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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-09-14-SC-min SC Meeting 9/14/10 page #1 LEXINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Tuesday, September 14, 2010 Clarke Middle School Auditorium 17 Stedman Road Present: Superintendent Paul Ash, School Committee Chair Rod Cole, School Committee Members SandroAlessandrini, Margaret Coppe, Jessie Steigerwald and Mary Ann Stewart. The minutes were taken by Leora Tec. The meeting was convened at 7:38 p.m. I. Call to Order and Welcome (Rod Cole) II. Superintendent’s Announcements Both middle schools presented a one-hour video to the students about Rachel’s Challenge. Thank you to LEF for funding Rachel’s Challenge at both middle schools, which explains what happened at Columbine and teaches what can happen when there is anger and bullying in school. It presents five things that middle school students can do to improve their lives, improve the climate of the school and reduce bullying. The high school is presenting a version of the program this evening. This is part of a program in building resiliency for students. III. Members’ Reports / Members’ Concerns Jessie Steigerwald: I want to echo what Dr. Ash said. Part of the program dealt with sharing different viewpoints and respecting others; that is what we are doing regarding the Estabrook situation as well. IV. Discussion Item Update on the Estabrook PCB Issues Representative Jay Kaufman gave an update: The Head of the School Building Authority, Katherine Craven, was very responsive. The MSBA is aware of the situation and are willing to consider providing funding to assist with the remediation work. They are also willing to consider providing funding to assist with the replacement of Estabrook. Funding would be consistent with the formula used for communities around the Commonwealth, and for Lexington would probably be 30-40% of replacement costs. If the two referenda dealing with the rolling back of the sales tax pass then the SBA will be out of business. There were questions from the Committee. Dr. Ash presented a history of the last five years regarding facility matters to frame the discussion: 1). An override question was passed that allocated $750K for preventive maintenance and facilities staff; 2). The capital budget was increased; 3). A town-wide SC Meeting 9/14/10 page #2 facilities department was created and 4). We developed a ten-year master plan for the school department. 1. Overarching Goals (Paul Ash) a. Provide safe educational spaces for all students and staff. b. Minimize educational disruptions during the abatement process. c. Take necessary actions. 2. Current Status/Progress Report (Patrick Goddard, Director of Public Facilities and Dr. David MacIntosh from EH&E) a. What has happened since the September 7 School Committee meeting? b. Site-specific risk assessment. c. What is happening this week? (New test results are expected on 9/16. The Superintendent’s Advisory Committee will meet on September 16 and will discuss next steps). There were comments and questions from the Committee. There were questions and comments from the audience. Dr. Ash described the five-hour meeting of the advisory committee on Friday. The bottom line question was, “Is it safe for the children to go back to school on Monday?” 3. Possible Next Steps (Dr. Ash) a. Short-term i. Status Quo ii. Abate other possible PCB sources from the Kindergarten wing (rooms 1 through 6) and hallway over a weekend, and relocate Kindergarten classrooms to the Central Office or reconfigure internal Estabrook space (100 ng/cubic meter guideline). The K rooms will all have extra ventilation from the outside. b. Intermediate-term (late fall/winter) i. Discuss impact of winter conditions on fresh air intake. ii. Abate other PCB sources from other classrooms/spaces over a weekend/vacation (e.g. ceiling tiles). Rotate the occupants of the other sections of the building into the Kindergarten wing (300 ng/cubic meter guideline). c. Long-term i. Reconvene the Ad-Hoc Facilities Committee to discuss the possibility of modifying the Master Plan. ii. Submit a Statement of Interest with the Massachusetts School Building Authority this fall. d. Other possibilities (to be determined). There were questions and comments from the Committee. Rod Cole and Sandro Alessandrini both stated that they believe a new school needs to be built. Mary Ann Stewart agrees and is waiting for more information. Margaret Coppe and Jessie Steigerwald both stated that it is clear that we need to review the master plan. SC Meeting 9/14/10 page #3 Jessie Steigerwald suggested that the Committee appoint a two-member sub-committee to be a liaison to the Board of Selectmen regarding the Estabrook situation. Rod Cole deputized Sandro Alessandrini and Mary Ann Stewart to speak to the Board of Selectmen about acting as liaisons to the Board of Selectmen with regard to this issue. 4. Finances (Dr. Ash) a. To date b. Possible future expenditures c. Funding sources (local and possible MSBA funds) 5. School Committee Questions and Comments. 6. Public Questions and Comments. Dr. Ash, Dr. David MacIntosh and Pat Goddard responded to questions. V. Motion to adjourn (Coppe, Stewart). The motion passed 5-0. The meeting was adjourned at 11:33 p.m. Documents: From EH&H: Project Update, Estabrook Elementary School, Lexington, MA.