HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-04-06-SC-minLSC Meeting Minutes of 4.6.15 1
LEXINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING
OPEN SESSION MINUTES
Wednesday, April 6, 2015
Lexington High School, Library Media Center
251 Waltham Street
PRESENT: Dr. Paul B. Ash, Superintendent; Jessie Steigerwald, Chair; Alessandro Alessandrini;
Margaret Coppe; Judy Crocker.
Absent: Bill Hurley.
The Minutes were taken by Jessie Steigerwald.
6:00 Jessie Steigerwald called the School Committee to order and explained that the committee
would participate in an Executive Session with the Board of Selectmen at approximately 6:15 p.m.
She reported that Mr. Hurley had contacted her to say that he was delayed due to traffic on a return
trip from Logan airport and that he would join the meeting as soon as possible. (Mr. Hurley did not
arrive in time to participate in the open session or executive session. He arrived in time to participate
in Town Meeting.)
Steigerwald announced that the committee was coordinating to move through the open session and
executive session by 7:15 p.m. in order to be present during the Sharyn Wong-Chan/Sarah Harrington
Diversity Award presentation.
Public Comments: There were no public comments.
Superintendent Announcements: There were no superintendent announcements.
School Committee Member Announcements:
Steigerwald reported on the meeting that took place the prior Thursday with Selectman Norman
Cohen, Andy Beck (from School and Main Institute), and Manjula Karamcheti (LHS/K-12 Assistant
Director of Guidance). Mr. Beck has experience helping communities build coalitions to support
youth services. One idea that emerged from the meeting was to have the School Committee and
Selectmen consider jointly hosting a mini-summit on youth to ask the question “What goals do we
have for Lexington’s youth that we cannot achieve alone.” Different community leaders and
organizations could be invited to attend. If this were held in the late spring, it could become a
planning session for a larger summit in the fall.
Steigerwald next took up the consent agenda and took it out of order because there were no other
agenda items and she wished to complete the item to approve minutes in a timely fashion.
Ms. Crocker requested taking the March 10th open session minutes out of the consent agenda to table
them so she could provide edits. Steigerwald noted that they had been tabled from the April 1st
meeting at Mr. Alessandrini’s request as well and asked for Ms. Crocker and Mr. Alessandrini to send
their edits soon to help make approved minutes available promptly. Steigerwald had already received
Ms. Coppe’s edits and incorporated them in the current version.
LSC Meeting Minutes of 4.6.15 2
Ms. Crocker offered edits to the March 23rd and March 25th minutes. These were accepted.
Steigerwald asked for separate motions as three items were now amended.
Motion to approve second reading of Policy JIC: Student Discipline (Crocker, Alessandrini).
Approved 4-0.
Motion to approve minutes of March 23rd, as amended, (Alessandrini, Crocker). Approved 4-0.
Motion to approve minutes of March 25th, as amended, (Alessandrini, Crocker). Approved 4-0.
Motion to approve but not release Executive Session minutes of March 25th, as amended,
(Alessandrini, Crocker). Approved 4-0.
Motion to approve minutes of March 30th, as amended, (Alessandrini, Crocker). Approved 4-0.
6:16 PM Chair called for a recess to move to room 148 in order to go into Executive Session
with the Board of Selectmen and to return to open meeting.
The School Committee proceeded to room 148 but the Board of Selectmen were not yet ready.
The School Committee entered room 148 at 6:29 and Steigerwald called the meeting back to
order. Steigerwald immediately moved to go into Executive Session.
6:30 PM Motion to go into Executive Session
Steigerwald moved that the School Committee go into Executive Session under Exemption 3 to
discuss strategy with respect to coalition bargaining and to return to open session, and further, as
chair, she declared that an executive session was necessary to protect the bargaining position of the
School Committee.
Alessandrini seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken.
Alessandrini AYE
Crocker AYE
Coppe AYE
Steigerwald AYE
Bill Hurley was not present.
The vote was unanimous and at 6:30 PM the Executive Session began. It ended at 7:10 PM.
7:10 PM Motion to exit Executive Session and return to Open Session
Steigerwald moved to end Executive Session and return to Open Session to relocate to the Lexington
High School auditorium to participate in Town Meeting.
Alessandrini seconded the motion a roll call vote was taken.
Coppe AYE
Alessandrini AYE
Crocker AYE
Steigerwald AYE
Mr. Hurley did not attend the session. He arrived later in the evening.
LSC Meeting Minutes of 4.6.15 3
The committee relocated to the auditorium where Bob Harris announced that Cheryl Crowder was the
2015 winner of the Sharyn Wong-Chan/Sarah Harrington Diversity Award presentation. Ms.
Crowder was nominated by two elementary school principals, Louise Lipsitz (Hastings) and Meg
Colella (Bridge). Cheryl Crowder was recognized for her long standing and deep commitment to
supporting and celebrating diversity in our schools. Ms. Crowder currently serves as a METCO
Elementary Social Worker.
Pictured: Carol Pilarski, Meg Colella, Louise Lipsitz, Charles Martin, Cheryl Crowder, Mary Crowder, Paul
Ash, Bob Harris and Karen Watson.
Margaret Coppe left at 10:02 PM. Judy Crocker left at 10:07 PM.
At 10:35 Alessandrini moved to adjourn the meeting, the motion was seconded by Steigerwald,
Hurley participated in the vote and the vote was unanimous (3-0).
Materials: Packet included updated draft of Policy JIC: Student Discipline; draft minutes from prior
School Committee meetings dated March 10, 2015, March 23, 2015, March 25, 2015, and March 30,
2015, as well as draft minutes from Executive Session held on March 25, 2015.
Voted Approved by the School Committee April 28, 2015