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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1975-11-04-MMSC-min.pdf iw= Sw y (62) MINUTES OF THE MINUTEMAN REGIONAL VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE November 4, 1975, at the Minuteman School PRESENT Bilodeau, Cormier, Courtright, Cron , Hall , Heinrich, Kelsey, Merluzzo, Smith, Wales , Zeoli Lombardo ABSENT Bonfield STAFF Ricciuti , Whitney, Marotta, Lydiard, Hayward, Mayer, Essman, DellaPenna, Arnold, Lokich, Purvis , Bellmar, Hancock, Lillis, Fagan, Mar, Maguire, Stille, Lee, Bohigian , Robitaille VISITORS Jean McGuire, Executive Director of METCO; many parents; many students, including members of the Student Advisory Committee and Metco students; a representative of the League of Women Voters; four representatives of the press The meeting was called to order at 8 15 p m STUDENT Mr introduced members of the Minuteman Student Advisory ADVISORY Committee to the School Committee, chosen by the members of the COMMITTEE Minuteman Student Council Fred Corazzini , Student Council President; Noreen Sirois, Vice President; members Kathy Furdon, Terry Sullivan and Kenneth Whitten; and alternate Donna Corazzini The School Committee extended a hearty welcome to the student committee METCO There was a lengthy discussion on the likelihood of Minuteman receiving Metco funds under the still unapproved State Budget Alternate means of obtaining funds were suggested offer~, of assistance in various forms has been made by representatives of organizations in sending towns Mr Merluzzo noted that the Minuteman District Agreement specifies only two kinds of students, regular and tuition Since the Metco students cannot be regular students , as they do not reside in the region, they must be considered tuition students In that case, said Mr Merluzzo, they must be billed for tuition according to established procedure Other committee members viewed the Metco program as unique and separate it is a statutory program and supercedes the school 's Agreement; the program was first proposed for Minuteman by the School Committee, which is a body politic and authorized to enter into independent arrangements (63) Mr Zeoli MOVED that the Metco status decision be deferred until all funding possibilities could be considered This motion was later WITHDRAWN by unanimous consent in favor of a motion by Mr Hall Mr Hall MOVED, and Mrs Smith SECONDED, that the Metco program extension voted on September 30 be extended two more weeks After much further discussion Mrs Smith MOVED to terminate debate The motion was SECONDED by Mrs Wales , but was DEFEATED, the vote being 6 in favor, 4 opposed, and 1 abstaining (2/3 vote required to terminate debate) During subsequent discussion Mr Cron explained that the budget for this school year was approved on the basis of full enrollment, that towns have already paid in their respective shares of that budget The School Committee, in light of low enrollment, can try to underspend and return some funds to the towns, or to take in tuition and other paying students , whose contributions reduce the cost to the towns It was noted that the Metco students themselves prefer staying at Minuteman as long as possible, even if their position is uncertain, rather than returning to their sending towns Mr Hall 's MOTION to extend the time of the Metco consideration another two weeks was VOTED, 9 to 2, with Mr Courtright and Mr Merluzzo in opposition It was then MOVED by Mr Merluzzo, SECONDED by Mr Courtright, that the Superintendent-Director be charged with billing all eleven tution students now at Minuteman, according to established procedures This motion was DEFEATED, the vote being 3 in favor, 6 opposed, and 2 abstaining After some further discussion it was MOVED by Mr Hall , SECONDED by Mr Zeoli , to approve and confirm the action of the Treasurer in billing the two tuition students from Natick and Wellesley After debate was terminated by a unanimous vote, this motion was VOTED, 8 in favor, 2 opposed , 1 abstaining BROCHURE Dr Ricciuti requested approval of the brochure, draft copies of AND which had been made available to all committee members There was PROGRAM a lengthy discussion of dates and schedules for student application , selection, notification, etc It was suggested that perhaps the school had lost many prospective students last year because students from oversubscribed towns were kept on waiting lists for two months , whereas there was actually room for all applicants The need for intensive recruiting efforts was emphasized To this end, it was AGREED that school committee members would try to attend recruiting sessions in sending schools, and that Mr Hayward should notify them of the dates ; also, that recruiting should be actively continued even after the first admissions , unless enroll- ment is up to 450; and further, that recruiting efforts would be especially vigorous in those towns now undersubscribed (64) There was CONSENSUS that the date for filing applications be March 1 , with the random selection to be held on March 2, the first school committee meeting that month If the total number of applications is 450 or less , all will be accepted If there are more than 450 applications, students from over- subscribed towns will be chosen by random selection as before, with 80% being notified at that time and the other 20% decided by March 16 It was also agreed that the brochure need not include details of this procedure (All dates in the Admissions Procedures for September, 1976, will be changed in accordance with the above agreements) ([ Members were REQUESTED to make any other suggestions for changing the brochure to the coordinator, Mrs Wales, before November 6 Mr Cron reviewed the committee 's original concept for Minuteman's educational program This included for freshmen, an exposure to all 8 occupational clusters for sophomores, an exploration of several areas for juniors, a focus and specialization in one area of a cluster for seniors,preparation for actual employment, including cooperative work in industries Since it is important that juniors and seniors have full oppor- tunity for instruction in their particular specialties , freshmen and sophomores in the future should be placed wherever there is room after providing for upperclassmen Mr Cron stated that in his view the brochure could be written so as to be quite universal , covering all variations , rather than leading prospective students to specific hopes and plans SPECIAL It was agreed to consider Agenda Item 6 out of order The NEEDS committee discussed a proposed amendment to the Admissions ADMISSIONS Policy for Special Needs students Core evaluations are now being conducted in the sending schools rather than at Minuteman, and Minuteman can request evaluation of those students who have not been evaluated but appear to be Special Needs students The educational program will be planned for each student by cooperation between Minuteman and the sending school Mr Less pointed out that while the proportion of special needs students will not be higher next year, he does expect a wider range of problems and some special ones , such as profound deafness in three prospective students Asked if he felt the school is equipped and staffed to handle such problems, Mr Less responded with an emphatic yes On the other hand, he said, there are (65) students who would be better served at a resident or private school Minuteman does not wish to take on students who really need service only a private school can offer It was MOVED by Mr Kelsey, SECONDED by Mr Bilodeau, and VOTED UNANIMOUSLY, to approve the amendment to the Admissions Policy, Section 4 1 1 , as presented in the October 24 proposal , (copy filed with minutes) , except that the final sentence be changed to read "The Special Needs Educational Plan must indicate that the student can be adequately served by the Minuteman Regional Vocational School District " There was some discussion as to whether students being Core Evaluated at the time of general admissions should be admitted 11 or put on a waiting list; the conclusion appeared to be that ;? they would be notified of acceptance, and if it later proved that they could not be adequately served by Minuteman, the admission would be rescinded It was AGREED by consensus to defer the Computer/Business Office f Overview until the next meeting JOB Regarding job descriptions as presented, Mrs Wales noted that the DESCRIPTION description for a social worker does not specify prerequisite experience, which would normally be at least 3 years for this level and salary, and preferably 5 years, given the nature of the job Mrs Wales proposed that the specification should include a requirement of 3 to 5 years actual experience in related work; the committee so AGREED by consensus ADMISSIONS It was MOVED by Mr Zeoli , SECONDED by Mrs Wales , and VOTED PROCEDURE UNANIMOUSLY, to approve the revisions, proposed October 22, to the Applications Section of Admissions Procedures PHYSICAL Mr Kelsey MOVED, Mr Zeoli SECONDED, that the proposed additions EDUCATION to Student Policies under Section 4 7 (copy filed with minutes) POLICY be approved as presented Section 4 7 4, APPROVED by vote of 9 in favor, 2 opposed Section 4 7 5, VOTED UNANIMOUSLY (The lock deposit was opposed on the grounds that locks should only be charged for if not returned at the end of the year ) i4 The Committee AGREED by consensus to TABLE Action Items A, B, and F (66) STUDENT Upon recommendation of the administration, the committee VOTED APPLICATIONS UNANIMOUSLY to approve the admission of Karine Davidson, of Lincoln, and Douglas J Wright, of Arlington, into the 10th grade PERSONNEL There was considerable discussion as to whether available person- TRANSFER nel ( including teacher aides) could be used more efficiently than at present Mr Heinrich REQUESTED that at the next meeting a simple chart be presented, illustrating the allocation of work and responsibility between business department, administration office, teacher support, teacher aides, etc Since the requested transfer would leave the position of computer data clerk vacant, and filling that vacancy would then mean an increase in the total number of support personnel , the committee questioned the need for this transfer seriously; Mr Lombardo stated, however, that the additional help in the business office was needed urgently and immediately {P{' It was then MOVED by Mr Merluzzo, and SECONDED by Mr Courtright, to approve the transfer of Alice Maguire from data clerk, Level #1 position, to clerk typist, level #1 position, in the Business Department, effective November 10 Further, that the position being vacated remain unfilled until otherwise authorized by the school committee VOTED 10 in favor, 1 opposed (The opposition was opposed to leaving the school without a data clerk ) TIME- Dr Ricciuti reviewed the history of the time-sharing program SHARING which will begin December 15 Mrs Lydiard had prepared descriptive PROGRAM brochures and a detailed memorandum on selection procedures Students coming to Minuteman under this program will be in the 9th grade program, although they may come from grades 9, 10, Or 8 in the sending schools , priority being given to grade levels in that order Mr Hall wanted to be very sure there would be no interference with the regular program; Mr Hayward stated that before November 7 all regular 9th grade students would know their schedules for the rest of the year, and the faculty would know which spaces are available for the time-sharing program The policy of giving priority to time-sharing students who sign up for the most cycles was questioned perhaps those who do not have such time are those with special ability who should not be kept out of Minuteman for that reason It was MOVED by Mr Hall , SECONDED by Mr Kelsey, and VOTED UNANIMOUSLY to approve the time-sharing program program, pro- cedures , and brochure, as presented Mr Merluzzo and other member members added congratulations to Mrs Lydiard for a very profess- ional job done in a very short time Mrs Lydiard noted that students had done nearly all the work in publishing 18,000 brochures, which were printed in two days These brochures had now been distributed to all towns in the region Mr Merluzzo (67) suggested that future publications printed by the students be annotated to that effect Mr Cron suggested that future publications be conspicuously dated USE OF It was MOVED by Mr Hall , SECONDED by Mr Zeoli , and VOTED MINUTEMAN UNANIMOUSLY, that approval be granted for the Minuteman Parents FACILITIES Organization to use the Minuteman cafeteria on December 3, from 8 to 11 p m , and during the first or second week in May, and that fees be waived It was MOVED by Mr Hall , SECONDED by Mr Zeoli , and VOTED UNANIMOUSLY to approve the application of the Massachusetts Vocational Association Eastern Chapter to hold their next executive meeting at Minuteman on December 15, from 4 30 to 6 00 p m A Minuteman representative will be in attendance Mrs Wales requested that schedules of Minuteman facility use include notes as to who is responsible and whether fees have been waived SICK The request for an extension of Dr Resnick's sick leave to LEAVE cover his prolonged illness was withdrawn, since he had not yet used his sick leave allowance, which applies on the first day of employment rather than accruing on a monthly basis BUDGET Mr Merluzzo, reporting for the Ways and Means Committee, noted CALENDAR that the preliminary budget would be presented to the committee at the November 18 meeting, as stated in the budget schedule given to committee members Copies of the budget will be distributed to the towns in time for the Public Hearing on December 16 Mr Mayer, speaking by request on behalf of the faculty, made an urgent plea for the faculty to be included in considering ways to underspend the budget for the current school year Not only do faculty members feel they could make some positive and creative contributions, said Mr Mayer, but they are concerned that budget reductions in the 2,000 account may mean reduction of the staff Mr Mayer also noted that some teachers left other positions to come to Minuteman, that they now feel their positions to be insecure, and they feel this situation was unnecessary a realistic look at the enrollment last summer might have prevented overstaffing Chairman Cron explained that the committee had requested the administration to make recommendations, that the final decision on any budget reductions would be made by the committee He added that the financial problem is a• very real one, and that ideas and suggestions would be welcomed from everyone (68) The related problem of recruiting was discussed one member of the faculty SUGGESTED that the school close down completely for two days, and that teachers and selected students form teams and visit schools in sending towns in a very intensive recruiting effort Some faculty members, at least, would be willing to teach two extra days in the spring to make up for the time lost Mr Merluzzo SUGGESTED and Mr Kelsey encouraged, that the faculty come back with a complete proposal for the committee's consideration Mr Cron noted that the present low enrollment should make it possible to assign several faculty members to recruitment without closing the school Mr Courtright SUGGESTED that Back-to-School -Night, November 19 would be a good time to begin the recruiting effort, and he hoped all the faculty would be present It was MOVED by Mrs Wales, SECONDED by Mr Zeoli and VOTED UNANIMOUSLY, to approve the report of the Ways and Means Committee and the Budget Schedule as presented TREASURER'S Mr Lombardo reported a balance of $160,212 43 in the Regular REPORT Budget Account and $2,982 70 in the Site and Construction Account OCTOBER It was MOVED by Mrs Wales , SECONDED by Mrs Smith, and VOTED 21ST UNANIMOUSLY, to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of MINUTES October 21 REPRESENTATIVE Mr Cron reported receipt of a letter from the Parents Organi- TO zation 's Executive Board, requesting that a member of the school PARENTS committee be present at each board meeting, and suggesting that ORGANIZATION members attend in rotation Mr Cron replied that scheduling rotation would be difficult, that the committee had appointed a member to act as liaison with the Parents Organization, and that discussion of issues and policies would preferably take place at school committee meetings BIDS At the request of the administration, it was MOVED by Mr Hall , SECONDED by Mr Courtright, and VOTED. UNANIMOUSLY, to approve the administration 's going to bid for the following from Fisher Scientific Company, 461 Riverside Avenue, Medford $1900 in supplies , $450 in capital equipment in one instance, $500 in supplies,$2000 in capital equipment in the other It was noted in the brief discussion that supplies must be bid if purchasing more than $2,000 worth from one vendor; that although bid, the capital items will not be purchased unless adequate funds are available; and that capital items are included in the Construction Account and are therefore 65% reimbursable (69) QUESTIONS Miss Amy Buchsbaum spoke to the committee of her observations during one week of working at Minuteman as a social worker on a trial basis and without pay Miss Buchsbaum expressed her view that the Special Needs staff has too much work to be able to give the amount of attention that some Special Needs students require She suggested there be one person available at all times to handle "crisis situations" Mr Mayer spoke, again on behalf of the faculty, regarding the use of "S-6 cards" These cards are to be given by teachers to students engaging in extremely disruptive behavior, and the student is then required to report to the office of the Dean of Students The faculty, said Mr Mayer, had been told that S-6 cards meant "automatic suspension " Mr Mayer said this was a change in policy on which the faculty and students had not been consulted, contrary to previous agreement Dr Ricciuti explained that the use of S-6 cards had risen out of the fact that the number of discipline cases was too large for Mr Marotta to handle Mr Marotta, the Dean of Students, said his own recommendation would be that severe behavior problems be referred to SPC's and other resources, dealt with on a one-to-one basis , and that the matter be handled as a problem-solving rather than a disciplinary situation The committee members AGREED that Mr Marotta's recommendations on this matter should be followed Mr Less reported that the Special Needs Department is now able to provide more service than before, and has established a Psychiatric Consulting service - A parent with two children in Minuteman, one of them with special problems, commended the Special Needs Department most highly for the excellent help they have given his child CHANGE IN The committee AGREED by consensus to begin the meetings at 7 30 MEETING TIME p.m , starting November 13, in the hope of being able to finish earlier The meeting was adjourned at 1 20 a.m to be reconvened in executive session Respectfully submitted, arlt.4 Recording Secretary Approved (0CU R 1 q eycn, (J Ruth W Wales, Secretary