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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFINAL SC Minutes 11.12.13 .pdf FINAL Approved 12 19 13 OPEN SESSION MINUTES MINUTEMAN REGIONAL VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL DISTRICT REGULAR SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 12,2013 7 00 PM PAUL REVERE ROOM,MINUTEMAN HIGH SCHOOL Present: Alice DeLuca,Chair(Stow) Kemon Taschioglou(Lincoln) Jeff Stulin,Vice-Chair(Needham) Jack Weis(Belmont)(armed at 7 20 PM) Came Flood, Secretary(Concord) Mary Ellen Castagno(Wayland)(left at 8 55 PM) Ford Spalding(Dover) Dave Horton(Lexington) Cheryl Mahoney(Boxborough) Daniel Mazzola(Lancaster) Judy Taylor(Carlisle) Doug Gillespie(Weston) David Manjarrez(Sudbury) Nancy Banks(Acton) David O'Connor(Bolton) Absent: Laura Morrissette(Arlington) Others Present. Ed Bouquillon,Elizabeth Rozan,Ernie Houle,Kevin Mahoney, Solomon Rubin(Student Representative),Nancy Pierce,DeAnne Dupont,Bill Rubin,John Donato,Marjorie Daggett,G Condon,Sheila Nagle,Diane Dempsey,Eugene DiPaolo,John Pelletier,Tracey Sierra 1. CALL TO ORDER,OPEN SESSION In acknowledgement of Veteran's Day,the Chair extended thanks to any member of the School Committee, staff and any family member who served the country She then asked everyone to ensure that the collective time spent together in this meeting be well-used 2. PUBLIC COMMENT Public Comment was given by the following people Student Michaela Ganimian explained that Minuteman students need space to learn and asked that the School Committee consider environmental impacts in planning for the building project(see Attachment A) Expressing his appreciation for Minuteman,student David Howe spoke about the deficiencies and challenges of the current school building,in favor of an option for the building that would accommodate 800 students, and that would be designed for the majors of today MPA Co-Chair DeArme Dupont expressed concern that parents do not feel they have adequate information about the building project She offered a number of suggestions for improving communications,including that materials related to the building project be put up on the website where they can be easily accessed Dave Manjarrez noted that he is a staunch supporter of the rebuilding of the school,if it includes a sustainable financial model He expressed his concern that money is being lost due to the number of tuition students,and pointed out his past efforts to save the district funds by stopping the discounts to sending communities In response to a question from a member,the Chair noted that Mr Manjarrez had sent out an email to School Committee members and others dated Tuesday November 12,2013,and that such emails could be in violation of Open Meeting Law Therefore,she requested that the email be included as part of the public record of this meeting (Attachment B) A new member noted that she had been advised not to send materials out in email format to all School Committee members,and to do so through the Superintendent instead She asked for clarification on the proper process The Chair noted that sending such emails is not allowed,and that while Mr Manjarrez is quick to accuse others of violation,his own practice may be a violation The member inquiring asked that Mr Manjarrez cease and desist with this practice Mr Manjarrez stated his opinion that it is not a violation He then asked that the School Committee discuss his comments,however the Chair ruled his request out of order as the topic was not included on the agenda for this meeting 3. STUDENT REPORT Student Solomon Rubin began his report by introducing himself to new members He offered highlights of activities at Minuteman,including 8th grade tours,the homecoming,the Italy trip,and the 67th annual Student Government Day He offered congratulations to the Design and Visual Communications students who won prizes in the Tewksbury Art show,he commended those students who served on the Legislative Breakfast student panel,and who spoke at the State House on behalf of Senate Bill 228 He mentioned the Open House scheduled for Sunday November 17 from 1-4 PM,and noted that"Wally"from the Red Sox will be present He mentioned the effort to raise the standard of digital literacy that the State Student Council is undertaking He noted that there will be a winter musical performance by students in the IRC on Tuesday December 19,time to be announced,to which all School Committee members are invited He noted that officers are being selected in SkillsUSA 4. CHAIR'S REPORT,Alice DeLuca a. Acknowledgement of Jeff Stulm's MASC Recognition of Service The Chair acknowledged that Jeff Stulin was recognized at the recent MASC/MASS Conference for his 14 years of dedicated service on the Minuteman School Committee,and the Committee offered him congratulations b. Report on MASC/MASS Conference Nancy Banks reported on the MASC/MASS Conference,noting the presentation that showed a connection between the Gettysburg Address and the common core She noted that the real challenge is advocating for vocational education in Massachusetts and knowing who the allies are in this challenge She noted that she attended all sessions on Superintendent Evaluations,and that she will send her notes to the Supermtedent Negotiations Subcommittee She also noted her attendance in sessions related to vocational summer camp(Pathfinder) Her full report is shown as Attachment C c. School Committee Goals 2013-14 The Chair referred to the draft School Committee Goals for 2013-14 She explained that the thinking was that all activities relate to the building project this year A motion was made(Stulin)and seconded(Spalding)to approve this list of goals as presented An amendment was offered to add a goal to support legislative action that would benefit Minuteman and technical education The following vote was then taken ACTION 2013#163 Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Banks) To amend the list of goals by adding Support legislative action that would benefit Minuteman and techical education Vote• Unanimous Discussion on this item included the timing of presenting the revised Regional Agreement to Town Meeting,that paring down the list of goals does not mean ignoring other work being done,such as increasing enrollment from member towns,but that this is a statement of focus for the District,that these goals align with the Superintendent's goals,and that he continues to work on enrollment,and that the building project itself works to encourage increased enrollment One member commented that the 1St goal would be fine without the MSBA deadline phrase,but no change was made to that goal The following vote was then taken ACTION 2013#164 Moved(Stulin)and seconded(Spalding) To approve the list of School Committee Goals for 2013-14,as amended Vote. 14 in favor, 1 abstention The list of School Committee Goals 2013-14 can be found as Attachment D d Legislative Breakfast The Chair noted the success of the recent Legislative Breakfast She commended the work of the student participants in speaking in favor of the building project and S228,noting that they were articulate and represented the school well She presented her interest in sending a letter of appreciation to them,and the following vote was taken ACTION 2013#165 Moved(Stulin)and seconded(Spalding) To authorize the Chair to send a letter of appreciation to student participants of the 10 21 13 Legislative Breakfast Vote: Unanimous e. Amendment to Subcommittee List approved 9.17.13 The Chair noted that on 9 17 13,the School Committee approved a Subcommittee List Included on that list was the MFA Negotiations Subcommittee Three staff people were appointed to serve on that subcommittee,with the understanding that the School Committee would add others She recommended adding herself and Mr Spalding,as they both have served in the capacity in the past,and are willing to do so again When asked if she had inquired of others if they wanted to particpate,she explained she had not The following vote was taken ACTION 2013#166 Moved(Stulin)and seconded(Banks) To add Ford Spalding and Alice DeLuca as members of the MFA Negotiations Subcommittee Vote. 12 in favor,with 3 abstentions 5. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT,Ed Bouquzllon a. Out-of-State Field Trip: Minuteman Baseball Team to Double Day Field,Cooperstown,NY during April Vacation,2014,John Donato for Steve Brouillard John Donato explained the details of this trip,including number of rooms,players,parents,vans and cars,and noted that the last time Minuteman students were there was in 2009 It was confirmed that the trip is planned in compliance with all School Committee policies The possibility of the Minuteman girls' soccer team participating at a future date,the costs associated with the trip,the anticipated fundraising efforts, school insurance coverage,and amount of time to be spent there were also discussed The following vote was then taken ACTION 2013#167 Moved(Stulin)and seconded(Banks) To approve the Out-of-State FieldTrip to Cooperstown,NY during April Vacation,2014 as described Vote. Unanimous b. 5 Year District Project Measures Report The Superintendent called attention to the 5 Year District Project Measures Report document at the table,noting it was an informational piece compiled in alignment with"Using Data to Improve Schools" The data helps to make better decisions,and the metrics can be used to track progress and development He reviewed the table of contents and noted the graphs contained in the appendix He explained that this is document was self-initiated,and would be under his signature,although it was compiled with input from a number of people,to whom he extended thanks He noted that the data can also be compiled in a different format for the accreditation site visit The Chair of the Superintendent Negotiations Subcommittee pointed out that the School Committee will be deciding on December 17 whether to enter into negotiations for a successor contract with the Superitendent,and three documents have been compiled to provide data this report,the financial controls information in this report,and the 360 tool (See further discussion under item 6a) A member suggested that this sort of report be considered when developing rubrics for future evaluation The Superintendent asked that people review it and send him any comments or suggestions The full document can be found as Attachment F c Executive Communications Update The Superintendent noted that in addition to the October Legislative Breakfast,he met with the Concord League of Women Voters,who toured the building recently Additionally,8th grade tours of the school,a mailing to 8th graders,and an Open House have been scheduled He encouraged members to take a yard sign to publicize the Open House,and a member suggested installing it before the ground freezes d. Update on Regional Agreement The Superintendent noted that there has been no official comment back yet from DESE He and others have spoken informally with some members of the DESE staff and that he is attempting to arrange a formal meeting to discuss changes or endorsement of the draft Regional Agreement He noted that the key issues in DESE's view are thought to relate to bonding and exiting,and he noted that DESE appears to have no objection to the Intergovernmental Agreements He explained that he is hesitant to recommend a vote on specific language at this point,given the lack of definitive answers from DESE,and suggested moving this to the December meeting The member from Carlisle noted that she has met with officials from her town, and they expressed two concerns the impact of the weighted vote,and the need for clarity on how to prepare a case for exiting Carlisle could be opposed to incurring debt,for example,but could still be stuck with it because of weighted vote,and that if they chose to leave,which needs commissioner approval, the criteria for approval was not clear Additional comments included ways to avoid special legislation,the inevitable meshing of the new building and the Regional Agreement and how decisions on both are going to be made, financial sustainablity and attempts to get answers on how the current financial model works,town meeting closing dates,and progress/strategies of the Communications Task Force The Superintendent explained that the Preliminary Design Program was submitted to MSBA and it is under review,and there's the pending meeting with DESE regarding questions on the Regional Agreement Noting that it is easy to be"run down the rat hole"without definitive information,things are on hold until more information is received A communications plan is beginning to be discussed,and the Preferred Schematic Report will be sumitted to MSBA in April There was general agreement to continue this discussion on December 17,when there will be new information Appreciation was extended to the Administration for getting back to Boxborough with information on the wealth portion of the formula The member from Boxborough asked if a meeting with the DESE regarding out of district tuition has been set up,as Senator Eldridge had expressed interest The member from Belmont mentioned a meeting on December 3,which Senator Brownsberger is planning to attend The Superintendent also noted that he will be arranging a meeting with the Town Managers of member communities to request a placeholder article on the town meeting warrants It was moved(Flood)and seconded(Weis)that the School Committee authorize the Superintendent to ask all member towns for a placeholder warrant article regarding the draft Regional Agreement, subject to final language The Boxborough member noted that she would have to vote against it,as at the moment there is little support among her town officials for the draft Regional Agreement The Sudbury member agreed it might be awkward,given that a vote to support the placeholder implies support,and it is incomplete Another member noted that the amended agreement,whatever the final language,will require a positive vote by all 16 member towns and that failure to place the question on any one town's warrant would defeat the effort before a single vote is taken The member from Acton noted that she understands the frustration,but it is important to keep the space open while working through the issues She urged the Superintendent to notify the DESE that their delay is putting progress at risk The question was moved,and the following votes were taken ACTION 2013#168 Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Mahoney) To move the question and end the debate Vote. 14 in favor,1 opposed ACTION 2013#169 Moved(Flood)and seconded(Weis) To authorize the Superintendent to ask all member towns for a placeholder warrant article regarding the Regional Agreement,subject to final language Vote. 11 in favor, 3 opposed, 1 abstention 6. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT a. Superintendent Negotiations and Evaluation Subcommittee,Dave Horton The Chair of the Superintendent Negotiations and Evaluation Subcommittee reiterated that at the December meeting,the School Committee will be discussing the 360 Feedback Profile in Executive Session, determining whether to enter into negotiations with the Superintendent for a successor contract by December 31, and returning to Open Session to take a vote He explained in detail how to read the data in the Profile A point was made about the company selected to conduct this 360,and the assumption about the validity and truthfulness of the data Competency areas,response rate,and differentials were explained To the question of whether this data will be available on line,the Superintendent noted that he is not prepared for this yet To the question concerning the absence of comments that were submitted by respondents,Mr Horton explained they had not been sent to him,but that he will look into it The importance of not infringing on any terms of the Superintendent's current contract was raised It was noted that this was the same company that conducted the first 360 of the Superintendent in 2008,and a request for that result was made It was pointed out again that three aspects will be considered the 5 year report presented earlier,the financial information in the report,and the 360 Feedback Profile There was some discussion about whether the 360 was an evaluation per se,and the importance of considering what the evaluatee had been tasked with The member from Lincoln explained that he was the member who couldn't finish the 360,as he finds it difficult to evaluate people in this way The member from Acton reiterated that there was discussion at the MASC conference regarding how to mesh goals and evidence with an evaluation A member mentioned confusions he experienced with skewing of data,consistency,and Do Not Know information It was clarified that this 360 Feedback Profile was an attempt to gather objective,tangible data for decision making, and that a 360 was part of the Superintendent's current contract The document can be found as Attachment G [Ms Castagno left the meeting at 8 55 PM] 7. BUILDING PROJECT UPDATE,Ford Spalding The Chair of the Building Committee noted that the Preliminary Design Program was submitted on schedule and the document was received and is under review He addressed Ms Dupont's concerns and agreed that the site has not been as current as he would like,and that he will look into it A request was made that any materials sent out through the site also go to the School Committee so the members have up-to-date,accurate information 8 ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT FOR FINANCE REPORT,Kevin Mahoney a End of Year Reporting Issue The Assistant Superintendent explained the reporting error that was identified and corrected,and he noted that all amendments are up to date He also explained that this item was discussed at a meeting of the Finance Subcommittee Mr Manjarrez noted that he has done some work on this issue,and has requested additional information The Chair called attention to the correspondence between Mr Manjarrez and Mr Mahoney, shown as Attachment H A member of the Finance Subcommittee clarified that the issue involves the timing in recognizing revenues not in the year cash is received but in the year the revenue is earned,and that if tuition payments are earned in FY 12,they should be reported for FY 12 Mr Manjarrez explained that he can't figure out what appears to him as a floating$1M To the question of whether the statements were audited,Mr Mahoney noted that the FY 12 Audit is complete The Chair noted that part of the correspondence indicates a Public Records Request,it was explained that Public Records Requests are properly made for materials readily available In response to the question of whether a report for the requested information exists,Mr Mahoney asserted that he is not aware of one, and that he has already provided explanations to the requester for FY 09, 10, 11, 12,and 13 trial balances,as well as independent analyses,all in an effort to be responsive to the request A member noted that any requests for further investigation should come through the Finance Subcommittee,not from an individual member Mr Stulin explained that the Finance Subcommittee reviewed this,that they are comfortable that the$1M is not missing,and that they were happy with the resolution and outcome to date Clarification was made on the reference to the 5 23 13 letter that was drafted in response to Mr Maniarrez's April, 2013 analysis,and which Mr Manjarrez asked the School Committee in September to rescind,noting that the request was denied by vote of the School Committee at that time A recommendation was made that in future any requests to any staff member flow through the related subcommittee It was also clarified that a legitimate Public Records Request for specific readily available documents is governed by law,but that asking for analysis is not a Public Records Request and it is up to the School Committee to decide b. Update on Health Care Trust The Assistant Superintendent explained that he had raised with the Finance Subcommittee that the Health Care Trust is contemplating moving to a self-funded model,which could represent a potential 10%savings He explained that this would shift the risk from the carrier to the Trust,however,and that it would require a 3 month cash flow reserve He noted the consultant's estimate of premium increase under the current arrangement,and that the Trust has until the 1st of the year to decide It was pointed out that the premium increase estimates are usually bid down, and that the consultant to the Trust would administer the self-funded model It was also explained that the$250K reserve would be retained toward the required working capital That the estimates incorporate recent mandates, which would involve 1%of the total cost,and that the performance must be measured against the GIC were also noted The Assistant Superintendent will keep the Committee posted on developments c Authorization to Pay a Prior Year Invoice The Assistant Superintendent explained details on this recently received prior year invoice To the question of whether this could be anticipated,he explained that the Business Office is aware of the need to anticipate and encumber It was pointed out that it was good to see this service had been offered The following vote was then taken ACTION 2013#170 Moved(Flood)and seconded(Spalding) To authorize the Assistant Superintendent to pay Drew Pidkameny the amount of$171 00 for sign language services on the invoice dated May 20,2013 Vote- Unanimous d. Authorization for Feasibility Study Borrowing The Assistant Superintendent explained this vote,reviewing how it impacts the towns, and how the funds and interest work He explained that this is short term borrowing for cash flow The following vote was then taken ACTION 2013#171 Moved(Spalding)and seconded(Banks) To award the$254,400 Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School District Bond Anticipation Feasibility Study Notes sold on November 4,2013 to be dated November 22,2013 and maturing November 21,2014 to Eastern Bank at a net interest cost of 0 65% Vote 12 in favor,1 opposed,with 1 abstention 9 OTHER SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS Policy Subcommitee, Carrie Flood The Chair of the Policy Subcommittee reported that the meeting scheduled for 11 6 13 did not occur due to a lack of a quorum She noted that she will reschedule,and plans to take up the Requests for Information guidelines again, and bring this document forward at the December School Committee meeting She also reported that she is aware that a 5 year review of major sections of the Policy Manual is needed,and that Section D needs particular review She asked the Administration to look this section over and let her know which policies need consideration 10. SECRETARY'S REPORT, Carrie Flood Secretary Carrie Flood explained that the School Committee had previously voted to release the Executive Session minutes of 4 8 13,5 21 13,6 18 13,and 7 9 13 with redactions,as recommended by counsel and subject to the review and approval of full-text versions of those minutes She then reported that the full-text version of each such set of minutes was approved during the Executive Session held on 10 29 13,and that redacted versions may now be released Acting upon the further advice of counsel,minutes of the Executive Session held on 4 9 13 will not be released 11. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9 35 PM Respectfully submitted, Elizabeth Rozan Came Flood District School Committee Assistant Secretary ATTACHMENTS TO MINUTES OF 11 12 13 A Student Comments B DManjarrez 11 12 13 email C NBanks MASC/MASS Report D School Committee Goals 2013-14 E Updated School Committee Subcommittee and Task Force List 2013-14 F 5 Year District Project Measures Report G October,2013 360 Degree Feedback Profile