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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFINAL OS SC Minutes 4.8.14.pdf FINAL Approved 5 20 14 OPEN SESSION MINUTES MINUTEMAN REGIONAL VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL DISTRICT REGULAR SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING APRIL 8,2014 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) Came Flood, Secretary(Concord) Jack Weis(Belmont) Ford Spalding(Dover) Dave Horton(Lexington) Cheryl Mahoney(Boxborough) Doug Gillespie(Weston) Judy Taylor(Carlisle) David Manjarrez(Sudbury)(arrived at 7 17 pm,left at 8 30 pm) Absent Nancy Banks(Acton), David O'Connor(Bolton), Daniel Mazzola(Lancaster), Mary Ellen Castagno (Wayland) Others Present. Kevin Mahoney(left at 8 45 PM),Erme Houle,Elizabeth Rozan, Diane Dempsey, Sheila Nagle, Deanne Dupont,Julie Kremer,Rachel Gammian, Nancy Pierce(Carlisle Mosquito), John Pelletier,Marjorie Daggett,Michelle McNulty 1. CALL TO ORDER. OPEN SESSION The Chair called the meeting to order at 7 00 PM 2. PUBLIC COMMENT Deanne Dupont(Arlington)addressed the School Committee with comments related to the delay in the FY 13 Audit Statement and Management Letter being presented at the School Committee meeting Citing her work experience as a gauge, she noted that this should be timely,within 3-5 months of the year end,and that a delay gives the appearance that the School Committee is requesting towns to vote on the budget without having had reassurance of solidity from the Audit Report She questioned why there has been a delay and asked if this was acceptable to the School Committee 3. STUDENT REPORT, Solomon Rubin Mr Rubin was not present,therefore,there was no Student Report 4. CHAIR'S REPORT,Alice DeLuca The Chair reported that she and others attended a Legislative Bnefing at the State House earlier in the day,related to Minuteman and the SOLVED collaborative issues,and that there will be a report on this later m the meeting 5 ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT FOR FINANCE REPORT,Kevin Mahoney a. Bid Update. Legal Services Finalist Recommendation The Assistant Superintendent gave a summary of the process for this bid,and noted that after interviewing two firms,the Officers are recommending to award a successor contract to Murphy,Lamere&Murphy Updates to the current contract were discussed,namely in the area of billing rate differences Although many other factors were evaluated, it was noted that Murphy,Lamere&Murphy was the low bidder The following vote was then taken ACTION 2014#43 Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Stulin) To award the Legal Services contract(as descnbed in RFP No 14-02)to Murphy,Lamere&Murphy Vote Unanimous Ms McNulty expressed appreciation,and on behalf of her colleagues Matt Tobin and Paige Tobin,noted that they all are looking forward to working with the Minuteman School Committee for the next 5 years b. Information from Minuteman Retirement Board COLA Mr Mahoney explained that annually,the Retirement Board may elect to pay a Cost of Living Adjustment(COLA) greater than the recommended percentage increase,up to 3%,and this must be done at a properly posted public meeting,with the legislative body(in this case,the School Committee) notified at least 30 days in advance He explained that the Retirement Board will vote at their May 22,2014 meeting whether to increase the COLA up to 3%on the first$13,000 of the retirement allowance for eligible retirees of the system In response to a question,Mr Mahoney clarified that the increase applies to retirees from Minuteman's non- teaching staff Assurance of equity,whether the School Committee needed to vote to support the action,and clarification on the memo language of "in excess of the amount recommended"were discussed It was determined that there was no School Committee vote necessary c Acceptance of Donation Mr Mahoney described the details of the car donation offered to Minuteman He noted its potential use by instructors for vocational student transport, after work is done to make it"road ready",or for training if that is determined to be the best use Safety and insurance for student transport were discussed and will be investigated upon acceptance of the vehicle ACTION 2014#44 Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Flood) To accept the donation of the 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 1500, as described on the Confirmation of Donation Receipt,dated 4 3 14 Vote. Unanimous The Confirmation of Donation Receipt is found as Attachment A [Mr Mangy arrez arrived at 7 17 PM I d. Bid Update. On-Call Engineering Services Mr Mahoney updated the Committee on the bid process for On-Call Engmeenng Services He noted that after issuing 35 RFPs,receiving 6 proposals,and interviewing 2 firms,the search committee voted unanimously to award the contract to Gale Associates The contract will be drafted by counsel,and he expects it to be in place by April 11, 2014 e. Audit Update Mr Mahoney explained,at the Chair's request,that the Auditor gave a report to the Finance Subcommittee,and was planning to be at this meeting to present to the School Committee They needed to reschedule,and the plan is to have this on the agenda for the May 20 School Committee meeting The Chair of the Finance Subcommittee concurred,notmg that the Auditor, Sheryl Stevens-Burke of Melanson Heath,spent several hours with the Finance Subcommittee on Feb 25,2014,which was an open,public meeting He explained that the audit report could have been heard by the School Committee at the March 11 School Committee meeting, presented by another member of the firm,but because of Ms Stevens-Burke's understanding and clarity,the Finance Subcommittee agreed to wait until April A scheduling conflict arose for this meeting She will be able to attend the May 20 meeting [Mr Manjarrez announced,and the Chair acknowledged,that he was recording the meeting] 6 SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT, Kevin Mahoney,sitting in for Ed Bouquillon a MPA Report,Julie Kremer and Rachel Ganimian, Co-Presidents Minuteman Parent Association Co-Presidents Julie Kremer and Rachel Ganimian reported on the organization's 2012-2013 accomplishments involving grants and scholarships awarded They reported on the 2013-14 goals,and on fundraising activities,including Comedy Night They offered clarification on questions that arose related to the scholarships,and dollars raised for various aspects of their work Appreciation was extended for their efforts The report materials can be found as Attachment B b School Choice for 2014-15 The Chair explained that participation in the School Choice Program would bring the District only$5,000/student Participation is automatic,unless the School Committee votes annually not to participate,which it has done for several years In response to questions,it was clarified that there are currently no School Choice Program students at Minuteman It was further clarified that the AM experiential program elective students attend as students of the sending community,and the sending community covers the cost as part of their foundation budget ACTION 2014#45 Moved(Stulm)and seconded(Weis) Not to participate in the School Choice Program for 2014-15 and to inform DESE of this decision by the June 1 deadline Vote. 11 in favor,1 abstention c. Communications Update Town Meetings Update Mr Mahoney referred to the Town Meeting schedule(Attachment C)and gave an update on Town Meeting results to date He noted that Lincoln voted the budget,but"passed over"the Regional Agreement item, Lexington voted the budget and voted the Regional Agreement item, Wayland had an incorrect number on the budget,so did not vote on the budget,and their vote on the Regional Agreement is forthcoming,as is Acton's He noted that there is concern for better clarity on facility fees and intergovernmental agreements In response to a request to clarify what "pass over"means in the Town Meeting context,he clarified that it is not a yes or a no,but rather the vote is held in suspension until a later time The Lincoln representative noted that Lincoln is not opposed to the subject and wouldn't do anything to prevent it,but needs more information Commissioner's 3.14.14 Memo re Ch.74 Programs Mr Mahoney called attention to the Commissioner's 3 14 14 memo regarding Ch 74 Programs(Attachment D),and highlighted comments in this memo related to program approvals,program admissions,non-resident tuition rates, exploratory programs,transportation limits for non-resident students,and expanded opportunities for career education He explained that the Department of Education held a Board meeting on 3 25 14,at which these items were raised and discussed The member from Lincoln gave a brief update on this,as he was in attendance School Committee members raised issues about tuition,exploratory programs,increasing cost of educating a student,capital facilities charge,the impact on MSBA and the building project, and it was agreed that more information and clarification is needed going forward,to see how these recommendations will impact the communities in the Minuteman District He also called attention to the 4 7 14 email from Jeff Wulfson related to a potential withdrawal of a member community from the District(Attachment E) Update on SOLVED Collaborative Mr Mahoney called attention to the March 20,2014 SOLVED Collaborative letter to the Board of Education (Attachment F),and the Chair reported on the Legislative Briefing held earlier in the day at the State House This meeting,arranged by the Department of Education,was attended by legislative delegations of Minuteman area communities,representatives of the administration and School Committee of Minuteman,and a number of municipal and school officials from both member and non-member communities currently sending students to Minuteman School Committee members who were in attendance expressed their perspective about key points, raising issues of how to provide vocational education for students who want it when there are not enough seats, having further discussion with DESE on the subject,community withdrawal, types of intergovernmental agreements,MSBA's role in the discussion,establishing a"study committee",the state's role in funding capital portion(given the precedent set with the Essex Agricultural High School),the slow creep in the budget and institutionalization of tuition enrollment,the difficulty members will have selling an 800 student school to their towns,and duty to member towns [Mr Manjarrez left the meeting at 8 30 PM] The viability of vocational education for students,the importance of staying focused on the educational benefit to students,historical legislative action,and the need for Minuteman to resolve its own problems without expecting outside help were additional issues raised [Mr Mahoney left the meeting at 8 45 PM] The Chair expressed appreciation to all who attended She pointed out that it involved a big block of time,an active discussion,and wondered what the best follow-up option would be It was pointed out that it was encouraging that this was the first time DESE met with 2 of the"Big Three"and Minuteman to begin the dialogue Talking about the issues and having vision were noted,as was the option of doing nothing The potential impact of the District dissolving was also noted The State's level of caring on the matter was raised,as was the need to make enough noise so that they have to notice There was mention of an upcoming meeting involving a member of the Needham Board of Selectmen A motion was made(Mahoney)and seconded(Taylor)to direct the Officers to write a letter to reach out to Jeff Wulfson to continue the discussion Taking such action without involvement of the Superintendent, what the agenda for such a meeting would be,the need to think it through more carefully,and what level of representation would be at such a meeting,given that 16 members do not always agree on the focus,were concerns raised The Chair noted that she makes a point of stating that she is not speaking for the Committee when she is not The Boxborough representative noted that the Superintendent is never excluded,and she asked that stakeholders be approached to endorse whatever communication develops The benefit of working through a small group was raised,to explore,get clarity,identify issues,and to continue the dialogue It was also suggested that a simple phone call might be more expeditious to assess how much help will be available Some others agreed with this strategy A friendly amendment was then offered to the earlier motion as follows To direct the Chair to communicate via phone for a friendly conversation with Jeff Wulfson at DESE as a follow-up to the Legislative Briefing held on 4 8 14 The following vote was then taken ACTION 2014#46 Moved(Mahoney)and seconded(Taylor) To direct the Chair to communicate via phone for a friendly conversation with Jeff Wulfson at DESE,as a follow-up to the Legislative Briefing held on 4 8 14 Vote: Unanimous It was suggested that a strategy be developed soon to keep up the momentum 7. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS a.Policy Subcommittee, Carrie Flood The Chair of the Policy Subcommittee noted that it was difficult getting a quorum for this subcommittee,but that she and one other member met to review the draft Student Handbook amendments She explained that their questions had been discussed with Mr Houle,and changes were incorporated Mr Houle then reviewed the draft,pointing out that dates and titles were updated Amendments were made for further clarity,including spelling errors,formatting,and to reflect meaning He explained the inclusion of the K-9 addition,and while the Chair expressed her concern with having drug-sniffing dogs in a school,Mr Houle emphasized this inclusion was as a resource for taking a proactive stance He noted that additional changes due to the State's language on expulsion rules and transgender non-discrimination would also be included ACTION 2014#47 Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Flood) To approve the Student Handbook Amendments as presented and amended Vote: Unanimous The Policy Subcommittee Chair also noted that Mr Mahoney has reviewed Policy Manual Section D,and has prioritized these policies for review She also noted that the Admissions Policy was put on hold deliberately,based on the Commissioner's memo discussed earlier b Superintendent Negotiations and Evaluation Subcommittee,Dave Horton Report on Goals for the Evaluation of the Superintendent The Chair of the Negotiations Subcommittee extended appreciation to two other Subcommittee members who were not present,reviewed the 5 steps of the Model Evaluation Process,and reviewed the 6 goals worked out with the Superintendent,which are in the SMART goal format He explained that using Zoomerang for the evaluation is the intention He asked for a vote on the goals,and the following vote was taken ACTION 2014#48 Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Horton) To approve the goals for the evaluation of the Supenntendent as presented Vote- Unanimous Appreciation was extended to the Subcommittee for the good work in accomplishing this difficult task Noting the hour,the following vote was taken ACTION 2014#49 Moved(Flood)and seconded(Weis) To continue the meeting past 10 00 PM Vote. Unanimous c. Finance Subcommittee,Jeff Stuhn The Chair of the Finance Subcommittee noted that he had no recommendation related to Dave Manjarrez's request for Auditor Review,as a follow up to the 2 11 14 School Committee vote, at this time 8. SECRETARY'S REPORT,Carrie Flood Approval of Open Session Minutes 3 11 14 ACTION 2014#50 Moved(Stulin)and seconded(Spalding) To approve the Open Session Minutes of 3 11 14 as presented Vote. Unanimous 9. POSSIBLE EXECUTIVE SESSION The Chair explained the need for an Executive Session,for two purposes as noted below 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 3 11 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,Distnct Superintendent Dr Edward Bouquillon She asked that Ms Rozan remain present,and noted that the Committee would not be returning to Open Session, The following roll call vote was then taken ACTION 2014#51 Moved(Stulin)and seconded(Spalding) To enter Executive Session,for the two purposes noted,and for Ms Rozan to remain,and not to return to Open Session Gillespie yes Stulin yes Horton yes DeLuca yes Weis yes Spalding yes Morrissette yes Mahoney yes Taschioglou yes Taylor yes Flood yes Vote. Unanimous 10. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned after the Executive Session at 11 00 PM Respectfully submitted, Elizabeth Rozan Carrie Flood District School Committee Assistant Secretary ATTACHMENTS TO THE MINUTES OF APRIL 8,2014 A Confirmation of Donation Receipt,dated 4 3 14 B MPA Report Materials C Town Meeting Schedule D Letter from Commissioner 3 14 14 E Email from J Wulfson 4 7 14 F Letter from SOLVED Collaborative 3 20 14