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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFINAL Minutes of 10.8.13.pdf FINAL Approved 10.29.13 OPEN SESSION MINUTES MINUTEMAN REGIONAL VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL DISTRICT REGULAR SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING OCTOBER 8,2013 7 00 PM PAUL REVERE ROOM,MINUTEMAN HIGH SCHOOL Present. Alice DeLuca,Chair(Stow) Laura Momssette Jeff Stulin,Vice-Chair(Needham) Jack Weis(Belmont) Came Flood, Secretary(Concord) Dave Horton(Lexington) Ford Spalding(Dover) Dan Mazzola(Lancaster)(armed 7 05 PM) Cheryl Mahoney(Boxborough) Doug Gillespie(Weston) Judy Taylor(Carlisle) Dave Manjarrez(Sudbury) Nancy Banks(Acton)(arrived 7 15 PM) Absent: Mary Ellen Castagno(Wayland),David O'Connor(Bolton),Kemon Taschioglou(Lincoln) Others Present: Ed Bouquillon,Elizabeth Rozan,Kevin Mahoney,Bill Blake,Kevin Lynn,John Pelletier,Mary Ann Williams,Diane Dempsey, Sheila Nagle,Eugene DiPaolo,Georgiana Condon,Gina Condon,Marjorie Daggett,Lisa Camagna,and Amy Ratchelous 1. Call to Order: Open Session The Chair called the meeting to order at 7 00 PM,and Mr Manjarrez noted that he was recording the meeting 2. School Committee Member Issues D.Mani arrez. 8.30.13 Public Records Request for Superintendent Emails/Modified Request 9.19.13 and Invitation to the Town of Sudbury The Chair explained the history of this request,noting that as a result of the 9 17 13 School Committee vote, she invited representatives from the Town of Sudbury to attend this meeting,but they declined She also noted that the request was modified after the 9 17 13 School Committee meeting,and that it also included a request for a counsel opinion on a School Committee member's right to read the Superintendent's emails,and that she referred the modified request to the Superintendent The Superintendent reviewed the estimate that was compiled by the Director of Educational Technology,and the material compiled by the attorney(Attachment A) He clarified that a School Committee member is not entitled to an unredacted review A motion was made(Spalding)and seconded (Weis)that the School Committee agrees to provide the requested material to the requester,once the full amount of the estimate is received from Mr Manjarrez A member asked if this material constitutes a response to the requester,and the Chair noted that additional language may be necessary Mr Manjarrez noted that he welcomes the estimate and that he will submit it to his Board of Selectmen and ask them to fund it Details of the estimate were clarified,as were details of the process involved in a Public Records Request relative to receipt of funds and possible charge of additional funds The Town of Sudbury's commitment to fund such a request was questioned,and Mr Manjarrez stated that they would have to be asked,but that they have expressed willingness to consider it in the past A motion was made to move the question,and the following vote was taken ACTION 2013#143 Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Stuhn) To move the question and end debate Vote• 12 in favor,1 opposed The following vote was then taken on the main motion ACTION 2013#144 Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Weis To agree to provide the requested material to the requester,once the full amount of the estimate is received from Mr Mani arrez Vote- 11 in favor,1 opposed,1 abstention 1 3. Chair's Report,Alice DeLuca Appointing a delegate to the MASS/MASC Joint Conference November 6-9,2013 in Hyannis The Chair explained the role of a delegate to the Joint Conference,and it was noted that she,Dr Bouquillon,Ms Banks,and Mr Taschioglou would be attending The following vote was then taken ACTION 2013#145 Moved(Flood)and seconded(Stulin) To ask Mr Taschioglou to serve as voting delegate for the District,if he is willing,if not,Ms DeLuca would serve as alternate Vote- Unanimous 4 Secretary's Report,Carrie Flood Approval of Past Minutes A motion was made(Spalding)and seconded(Mornssette)to approve the minutes of 9 17 13 as presented The Secretary note that some amendments were received,most were minor editorial not requiring a vote,and one was a rewrite of a paragraph(p 12,lines 22-26) The paragraph revision was read,and the following votes were taken ACTION 2013#146 Moved(Horton)and seconded(Spalding) To approve the revisions as noted Vote: 10 in favor,2 abstentions(with one out of the room) ACTION 2013#147 Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Mornssette) To approve the minutes of 9 17 13 as amended Vote: 10 in favor,2 abstentions(with one out of the room) 5. Public Comment Mr Maniarrez(Sudbury)offered Public Comment that much School Committee time has been wasted dealing with Public Records Requests and Open Meeting Law violations He noted his opinion that there has been no justification for any of it,but that these"little dramas" have been prompted by decisions of the Chair,and with the costs applied to Public Records Requests,this constitutes harassment and is meant to intimidate He noted that it can't intimidate him anymore,but that the School Committee should take notice of what he perceives as the process of denial,road- block,and interruption to member nghts and the law He emphasized that he sides with the law 6. Student Report In the absence of Solomon Rubin,there was no Student Report 7 Superintendent Report,Ed Bouquillon a. Out-of-Country Field Trip. 8 day trip to Italy,April,2014 The Superintendent welcomed two faculty members,Lisa Camagna and Amy Ratchelous,who will be co- chaperones for the proposed trip Lisa gave a general explanation of the trip,noting departure Apnl 17 and return April 24,2014,and the cities that will be visited It was confirmed that the trip is privately funded,and meets all the School Committee's guidelines It was also noted that the only day missed from school would be Thursday April 17 The following vote was then taken ACTION 2013#148 Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Flood) To approve the Out-of-Country Field Trip to Italy during the April,2014 break as presented Vote Unanimous b Staffing Report 2 The Superintendent presented an Employee Status Change Report for the period ending September 30,2013 as informational Questions were asked and answered related to licensing issues,number of Special Education instructors,Engmeering/Pre-Engineering instructor,and Social Studies instructor c. Enrollment and Admissions Update The Superintendent presented information on enrollment and admissions(Attachment B),calling attention to the 2013 Presentation and Tour schedule outlining visits planned to middle schools He highlighted some concerns with Wayland(directory access)and Watertown(possibly joining Shore Collaborative,which offers the SOLVED Program) It was noted that Minuteman's absence from Arlington's Town Day in September was disappointing,and it was suggested that Minuteman be alert to the notice that is usually distributed over the summer months It was also noted that Boxborough would like to see more Minuteman presence The timing of alerting parents to the options at Minuteman was also noted It was noted that it was good to see the bump-up in member town enrollment,with the preliminary numbers of incoming freshman students at 55%in-district,and 45%out-of-district It was noted that this was attributable to getting better at doing more to publicize Minuteman to potential students d Executive Communications Update The Superintendent reviewed the schedule of upcoming meetings through the month of October,related to the Building Project and to legislation He highlighted a recent letter from Cory Atkins related to out-of-district reimbursement rates for vocational technical schools, S228 talking points,and the draft letters crafted by Communications Coordinator Brendan Dutch,and pointed out that these are informational documents only He agreed to send the agenda for the 10 21 13 Legislative Breakfast and the list of attendees to the School Committee members It was also suggested that notices be sent to various community newspapers regarding the Public Information Session scheduled for 10 24 13 to alert residents of the District towns (Details can be found as Attachment C) 8. Building Project Updates a. School Building Committee,Ford Spalding The Chair of the School Building Committee gave an update on the process and the schedule for completing the Preliminary Design Program(PDP)submission He explained the prescribed process for reviewing the two enrollment numbers(435 and 800),as directed by the MSBA Mary Ann Williams(OPM,Skanska)explained that various options and configurations have been reviewed by the School Building Committee She emphasized that at present,there is no 3rd number under consideration,and that the MSBA will make the final determination The Chair of the School Building Committee commended Mr Weis for his work on the Education Plan Task Force, noting that the recommendations had been presented to the School Building Committee on 9 30 13 He noted that the work,long overdue,will be considered for the School Committee's vote He also noted that the process has been a collaborative one,involving a review of the Education Plan,the various options related to the two numbers, and the comments supporting the options b. Education Plan Task Force,Jack Wets A motion was made(Spalding)and seconded(Stulin)to accept the recommendations of the Education Plan Task Force Mr Weis explained the details of the Task Force's work,noting membership,process,recommended program mix by program cluster for 435 and for 800 students,and the rationale for the recommendations He referred to Employment Outlook and Wage Data by program,and Enrollment Data by program and town,as well as the current clusters and programs and the proposed clusters and programs,described in Attachment D Another member of the Task Force pointed out that he was surprised and pleased with the progress,and appreciated the Supermtedent's efforts to consult with experts in a timely manner He pointed out that the Task Force did not focus on size or cost,but rather the mix of program options based on the data,and the design team focused on space that is flexible for future use The Labor Department Projections,MSBA's rules of thumb for number of students /section and space size,program phase out plans needed from DESE,and the process for arriving at a"best number",the timeline for MSBA response,and the give-and-take ongoing conversation were also discussed The following vote was then taken ACTION 2013#149 Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Stulin) To accept the recommendations of the Education Plan Task Force on the Education Plan that will inform the design,and that will be included in the Preliminary Design Program(PDP)submission 3 Vote. 12 in favor, 1 abstention The Chair commended the work of the Task Force c. Regional Agreement Amendment Subcommittee(RAAS), Carrie Flood The Chair of the Regional Agreement Amendment Subcommittee(RAAS)noted that the draft minutes of the 10 1 13 Special School Committee meeting had been circulated,and she reviewed the discussion held during the final RAAS meeting,held on 10 7 13 (Attachment E) She described the revisions made to 5 sections of the draft dated 9 11 13 She noted the lengthy discussion about possibly eliminating the 5 student minimum in calculating capital assessments and/or reducing the proposed Capital Base Contribution from 1 to 5%,and noted that ultimately neither of these changes was made She noted the discussion on possible revisions to the process by which new debt could be authorized and requirements for a community to give notice of intent to withdraw from the District,and that final draft language will be left to the School Committee pending further discussion with DESE officicals She noted that the Subcommittee members would likely support minor revisions that would ease DESE approval and acceptance by member towns,or that might mitigate the need for special legislation,but not to the point of compromising central priciples of the proposed new agreement She explained that the Subcommittee's ranking elements in order of importance to the long-term sustainability of the District resulted in the following top four priorities 1 Use of a 4 year rolling average wherever enrollment share is used in a formula 2 The right of a member community to withdraw from the District 3 Introducing a"Captial Base Contribution"to the formula for capital assessments 4 Incorporating a"community wealth factor"in the formula for capital assessments Finally,she noted that when the 10 7 13 meeting of the RAAS adjourned,it was expected that it was the final meeting under the School Committee's current charge She also noted that she received the Regional Agreement incorporating changes(dated 10 8 13)and it will be circulated Using DESE numbers that incorporate wealth in the property factors,uses of funds received from Intergovernmental Agreements,and tuition being set by the Commissioner were raised as addditional comments The Superintendent emphasized that Intergovernment Agreements are NOT part of the proposed Regional Agreement,and that it is important not to co-mingle these two documents He also emphasized that the Regional Agreement would not determine tuition rates for non-member communities Thanks were extended for the work of the Subcommittee,and to Mr Mahoney for talking with the Board of Selectmen in Boxborough recently It was pointed out that it is important for School Committee representatives to get out and present the material,get people engaged,listening,and asking questions before Town Meeting It was also pointed out that the questions are complicated for each community,and the School Committee members need to be educated on the elements of the draft Regional Agreement The Chair commended the work of the Subcommittee,and noted that defined Task Forces are an effective mechanism for this School Committee to get work done She presented three votes for consideration It was moved (Spalding)and seconded(Banks)to combine the three parts into one vote as noted The Chair of the RAAS having indicated that the work of the group is done,that the RAAS will be dissolved,to direct the Superintendent to bring to the School Committee the proposed Regional Agreement for a vote to approve once it has been vetted/reviewed/approved by DESE (November or December),and to authorize the Superintendent to invite selected members of the former RAAS to join him and the Communications Task Force to publicize and clarify the proposed Regional Agreement in all member communities in preparation for the town meetings of 2014 A question was raised about whether it was premature to disband the group,as additional amendments may be suggested as a result of the public outreach and education on the proposed Regional Agreement,and continuity would be valuable Ms Flood noted that the Subcommittee agreed that at this point, the outstanding issues are in the hands of DESE,and the time commitment has already been extended beyond initial consideration for Subcommittee members to continue Task Force fatigue,having produced a working document,and need for additional feedback,and the long process in passage were points raised A motion was made(Weis)and seconded (Manjarrez)to amend the first part of the main motion to add the following phrase 4 " dissolved,and the School Committee will commit to reconvening the RAAS to address issues related to the Regional Agreement that might arise" It was suggested that the term"will be suspended"be used,but that was not accepted as a friendly amendment Further discussion focused on that consultants are still available,that it is important to respect the time commitment of the Subcommittee members,and that the group could be asked to consider something if necessary The following votes were then taken ACTION 2013#150 Moved(Stuhn)and seconded(Flood) To move the question and end debate Vote. 11 in favor,2 opposed ACTION 2013#151 Moved(Weis)and seconded(Manjarrez) To add language to the first section of the proposed motion as follows " dissolved,and the School Committee will commit to reconvening the RAAS to address issues related to the Regional Agreement that might arise" Vote- 2 in favor,9 opposed,2 abstentions The motion did not carry ACTION 2013#152 Moved(Stuhn)and seconded(Flood) To move the question and end debate Vote- 10 in favor,3 opposed ACTION 2013#153 Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Banks) To combine the three parts into one vote as noted The Chair of the RAAS having indicated that the work of the group is done,that the RAAS will be dissolved,to direct the Superintendent to bring to the School Committee the proposed Regional Agreement for a vote to approve once it has been vetted/reviewed/approved by DESE (November or December),and to authorize the Superintendent to invite selected members of the former RAAS to join him and the Communications Task Force to publicize and clarify the proposed Regional Agreement in all member communities in preparation for the town meetings of 2014 Vote: Unanimous The Chair extended thanks to all involved,noting that while members did not all agree on every point, it was a great process and they did come up with a workable document 9. Assistant Superintendent for Finance Report,Kevin Mahoney a. Policy DIBA(Student Activity Accounts) 2"d Readin The Assistant Superintendent presented Policy DIBA for 2" Reading,explaining the purpose of the revision, and confirming that there have been no changes since the lit Reading The following vote was then taken ACTION 2013#154 Moved(Horton)and seconded(Mornssette) To approve Policy DIBA Student Activity Accounts as presented for 2"d Reading Vote. Unanimous b. Authorization to pay a prior year invoice The Assistant Superintendent presented the request to the School Committee to authorize payment for a prior year invoice He explained that while he was not on board at the time,he was not sure why it had taken so long to receive this invoice He confirmed that services were verified,and that he will be sending a letter out to all vendors requesting that all remissions be sent to the Business Office directly for better controls,not to individual departments This is an incurred expense,and he would like to clean it up The following vote was then taken ACTION 2013#155 Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Banks) 5 To authorize the Assistant Superintendent to pay Parker Denaco$450 for services invoiced on November 17,2012 Vote. Unanimous c. FY 15 Budget Guidelines The Assistant Superintendent explained that the budget process has begun He noted the emphasis on better planning,and justification for supplies and equipment,and that all technical requirements will be going through the Director of Educational Technology He highlighted some initiatives to expand the use of the finance software and to provide training next week He also noted that the Finance Subcommittee meeting dates have been set to meet the target date of the January 21 Budget Hearing/Approval He also confirmed that structuring a capital plan will be part of the budget d Minuteman Retirement Board Actuarial Valuation Report The Assistant Superintendent referred to the October 3,2013 memo from the Executive Director of the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission(PERAC)regarding approval of the FY 15 appropriation of $150,000 (Attachment F) He noted that this was just received earlier in the day,and was being presented as informational,as it involves the results of the January 1,2013 actuarial valuation,determining that the plan is no longer fully funded,and that PERAC will perform an interim(estimated)valuation as of January 1,2014 to determine whether an adjustment should be made going forward He explained that the fall from full funding is due primarily to the final recognition of the 2008 investment loss He briefly reviewed some aspects of the memo(plan hablities,plan assets,investment return,salary increase assumption,mortality,overall impact,changes to the pension law,the COLA base,expenses,and funding schedule) He also noted that the Arlington settlement,which is being paid back over 4 years,was not included He explained that investments are handled by the Pension Reserves Investment Management Board(PRIM),and that the Minuteman system remains well-funded 10. Subcommittee Reports a. Finance Subcommittee Update,Jeff Stuhn There was no Finance Subcommittee Report as it had not met since his last report b. Informal Legislative Working Group Update,Alice DeLuca The School Committee Chair gave an update on the activities related to legislation She reported on the Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools(MARS)meeting,held earlier in the day at Devens,and noted that MARS has their own legislative agenda and provides professional development opportunities for School Committees and Superintendents She commented positively on Devens as an economic development center, and referred to grant opportunities related to renewable energy offered by a small organization called"Saffire" Relative to S 228,she noted the recent activity of the Informal Legislative Working Group She noted that the Massachusetts Association of School Committees(MASC), Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools (MARS),and the Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators(MAVA)are supporting S228,and she asked Ms Banks to provide a summary of action strategies that all members could engage in prior to the October 24 hearing Ms Banks noted that the immediate goal is to get the bill out of Committee Making calls or sending emails to representatives and senators asking them to support it,asking friends to make a call,and bnnging it to the attention of local boards as a priority were highlighted as steps to take c. Superintendent Negotiations and Evaluation Subcommittee,Dave Horton Public Discussion of 2012-13 Superintendent Evaluation Mr Horton reviewed the materials provided in the packet related to the 2012-13 Superintendent Evaluation The evaluator comments were noted,with the suggestion that members take the time to read the ratings and comments, as they contain considerable thought and variety of effort The"DK"(Don't Know)designation was explained as being more of a reflection of the design of the evaluation instrument than of the performance of the Superintendent With regard to the bar graphs for the evaluation indicators,since the DK scoring is part of the rating average,Mr Horton suggested ignoring each rating average and focusing only on the numbers listed with the five"Answer Options"for each indicator He referred to Part VI of the DESE Evaluation Implementation Guide,which can be downloaded,and he noted that this model used for the Superintendent is the same basic model as the one being used for faculty When asked if he had any comments,the Superintendent explained that he will provide more in-depth comments in November The instrument has been cumbersome,although the feedback and evidence is helpful Mr Horton 6 expressed that reviewing any format that other districts are using for their superintendents would be helpful He noted that Lexington, for example, modified the instrument, but they are not a Race To The Top(RTTT)school 11 Possible Executive Session a. Strategy with respect to negotiations with MFA regarding the Educator Evaluation System At 9 47 PM,the Chair noted there was a need for an Executive Session She explained the reason,and the following vote was taken by roll call ACTION 2013#156 Moved(Stulin)and seconded(Weis) To enter into Executive Session,with Dr Bouquillon,Mr Mahoney,and Ms Rozan to remain present,not to return to Open Session, for the following reason pursuant to Purpose 3,MGL c 30A, §21 (a)(3)—To discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining with the Minuteman Faculty Association over the Educator Evaluation System, including but not limited to the selection,piloting and use of certain measures of student learning, including Student Growth Percentiles(SGPs)and District Determined Measures(DDMs),as an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the School Committee, and the Chair so declares Gillespie yes Stulin yes Mazzola yes DeLuca yes Horton yes Spalding yes Weis yes Mahoney yes Morrissette yes Taylor yes Flood yes Manjarrez yes Banks yes Vote: Unanimous 12. 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 MINUTES OF 10 8 13 A Materials related to Public Records Request B Enrollment and Admissions Information C Executive Communications D Approved Education Plan Task Force Recommendations E CFlood's notes regarding Final Meeting of the RAAS F PERAC's Oct 3,2013 Memo regarding Approval of FY15 Appropriation 7