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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFINAL OS SC Minutes 2.11.14.pdf FINAL Approved 3 11 14 OPEN SESSION MINUTES MINUTEMAN REGIONAL VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL DISTRICT SPECIAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING FEBRUARY 11,2014 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) Jack Weis(Belmont)(armed at 7 10 PM) Ford Spalding(Dover) Mary Ellen Castagno(Wayland)(left at 8 50 PM) Cheryl Mahoney(Boxborough) Dave Horton(Lexington) Judy Taylor(Carlisle) Daniel Mazzola(Lancaster)(arrived at 7 05 PM) Nancy Banks(Acton) David O'Connor(Bolton) Absent David Manjarrez(Sudbury), Kemon Taschioglou(Lincoln),Doug Gillespie(Weston) Others Present Ed Bouquillon,Kevin Mahoney,Ernie Houle, Elizabeth Rozan, Diane Dempsey, Sheila Nagle, Eugene DiPaolo,Marjorie Daggett,Nancy Pierce,John Pelletier,Brendan Dutch,Attorney Lenox 1. CALL TO ORDER. OPEN SESSION The Chair called the meeting to order at 7 00 PM 2. PUBLIC COMMENT There was no Public Comment 3 STUDENT REPORT There was no Student Report 4 CHAIR'S REPORT The Chair reviewed the School Committee goals,approved by the School Committee on November 12,2013 1 ) Meeting all MSBA project deadlines,and coordinating with the School Building Committee,complete Module 3 (Feasibility Study)through the Preferred Schematic Report Submission(April,2014)and to continue on to Module 4(Schematic Design)according to the MSBA schedule through the remainder of 2014 2) Present a revised Regional Agreement for approval at the Spring, 2014 town meetings of all member towns 3 ) Support legislative action that would benefit Minuteman and technical education 4) Complete negotiations with the MFA for 3-year contract a. Request for Agenda Item re Financials and Request to Send Emails to Auditors for Review The Chair referred to the recent request from the Sudbury representative for an agenda item regarding the financials and the request to send emails to the Auditors for review A motion was made(Mahoney)and seconded(Spalding) to refer this matter to the Finance Subcommittee for consideration of whether this warrants an expenditure It was pointed out that this request was sent to Mr Mahoney,and that the request now is to refer it to the appropriate subcommittee The former Chair of the Policy Subcommittee expressed that she was pleased that the guidelines described in Policy BK,approved by the School Committee on 12 19 14,were being followed regarding such requests from School Committee members A concern was raised about whether Mr Mahoney has adequate time to deal with such issues Mr Mahoney noted that this request relates to the FY 11 and 12 audits,and he expressed that it is difficult to address concerns related to things already approved by the School Committee,when his attention is on managing the FY 14 budget and communicating with the towns on the FY 15 budget and other initiatives the District is involved in He agreed it was appropriate to have the Finance Subcommittee consider the item The Chair of the Finance Subcommittee explained that the School Committee as a whole is not aware of the volume of emails and requests that the Assistant Superintendent receives,most of which are time consuming and yield no useful result He noted that he is reluctant to dismiss the request outright,as it is difficult to find the essential concern in the correspondence,and he expressed his opinion that the Finance Subcommittee should look at the request and consider whether the expense involved is warranted A member of the Finance Subcommittee asked that the matter be taken up in Finance Subcommittee at a time when Mr Manjarrez is in attendance The following vote was then taken ACTION 2014#20 Moved(Mahoney)and seconded(Spalding)to refer this matter to the Finance Subcommittee for consideration of whether this warrants an expenditure Vote 9 in favor,3 abstain(with 12 members present) b. Amendment to the Subcommittee List The Chair noted an interest in adding Carrie Flood to the School Committee's MFA Negotiations Subcommittee She pointed out that the Subcommittee has benefitted from her involvement to date The following vote was then taken ACTION 2014#21 Moved(Mahoney)and seconded(Spalding)to add Carrie Flood to the School Committee's MFA Negotiations Subcommittee Vote: 12 in favor,1 opposed,with 13 members present. 5. UPDATE ON BUILDING PROJECT,Ford Spalding a. Report on Meeting with MSBA Held 1.28.14 The Chair of the School Building Committee explained that there was nothing new to report at this time 6. UPDATE ON REGIONAL AGREEMENT,Ed Bouquillon, Carrie Flood(Chair,RAAS),Ed Lenox a. Revisiting the Draft Regional Agreement Section VII on Amendments The Superintendent noted that upon distributing the 1 27 14 version of the amended Draft Regional Agreement,a number of concerns arose He explained that the decision to revisit the draft at this meeting was to address these concerns,and he noted his sense that this would go a long way in garnering the support needed for this revised agreement at town meetings this spring The Chair of the Regional Agreement Amendment Subcommittee(RAAS)pointed out that there was opposition voiced by officials in several communities to language added in Section VII Amendments, section(B)Procedure (last two sentences)by the District School Committee that would allow amendments by 3/4 of member communities She pointed out that this had been opposed by members of the RAAS,and that the RAAS and others were in support of all 16 communities approving any changes,by a majority vote at Town Meeting Although the School Committee's proposed language would have excepted changes to four areas that would require approval by all members communities,concerns were raised that some other element of the agreement may become critical in the future Weight and thresholds for School Committee member votes was suggested as an example After discussing the benefits of leaving the language the RAAS preferred,the following vote was then taken ACTION 2014#22 Moved(Stulin)and seconded(Spalding) To amend Section VII Amendments,section(B)Procedure(last two sentences) [and also Section VIII to be compatible],so that there is a return to the original language requiring all member towns to agree to any amendment to the Regional Agreement Vote- 12 in favor,1 opposed b. Review of Minor Edits The RAAS Chair explained that a few additional edits had been received Items 1-3 and item 5 were prepared by Attorney Ed Lenox to address the issues as noted,and item 4 had been prepared by Jack Weis Ms Flood and Attorney Lenox reviewed these possible clarifications to the 1 27 14 draft Comments were made on their merits, and it was agreed to seek approval on each individually 1 The following would address the issue raised by Charles Foskett in his January 27,2014 e-mail Add the following underlined clause to the end of the fourth sentence of Section IV(I)so that the sentence will read as follows Said community may seek to withdraw from the District consistent with the procedure in Section IX,and,if the notice of withdrawal is sent consistent with Section IX within sixty(60)days of the subsection(n)election,that community will not be responsible for a share of the debt service attributable to this new debt even if that community's withdrawal from the District is not approved by a majority of the member communities as required by Section IX, or even if the withdrawal of said community is disapproved by the Commissioner ACTION 2014#23 Moved(Stulin)and seconded(Weis) To add the clause at the end of the fourth sentence of Section IV(I)as described Vote- 9 in favor,3 opposed,1 abstention 2 The following would address the concern raised by Nancy Banks in her February 4,2014 e-mail Insert the words"or charter"into the second sentence of Section I(C)so that the sentence will read as follows Beginning on the July 1 when this amended language becomes effective,each member shall thereafter be appointed by vote of the Board of Selectmen of that town(or by the Mayor in the case of a city),except that in the case of a town,the town may by bylaw or charter provide for appointment of that community's member by the Moderator ACTION 2014#24 Moved(Stulin)and seconded(Spalding) To insert the words"or charter"into second sentence of Section I(C)as noted Vote• Unanimous 3 The following would address the issue raised by Eric Michelson,and transmitted by Carl Valente,in their January 30,2014 e-mails Add the following underlined language to the second sentence appearing in Section IV(D)2, so that the sentence will read After first deductmn any other sources of revenue that are appropriately applied anamst capital costs,capital costs which are incurred on or after July 1,2014 shall be apportioned to the member communities annually for the ensuing fiscal year in the following manner(for illustration purposes only,examples of these calculations appear in Appendix A) ACTION 2014#25 Moved(Stulin)and seconded(Spalding) To add language to second sentence in Section IV(D)2, as noted Vote- 12 in favor, 1 abstention 4 An additional change has been suggested by Jack Weis Replace the first sentence of Section IV(D)2 (c)with the following The balance of these costs will be apportioned by applying DESE's combined effort yield(a measure of a community's ability to pay for education using property values and household incomes)to the percentage of each community's students that are enrolled at Minuteman After discussion relating to further clarity, Mr Weis agreed to a friendly amendment, adding a parenthesis after the word"students",with the language reading The balance of these costs will be apportioned by applying DESE's combined effort yield(a measure of a community's ability to pay for education using property values and household incomes)to the percentage of each community's students(as defined by foundation enrollment)that are enrolled at Minuteman The following vote was then taken ACTION 2014#26 Moved(Weis)and seconded(Spalding) To replace the first sentence of Section IV(D)2 (c)as noted Vote- 12 in favor, 1 abstention 5 The following would address the issue raised by Charles Foskett in his February 10,2014 e-mail Add the underlined clause indicated below to the fourth sentence of Section IV(I)so that the sentence will read as follows If and when subsection(n)is utilized,and if the incurring of debt is approved via subsection(n), the following option will be open to a member community if a majority of the registered voters voting on the question from that community voted to disapprove the incurring of debt in the subsection(n)election ACTION 2014#27 Moved(Stulin)and seconded(O'Connor) To add the clause to the fourth sentence of Section IV(I)as noted Vote• Unanimous In addition to the prepared edits,Mr Weis offered another amendment to Page 6 of the 1 27 14 Draft Regional Agreement He suggested changing the 5th line in Section IV(I)as follows From by a majority of the weighted vote To by 2/3 of the members of the regional School Committee voting to do so After discussion on the merits of this proposed additional edit, the following vote was taken ACTION 2014#28 Moved(Weis)and seconded(Mahoney) To amend 5th line of Section IV(I)as noted Vote 6 in favor,7 opposed The amendment did not carry. The School Committee then endorsed all of the edits to the 1 27 14 draft Regional Agreement with the following vote ACTION 2014#29 Moved(Stulin)and seconded(Banks) To approve the revisions to the draft Regional Agreement of 1 27 14 as described in previous votes this evening Vote: 12 in favor, 1 opposed A final version incorporating these changes will be prepared by Attorney Lenox and disseminated by Thursday The Vice Chair raised a point of order related to an email received by Mr Manjarrez dust before this meeting and placed at the table at his request(Attachment A),relating to the Regional Agreement He pointed out that the discussion this evening was of a professional caliber,and the email,which violates the OML,is grossly unprofessional He expressed that he is tired of these emails,and emphasized that the practice is against the rules and reduces the quality of the process He noted that there is no procedure or mechamsm in place to deal with this practice The Chair of the RAAS suggested that appreciation be extended to DESE officials for their support of the Regional Agreement amendment process,and the following vote was taken ACTION 2014#30 Moved(Flood)and seconded(Spalding) To authorize the Officers to formally thank Chris Lynch and Jeff Wolfson at DESE for supporting Minuteman with the sustainability grant and for being open-minded in working through the process that led to arriving at the draft Regional Agreement Vote• Unanimous c. Communication Schedule The Superintendent referred to the schedule of meetings listed in his most recent newsletter,which highlights efforts being made to communicate with the towns He also noted that a Municipal Breakfast is scheduled for Thursday morning,and that 37 RSVPs have been received to date The weather forecast was raised,and it was noted that it was still too early to tell if the Breakfast will need to be rescheduled,but he urged people to watch the website for an update 7. SUPERINTENDENT REPORT,Ed Bouquillon a. Overnight Field Trip. 84th Annual FFA State Convention Sturbridge,MA March 24-26,2014 The Superintendent explained the details of this proposed trip,and pointed out that 6 horticulture students and 5 biotech students are hoping to attend He confirmed that the trip is in compliance with School Committee policy, and the following vote was taken ACTION 2014#31 Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Banks) To approve the 84th Annual FFA State Convention,to be held on March 24-26,2014 in Sturbridge,MA as described Vote. Unanimous [Ms Castagno left the meeting at 8 50 PM] b. Report on Open House The Superintendent gave a brief update on the Open House held on 1 29 14 c Update on Admissions The Superintendent gave an update on Admissions to date,and pointed out that 145 completed applications have been received,just 10 fewer than applications received last year at this time He noted that more than 140 students have participated in shadow day,and some have come back for a 2nd shadow day He explained the access Minuteman has had to the middle school programs,visits made to the middle schools,tours offered at Minuteman, and levels of attendance at these events d Update on Shore Educational Collaborative's SOLVED(Shore Occupational Learning Vocational Education Division) Program The Superintendent explained details of the Shore Collaborative's SOLVED program,and their program which in his opinion effectively suppresses access to high quality vocational education for students He explained that he has filed a Public Records Request to get information on the number of students who actually enrolled in a Ch 74 program after experiencing their exploratory program He expressed his view that the program is a sham, that it is hurting families,creating an opportunity for towns to avoid paying tuition,and that he has heard it is geared towards "solving the Minuteman problem" He noted statements that students have been denied access to Minuteman programs, and that parents in Watertown,Medford,and Waltham, Cambridge,and Somerville are being told forcefully that they are not allowed to apply to Minuteman for any program He has appealed to the DESE to investigate the matter,and has been assured that they will have a consultant meet with parents as part of the investigation He pointed out that the program was approved by the Commissioner and can be disapproved by the Commissioner Minuteman's interest,the effect on students,the communities involved,and whether it is Minuteman's job to be concerned about students from these communities were issues raised Appreciation was expressed for the Superintendent's efforts,and the need to focus on the Education Plan and on being a District that can serve the students was emphasized The view of and prejudice against vocational education,and the need for member communities to increase their student numbers were raised It was also noted that as long as the Superintendent is not detracted from his work on the Regional Agreement and District sustainability with this activity,then he should pursue this matter The Chair pointed out that this issue is critical to sustainability,as communities are told they can"dust join the Shore Collaborative" Because of the way this program is structured, which limits the exploratory options they are entitled to,she advocated not enabling any community to"just join" A member shared an anecdote about her experience with electricians and plumbers approaching retirement age,who have expressed concern over the need for skilled workers to take over their jobs Tapping into the Minuteman Alumni network and community colleges for fresh workers was also discussed 8. ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT FOR FINANCE REPORT,Kevin Mahoney a. Bid Update: Engineering Services The Assistant Superintendent explained that the FY 14 and FY 15 budgets provide funding for building repairs and improvement The projects related to structural repairs to the roof and grounds will require professional engineering services,and that procuring these services requires an advertised,competitive process with the selection procedure based on qualifications He explained the recommended procedure of issuing a Request for Proposals for on-call engineering services for a term of three years,with the option of extending an additional two years, and asked for a vote to appoint a 5 member Designer Selection Committee to prepare the RFP,evaluate bid submissions based on qualifications,and enter into a contract with the highest qualified and responsible bidder He also noted that these projects would be separate from the MSBA project,and that the fee will come out of the capital budget The Committee then took the following vote ACTION 2014#32 Moved (Spalding)and seconded(Flood) To appoint a Designer Selection Committee,comprised of Ed Bouquillon,Ernie Houle,Matt MacLean, Michelle Resendes,and Kevin Mahoney,for the purpose of procuring on-call engineering services for a three-year contract,with an option of the Minuteman School District to extend the contract an additional two years Vote: Unanimous 9. SECRETARY'S REPORT,Carrie Flood a. Approval of Past Open Session Minutes: 1.14.14 and 1.23.14 The Secretary noted that no amendments to either of these two sets of minutes had been received,and the following vote was then taken ACTION 2014#33 Moved (Spalding)and seconded(Horton) To approve the Open Session minutes of 1 14 14 and 1 23 14 as presented Vote: 11 in favor,1 abstention 10. POSSIBLE EXECUTIVE SESSION The Chair noted that there was a need for an Executive Session,for the following purposes with Mr Houle,Mr Mahoney,and Ms Rozan remaining present,not to 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 1 23 14, and to determine whether continued non-disclosure of such minutes is appropriate,and b Collective Bargaining Pursuant to Purpose 3 (MGL Ch 30A, S 21 (a)(3))to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining,as an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining At approximately 9 30 PM,the following roll call vote was then taken ACTION 2014#34 Moved(Spalding)and seconded(O'Connor) To enter into Executive Session,for the purposes described,with Mr Houle,Mr Mahoney,and Ms Rozan remaining present,and not to return to Open Session Mazzola yes DeLuca yes Horton yes Spalding yes Weis yes Mahoney yes Morrissette yes Taylor yes Flood yes Banks yes Stulin yes O'Connor yes Vote Unanimous 11. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned from the Executive Session at 9 55 PM Respectfully submitted, Elizabeth Rozan Carrie Flood District School Committee Assistant Secretary ATTACHMENTS TO THE MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 11,2014 A DManjarrez email correspondence 2 11 14