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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-04-16-SC-minLSC Meeting 041614 Page 1 LEXINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Wednesday, April 16, 2014 Cary Memorial Building, Estabrook Hall 1605 Massachusetts Avenue PRESENT: Dr. Paul B. Ash, Superintendent; Margaret Coppe, Chair; Alessandro Alessandrini, Jessie Steigerwald, Judy Crocker and Mary Ann Stewart The minutes were taken by Jean M .Curran, Recording Secretary The Meeting convened at 6:30 p.m. I. Call to Order and Welcome The Chair called the meeting to order and invited public comment. Mark Sandeen, Chair, Sustainable Lexington Committee (SLC) shared (i) invitation to Better Buildings Workshop on May 3 at 9:30 a.m.; (ii) an update on the solar initiative on municipal and school buildings and composting facility; and (iii) next milestones and timeline. The SLC hopes the town will reach a scope of project and issue projects and permits (with approval with School Committee). Mr. Sandeen presented written comments to the Committee. Margaret Coppe requested Mr. Sandeen to stay in touch with Dr. Ash and herself in order to get on a future agenda. II. SUPERINTENDENT ANNOUNCEMENTS: Dr. Ash announced last day of school will be June 24. Dr. Ash invited the public to two public art shows to be held at the Senior Center on April 17, and on May 8, K-12 Art Show will held at Central Administration Buildings. The Fiske School vote on overcrowding by the School Committee will be held on April 29. Mr. Martellone sent letters home to parents with questions from the last meeting. The current class size numbers are 27, 27 and 27 with four less than our last meeting. Dr. Ash’s original recommendation showed enrollment projections at 28, 29, and 27 with one student over guideline. Past practice has been to hire an overmax aide with one student over guideline. This year (2013-2014) the class sizes were 25, 26, 27; in 2012, 26, 26 and 27, in 2011, 25, 25 and 26; and in 2010, 27, 27 and 28. Dr. Ash withdrew his recommendation for a .55 teacher. Dr. Ash will recommend on April 29, if the numbers stay the same, an overmax aide will be hired and if the numbers go to 28 and 29 add .55 teacher and not take art and music spaces away. He wanted to share with committee and with parents to let everyone know on the 29th and urged a vote. II. School Committee Member Announcements Margaret Coppe announced the High School’s Robotics Team 2 Bits and a Byte advanced to World Champions and they will be having a demonstration from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. on April 17 in the main computer science room 703 in Lexington High School (LHS) Math building. Ms. Coppe congratulated the Robotics team and wished them success in the world competition to be held in St. Louis. LSC Meeting 041614 Page 2 Mary Ann Stewart clarified what Mr. Sandeen brought forward (i) Ms. Stewart is liaison to the Solar Task Force. Yesterday the Task Force reviewed the Request for Qualifications and made a decision on a vendor; and (ii) at our last meeting, the liaison for Katherine Clarke introduced herself and Ms. Stewart wanted to remind everyone of their office opening this Wednesday from 5:30 -7:00 p.m. at 500 High Street. Please feel free to stop by and introduce yourself. Jessie Steigerwald shared a reminder announcement that parents brought to her attention on how to sign up for the Lexington High School bus. Student’s identification numbers will be on back of notice. The deadline for bus sign up at the discounted rate of $300 is May 16. After that date, the rate will be $700. Ms. Steigerwald shared that someone complained to her that the notice itself seemed extravagant. She shared that the school has an in-house print shop and the flyer was also designed in-house. Ms. Steigerwald complimented those who worked on the flyer. Ms. Steigerwald then announced that the school council training had been held with Glen Koocher, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, and the members present requested a follow up meeting and Mr. Koocher will return on May 5. At the last PTA/O Presidents Council meeting there was a request on the satisfaction of services being delivered and it was positive. Margaret Coppe shared (i) on April 10, the Committee met with Glen Koocher, to learn the process of how to do a Superintendent search and on May 8, the Committee will discuss parameters of that search; and (ii) Alessandro Alessandrini and herself met with a group of parents recently to discuss how to have better communication between Committee and parents and will act on some suggestions. III. Agenda 1. Ad Hoc Committee for Youth at Risk Interim Report BJ Rudman and William Blout, Co-Chairs for the Ad Hoc Committee For Youth at Risk (AhCYR) presented to the Committee that they have held five meetings and met on a monthly basis and felt they were productive meetings. The AhCYR is gathering information from schools and communities and similar communities. They concluded that this is an ambitious undertaking and making the September timeline is going to be an enormous task. The schools are doing a lot for at youth at risk and the community is not doing as much and that there is a gap between what the schools and town are doing. They have visited Bedford and Needham and will look at Newton on Friday. Those communities have vibrant youth programs in their communities and there are a sense of collaboration between schools and town services. There were questions and comments from the Committee (i) what kind of work are you doing to make recommendations based on other communities; (ii) how are you working in collaboration with other committees; (iii) encouraged the AhCYR to reach out to town and specifically to the Community Center Committee which is very active right now and whose members are currently discussing programming needs that would dovetail; (iv) if they come with recommendations to us on the town side we are to be advocates to have town side work with us; (v) member looking forward to the report in the fall and stress at LHS is not going away; and (vi) member appreciates hard work of AhCYR and Mrs. Chase along with students and staff members have been a valuable source of information. LSC Meeting 041614 Page 3 2. Vote to Approve 2014-2015 District Improvement Plan Dr. Ash presented the changes to the District Improvement Plan (DIP) since the last meeting. Putting more into resiliency and stress reduction and also included in school improvement plans to identify specific steps which should be done by district and school goals. The Committee engaged in discussion regarding the DIP and changes presented. Pat Goddard, Director of Public Facilities was asked to delete “modifications” on goal 3; goal is to adapt physical structure and update security procedures. Motion to Support FY 2014-2015 District Improvement Plan (Stewart, Steigerwald) The Motion was Approved (5-0) 3. Vote to Request the Board of Selectmen Call a June Special Town Meeting to Appropriate Funds for a PreK-12 Master Planning Process Dr. Ash requested Pat Goddard to work with Jon Himmel, Chair of the Permanent Building Committee to see if the dollar amount was correct. Dr. Ash is recommending School Committee endorse going forward and asking town meeting for money to establish a master planning process. The Committee engaged in discussion regarding the $250,000 for the PreK-12 Master Plan Process. Patrick Goddard, Director of Public Facilities addressed the Committee clarifying the preliminary work and that $250,000 was right value. Mr. Goddard has not yet shared the analysis with Jon Himmel, but will soon. The Three Phases provides flexibility to respond to what is found in the first phase and what the Enrollment Working Group (EWG) concludes, and work at the end of summer and possibility of third phase and what Fiske analysis shows us. The Committee had comments and questions regarding (i) will the architect be hired with the money appropriated; (ii) will you be waiting on the EWG; (iii) what would a short term solution be; (iv) what is the earliest time we would be able to build a modular or a wing; (v) how long would Phase II take; (vi) will you look at all 9 schools and central office; (vii) would this change the high school project; (viii) how did the number of $250,000 come about; (ix) would PBC speak to this amount. Motion to request the Board of Selectmen to place a Warrant Article on a June Town Meeting to Appropriate Funds for PreK-12 Master Planning Process (Stewart, Crocker) The Motion was approved (5-0) The School Committee will recess to Town Meeting floor and reconvene after Town Meeting is dissolved for the following agenda items: 4. School Committee Liaison Assignments LSC Meeting 041614 Page 4 5. Vote to Establish a Subcommittee to Examine School Holiday Recognition Consent Agenda: 1. Vote to Approve School Committee Minutes of January 28, 2014 2. Vote to Approve School Committee Minutes of February 1, 2014 3. Vote to Approve School Committee Minutes of February 11, 2014 4. Vote to Approve and Not Release School Committee Executive Session Minutes of March 25, 2014 5. Vote to Approve and Not Release School Committee Executive Session Minutes of April 4, 2014 Motion to Approve Consent Agenda dated April 16, 2014 (Steigerwald, Stewart) The Motion was Approved (5-0) The School Committee will remain in session and recess to Battin Hall for the purpose of discussing Annual Town Meeting Articles at 7:22 p.m. School Committee adjourned after Town Meeting and did not return to open session for agenda items 4 and 5. The next meeting of the School Committee is scheduled for Tuesday, April 29, at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Offices Building, Selectmen’s Meeting Room, 1625 Massachusetts Avenue. Meeting Materials: Meeting Agenda; Ad Hoc Committee for Youth at Risk Interim Report to the Lexington School Committee dated March 1, 2014; Recommended 2014-2015 District Improvement Plan (Revised April 10, 2014); Memorandum dated April 11, 2014 from Dr. Ash to the School Committee regarding the PreK-12 Master Planning Process; Proposed School Committee Liaison Assignments – March 2014 (Draft); Memorandum dated April 8, 2014 from Jessie Steigerwald regarding Proposal for a Sub-Committee on LPS & Holiday Recognition; Draft LSC Meeting Minutes dated January 28, 2014; Draft LSC Meeting Minutes dated February 1, 2014; Draft LSC Meeting Minutes dated February 11, 2014; Voted by the School Committee June 10, 2014