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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSC January 5, 2010 OS.pdf ierliNIJTEMIFIN AREER&TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL MINUTEMAN REGIONAL VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL DISTRICT SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES January 5, 2010 SCHOOL COMMITTEE Members: Dore Hunter Acton Present Laura Morrissette Arlington Present (Vice Chairperson) Joseph Scali Belmont Present Kileen Burgoyne Bolton Absent Cheryl Mahoney Boxborough Present Mariellen Perugini Carlisle Present John Lang Concord Present (Secretary) Ford Spalding Dover Present John McGarity Lancaster Absent 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 Camie Lamica Dir Bus & Ops Present James Laverty Asst SI/Prinapal Present Janet Killeen Business Manager Present Student Rep: Ken March Absent MEETING CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 7.03pm by Chairperson Jeff Stulin. SECRETARY'S REPORT Approval of Minutes: A motion was made by Ford Spalding, seconded by Dave Horton, to approve the Special School Committee minutes of December 15, 2009 with the following changes. All in favor unanimous Motion passed Cheryl Mahoney suggested the following edits - Add Mike Long to the attendee list at the start of the minutes. - Change the word council to counsel - Modify statement to read. "Cheryl Mahoney stated that when this matter was discussed in previous open sessions, she did not hear that Dr Bouquillon contacted the Ethics Commission. If she was provided with that information she would have had a different perception " Mary Ellen Castagno suggested the following edits: - Correct the spelling of Mary Ellen Castagno's name throughout the minutes. - Statement should read, "Mary Ellen Castagno asked if his attendance was announced ahead of time and if all School Committee members should have the privilege of being informed." 1 , , e M:NUTEI'1FIN CAREER&TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL Mariellen Perugini suggested the following edits. - Jeff Stulin commented that this special meeting may not have sufficient time for its agenda items and if additional time is required we can schedule a special meeting at the end of this meeting. - Correct apostrophes in Attorney Long's name, Mr Hunter's research, In the Superintendent's conference room. - Delete comma after position for daughter - Capitalize Superintendent throughout the minutes. - Change the word "small"to "Carlisle" newspaper - Add the following statement "and believes there are additional school committee responsibilities beyond the two" after limited authority of the School Committee. - Add the statement"Mariellen Perugini stated that draft letters to implement Glen Koocher's suggestions had been prepared and handed out to school committee members but no letter has yet been approved and they are not at this point useful " Dave Harmon suggested the following edit - Add "but that any committee member including the leadership can inquire of the relevant committee member or town official to verify what was said"to the following sentence, "Dave Harmon did not share the information with the School Committee". Dave Harmon stated that the Warrant Committee signs off on the recording of expenditure not the authorization of expenditure. Alice DeLuca requested that the minutes reflect Dave Harmon's statement above about the Warrant Committee A motion was made by John Lang, seconded by Dave Horton, to approve the School Committee minutes of December 15, 2009 with the following changes All in favor unanimous. Motion passed. Cheryl Mahoney suggested the following edits. - Modify comment to "Cheryl Mahoney asked about when the School Committee approves the Executive Session minutes". - Change "Joint Session"to "Joint Conference". Mariellen Perugini suggested the following edits: - Update last month's minutes John Donato should have a "comma" after Athletic Director not after his name. - Mariellen Perugini asked that we implement an additional review of the minutes sometime prior to being put in the packet. John Lang, School Committee Secretary would review the minutes - Correct spelling of Mary Ellen Castagno's name throughout the minutes. Cheryl Mahoney suggested the following edit. - Add space between fiscal year and budget. Alice DeLuca suggested the following edit: - Delete duplicate "if the School Committee". Dave Manjarrez suggested the following edit. - Delete duplicate "Job Description". 2 , , M:NUTEMFIN CAREER&TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL Ford Spalding suggested the following edit - "Town" should be singular. Mariellen Perugini suggested the following edits: - Superintendent's evaluation tool should have a possessive apostrophe - Change the word "reading" to "English" under the CIA Sub-Committee Report. - Correct the spelling of Glenn Koocher's name throughout the minutes - Make "forthcoming" one word. Cheryl Mahoney suggested the following edit. - Update statement: "Cheryl Mahoney encourages all members of the School Committee " Dore Hunter volunteered to review the process for editing minutes Jeff Stulin announced that a copy of the minutes from the Professional Development meeting was distributed to the School Committee. A vote to accept these minutes will taken at the next School Committee meeting on January 19, 2010 Jeff Stulin requested that the personal address for each School Committee member be provided to MASC Jeff Stulin asked the School Committee about their availability for a Special School Committee meeting on Wednesday, January 13 at 7.00pm. The School Committee agreed to January 13th. Jeff Stulin asked that Grace Brueckner post the meeting with the member towns Mr Stulin continued to describe a draft agenda which would need to be reviewed prior to the meeting by both the School Committee's attorney and Dr. Bouquillon's attorney. The draft agenda includes a discussion of the repairs and renovation for 10 Mill Street, a discussion of notification on employee issues, and a discussion of the strategy regarding the anonymous letters. Dave Harmon added that the agenda should include a discussion on the solution to the problems as seen by Town Officials. Jeff Stulin stated he will add to the agenda a discussion on "Member Town Relations". Dore Hunter stated that the contracts allowing the Superintendent to use the house are signed by less than majority of the School Committee and he would like to know the reason why. Given that Dave Manjarrez worked on the contract he offered to put together a timeline of the events and process of executing the Superintendent's contract Mary Jo Reedy, the School Committee's attorney will be present at the Special Meeting Mariellen Perugini asked if we could add approval of a letter to member towns addressing the anonymous letter Jeff Stulin stated they were in the last packet. A motion was made by Alice DeLuca, seconded by Dave Manjarrez to approve the draft agenda with the amendment of adding member town relations pending counsel approval. All in favor 13, opposed• 1, abstention 0 Motion passed. Dave Manjarrez commented that if there is no question about the legality of the issues why is this escalating to a Special Meeting requiring the presence of the attorneys. Jeff Stulin stated that something could be illegal, legal but negative, or a judgment about character. Because we are discussing character it is appropriate to have attorneys present. 3 e MINUTEMAN CAREER&TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL RECOGNITION OF GROUPS AND /OR INDIVIDUAL VISITORS Dr Bouquillon recognized Bruce Bryan Director of Facilities, Ernest Houle Director of Community Education, Ed Teehan Electrical Instructor and President of the Minuteman Faculty Association, Ray Belsito Automotive Collision Repair Instructor, Alan Taupier Director of Information Technology and John Pelletier Information Technology Support as attendees of the School Committee meeting. CORRESPONDENCE Dr. Bouquillon commented that correspondence was distributed in the packet and at each station for review. ADMINISTRATION REPORTS Student Representative: Ken March is absent No report given Principal' James Laverty stated that the draft school calendar for 2010-11 will be presented to the Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Sub-Committee and will be making a recommendation to the School Committee at the next meeting. He noted that the FY11 school year is scheduled to begin prior to Labor Day. Admission Report Minuteman presented to the Weston Middle School and a tour is being coordinated. At this point all presentations are complete. Currently, there are 52 in-district and 50 out-of-district applications for 9th grade admission Kevin Miller, Director of Guidance and James Laverty will be meeting weekly to discuss the status of the application process for these applicants. Invitations for the January Open House were mailed to in-district and select out-of-district 8th grade families Minuteman has contacted in-district high schools to coordinate Minuteman representation at each of the 8th grade parent nights. Current 9th graders select their career majors on January 25th after which shadow days will be offered to interested 8th graders. Dave Manjarrez asked about the quality of the applications received. Mr. Laverty stated that he has not been reviewing each application as the Guidance Department initially does the initial review. Mr. Laverty added that Minuteman currently has 17 in-district Post Graduate applications and 7 out-of-district Post Graduate applications for next year. Mr Laverty stated that the honor roll list was updated to fix a glitch in the system. It will be posted on the website and redistributed to the School Committee Superintendent: Dr Bouquillon presented the estimated budget A copy of the presentation was distributed. 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. Alice DeLuca stated that it would be valuable information to have the foundation rate for the member towns in the presentations Dave Manjarrez asked about the Professional Development cuts given the upcoming Reduction In Force (RIF). Dr. Bouquillon stated that there will continue to be Professional 4 111:NUTEMIRN CAREER&TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL Development. Dave Harmon asked how the custodian RIF was determined. Laura Morrissette asked about the 3 30pm bus elimination and how it affects students James Laverty commented that students on Tuesdays and Thursdays typically utilize the extra help for a week or two before and after a semester ends In effect, students are not fully utilizing the 3:30pm bus. Alice DeLuca asked about supervision for non-athletic students that stay after school. Dr. Bouquillon commented that a security guard's schedule will be modified to account for coverage. Dave Harmon asked if the faculty is required to increase their hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Ed Bouquillon stated that they are required per their contract to provide extra help on those days. Dave Harmon asked if there is a way to track former employees to see if they are receiving unemployment benefits and collecting a salary at a new position Alice DeLuca asked how close to the Commissioners ceiling on tuition Minuteman's out-of-district charge is. 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. Mr. Taschioglou stated that the implication may be that Minuteman is eliminating positions because of the Feasibility Study Dr Bouquillon stated that Town Administrators request Minuteman demonstrate fiscal restraint and that the Feasibility Study has nothing to do with the assessments. Jeff Stulin reminded the School Committee that he stated multiple times to previous administration that financial issues need to be addressed The current administration acknowledges this and is addressing it. Alice DeLuca asked about the athletic fee discussion itemized on the agenda. Dr. Bouquillon stated that currently there is a no cut, no fee athletic policy. If the student is receiving free and reduced lunch then that student would not be charged an athletic fee Jeff Stulin stated that the member towns resent the fact that Minuteman does not implement an athletic fee while their towns do Alice DeLuca believes it is wrong to additionally charge families for athletics at public schools. She stated it is a tax on the middle class. She added that it may impact recruitment as well. Jeff Stulin stated that perhaps it should be put on the table and voted on Cheryl Mahoney stated that she agrees with Alice DeLuca's statement, however, however she believes some people not just parents vote against the budget because of the no fee policy for athletics Dore Hunter stated that this is a sensitive subject and we may want to strike a balance as it's more about whether we have a fee or not, versus the amount of the fee A motion was made by Dave Horton, seconded by Dave Manjarrez to charge $100 per student per sport, except for students receiving free and reduced lunch. Vote in favor. 1, opposed: 13. Motion defeated. Dave Harmon would like supporting data listing member town fees. Ford Spalding stated that there should be a cap per family. Manellen Perugini stated that she would like to see if other CTE schools have fees as we are not the same as other in- district schools. Laura Morrissette suggested a flat fee for all activities, not on per activity basis Kemon Taschioglou stated that "no fee" and "no cut" are linked and self-supporting policies and neither should be eliminated. Jeff Stulin asked Dr. Bouquillon's recommendation. He stated that he does believe no cut policy should also have a no fee policy However, Dr Bouquillon does think that it should be reviewed and studied further. Fees are not included in the projected budget. Dore Hunter 5 ,. r1INUTEMf�N CAREER&TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL suggested reviewing the issue and state such to those towns that have issues with the no athletic fee A motion was made by Dore Hunter, seconded by Dave Harmon to study the no fee athletic policy. Ford Spalding asked to amend the motion to include all activity fees and to have the study be completed by June 15, 2010. Modified Motion* A motion was made by Dore Hunter, seconded by Dave Harmon to study the no fee athletic policy and all activity fees and to have the study be completed by June 15, 2010 All in favor: 11 Opposed. 3. Mariellen Perugini asked that the colleges listed on the "highlight" sheet be updated. Jeff Stulin announced that in 2 weeks the budget will be discussed at a Public Hearing that will be held in the Instructional resource Center (IRC). The School Committee will start with the regular session. It will then be suspended and the public hearing will start. The School Committee will return to regular session and vote on the budget Cheryl Mahoney asked to clarify that if the assessment is voted on and approved, the amount cannot increase and can only decrease. Dr. Bouquillon confirmed that this is accurate. SUB-COMMITTEE REPORTS Policy Revisions: Alice DeLuca Finance: Jeff Stulin Capital/Facilities: Ford Spalding Personnel Negotiations: Laura Morrissette Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment: Dave Horton No reports given. UNFINISHED BUSINESS N/A NEW BUSINESS Donation Notification A motion to accept the donation from Babson Capital Management for 20 computers and 10 monitor by Kemon Taschioglou, seconded by Dore Hunter. All in favor unanimous. Motion passed Alice DeLuca asked if this will offset any capital expenditure Dr Bouquillon stated that it will not offset any capital costs. Race to the Top: Dr. Bouquillon stated that that he does not have a recommendation on signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) as of yet There is a meeting tomorrow to discuss this issue. Ed Teehan, Union president, stated that there still are many unanswered questions He is being advised to not sign the MOU He also noted that there may be upcoming revisions to the MOU. Dave Horton questioned the underlined language and deadline Mr Horton asked if the School Committee could authorize Dr Bouquillon to vote on the MOU. 6 aaM:NIJTEMFIN CAREER&TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL A motion was made by Alice DeLuca to add the vote on the MOU signing to the Agenda for the January 13, 2010 meeting. All in favor: 13, Opposed: 1. Jeff Stulin reminded the School Committee members that they requested to have the draft minutes from the sub-committee meetings distributed Ford Spalding stated that a verbal report is made and final minutes could be distributed after the vote to accept them. A motion was made by Mary Ellen Castagno, seconded by Laura Morrissette to not distribute draft sub-committee minutes All in favor 11, opposed• 2 abstention: 1. ADJOURNMENT A motion to adjourn was made by Dore Hunter, seconded by Joe Scali All in favor unanimous. Motion passed. The regular meeting of the School Committee was adjourned at 10:04pm. Respectfully submitted, Grace A Brueckner Recorder John Lang Secretary to the Committee 7