her schedule created some of the delay The Chair of the Finance Subcommittee pointed out that she had presented the Report to the Finance Subcommittee on February 25,2014,and faced with the choice of having another member of the firm present earlier,or to wait until Ms Stevens-Burke was available,the Finance Subcommittee opted to wait,due to her patience,detail,clarity and understanding Appreciation was extended for the thoroughness of the presentation ACTION 2014#53 Moved(Flood)and seconded(Stulin) To accept the FY 13 Auditor's Report as presented Vote: Unanimous Following-up on the suggestion of Ms Stevens-Burke that the School Committee receive quarterly balance sheet reports,the following vote was taken ACTION 2014#54 Moved(Banks)and seconded(Castagno) To direct the Assistant Superintendent of Finance to provide reconciled quarterly balance sheet reports,to the full School Committee,beginning with the quarter ending June 30 Vote. Unanimous 6. ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT FOR FINANCE REPORT,Kevin Mahoney a. Budget Transfer to Community Education Revolving Account: The Assistant Superintendent explained the details of the proposed transfer of$100,000 appropriated in the General Fund and funding the Community Education Revolving Account He clarified that the transfer is usually made,but this is a new procedure to make the transfer explicit The following vote was taken ACTION 2014#55 Moved(Stulin)and seconded(Banks) To transfer the sum of$100,000 from account#01 00 0006 02 720 0 3—Transfer OUT GF Administration, Community Ed Account to account#1100000 00 0005 15 500 0 4—Transfer IN Community Ed General Revolving Account Vote. 13 in favor,2 abstentions b Certification of E&D The Assistant Superintendent explained that on May 5,2014,he received email notification from the Department of Revenue that they have certified the amount of Minuteman's Excess and Deficiency as$547,634(shown as Attachment D) He pointed out that this is informational,and related to the next item [Mr Weis arrived at 8 40 PM] c. Close-out Deficit Balances in Revolving Accounts and Inactive Grants The Assistant Superintendent explained that as part of the Excess and Deficiency calculation,the undesignated fund balance was decreased by$774,589 for prior year deficit balances in the revolving funds,and$22,327 for deficits in prior year inactive grants He has been advised by both the Massachusetts Department of Revenue and Melanson Heath that it is appropriate to close-out these deficit balances to undesignated fund balance,as these deficits have been provided for with available funds by virtue of the reduction to E&D Points raised included why these deficits were created, the cost of administering the Revolving Fund programs, the need for an ongoing review of the sustainability of the Revolving Accounts,and that E&D is an available resource It was suggested that a report on Revolving Funds,as provided to the Finance Subcommittee, be provided to the full School Committee in October Noting that a vote of the School Committee is required to close-out these balances,the following votes were taken ACTION 2014#56 Moved(Stulin)and seconded(Banks) To approve close-out of Pnor Year Deficit Balances in Revolving Accounts as described To transfer the deficit balances of$443,675 from Fund 1100000/500—Community Ed General,$243,757 from Fund 2000000—Food Service,$20,817 from Fund 1423100/231 —Bakery, $4,089 from Fund 1421700/217—Marketmg/Store,$1,832 from Fund 1423300/233—Cosmetology Kits,and$60,419 from Fund 1423200/232—Restaurant for a total deficit balance of$774,589,said amount be closed to undesignated/unassigned fund balance Vote. 14 in favor, 1 opposed,1 abstention ACTION 2014#57 Moved(Mahoney)and seconded(Banks) To approve close-out of Prior Year Deficit Balances in Inactive Grants as described to transfer the deficit balances of$4,349 from Fund/Account 6000000—MPA Make a Wish,$5,275 from Fund/Account 4000000—Perkins FY09,$788 from Fund/Account 5000000—Academic Support 2009,and $11,915 from Fund/Account 4000000 -SPED Grants for a total deficit balance of$22,327, said amount be closed to undesignated/unassigned fund balance Vote. 13 in favor, 1 opposed,2 abstentions d Acceptance of Donations The Assistant Superintendent reviewed the list of equipment donated to the school district, the donation forms submitted describing the items,and referred to Policy DDA—Gifts,Grants,Donations,Scholarship Policy Reassured that this equipment will be used in various CTE areas, and that staff has inspected it, the School Committee then took the following vote ACTION 2014#58 Moved(Gillespie)and seconded(O'Connor) To accept equipment donations as described Donation Donor CTE Area Dianne M Bndgeman, Dental Equipment DDS Dental Assisting Oil Burner-Parts and Accessories Albert J Sagar HVAC Photography-Photo Setting and Digital Visual Accessories Bill Heisler Communications Vote: Unanimous(with 1 member out of the room) e. Disposal of Surplus Property The Assistant Superintendent provided a list of furniture,fixtures,equipment,textbooks and other property owned by the District that is no longer used due to damage,obsolescence,or replacement, including condition and estimated value,as shown below Quantity Property Description Condition Estimated Value 1 Exam Table Good 1,000 00 8 Blue rolling computer desks Obsolete 800 00 1 Barber Chair Good 700 00 9 Rolling desks Good 225 00 2 Two section desks Good 150 00 5 Wooden rollmg computer desks Obsolete 125 00 2 Glass displays Fair 50 00 3 Metal computer desks Obsolete 30 00 2 3 Draw file cabinets Good 25 00 1 File cabinet Fair 10 00 1 4 draw file cabinet Fair 10 00 1 Orange Chair Damaged - 1 Wooden Book Shelf Damaged - 5 Metal work benches Damaged - 6 Sections of metal shelving Damaged - 1 Teacher desk metal Damaged - 1 File cabinet Damaged - 1 Book case Damaged - 1 5'Class room desk Damaged - 1 3 draw file cabinet Damaged - 2 Rolling warming units Defective - 15 Round Cafe tables Damaged Non Repairable - 1 Salon Chair Damaged Non Repairable - 2 Rolling chairs Damaged Non Repairable - 1 Exam Chair Damaged Non Repairable - 4 blue rolling chairs Damaged Non Repairable - 1 Wooden bookcase Damaged - 1 Green office chair Damaged - 1 Red office chair Damaged - 1 Motonzed Go-Cart Program Closed - 420 History Books Outdated - 80 Math Books Outdated - 65 Health Books Outdated - He noted that pursuant to Policy DN—School Properties Disposal Procedure,the School Committee shall determine what equipment and supplies with a value of$500 or more constitutes surplus,and the manner and procedure for disposal He then recommended that the School Committee vote to hold a public auction for the property valued over$500,sell to the highest bidder,and to properly dispose of all unsold property items listed with a value less than$500 ACTION 2014#59 Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Weis) To approve the recommendation on disposal of this surplus property as described Vote: Unanimous f Renewed Bond Anticipation Notes(Feasibility Study) Kevin explained,as informational,that the Feasibility Study Bond Anticipation Notes for$180,000 will end on June 27,2014 He is now soliciting bids to roll them over and extend them for another year, and will present at the next meeting for a vote to execute 7. CHAIR'S REPORT a. Report on Follow-up Contact with Jeff Wulfson Following up from the 4 8 14 School Committee meeting vote,the Chair reported that she did have a conversation with Jeff Wulfson,after the meeting on the State House,also held on 4 8 14,and he gave reassurance that he's interested in helping Minuteman,and suggested that when the Town Meeting season is finished,that he meet with representatives from Minuteman and MSBA to discuss next steps b SC Term appointments The Chair noted that the terms of a number of School Committee members are up at the end of June She urged that those renewing their appointment arrange the necessary paperwork through their Town Moderator c Graduation The Chair noted that the graduation will be held on Friday June 6,2014 at 2 00 pm at the Lowell Auditorium Noting that School Committee members in attendance assist with the proceedings, she asked that anyone attending to let Ms Rozan know d MASC•Evaluation of Business Manager The Chair reported that there has been some discussion on the MASC list serve about School Committees possibly needing to be involved in evaluating the Business Manager,following the DESE prescription,and that she has asked Dr Bouquillon and Mr Mahoney to find out what the actual requirements are for compliance 8 SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT(continued) b Communications Update. Regional Agreement 1 Town Meeting Results/Next Steps The Superintendent continued his report,noting that most Town Meeting votes are in regarding the Regional Agreement The results to date are that 10 towns have approved it,4 passed over, 1 rejected,and 1 vote(Belmont) is still pending He noted that Belmont will take the item up during the first week of June 2 Correspondence.Wayland,Sudbury,Weston(re Needham Resolution) The Superintendent called attention to the correspondence included in the packet He noted that the major concern raised by Mr Boschetto(Wayland)will be addressed during the discussion on Final Design Enrollment The Superintendent will draft a response to Mr Boschetto He also explained that the"Needham Resolution", originally put forward by Needham Board of Selectman member Dan Matthews,has been passed by eight towns(Arlington, Bolton,Boxborough,Concord,Dover,Lancaster,Needham,and Weston) The resolution reads Resolved That in the event of ratification of the revised the Minuteman Regional Vocational School District agreement as approved by the Regional School Committee on March 11,2014,and in the event of notice of desire to withdraw by one or more members of the District given within one year of the effective date of the revised Agreement,the Board of Selectmen will not place a warrant article disapproving such withdrawal in a Town Meeting warrant,unless required by law,and will oppose such a disapproval article or motion in any event Specifically,the resolution states that a Board of Selectmen that has adopted this resolution will not call a Town Meeting to block an exit,except as required by law(m the case of a citizen petition), should another Town decide within a year of the passage of the Regional Agreement,to leave the Distnct c Communications Update- Department of Education The Superintendent referenced the March,2014 correspondence from Mitchell Chester,Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education,which proposed changes to Ch 74 Regulations regarding non-resident tuition rates,exploratory programs,and admissions He noted that this is summarized n his most recent newsletter,and that he will discuss it further under the School Building Project Update item d. Tell Mass Survey and NEASC Report The Superintendent noted that results of the Tell Mass Survey have been released,and are under review He noted that he was pleased with some results and disappointed with others He will discuss with the School Committee at a future time,results can be reviewed on line at www tellmass or Additionally,he explained that in May,NEASC conducted their 5 year site visit Their draft report was submitted to the administration for review The major concern is in the facilities area The report will be made available once it is finalized for public release 9. SCHOOL BUILDING PROJECT UPDATE,Ed Bouquillon,Ford Spalding a Final Schematic Design Enrollment The Superintendent introduced the Final Design Enrollment Where we are and Where we need to be presentation (shown in Attachment E) He summarized that communication strategies have engaged the member communities in essential discussions,that DESE Ch 74 revisions,to be in place July 1,2015,are very significant,that design enrollment data constraints/assumptions are being re-examined in light of actual admissions experience,and that the Design Team and Administration have been sculpting a limited Educational Program Plan,supporting fewer students He explained that the proposal outlines revisions in Exploratory programs, making them shorter,more focused,with pre-exploratory assessments,a more selective admissions process,with member student applications prioritized,and capital participation,required and set by the Commissioner based upon the MSBA reimbursement rate He reviewed the 8th grade actual vs projected enrollments through 2023,and reviewed what other schools of various sizes offer their students,comparing Minuteman to 8 other vocational schools Finally,he reviewed next steps,suggesting that the MSBA data needs to be reviewed with an appropriate subject matter expert, that DESE needs to be engaged in approving an Education Plan that serves member students with relevant CVTE programs,rigorous academics,and robust extracurricular offerings,that the School Committee needs to vote on the final schematic design enrollment as soon as possible(June,2014),so that any revisions to this vote could be made in the fall of 2014,if conditions change [Dan Mazzola left the meeting at 9 25 PM] It was noted that with the Commissioner now focused on issues of concern to Minuteman,there is a "sea change" and it bodes well Building too small,building too big,and doing nothing, being cautious about short-sightedness, considering programs offered by schools of various sizes,engaging the towns in the discussion,and considering projected operating costs regardless of size were discussed The Superintendent noted that he has been out in the communities and has heard them,he would prefer going back to them with a decision The Chair of the Building Committee underscored the importance of acting now Given the hour,and the material that still needed to be addressed,the School Committee took the following vote ACTION 2014#60 Moved(Stulm)and seconded(Mahoney) To continue the meeting past 10 00 PM Vote: 12 in favor and 2 opposed,with 1 person out of the room The discussion continued with an urging for fiscally prudent solutions for a"crown jewel"such as Minuteman, working to create a financially sustainable school,and getting MSBA buy-in The previously determined MSBA numbers for design enrollment(435 in-district and up to 800 including out-of-district)were reviewed as was the School Committee's February 4,2014 vote To direct the Superintendent,the Design Team,and the School Building Committee to consider a"design target enrollment"not to exceed 800,in order to expedite the study timeline and to manage the Feasibility Study budget to fulfill the requirement of the contract that the District has with the MSBA This action is taken with the understanding that,should the MSBA and public feedback support lowering this "design target enrollment",it can occur It was suggested that while there are philosophical differences on the right size of the school,the School Committee needs to decide what it wants,then gather supporting data,and convince the towns It was pointed out that the SHORE Collaborative has been associated with bartering,and that the cost of doing nothing means the member towns cover the 100%cost of future incremental repairs as needed Having a stake in the ground was encouraged It was noted that while the School Committee needs to decide,they should be prepared for the possibility that communities may think differently To the question of what existing members are in or out,it was pointed out that Weston was the only town to approve the amended regional agreement and vote to withdraw from the District under the terms of the amended agreement,subject to its passage (Boxborough voted to support withdrawal as a"sense of the meeting",which is treated as a referendum,rather than an actionable vote, Wayland voted to approve a non- binding vote in favor of leaving the District,but rejected the proposed changes to the Regional Agreement) It was also noted that while Wayland rejected the Regional Agreement,many towns voted in favor of it,and others have opted to put off their votes pending availability of additional information Regarding next steps,it was agreed that the School Committee would begin its June 17 meeting at 6 00 PM to discuss this topic further June 24 was reserved as another possibility, if needed 10 SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS Superintendent Negotiations and Evaluation Subcommittee,Dave Horton a Superintendent Evaluation The Chair of the Superintendent Negotiations and Evaluation Subcommittee explained that the Superintendent's evaluation for 2013-14 is based on 6 goals He further explained that each goal requires a ranking(no opinion,did not meet,some progress,significant progress,met,or exceeded),that each goal has a comment field with a maximum allowable space of 100 characters wide x 20 lines,and that upon completion,Grace Brueckner will email a pdf to print and sign for personal record and the district's public file He explained that the deadline for completion of the survey is June 2,2014,and that the compilation report will be provided at the June 17 meeting [Ford Spalding and Doug Gillespie left the meetmg at 10 30 PM] 11 SECRETARY'S REPORT,Carrie Flood Approval of Past Open Session Minutes 4 8 14 The Secretary explained that she received no amendments in advance of the meeting, clarification was given about what was written related to Wayland's budget vote,and no changes were made The following vote was then taken ACTION 2014#61 Moved(Stulin)and seconded(Mahoney) To approve the Open Session Minutes of 4 8 14 as presented Vote: 10 in favor,with 3 abstentions(13 members present) 12. POSSIBLE EXECUTIVE SESSION The Chair explained the need for an Executive Session and described the purposes,as noted below She noted that Ms Rozan would remain,and that the Committee would not return to Open Session a Approval of Past Executive Session Minutes Pursuant to MG L c 30A,s 22(f)to review,amend,finalize,and approve Executive Session minutes of 4 8 14, and to determine whether continued non-disclosure of such minutes is appropriate b Negotiations Update Pursuant to Purpose 2(MGL Ch 30A, S 21 (a)(2))to discuss strategy in preparation for negotiations,including contract negotiations,with certain non-union personnel,namely,District Superintendent Dr Edward Bouquillon The following roll call vote was then taken ACTION 2014#62 Moved(Stulin)and seconded(O'Connor) To enter Executive Session at 10 35 PM for the purposes described,with Ms Rozan remaining,and not to return to Open Session Horton yes DeLuca yes Castagno no Mahoney yes Weis yes Taylor yes Morrissette yes Manjarrez no Taschioglou yes Banks yes Flood yes O'Connor yes Stulin yes Vote- 11 in favor,2 opposed [Mr Taschioglou left the meeting after this vote] 13. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned from the Executive Session at 11 25 PM Respectfully submitted, Elizabeth Rozan Carrie Flood District School Committee Assistant Secretary ATTACHMENTS TO THE MINUTES OF MAY 20,2014 A Public Comment Dan Matthews B Public Comment DeAnne Dupont C FY 13 Annual Financial Statements and FY 13 Management Letter D Email Notification of E&D E Superintendent's Power Point Presentation Final Design Enrollment