HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-11-19-SC-minLSC Meeting Minutes 11/19/2014 1
LEXINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING
Tuesday, November 19, 2014
Lexington Town Office Building, Selectmen’s Meeting Room
1625 Massachusetts Avenue
PRESENT: Superintendent Dr. Paul Ash, Chair Margaret Coppe, School Committee
Members Jessie Steigerwald, Judith Crocker, William Hurley
MEMBERS ABSENT: Alessandro Alessendrini, Student Representative Abigail Schwartz
The minutes were taken by Christine Ashness, Recording Secretary
The meeting convened at 7:30pm
Call to order and welcome: Chair Margaret Coppe
Public Comments:
None
Superintendent’s Announcements:
None
School Committee Member Announcements:
Judith Crocker: This morning she attended a wonderful School Based Site Council roundtable
discussion with guidance and health specialists including Val Viscosi, Julie Fenn and Jennifer
Wolfrum. It was a very well rounded conversation.
Jessie Steigerwald: Julie Fenn and Jennifer Wolfrum were later at the Youth Service Council
sharing what they heard at last night’s school committee meeting, which was great because the
conversation continued. The fall play is at LHS on November 20, 21 and 22. It is The Magician
& the Runaway, an original work. She was at the EDCO round table today; they will come up
with their own vision of success. There will be a legislative session in March. She shared the
grade 5 Shakespeare play as a great example of education.
William Hurley: Asked if there was a vice chair on the committee. (There is not) He would like
to revisit the topic in case the chair cannot make it.
Agenda:
K-5 Enrollment Concerns and Space Options
Margaret Coppe reviewed upcoming dates. November 20th is the Ad Hoc Master Planning
Committee meeting at 8 am at the Central Office. They will be working/brainstorming. The
architects report draft will be in by January 5th. At that point the Ad Hoc Master Planning
Committee will go over it and make recommendations to the School Committee and the School
Committee will evaluate what they recommend. The enrollment working group is approaching
their final report by end of the year and at that point the committee will have to make a decision
on what to do. There will be a special town meeting in March. There will need to be
LSC Meeting Minutes 11/19/2014 2
placeholders on the warrant by end of year. She asked members what we should be doing now
as a committee.
Members discussed maintaining programs in all schools and maintaining class sizes as best they
can and to take all ideas/suggestions into consideration; prioritize specialists space as a
committee/balancing the impact of programs; staffing needs i.e. licensed social workers and
guidance counselors; the possibility of redistricting.
Action Items: working on calendar (Coppe); parent survey regarding overcrowding issues
(Crocker, Steigerwald); touring schools the first week of December; chairs of all groups having a
conversation; talk to Rod Cole, former School Committee chair and member of the Capital
Expenditures Committee; questions for members of enrollment group (Hurley).
Priority Items: class size, specialists, hearing dates, dedicated space policies.
Dr. Ash will present the budget to the committee at the January 6, 2015 meeting.
Public comment:
Harvey S imkovitz, 4 Angier Rd.
Suggested that if the committee is designing a survey, it could be a very good
awareness/educational device. It will help public understand what they would want to sacrifice
more or less of. His idea for Margaret Coppe to do as chair is to build a presentation, go to
parents, schools, principals, and have a series of meetings, gathering input to make the
presentation better. Strategize it effectively enough so that everybody already
understands/agrees by the time decisions are made.
Michelle Oldershaw, 10 Keeler Farm Way
Because so many options/solutions have been put on the table, parents still think they are all up
for consideration. It would be helpful if some were dismissed sooner, rather than in March.
School Committee Liaison Assignments
Members discussed the open Liaison assignments. William Hurley will now be the Liaison to
the Capital Expenditures Committee, Permanent Building Committee, TMMA Executive Board,
and Ad Hoc School Master Planning Committee. Jessie Steigerwald will now be the Liaison to
the Ad Hoc Community Center Task Force.
Motion to accept the resignation of Jessie Steigerwald from the Ad Hoc School Master
Planning Committee (Crocker, Hurley)
The motion was approved 4-0.
Motion to appoint William Hurley as the representative on the Ad Hoc School Master
Planning Committee (Steigerwald, Crocker)
The motion was approved 4-0.
Margaret Coppe appointed Judith Crocker and William Hurley to be co-chairs of Ad Hoc School
Master Planning Committee.
LSC Meeting Minutes 11/19/2014 3
Margaret Coppe and William Hurley will meet with Dr. Ash to discuss the superintendent
evaluation.
William Hurley recommended that whomever works with the Superintendent use it as a model
for the future.
School Committee Selection of Arbitrators – The MASC Recommends that Each School
Committee Adopt the Following Motion:
The Lexington School Committee votes to designate the Massachusetts Association of
School Committees, Inc. (MASC) as one of the Lexington School Committee’s
representatives pursuant to G. L. c. 150E, S. 1, for the particular purpose of selecting an
arbitrator and receiving arbitration decisions.
Dr. Ash explained the motion to committee members.
Motion to designate MASC as one of the Lexington School Committee’s representatives.
(Hurley, Steigerwald)
Motion was approved 4-0
Margaret Coppe asked Judith Crocker and Jessie Steigerwald about the policies/policy manual in
progress. Dr. Ash suggested that this topic be put on the 12/16/14 agenda.
Motion to adjourn (Hurley, Crocker)
The Motion was approved 4-0
The meeting was adjourned at 9:30pm.
Meeting Materials: Agenda; School Committee Liaison Assignments 2014-2015; Legislative
Bulletin of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, Inc.
Voted by the School Committee February 10, 2015