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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-09-22-SC-min SC Meeting 9/22/09 page # 1 LEXINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Tuesday, September 22, 2009 Lexington Town Office Building, Selectmen's Meeting Room 1625 Massachusetts Avenue Present: Superintendent Paul Ash, School Committee Chair Margaret Coppe, School Committee Members Rod Cole, Tom Diaz, Jessie Steigerwald, Mary Ann Stewart, and student representative Liam Gandelsman. The minutes were taken by Leora Tec. The meeting was convened at 7:35 p.m. I. Call to Order and Welcome (Margaret Coppe) II. Public Comment Myra Marshall and Larry Belvin (Parents of ILP Children): We represent the ASD Subcommittee of the Lexington SEPAC, particularly the parents of kids in the ILP program at Clarke who are moving up to LHS next year. We are asking for support of these children in this year’s budget. We are requesting an expert to look at LHS to evaluate how to make it ready for these kids. We are requesting active inclusion and direct participation of the parents of the kids in the ILP program who are moving from the Clarke program to LHS. Dr. Ash: Looks forward to a strong program in the high school next year for the kids in the ILP program. He will recommend that the School Committee budget sufficient funds as part of the FY 11 budget to have a quality program. Planning has been taking place over the summer. Mrs. Chase and her staff will be talking to interested parents at the appropriate points. III. Superintendent’s Announcements We have received two grants from the federal government: 1). A grant for teaching American History for three years. Five towns are sharing the grant, which totals $949K. Lexington has fourteen seats for teachers of grades 3-11. It includes PD, book groups, trips and more. On October 8th at Depot Square from 6:00-8:30 there will be a reception announcing the winners. 2). We received a grant for $99K called Readiness Emergency Management for Schools (REMS). LPS will be working with facilities, police, fire, human services and school nurses. School staff will be trained to speak the same language as police and fire departments to facilitate better emergency plans and SC Meeting 9/22/09 page # 2 communication with parents. There will be integration with town and state emergency plans. IV. Members’ Reports / Members’ Concerns Tom Diaz: The Trivia Bee is Nov 5th at 7:00 pm. Last year the School Committee won. If anyone is interested in being on the team let me know off-line. Rod Cole: The teachers in elementary school are thrilled to have laptops. Mary Ann Stewart: LEF kicked off a new year. They hired an executive director. The SEPAC has someone responsible for providing information to school newsletters. I spoke to several residents who want to be more involved in schools. Jessie Steigerwald: March 2013 is our town’s 300th birthday. Sue Campbell, who has run the ILP program at Hastings, has won an award and has demonstrated what collaboration means. The Youth Services Council is also working on collaboration, in particular with regard to sharing space. Please respect the twenty-four hour fever-free rule for keeping your kids home. V. Discussion Items 1. Mentor Program for New Teachers. Introduced by Assistant Superintendent Robert Harris. This is a collaboration among LEA, LEF, School Committee and the administration. Mr. Harris introduced Phyllis Neufeld, LEA President who discussed one-to one mentoring. Cheryl Tickonoff (from Bowman School) described the Lexington Better Beginnings program. A mentor team from the Bowman School discussed their experiences. Len Swanton discussed the content coaching that takes place in year two. There were questions and comments from the Committee. 2. Superintendent's Recommended 2009-2010 System Goals Dr. Ash first reported on the goals from 2008-2009. He then outlined the recommended goals for 2009-2010. He stated that we are moving from assessment of learning to assessment for learning. There were questions and comments from the Committee. SC Meeting 9/22/09 page # 3 3. Training for Site Councils. Introduced by Jessie Steigerwald. The Committee discussed the topic. Paul Ash: The principals will be here next week. Let’s have a dialogue with them. Let’s survey parents who have been on site councils for the past few years to find out what kind of training they feel they need. 4. FY11 Budget Guidelines. Presented by Dr. Ash. Dr. Ash pointed out that he will be bringing a level service budget. Regarding equal cost substitutions, there is not adequate funding in the technology budget. That department has not focused on the instructional side. He plans to add instructional technology specialists to the budget. There was a discussion of making budget forecasts three years into the future. There were questions and comments from the Committee. VI. Action Items 1. Vote to Authorize the Superintendent to Submit a Statement of Interest to the MSBA for the High School. The necessity of the Statement of Interest was explained by Dr. Ash. Motion to authorize the superintendent to submit Statement of Interest to the MSBA for the High School (Cole, Diaz). The motion passed 5-0. 2. Vote to Approve School Committee Minutes of September 8, 2009 Motion to approve School Committee minutes of September 8, 2009 (Diaz, Steigerwald) The motion passed 5-0. 3. Vote to Authorize Ms. Coppe to Sign a Letter of Endorsement on Behalf of the School Committee in Support of the Bowman School’s Application for a State Grant for Safe Routes to School. Motion to authorize Ms. Coppe to sign a letter of endorsement on behalf of the School Committee in support of the Bowman School’s application for a State grant for Safe Routes to School (Stewart, Diaz). The motion passed 5-0. VII. Motion to Adjourn (Cole, Steigerwald). The motion passed 5-0. The meeting was adjourned at 10:40 p.m. SC Meeting 9/22/09 page # 4