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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFinal signed Approved Minutes 9.27.11.pdf 13) MINUTEMAN A REVOLUTION IN LEARNING Final Approved 10/18/11 MINUTES MINUTEMAN REGIONAL VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL DISTRICT SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 27,2011 AT 6 30 PM TRAINING ROOM,MINUTEMAN HIGH SCHOOL,758 MARRETT RD,LEXINGTON,MA School Committee Members Present. Alice DeLuca Stow (Chair) Ford Spalding Dover (Vice Chair) David Horton Lexington (Secretary) Dore Hunter Acton Jack Weis Belmont (arrived at approximately 6.41 PM) Cheryl Mahoney Boxborough (arnved at approximately 6 32 PM) Manellen Perugini Carlisle (arrived at approximately 6 35 PM, departed at approximately 10 42 PM) John McGarity Lancaster Kemon Taschioglou Lincoln Jeffrey Stulin Needham David Maniarrez Sudbury (arnved at approximately 6 41 PM) Mary Ellen Castagno Wayland (departed at approximately 10 35 PM) John Blyzinskyj Weston (departed at approximately 10 03 PM) Not Present Laura Morrissette Arlington Hannes Klein Bolton David Bearg Concord Staff Present Dr Edward Bouquillon Superintendent Elizabeth Rozan School Committee Administrative Assistant Ernie Houle School Principal/Director of Adult Ed Camie Lamica Director,Business& Operations Kris Luoto Assistant Business Manager Alan Taupier Director of Information Technology(IT) John Pelletier IT Support Specialist Others Present Ed Deluca Marone Daggett, Concord-Carlisle League of Women Voters Tom Hedden, Carlisle Matthew Tobin,Distnct Counsel Cecilia Sandwen,Reporter, Carlisle Mosquito At the later end of the meeting,members of the Minuteman Faculty Association 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 I CALL TO ORDER The Chair,Ms DeLuca, called the meeting to order at 6 30 PM She extended thanks to Cheryl Mahoney for beginning the work on the Policy Subcommittee,to Dore Hunter, for being attentive to details related to the Capital Planning Subcommittee, for which he has begun his work,to Ms Rozan for her work assisting the School Committee's activities thus far, and to all members of the School Committee for continuing efforts to improve the process of getting the work of the Committee done She also noted that Arlington representative Laura Momssette was seen at the Arlington Town Day and she extended compliments to her for her efforts II. PUBLIC COMMENT There was no Public Comment III. CHAIR'S REPORT: Alice DeLuca, Chair a. Meeting Norms Ms DeLuca explained the idea behind establishing meeting norms Noting that it was a good idea to discuss them,Mr Stuhn made a motion to approve the proposed meeting norms Mr Spalding seconded The Chair read the norms and a vote was taken as follows ACTION 11-12 #14 On a motion of Mr. Stulm and seconded by Mr. Spalding,the School Committee VOTED UNANIMOUSLY by the members present,to approve the proposed meeting norms, as shown in Attachment A The motion passed. b. Consent Agenda 1. Revised 2011-12 Meeting Calendar The Chair explained that the Consent Agenda items are intended to be voted without much debate Mr Blyzmskyi suggested that the additional meetings be reserved for items beyond the items anticipated for regular meetings Ms DeLuca appreciated the comments,but could make no promises Mr Blyzmskyi asked about remote participation, given today's globalization It was clarified that remote participation by members of public bodies is not permitted under the Open Meeting Law at this time, although the issue is under consideration by the Attorney General's Office Others expressed appreciation for the movement towards two meetings/month A vote was taken as follows ACTION 11-12 #15 On the motion of Mr. Stulin and seconded by Mr. Spalding,the School Committee VOTED (9 for,2 abstentions,with 11 members present)to approve the revised 2011-12 Meeting Calendar, shown as Attachment B The motion passed. 2 Proposed Subcommittee and Liaison Assignments,page 2 The Chair explained that this item came before the School Committee for a vote on September 13, 2011,but that page 2 had been inadvertently omitted She pointed out that page 2 contains one typo Instead of March 2011,it should read March 2012 She extended appreciation to Mr Hunter for calling this to her attention She explained that the Preliminary School Building Committee, crossed out on page 2, is now a separate item, and will be discussed later in the agenda The following vote was taken Page 2 of 10 ACTION 11-12 #16 On a motion of Mr Stuhn and seconded by Mr Spalding,the School Committee VOTED (8 for,4 opposed, 1 abstention,with 13 members present)to approve page 2 of the Minuteman District School Committee Subcommittees 2011-2012,missing from the earlier vote The motion passed The full list can be found as Attachment C c. Communications Update The Chair referred to the hefty packet of communications at the table,presented as an example of the volume,time, and energy that has been expended in trying to fulfill requests Dr Bouquillon noted that he is implementing a new process,via a Public Information Request Form, shown in Attachment D,which will be revised over the next few days It will be used going forward for all public information requests Questions about the applicability of this form to individual School Committee members and paying a fee to receive information were raised, as was the recourse to follow if requests go unfulfilled Dr Bouquillon explained that if a request does not come from the School Committee as a body, it is considered an individual making a request,therefore, it is a Public Information Request Further,he explained that if a School Committee member has a problem with the Supenntendent not responding,that member must go to the School Committee,not the Secretary of State Dr Bouquillon reiterated that the form will now be used for all requests for public information The Chair pointed out that voluminous e-mail is extremely difficult, often unsatisfying, and presents barriers to real communication The practical matters of the Superintendent having one boss,not 16, and the frustrations of experiencing bottlenecks to information, not getting simple yes/no answers, the importance of creating dialogue to obtain exact documents, and moving expressed concerns to agenda topics were raised Ms DeLuca noted that Dr Bouquillon and Ms Rozan are working on getting a system in place that improves communications and that she extends an invitation to members to meet to address concerns directly. Ms DeLuca took a moment to recognize Marjorie Daggett, former Lexington representative to the Committee Ms Daggett said hello and noted that she was representing the League of Women Voters for Concord-Carlisle this evening IV. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT a Legislative Update Dr Bouquillon reported that plans are underway for the October 7 Legislative Breakfast A number of legislators have confirmed plans to attend Massachusetts Secretary of the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development Joanne F. Goldstein will give opening remarks. She is particularly interested in the third bullet in his wntten Legislative Update shown in Attachment E He explained that Massachusetts Treasurer Steve Grossman may come as well, as his affiliation with MSBA operations concerns the other two bullets Dr Bouquillon noted that he will forward to the School Committee the list of attendees, and asks that any School Committee member who is planning to attend,but who hasn't signed up yet,to please let Ms Rozan know MAVA's organizational funding sources,charter school tuition rates, legislative impact to the Regional Agreement, and a recent U S grant to Middlesex Community College were discussed To address the concern about process for the Legislative Breakfast on the 7th,Mr Weis made a motion and the following vote was taken Page 3 of 10 ACTION 11-12# 17 On a motion of Mr Weis, and seconded by Mr Spalding,the School Committee VOTED (9 for,with 4 abstentions,with 13 members present)that the representatives from the Minuteman School Committee endorse the legislative goals outlined in the Supenntendent's Legislative Update, shown as Attachment E The motion passed. b. Building Committee Dr Bouquillon read from the August 9 letter from MSBA which stated that the School Committee must formalize a Building Committee He referred to the packet at the table that included the invitation sent to a wide range of people,the notice of the information meeting scheduled for October 17, as well as a list of responders He asked for a vote, as noted in the packet Motion Mr Stulin moved, and Ms Castagno seconded, establishing a Building Committee,while continuing to take names of interested participants For further clarification,Dr Bouquillon noted that the Building Committee would consist of the 5 people highlighted on the list of responders,himself, and Camie Lamica. He hopes to add more names to the list after the October 17 information session He noted that any changes in the members or duties must be submitted to the MSBA within 20 days Mr Stulin withdrew his motion and restated it as follows Restated Motion Mr Stulin made a motion, seconded by Ms Mahoney,to establish a Building Committee, comprised of the 5 named people,Dr. Bouquillon, and Camie Lamica, and to continue to take names of interested participants Limits to the number of Building Committee members,the size of committees on other projects, commitment(anticipated to be 2 years with 1-2 meetings/month), and its mission were discussed Ms DeLuca referred to the deleted Preliminary School Building Committee from page 2 of the Subcommittees list addressed earlier,noting that the Building Committee will, in conformity with the MSBA process, conduct and produce the Feasibility Study,reporting to the School Committee The critical issues of size and scope, design,MSBA's guidelines and parameters,full support of towns funding the project,tuition students, quarterly meetings,vision, and cost differentials were raised Addressing the many questions and concerns,yet moving the project forward,the non-linear quality to the process,the risk of losing key people,MSBA's expectations,continuity of members, and the School Committee's ongoing rights and fiduciary responsibilities were also raised Dr Bouquillon stressed that the Building Committee would have a fairly prescribed function,but would bnng new resources He noted that he personally is running out of steam and welcomes the influx of new energy to the project The simple charge of conducting a feasibility study,while reporting to the School Committee, getting the right people on the Committee, including a town planner,doing a cost analysis, and providing a flexible framework to the Building Committee were also raised for consideration Dr Bouquillon again referred to MSBA guidelines They have expenence with projects and give direction upfront He thinks the proposed group is a good mix to start,but clearly does not have all the skills needed or desired Pointing out that 16 towns have to pay for the project, and that there needs to be some consideration of what the School Committee thinks is the right size,Mr Mani arrez made an amendment to the Main Motion,and it was seconded by Mr Horton,as follows Page 4 of 10 Amendment and to include a framework on right-sizing the school, coming to agreement by November A discussion ensued to clarify the meaning of the amendment,who would come up with a number, and whether this was doable by November MSBA parameters on capacity,who ultimately decides, verifying maximums, and that the towns ultimately pay for the project were raised, as was the value of the enrollment studies done to date Dr Bouquillon explained that the enrollment study initially stated 800 students,but this did not include post grads. The NESDEC study included post grads, and suggested 1100 He reiterated that he has not yet received a final certification letter from MSBA,but he anticipates it will list as maximum 800 students He also explained formulas,allocation, and approvals Ms DeLuca noted that quarterly meetings will begin in the fall to continue the dialogue with the towns, she was against delaying the project due to a discussion on numbers Whether communities want the project, and what number each would see as the optimum were issues pointed out for debate, the School Committee is the decision-making body, voting for representative towns ACTION 11-12#18 On a motion of Mr Stulin and seconded by Ms Mahoney,the School Committee VOTED to move the question(9 for and 4 against) The motion passed Vote on Manjarrez amendment ACTION 11-12#19 On a motion of Mr Manjarrez and seconded by Mr Horton,the School Committee VOTED(5 for and 8 against)the amendment as follows and to include a framework on right sizing the school, coming to agreement by November. The motion did not pass. Mr Weis expressed that he was concerned with a lack of clarity and that charging a committee without clarity and agreement is premature He noted the School Committee is bound by the May 17,2010 Town Warrant/Arlington He noted that Belmont first voted it down, and then approved it on the understanding that the blessing of the 16 member towns is necessary The need to get the project going now and let the experts come up with hard figures was raised, given the interrelationships among the many factors of design, size,building costs,and cost analysis of out-of- distnct students The additional needs for trust,teamwork, and doing what's nght were raised,with the emphasis that cost will be the final concern More information is needed and the Building Committee will be able to provide it through its regular reports to the School Committee. Main Motion ACTION 11-12#20 On a motion of Mr Stuhn moved, and seconded by Ms Mahoney,the School Committee VOTED(10 in favor, 1 opposed, and 2 abstentions)to establish a Building Committee, consisting of 5 named people, Dr Bouquillon and Camie Lamica, and to continue to take names of interested participants The motion passed. The details can be found as Attachment F Ms DeLuca underscored that the Building Committee has been established She extended thanks and that she looks forward to bringing the issue to her town Mr Weis expressed his wish to be on record as having supported the establishment of the Building Committee,but holding to the position that no money be spent until it comes back for additional approvals The Chair noted that this is Mr Weis's opinion Page 5 of 10 V. SECRETARY'S REPORT a. Vote on Past Record of 8/16/11 Mr Horton presented the past record(minutes)of 8/16/11 with one amendment at the top of page 3, as noted in distributed materials In response to inquines about guest attendance and inclusion of handouts in the record,Mr Horton agreed that going forward, anyone who signs in will be included in the record and that any document brought up for discussion will be included Further,it was stated at the meeting that no vote can be offered by someone who had not attended a meeting,but comments on content can be made ACTION 11-12#21 On a motion of Mr Horton, and seconded by Mr Stulin,the School Committee VOTED(11 for, 1 opposed, and 1 abstention)to approve the amended record of the 8/16/11 School Committee meeting, as shown in Attachment G The motion passed b Vote on Past Record of 9/13/11 Mr Horton noted that this vote is being postponed VII. ATTORNEY CONTRACT Matt Tobin joined the School Committee at the table The discussion involved delegation of authonty and conflict of interest,the provision of unbiased legal opinions,disagreement, attorney involvement with Open Meeting Law matters, and billing Mr Tobin clarified that the Superintendent is authorized by the Committee to get legal advice on matters pertaining to the school and its operation Questions about the Superintendent's integrity regarding adherence to Open Meeting Law arose and escalated to the level of the Superintendent asking if he was being accused, and if there was any proof He stated his right to have personal counsel present in future dealings on the matter The Chair extended an invitation to School Committee members with an issue to meet to discuss these matters further Mr Tobin reiterated that any question of Open Meeting Law violation is investigated,but that all matters must come from the School Committee through the Chair Requests for public records (of the law firm) from an individual will be confirmed for authorization from the Chair before any action is taken, and if the authorization exists,will be responded to with a legal opinion that would always be in compliance with the Open Meeting Law Mr McGarity requested clarification on the legal training sessions listed in the scope of services,Mr Tobin offered reassurance that the district is not invoiced for services not provided ACTION 11-12#22 On a motion of Mr Stuhn and seconded by Mr Spalding,the School Committee VOTED (10 for, 1 opposed,with 2 abstentions) to approve the proposed 2011-12 Attorney Contract with Murphy,Lamere&Murphy,P C,with suggested deletion on page 3, as presented The Contract can be found as Attachment H VII ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND ADHERENCE TO LAW Motion Mr Manjarrez moved, and Mr Horton seconded,to approve Mr Manjarrez's motion shown in Attachment I Page 6 of 10 Mr Manjarrez explained that the motion he has offered speaks for itself and the intention is to maintain public trust and confidence Amendment to Main Motion Mr Stulin moved, and Mr Hunter seconded, an amendment to the main motion as follows In addition, all School Committee members acknowledge and adhere to all aspects of the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law, including those covered by e-mail, and during every January meeting,the full School Committee read out loud and in unison the entire text of Policy BCA, School Committee Member Ethics Mr Stulin clarified the importance of and reasoning for including the phrase"in unison" ACTION 11-12#23 On a motion of Mr Manjarrez and seconded by Mr Horton,the School Committee VOTED(8 for, 5 opposed)to move the question on this amendment The motion did not pass(2/3 vote required to move a question) Ms Mahoney pointed out that the Committee can't vote without the referenced document,Policy BCA. While copies were being made,issues were raised about why the main motion points to the Supenntendent and Officers and not the whole School Committee, the motion singles out the Superintendent, some people were uncomfortable with the focus on the Superintendent and Officers,when the entire School Committee is in it together, every School Committee member doesn't act appropriately 100%of the time, all School Committee members already took an oath, it seems redundant and with the inclusion of the Freedom of Information Act, should the Constitution and Bill of Rights be included, or should the Committee affirm support of other icons like apple pie and Mickey Mouse, and the policy in question,BCA(shown in Attachment J) was last reviewed in 2008,and it perhaps should be looked at more closely ACTION 11-12#24 On a motion of Mr Stulin and seconded by Mr Hunter,the School Committee VOTED(5 for, 7 opposed)the above listed amendment to the Main Motion The motion did not pass. Amendment#2 to the Main Motion ACTION 11-12#25 On a motion of Mr. Spalding and seconded by Mr. Stulin,the School Committee VOTED(12 for, 1 abstention)to strike the words"the officers of'from the main motion The motion passed. Main Motion,as Amended The discussion continued with many people expressing concerns that this motion is redundant and insulting, since all School Committee members took an oath, already have committed to adhering to the law, have not checked with their personal attorney, and that the tone is inappropriate,bothersome, and full of distrust and innuendo that singles out an individual A direct question was raised as to why the presenter of the motion was so angry The question of whether the Supenntendent has taken an oath was raised and it was explained that his contract specifies his obligation to follow the law Others expressed views based on personal experience of staff and of loyalty oaths The issue of where such a motion, if passed,would fit structurally in the School Committee bylaws and policies was also raised Page 7 of 10 ACTION 11-12#26 On a motion of Mr Stulin and seconded by Ms Mahoney,the School Committee VOTED(12 for, 1 abstention)to move the question of the Main Motion, as Amended The motion passed. Mr Manjarrez then asked for a roll call vote ACTION 11-12#27 On a motion of Mr Mani arrez and seconded by Ms Perugmi,the School Committee VOTED(5 for, 8 opposed)to vote the Main Motion, as Amended by roll call vote The motion did not pass. Main Motion, as Amended ACTION 11-12#28 On a motion of Mr Manjarrez, and seconded by Mr Horton,the School Committee VOTED([without a roll call vote] 2 for, 10 opposed, 1 abstention)to approve Mr Manjarrez's main motion, as amended The motion did not pass. VIII. EXECUTIVE SESSION ACTION 11-12#29 On a motion of Mr Spalding and seconded by Mr Horton,the School Committee took a UNANIMOUS roll call vote(as noted below,with 13 members present) to enter into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing negotiations hearing a Level III Grievance from the Minuteman Faculty Association Dr Bouquillon,Mr Houle and Ms Rozan would be in attendance The motion passed. Alice DeLuca Stow yes Ford Spalding Dover yes David Horton Lexington yes Dore Hunter Acton yes Jack Weis Belmont yes Cheryl Mahoney Boxborough yes Mariellen Perugmi Carlisle yes (departed at approximately 10 42 PM) John McGarity Lancaster yes Kemon Taschioglou Lincoln yes Jeffrey Stulin Needham yes David Manjarrez Sudbury yes Mary Ellen Castagno Wayland yes (departed at approximately 10 35 PM) John Blyzinskyj Weston yes (departed at approximately 10 03 PM) Not Present Laura Morrissette Arlington Hannes Klein Bolton David Bearg Concord VIII. ADJOURNMENT The School Committee did not return to Open Session,and voted unanimously at the end of the Executive Session,with 10 members present(Ms Castagno,Ms Perugmi, and Mr Blyzinskyj having departed)to adjourn the meeting at 11 10 pm Page 8 of 10 Respectfully s bmitted Elizab Rozan, School ommittee •I. istrative Assistant szewl r ALvizzili David Horton Secretary MINUTEMAN REGIONAL VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL DISTRICT SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 27,2011 AT 6 30 PM ATTACHMENTS TO THE MINUTES A Meeting Norms B Schedule of School Committee Meetings for 2011-12 C Minuteman Distnct School Committee Subcommittees, 2011-12 D Public Record Request Form E Superintendent's Legislative Update(for October 7,2011 Legislative Breakfast) F. Building Committee Materials G Minutes of August 16,2011 H Attorney Contract with Murphy,Lamere&Murphy,P C I. Mr. Manjarrez's motion. Acknowledgement and Adherence to Law J School Committee Member Ethics,Policy BCA Page 10 of 10