HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-01-15-SC-min LEXINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Cary Hall Auditorium
1605 Massachusetts Avenue
Present: Superintendent Paul Ash, School Committee Chair Tom Diaz, School Committee
Members Helen Cohen, Margaret Coppe, Tom Griffiths and Ravi Sakhuja. The minutes were
taken by Leora Tec.
The meeting was convened at 7:33 p.m.
L Call to Order and Welcome (Tom Diaz)
Tom Diaz went over the ground rules of the public hearing.
This is the first of 3 public hearings, there will be one hour during the Jan 31st meeting and
there will be a public hearing on Jan 24th at 10:00 a.m..
11. Public Hearing on the FY09 Budget
Francis Gillespie: Fee waivers for buses, music and athletics.
Phyllis Neufeld: The equitable distribution of$600K for technology and filling positions with
direct contact with children before administrative positions.
Reid Zurlo: SPED reading teachers for language based learning problems and whether they
could really reduce out of district placements.
Leora Tec: Moved by Ms. Gillespie's words. Better if principals get to decide about fees on a
case by case basis.
Martha Burke: Against full day kindergarten.
Pamela Taimes: Full day kindergarten as it relates to gross motor play, nap time the impact
on families and on the extended day programs and what it would cost the whole town a few
years from now.
J.J. Krawczyk: Full day kindergarten.
Seth Silverman: In support of full day kindergarten.
Dr. Ash described the conditions of the state grant for full-day kindergarten.
Theresa Nelson: Concerns about full day kindergarten.
Dawn McKenna: Community conversation about full day kindergarten.
Leslie Zales: Concern about personnel regarding full day kindergarten. Preschool PTA is
keeping our kids informed.
Kerry St. Louis: Full day kindergarten.
Reid Zurlo: Against full day kindergarten.
Helen Cohen (to the audience): Your input helps me come to my decisions.
Seth Silverman: Full day kindergarten and budget and the grant.
Jane Pagett: Full day kindergarten and the FY 09 budget.
Liz Billings-Fouhy: All day kindergarten. Time for play in kindergarten. Stress in
kindergarten.
Shari Specter: Full day kindergarten. Percentage of parents who take advantage of extended
day programs.
Pamela Taimes: Task force from 5 years ago about full day kindergarten. Parents on
planning discussion. Time of full-day kindergarten.
Reid Zurlo: Extended day K parents don't use for every day.
David Kaufman: Possibility of intervening with at-risk kids instead of full day kindergarten
for all.
Lauren Honorado: Stay at home mother not in favor of full day kindergarten.
Francis Gillespie: Against full day kindergarten. In favor of restoring lost programs.
Nicole Adair: Some children do do full day kindergarten?
Liz Billings-Fouhy: Some children do do that because of their disability. After February the
kids without special needs start staying longer as well.
III. Motion to adjourn (Griffiths, Cohen). The motion passed 5-0.
The scheduled January meetings of the School Committee are as follows:
■ Wednesday, January 16— 7:30 p.m., Town Office Building, Selectmen's Meeting Room,
1625 Massachusetts Avenue (Budget Collaboration/Summit Meeting)
■ Wednesday, January 23 —7:30 p.m., Cary Hall Auditorium, 1605 Massachusetts Avenue
■ Tuesday, January 29 —7:00 p.m., Global Ministries Christian Church, 670 Washington Street,
Dorchester
■ Thursday, January 31 — 7:30 p.m., Town Office Building, Selectmen's Meeting Room,
1625 Massachusetts Avenue
SC Meeting 1/15/08 page # 2