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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-11-03-SC-minSC Meeting 11/3/08 page # 1 LEXINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Monday, November 3, 2008 Clarke Middle School Auditorium 17 Stedman Road Present: Superintendent Paul Ash, School Committee Chair Helen Cohen, School Committee Members Rod Cole, Margaret Coppe, Tom Diaz, Ravi Sakhuja and student representative Gloria Park. The minutes were taken by Leora Tec. The meeting was convened at 7:43 p.m. I. Call to Order and Welcome (Helen Cohen) II. Superintendent’s Announcements 1. Carol Pilarski and I attended a farewell dinner for the students from Antony, France with parents, students and teachers. It was an extraordinary event. 2. A team of teachers and administrators spent two intensive days in Montgomery, MD getting a first-hand view of how a school district has been successful in closing the achievement gap. 3. On Nov. 18th at the School Committee meeting in Boston we will share with the Committee excerpts from that trip and next steps for Lexington in closing the achievement gap. Members from the community are welcome. III. Members’ Reports / Members’ Concerns 1. Meeting Reminders: Budget Collaboration/Summit Meeting – November 12 TMMA – November 13 Special Town Meeting – November 17 School Committee (Boston Meeting) – November 18 Rod Cole: The Sidewalk Committee had a meeting at Hastings. Roosevelt is not a safe road to walk on. Not clear which side of the road to put the sidewalk on though it seems the north side would be better. Gloria Park: I am willing to answer any questions about the NEASC report. Margaret Coppe: What is important to you as a student. Gloria Park observed that she is enjoying and appreciating her LHS education but that the facilities need to be improved, the Achievement gap exists and needs to be addressed, and the High School is a stressful environment. SC Meeting 11/3/08 page # 2 IV. Discussion Items 1. MCAS Report: Presented by Dr. Lynne Sarasin, Deputy Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Professional Development. The results of the MCAS for the past year showed that Lexington students are doing extremely well on average, but that we do need to close the achievement gap for some minority groups. There were questions and discussion from the Committee. 2. FY09 First Quarterly Financial Report: Presented by Mary Ellen Dunn, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Business. Expenditures are on track, with the possibility of surpluses at the end of the fiscal year. [This report is available on the LPS website.] There were questions and comments from the Committee. 3. FY10 Capital Recommendation [available on the LPS website]. Questions were answered by Paul Ash, Patrick Goddard, Director of Facilities, Mary Ellen Dunn Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Business, and Marianne McKenna, Director of Technology. 4. A draft of the FY09 School Committee Goals was presented and discussed. V. Action Items 1. Vote to Approve Diamond Middle School Field Trip to Canada. Presented by Joanne Hennessy. Motion to approve Diamond Middle School field trip to Canada (Diaz, Cole). The motion passed 5-0. 2. Vote to Approve LHS Honduras Club Community Service Trip to Juticalpa, Honduras. Presented by two students and teacher Joel Villegas. Motion to approve LHS Honduras Club community service trip to Juticalpa, Honduras (Coppe, Cole). The motion passed 5-0. 3. Vote to accept $9,390.00 donation from Shire to support extracurricular science activities at the High School. Presented by Olga Guttag and students from the Science Olympiad team. The Committee thanked Dr. Guttag for all she has done to make the Science Olympiad team possible. Motion to accept with gratitude the $9,390.00 donation from Shire to support extracurricular science activities at Lexington High School (Sakhuja, Cole). The motion passed 5-0. 4. Vote to Support Special Town Meeting Warrant Article #3 [please see Special Fall Town Meeting warrant on the Town website]. Motion to support Special Town Meeting Warrant Article #3 (Diaz, Cole). The motion passed 5-0. SC Meeting 11/3/08 page # 3 5. Vote to Support Special Town Meeting Warrant Article #6 Motion to support Special Town Meeting Warrant Article #6 for the construction of the Harrington Pre-School Playground, subject to the availability of CPA funds (Diaz, Cole). The motion passed 5-0. 6. Vote to Approve School Committee Minutes of April 14, 2008 Motion to approve School Committee minutes of April 14, 2008 (Cole, Coppe). The motion passed 3-0. 7. Vote to Approve School Committee Minutes of April 28, 2008 Motion to approve School Committee minutes of April 28, 2008 (Diaz, Coppe). The motion passed 5-0. 8. Vote to Approve School Committee Minutes of May 6, 2008 Motion to approve School Committee minutes of May 6, 2008, as amended (Diaz, Coppe). The motion passed 5-0. 9. Vote to Approve School Committee Minutes of June 3, 2008 Motion to approve School Committee minutes of June 3, 2008 (Diaz, Coppe). The motion passed 5-0. 10. Vote to Approve School Committee Minutes of June 17, 2008 Motion to approve School Committee minutes of June 17, 2008, as amended (Diaz, Coppe). The motion passed 4-0. VI. Motion to adjourn (Diaz, Coppe). The motion passed 5-0.