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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFINAL Minutes 11.15.11.pdf 13) MINUTEMAN A REVOLUTION IN LEARNING Final Approved 12/13/11 MINUTES MINUTEMAN REGIONAL VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL DISTRICT SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 15,2011 7.00 PM TRAINING ROOM MINUTEMAN HIGH SCHOOL PRESENT School Committee Members Alice DeLuca Stow (Chair) Ford Spalding Dover (Vice Chair) David Horton Lexington (Secretary) Dore Hunter Acton Laura Morrissette Arlington Jack Weis Belmont (No representative) Bolton Cheryl Mahoney Boxborough Donald Rober Carlisle Came Flood Concord John McGarity Lancaster Kemon Taschioglou Lincoln Jeffrey Stulin Needham David Manjarrez Sudbury Mary Ellen Castagno Wayland (left the meeting at 10 00 PM) John Blyzinskyj Weston (left the meeting at 10 03 PM) Staff Dr Edward Bouquillon Superintendent Ernie Houle Pnncipal Camie Lamica Director of Business &Operations Elizabeth Rozan School Committee Administrative Assistant Student Representative Henry Maynard Acton Others Edward DeLuca Marjorie Daggett DeAnne Dupont Rachel Ganimian Dave Lindsay Kris Luoto I. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 7 00 PM II. PUBLIC COMMENT Dave Lindsay, Selectmen from Bolton,made a public comment,asking the School Committee not to vote for Model E, as he viewed it as regressive relative to Option B 758 Marrett Road, Lexington, MA 02421 T 781 861 6500 I F 781 863 1747 I TDD 781 861 2922 I minuteman org Serving Acton Arlington Belmont Bolton Boxhorough Carlisle Concord Dover Lancaster Lexington Lincoln, Needham,Stow Sudbury, Wayland and Weston DeAnne Dupont and Rachel Gann-man of the Minuteman Parent Association commented,commending the Revolutionary Times newsletter,and reporting on Parent/Teacher conferences Mr Manjarrez announced that he was recording the meeting III CHAIR'S REPORT Ms DeLuca welcomed student representative Henry Maynard again,thanking him for being an active participant,and completing the self-evaluation survey after his first meeting She introduced the new Concord representative,Carrie Flood She informed the Committee that both David Bearg and Hannes Klein filed their resignations,and she extended thanks to them for their service For the benefit of the recent new members,she read the meeting norms that had been approved by the School Committee on September 27,2011 She reported that the November 3 breakfast with Municipal Representatives went well,and that the next meeting is scheduled for Groundhog Day,February 2,2012 She commended the Revolutionary Times newsletter,and shared the mention of Ernest Wright's 1939 novel written without the use of the letter"E" She extended congratulations to Concord and Carlisle,for the Town Meeting approval of their $92 5M high school project She noted that the Vocational Technical Education Advisory Council to the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will be meeting at Minuteman on December 14 She reported on the MASC Conference,thanking those who attended,and encouraging attendance next year by more people,including the School Committee Administrative Assistant She noted that the quality of the sessions has dramatically improved over the years She also mentioned the idea of moving towards paperless board meetings,as a cost-saving measure that can be implemented gradually She also reported that evaluation of all licensed personnel will be required by September 2012 for regional districts Drafts will be coming from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on January 10,2012 and there will be implications for negotiations She mentioned that there have been some training suggestions from the self-evaluations submitted by School Committee members following meetings,including the open meeting law,conflict resolution, School Committee/Superintendent roles and responsibilities,school finance,MSBA and how it works,and the relationship between school committees and the towns Ms DeLuca also noted that MASC is holding a Charting the Course training,mandated by law for those elected after a certain date,on December 3 at Assabet Valley CTE School in Marlborough She asked that any changes to the School Committee member contact information sheet be brought to Ms Rozan's attention 1 Retirement Board Appointment Ms DeLuca reported that Kris Luoto of the Business Office has volunteered to serve on the Retirement Board She clarified that the outgoing appointee,Maria Oliveira,is a current staff member,and the following vote was taken ACTION 11-12#48 On a motion of Mr Spalding and seconded by Mr McGarity,the School Committee VOTED UNANIMOUSLY to appoint Kris Luoto as the second member to the Minuteman Regional VTSD Retirement Board He will serve a 3-year term beginning when current member Maria Oliveira's term expires on November 16,2011 IV. STUDENT REPORT Henry Maynard gave his report,focusing on sports,the value of the Co-op experience,his thoughts from the previous School Committee meeting,and offered suggestions for raising funds and relocating students during the renovation project Ms DeLuca assured him that an occupied renovation involves an extensive plan to minimize disruption and ensure safety His full report can be found as Attachment A V SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT 1 2011-12 Superintendent Goals Dr Bouquillon presented the Superintendent goals for the 2011-12 school year and requested that the School Committee approve them After a motion by Mr Spalding was seconded by Mr Hunter,discussion included comments about items b,g,f,and progress reports Mr Spalding withdrew his motion when it was suggested that Dr Bouquillon incorporate suggestions into a revised draft for the next meeting 2 Presentation MSBA Process and Summary of District's Position Page 2 of 8 Dr Bouquillon explained the Module Overview of the MSBA Process The discussion that ensued included how the described process dovetails with preconditions of the Arlington Town Meeting Article 58 vote,the value of insight from MSBA and Rick Manley,whether the new modules could be incorporated into the earlier version of the timeline to have consistency in a reference document,whether the new regime at MSBA has the history of Minuteman's discussions on the matter,and what members could bring to their towns as clear explanations Ms DeLuca asked for a show of hands on which document was favored in terms of ease of understanding 11 were in favor of the Probable MSBA Project Timelines,dated October 11,2011,as shown in Attachment B Dr Bouquillon asked that the School Committee move forward in the MSBA process by removing the self-imposed requirement to change the Regional Agreement prior to entering Feasibility After a motion made by Mr Spalding was seconded by Mr Hunter,questions were raised about whether towns would accept the already voted Option B,what another town would need in order to join the District,and whether it was time to change the Regional Agreement That the Regional Agreement has been studied,that parts of it are antiquated,that MSBA is urging Minuteman to move on, and what the complications would be if this vote were not taken were also discussed Mr Manjarrez made an amendment to Mr Spaldmg's motion,which Ms Castagno seconded,that read as follows That the School Committee move forward in the MSBA process by removing any requirement to change the Regional Agreement prior to entering Feasibility Study for at least 18-24 months Mr Hunter suggested taking out the time factor Mr Manjarrez revised his amendment as follows That the School Committee move forward in the MSBA process by removing any requirement to change the Regional Agreement prior to entering Feasibility Study Mr Taschioglou asked for clarification of what"self-imposed"means and where it is written Dr Bouquillon referenced the May 3,2010 MSBA letter and the second paragraph of the June 15,2010 School Committee motion Ms Castagno made a motion to move the question,and the following vote was taken Action 11-12#49 On a motion of Ms Castagno and seconded by Mr Hunter,the School Committee VOTED (11 in favor,and 4 opposed)to move the question The School Committee then took a vote on Mr Mangy arrez's revised amendment to Mr Spaldmg's main motion ACTION 11-12#50 On a motion of Mr Manjarrez,and seconded by Ms Castagno,the School Committee VOTED(9 in favor with 6 opposed) that the School Committee move forward in the MSBA process by removing any requirement to change the Regional Agreement prior to entering Feasibility Study Discussion on the main motion,as amended,continued Items raised were about possible inherent restrictions in Article 58,anticipated objections from municipal officials,clarity that the Regional Agreement has been studied,and that size, enrollment,and capital apportionment issues would not change with this vote Mr Weis wondered if there would be any objection to including a statement that there is no intention to change the authorization currently working under Article 58 Ms DeLuca felt this was a separate issue Mr Blyzinskyj offered that a caveat could be included that the vote be subject to legal review Mr Stulin suggested that there were no practical changes,but that the vote makes a clear and simple statement Ms Mahoney pointed out that without this vote, everything would stop at Module 5, if the members did not accept the Feasibility Study results The School Committee then took a vote on the main motion,as amended above ACTION 11-12#51 On a motion of Mr Spaldmg and seconded by Mr Hunter,the School Committee VOTED(14 in favor,no opposition,and 1 abstention)to move forward in the MSBA process by removing any requirement to change the Regional Agreement prior to entering Feasibility Study Page 3 of 8 Ms DeLuca expressed appreciation for the good level of discussion 3 Presentation Educational Program Plan Dr Bouquillon reviewed some highlights from the Educational Program Plan He clarified the concept of trending,and reviewed some specific detail of charts included in the plan Many members expressed a desire to discuss this plan in greater depth Looking at future professions,getting outside support and direction from industry,ensuring students' gainful employment,selling this focus on practical learning to towns and the legislature,and that Minuteman is leadmg the way with partnerships were points made Mr Manjarrez suggested that perhaps it is time to redo the student survey and identify concerns for member and non-member students It was agreed that a more in-depth review of aspects of the Educational Program Plan would be planned for future meetings VI REGIONAL AGREEMENT DISCUSSION The Chair noted that the focus of this item has been revised by events,prompting the consideration of sending two letters The following vote was taken on the first letter ACTION 11-12#52 On a motion of Mr Spalding and seconded by Ms Morrissette,the School Committee VOTED (13 for and 2 opposed)to direct the officers to write to the Town Managers thanking them for their work, noting that retooling the Regional Agreement is an ongoing process,and that no decisions have been reached Ms DeLuca explained that there was a suggestion made at the November 1 School Committee meeting to send a letter to the member towns to inform them of the process for the Minuteman Building Project and possible courses of action that towns might take A second motion was introduced by Mr Spalding,and seconded by Mr Hunter,that the School Committee accept and agree to the Draft Letter to Town Officials dated November 14,2011,and send it to member district town officials Mr Horton suggested that talking points be included Mr Stalin explained that the idea of a letter grew out of an interest expressed in Needham,namely a question of how people can help He emphasized the need for broad influence,and that this letter is the beginning of a process or campaign to get consensus to pursue the right avenue An amendment was suggested for item 3 of the letter ( ways to capture capital costs ) Including the Probable MSBA Project Timeline flow chart was also suggested Concern was raised about Article 58,with specific details related to changes in the Regional Agreement,Enrollment Study,and Education Plan highlighted The August 2010 School Committee vote was referenced,and whether these issues have been addressed was also raised Ms Morrissette expressed her feeling that with information and transparency,this would not be an issue with the people in Arlington The question of what is legally binding was raised,as was the issue of knowing the cost/benefit Mr Weis referred to a vote taken at a Minuteman School Committee meeting to accept the conditions within the scope of authority,and stressed that his concern is to avoid red flags Trust,transparency,naming the Feasibility Study directly,and having scheduled a meeting with the Belmont officials after a long period of requesting it were raised Ms Castagano made a motion to end the debate,and the following vote was taken ACTION 11-12#53 On a motion of Ms Castagno,and seconded by Mr Blyzinskyj,the School Committee VOTED (2 for and 13 against)to end the debate The motion did not pass ACTION 11-12#54 On a motion of Ms Mahoney and seconded by Mr Hunter,the School Committee VOTED(13 for with 2 abstentions)to change the language in Item 3 of the draft letter to read " a way to capture " Mr Weis presented an amendment to Item 1 of the letter as follows Page 4 of 8 A Minuteman Building Committee has been formed to work in partnership with the MSBA and member towns to begin to identify the appropriate scope and estimated cost of the project Ms DeLuca suggested removing" and member towns"and replacing it with" and the Minuteman School Committee " He agreed to the amendment as follows A Minuteman Building Committee has been formed to work in partnership with the MSBA and the Minuteman School Committee to begin to identify the appropriate scope and estimated cost of the project Mr Stulin suggested that Mr Weis's intent is a politically worded change to the letter Mr Horton expressed that he was glad a meeting was scheduled with Belmont Mr Hunter noted that there would be no money available until the Feasibility Study kicks in Transparency and communication were raised again Mr Spalding expressed that he was against the amendment,as the School Committee is involved with the Building Committee,and it is best to stick with the MSBA's process and move forward Mr Weis offered that his suggestion to water down this section of the letter is a way of engaging the discussion with Town Officials,and that this letter is the first in a series,details could be spelled out in future communications ACTION 11-12#55 On a motion of Mr Weis and seconded by Mr Manjarrez,the School Committee VOTED(4 for and 10 against)to approve Mr Weis's amendment to Item 1 of the letter,as noted above The motion did not pass. The Committee then took a vote on the main motion relative to the second letter to Town Officials(Attachment C)as follows ACTION 11-12#56 On a motion of Mr Spalding and seconded by Mr Hunter,the School Committee VOTED(12 for and 3 opposed)to send the letter to Town Officials,with Item 3 amended,and to include the Probable MSBA Project Timeline as an attachment 2 New Distnct Members There was a discussion about the generic Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) [Attachment D],which is language provided by the Department of Education as a starting point Dr Bouquillon explained some of the complexities of adding new members to the district,as well as differences between cities and towns,collaboratives vs regions,and approval processes He explained that the generic MOU covers all bases,but that a negotiated settlement is complex He emphasized that this vote would not be to negotiate an agreement ACTION 11-12#57 On a motion of Mr Spalding and seconded by Mr Hunter,the School Committee VOTED(13 for and 2 opposed)to direct the Superintendent to continue discussions with non-member towns resulting in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU)to investigate j oimng the Minuteman Regional School District VII SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE REPORT Mr Spalding asked for consideration of a motion to add Principal Ernie Houle to the Building Committee ACTION 11-12#58 On a motion of Mr Spalding and seconded by Mr Horton,the School Committee VOTED(14 for, with 1 abstention)to add Principal Ernie Houle to the School Building Committee VIII STABILIZATION FUND WARRANT ARTICLE 1 Vote to establish a stabilization fund for the District Page 5 of 8 Referring to the details shown in Attachment D,the rationale behind establishing a Stabilization Fund,the reasons why a Stabilization Fund was necessary,the distinctions between and limitations of the operating and capital budget vs rainy day funds were explained It was pointed out that this is a common practice in many towns,and that providing education and information to member towns will be helpful in getting this passed Additionally,it was clarified that the amount to be appropriated to the stabilization fund is included in each member town's assessment and is apportioned based on the regional agreement method for capital costs ACTION 11-12#59 On a motion of Mr Hunter and seconded by Mr Spalding,the School Committee VOTED(11 for with 4 opposed),in accordance with Chapter 71, Section 16G'/2 of the General Laws and subject to the approval of a majority of the member towns of the district,to establish a stabilization fund on the books of the District Amounts in the stabilization fund shall be expended to pay costs of capital repairs,renovations,and improvements to the regional district school and its associated facilities ACTION 11-12#60 On a motion of Mr Stulm and seconded by Mr Hunter,the School Committee VOTED(9 for and 5 opposed)to continue the meeting beyond 10 00 PM 2 Vote to approve and send the proposed Stabilization Fund Warrant Article Form and Motion to Town Meeting to create a Minuteman Stabilization Fund Due to the process described in Attachment E,the School Committee took the following vote ACTION 11-12#61 On a motion of Mr McGarity and seconded by Mr Blyzinskyj,the School Committee VOTED(10 for, 4 opposed,with Mr Taschioglou out of the room)to approve the proposed article and motion below,and send them to Town Meeting Article To see if the Town will approve the establishment of a stabilization fund by the Minuteman Regional Vocational High School District to pay costs of capital repairs,renovations,and improvements to the regional district school and its associated facilities,in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 71 Section 16G'h of the General Laws,or take any other action relative thereto Motion That the Town approves the establishment of a stabilization fund by the Minuteman Regional Vocational High School District to pay costs of capital repairs,renovations,and improvements to the regional district school and its associated facilities,in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 71, Section 16 G'/2 of the General Laws (Ms Castagno left the meeting after this vote at 10 00 PM) IX.SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS 1. Finance Subcommittee Report Mr Stulm reported on the water main service bid,and reported the low bid at$74,900 He also reported that the Finance Subcommittee has set up meetings related to the FY13 budget process timeline through December 2011 (John Blyzmskyj left the meeting at 10 03 PM) X SECRETARY'S REPORT Mr Horton moved and Mr Hunter seconded the motion to approve the minutes from the November 1,2011 School Committee meeting Mr Stulm offered 2 minor amendments to clarify his statements on the 3rd page,3rd paragraph Page 6 of 8 ACTION 11-12#62 On a motion of Mr Stulm and seconded by Mr Horton,the School Committee VOTED(10 for,with 3 abstentions[13 members present])to approve the amendments to the minutes of the November 1,2011 School Committee Meeting,as presented ACTION 11-12#63 On a motion of Mr Horton,and seconded by Mr Hunter,the School Committee VOTED(9 for with 4 abstentions[13 members present])to approve the minutes of November 1,2011 as amended XI EXECUTIVE SESSION Ms DeLuca made a motion to enter into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing strategy with respect to collective bargaining She noted that discussing this in open session might have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position She also noted that Dr Bouquillon,Ms Lamica,and Ms Rozan would be included in the session,and that there would be no return to Open Session Mr Spalding seconded this motion and a unanimous roll call vote was taken as follows ACTION 11-12#64 On a motion of Ms DeLuca and seconded by Mr Spalding,the School Committee VOTED UNANIMOUSLY by roll call vote of the members present,see below,to enter into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing strategy with respect to collective bargaining and to allow Dr Bouquillon, Ms Lamica,and Ms Rozan to attend the session Alice DeLuca Stow yes Ford Spalding Dover yes David Horton Lexington yes Dore Hunter Acton yes Laura Morrissette Arlington yes Jack Weis Belmont yes Cheryl Mahoney Boxborough yes Donald Rober Carlisle yes Carrie Flood Concord yes John McGarity Lancaster yes Kemon Taschioglou Lincoln yes Jeffrey Stuhn Needham yes David Manjarrez Sudbury yes The School Committee entered into Executive Session at 10 05 PM XII. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned after Executive Session at 10 10 PM Respectfully submitted, Elizabeth Rozan David Horton, School Committee Administrative Assistant Secretary Page 7 of 8 MINUTEMAN REGIONAL VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL DISTRICT SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 15,2011 ATTACHMENTS TO THE MINUTES A Henry Maynard's Student Report B Probable MSBA Project Timelines C Letter to the Town Officials D Generic Memorandum of Understanding E Stabilization Fund Creation Details Page 8 of 8