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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSC January 19, 2010 OS.pdf MINUTEMAN FINAL CAREER&TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL MINUTEMAN REGIONAL VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL DISTRICT SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES January 19, 2010 SCHOOL COMMITTEE Members: Dore Hunter Acton Present Laura Morrissette Arlington Present (Vice Chairperson) Joseph Scali Belmont Present Kileen Burgoyne Bolton Present Cheryl Mahoney Boxborough Present Mariellen Perugini Carlisle Present John Lang Concord Present (Secretary) Ford Spalding Dover Present John McGarity Lancaster Present David Horton Lexington Present Kemon Taschioglou Lincoln Present Jeffrey Stulin Needham Present (Chairperson) Alice DeLuca Stow Present David Manjarrez Sudbury Present Mary Ellen Castagno Wayland Present David Harmon Weston Present Staff: Dr Edward Bouquillon Superintendent Present Came Lamica Dir. Bus & Ops Present James Laverty Asst SI/Principal Present Janet Killeen Business Manager Present Student Rep: Ken March Absent MEETINGSALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 7.06pm by Chairperson Jeff Stulin. SECRETARY'S REPORT Approval of Minutes: A motion was made by Ford Spalding, seconded by Dore Hunter, to approve the School Committee minutes of January 5, 2010 with the following changes. All in favor. 14, opposed 0, abstentions 2 Motion passed Cheryl Mahoney suggested the following edits. - Add the titles of recognized attendees. - Add language on page 6. ...however she believes some people not just parents vote against " Alice DeLuca suggested the following edit. - Sentence should read " athletics" at public schools Kemon Taschioglou suggested the following edits' - The sentence should read: "Kemon Taschioglou stated that the beginning of the presentation it was stressed that Minuteman has both the highest cost per pupil and teacher/student ratios in the state and that "correct sizing" is required." - The sentence should read. "Kemon Taschioglou stated that "no fee" and "no cut" are linked and self-supporting policies and neither should be eliminated " 1 M:NUTEMFIN FINAL CAREER&TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL Jeff Stulin commented that Draft minutes from the January 13, 2010 meeting have been distributed. He requested that edits be sent to Grace Brueckner, the recorder. She will apply the technical/grammatical edits and will compile the non-technical edits for distribution Cheryl Mahoney asked if the version could be put on the portal in word format. Jeff Stulin stated that it is not doable as the recorder will need to maintain version control. Cheryl Mahoney also asked for clarification on facts and disputes. Jeff Stulin stated that the record is just that a record of what was said. Any errors can be qualified in the next meeting A motion was made by Jeff Stulin to proceed in reviewing the January 13th minutes in the following manner First, the School Committee receives the minutes at the January 19th meeting, then the School Committee sends the recorder the edits. The Recorder will apply only the technical/grammatical edits, compile the content edits and redistribute both documents to the School Committee. The School Committee must provide the edits to the recorder within a week. The motion was seconded by Alice DeLuca. All in favor unanimous Motion passed Dave Harmon stated that his town is seeking the minutes Both Ford Spalding and Jeff Stulin reminded Dave Harmon that draft minutes cannot be released. Cheryl Mahoney commented that this is outlined in Open Meeting Law. A motion was made by Jeff Stulin, seconded by Ford Spalding to accept the minutes of the Professional Development Session Laura Morrissette was the recorder and will keep track of the edits. A motion to change the Professional Development Session minutes to reflect that Dave Harmon is the second requester of the Special Meeting, seconded by Mary Ellen Castagno All in favor: 5 opposed: abstentions: 8 Motion passed. All in favor to accept the Professional Development Session minutes as amended. All in favor. 12, opposed. 0, abstentions 3 CORRESPONDENCE Dr Bouquillon stated that an article and the honor roll list were distributed in the School Committee packet. ADMINISTRATION REPORTS Student Representative: Ken March is absent No report given SUB-COMMITTEE REPORTS Policy Revisions: Alice DeLuca intends to bring more policies for review in February after the budget is passed. Jeff Stulin requested that Alice DeLuca upload the remaining policies to the portal Jeff Stulin stated there are substantial policies coming up for review. Dore Hunter asked for a possible target date when all he policies will be complete. Alice DeLuca stated that they will never be all done as the review is on a cyclical basis She also notified the School Committee that electronic versions are on the School Committee portal. Finance: Jeff Stulin commented that the sub-committee has not met. During the February meeting, there will be a discussion on revolving accounts. There will also be a presentation given to the entire School Committee at the next meeting Capital/Facilities: Ford Spalding stated he sent out an email about the Task Force and the nominees A copy was distributed at each School Committee member's seat 2 AA FINAL IICAREENUTEMFNA Draft motion The Minuteman Regional Agreement Task Force Committee is to report back to the School Committee their recommendations as related to the Minuteman Regional Agreement dtd June 1970, including any amendments to that agreement, their recommendations as to any changes that they unanimously agree to that will benefit the current member districts and that will benefit the education of current and future students Specific attention should be directed to Section IV of the Agreement. The Task Force should complete their task by November 2010 with an interim report to the School Committee July 2010. The following members are recommended nominees: Jeff Stulin (non-voting member), Norm Cohen, Henry Hall, Allan Tosti, Orlando Pacheco, Dave Tobin, Peter Gossels, John Fallon, Thornton Ash, and Patricia Walrath. Ex Officio members will be Dr. Edward Bouquillon and Ford Spalding. The motion was seconded by Dave Manjarrez. Ford Spalding noted that School Committee members should be non-voting as their duty is to work for the agreement. The recommendation of the nominees came from people on the School Committee and Dr. Bouquillon. Dr Bouquillon stated that when any change to the District Agreement is made, all towns need to unanimously agree on the change. Kemon Taschioglou asked what the result would be if no agreement is reached. Ford Spalding stated that we would then work under the current District Agreement He also added that four of the nominees worked on the original District Agreement. Cheryl Mahoney asked if these are open meeting that are posted and warned. Ford Spalding stated that he is not the chair of this committee, but he suspects it should be posted and warned Dore Hunter stated he is uncomfortable on the unanimous constraint put in the motion. Instead state that they are striving to seek unanimous vote. Mary Ellen Castagno asked where and when the meetings will be held and how the meeting will be recorded. Ford Spalding stated that the logistics would be determined by the committee. Mariellen Perugini asked that if each town has been approached. Ford Spalding stated he asked the School Committee several times to reach out to their towns to nominate members for the committee. Dave Harmon suggested to his selectman that the 10 nominees get the groundwork complete and then participate once it's moved further along. Dore Hunter moved to amend the draft motion to change the sentence to include the word "hopefully" unanimously agree Mariellen Perugini suggested the following sentence' "It is strongly preferred that the counselors come forth with unanimous recommendations." Kemon Taschioglou stated he was the first one to raise the question about the unanimous recommendation. He stated that after thinking about the unanimous vote required, it forces each member to communicate with their town He does not agree with the modification. Both Alice DeLuca and John McGarity agreed with Kemon Taschioglou sentiment. A vote to amend the motion was taken All in favor 1, opposed• 15 Motion defeated. All in favor of original motion All in favor. unanimous Motion passed 3 1 '1uNUTEP1l9N FINAL 1 CAREER&TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL Mariellen Perugini asked if Jeff Stulin will provide updates on behalf of the Regional Task Force Jeff Stulin assumes that this will be an open meeting, but doesn't know what structure it will take. Cheryl Mahoney asked if the approved minutes could be sent to Grace Brueckner for distribution Ford Spalding stated that Jeff Stulin will facilitate it A vote of the School Committee to suspend the regular session and enter into the public hearing was made by Dave Manjarrez and was seconded. All in favor: unanimous. Motion passes. alblic Hearing Dr. Edward Bouquillon presented the estimated FY11 Budget during the Public Hearing Copies of the presentation were distributed and available to the School Committee and Audience. Dr. Bouquillon commented that the first phase of the presentation included a review of perceptions and brutal realities regarding financials The second phase was a review of the current budget and the third phase covered the current budget and impact on the brutal realties Enrollment and financial trends were noted and tracked In addition, he gave an overview of net school spending and how Minuteman compared in to other member towns and vocational schools. Dr. Bouquillon reviewed the downsizing through retirement, RIF, and restructuring He also reviewed other adjustments to the FY11 budget. Dr. Bouquillon stated that this was a difficult budget in rightsizing Minuteman given the brutal realities we face Jeff Stulin invited visitors to sign in and approach the microphone if they have questions Charles Blair of the Concord Finance Committee asked the percentage left over in the E&D account. Dr. Bouquillon stated that the maximum allowed is 5%, but Minuteman has around 2-3%. Mr. Blair asked about the Student.Teacher ratio and if we intend to increase it Mr Blair asked the % of students on IEP's. Dr. Bouquillon stated it was 40%. Mr. Blair stated he's seen higher numbers about students on IEP's, closer to the 50% mark Marielien Perugini stated that perhaps for freshman that is the case, however many Special Education students find the learning environment of Minuteman enables them to discontinue their IEP over time Mr Blair commented that he appreciates the changes Dr. Bouquillon made as he knows they are tough ones to make. Christopher Starno of the Stow Finance Committee asked a question regarding the Special Education charge and how it is determined? Dr Bouquillon stated that the School District agreed upon the figure with the towns. Mark Luldow of the Belmont Warrant Committee asked if transportation aid is considered state aid. Dr. Bouquillon confirmed that is the case. He asked what if the aid available is less than expected Dr Bouquillon responded that Minuteman was not intending to increase assessment to member towns. Dan Leclerc of the Belmont Selectmen Committee stated that there was a Minuteman study group that voted that this is budget was decreased well within reason. He asked if we were exhausting our E&D account and Dr Bouquillon confirmed that Minuteman has not. Jeff Stulin asked if there are additional question from the audience Dave Harmon asked if Dan Leclerc had an opinion on how low the E&D budget should be allowed to go Dan Leclerc stated that they like to have a 10% reserve 4 M:NUTEP1FRN FINAL CAREER&TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL Mariellen Perugini wants to clarify the reporting of teacher FTE that it is referencing per pupil cost. Dr. Bouquillon further explained we have to count all the expenditures on middle school programs without counting the students. A motion to adjourn the public hearing and return to open session was made by Laura Morrissette, seconded by Killeen Burgoyne. All in favor unanimous Motion passed Return to ODen Session A motion to accept the budget is moved and seconded All in favor* unanimous Motion passed. Personnel Negotiations: Laura Morrissette reported that during the meeting on Thursday, it was decided that draft minutes will not be released. A draft job description for the treasurer was reviewed as was the timeline for hiring the treasurer The Sub-Committee was also notified by the principal that his intent is to renew his contract. The Sub- Committee also discussed the Superintendent's evaluation Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment: Dave Horton stated that the meeting has not taken place and no report was given. NEW BUSINESS A motion for the total of $2,000 be transferred to Repairs (function 4230) from Athletics (function 3510) for the purpose of repairs to Athletic equipment was made by Ford Spalding, seconded by John Lang. All in favor: unanimous. Motion passed. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Dave Harmon stated that he'd like to clarify who some of his anonymous sources are He is making statements on the behalf of Wayland, Belmont, and Weston. He continued to read from a document and submitted it for the record. The first sentence in the document was the following statement: "There are town officials from Weston, Wayland and Belmont who are contemplating asking the Superintendent to resign." Joe Scali stated that Walter McLaughlin on the Warrant Committee for Belmont is unhappy the fact that there is no resolution to the issues from the Special School Committee meeting dated 1/13/10. Mary Ellen Castagno stated that Wayland is also not happy with the lack of resolution Dore Hunter added that he met with his moderator and he is satisfied with the outcome of the Special Meeting. A motion to adjourn was made by Kemon Taschioglou, seconded by Dore Hunter All in favor: 5 opposed: 11. Motion defeated. Joe Scali stated that not everyone in Belmont shares Walter McLaughlin's sentiment in wanting Ed Bouquillon to resign. Alice DeLuca stated that the School Committee's job is to ensure the education of the students enrolled at Minuteman Jeff Stulin commented that the Officials in these towns should recognize that Ed Bouquillon is the best thing that's happened to Minuteman. Dave Harmon clarified that the three towns do not want Dr Bouquillon to resign Jeff Stulin stated he allowed a discussion on an issue without a motion. The Chair is no longer allowing the discussion of this issue without a specific motion He stated that the motion needs to be 5 ?r1UNUTEI1FIN FINAL CAREER&TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL made during the appropriate line item and the vote will be the final resolution of that motion A motion to have the Chair sit down and listen to the 3 member towns and make recommendation to the towns on how to deal with the issues was made by Dave Harmon, seconded by Mariellen Castagno. Jeff Stulin is concerned that this may be an abuse of a leadership role in representing the School Committee. Dave Horton stated that he disagrees with this given that the "tiger team" was created for this purpose Cheryl Mahoney added that we should allow the Communications Task Force that was voted on during the Special Meeting to handle further issues. Dave Harmon responded that he voted for the Task Force not the people who are on the Committee. John Lang moves the question All in favor 15, opposed 0, abstention 1 All in favor for the motion on the table. 4, opposed. 11 abstentions. 1. Motion defeated. Jeff Stulin commented that a motion had been made by Ford Spalding to have the Chair appoint the members of the Task Force A motion was made to approve the Chairperson's appointment of Kemon Taschioglou and Dave Manjarrez to join Ford Spalding and the Chair on the taskforce. Dave Harmon requested an amendment to the motion to include: "and the members of the school committee of the three towns must be asked if the appointments will be productive for their towns". Jeff Stulin stated his reasoning in choosing these appointees. He noted he was refused by the one woman he did ask. Ford Spalding asked who would be interested in volunteering by a show of hands Mariellen Perugini asked for commitment requirements of this committee Ford Spalding stated that Jeff Stulin's process was a good one and outlined it for the School Committee Alice DeLuca stated that this committee on the whole should be more sensitive to the diversity issue as the last two committee appointments were exclusive of female nominees Cheryl Mahoney asked if this committee could be supplement with other members. Jeff Stulin stated that it could be supplemented now or in the future. Ford Spalding stated that he will not serve on any committee that is not respectful of each other and he feels that this committee has not been in general very respectful. And this needs to stop now We are only hurting the kids, not the people in Belmont, Wayland or Weston. Dave Harmon stated he agrees with Ford Spalding's statements. He believes that the two other people would better service the committee in their specific town such as Dave Horton and Alice DeLuca Ford Spalding stated that anyone can nominate anyone to the Task Force. Jeff Stulin asked Dave Horton if he'd be willing to join the Task Force. He agreed so long as he would not be supplanting any of the appointees. He would be willing to serve but does not see the need for it. Alice DeLuca stated she would be willing to "pinch hit" as needed. Mariellen Perugini stated that she would be willing to join the committee so long as it was a short term commitment. She also commented that she feels very comfortable with all the documents especially after the last meeting. 6 M:NUTEMFIN FINAL CAREER&TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL Amendment to the Motion' A motion was made to approve the Chairperson's appointment of Kemon Taschioglou and Dave Manjarrez to join Ford Spalding and the Chair on the taskforce with the addition of Mariellen Perugini and Dave Horton All in favor: unanimous. Motion passed. ADJOURNMENT A motion to adjourn was made by Dore Hunter, seconded by Dave Manjarrez. All in favor: unanimous. Motion passed. The regular meeting of the School Committee was adjourned at 10.00pm. Respectfully submitted, Grace A. Brueckner Recorder John Lang Secretary to the Committee 7