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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1977-05-23-SC-min Page 103 May 23, 1977 The Lexington School Committee held a meeting on May 23, 1977, at the School Administration Building at 8:00 p.m. Present were Swanson, Gaudet, Brown, Hoffman, and student representative Jonathan Miller. Also present were Lawson, Spiris, Monderer, Maclnnes, Pierson and Barnes. Dr. Lawson and Gaylord Saulsberry, Coordinator of the METCO Program, METCO presented a proposal for the METCO budget for 1977-78. Dr. Lawson re- PROPOSAL viewed this year's program and the projected budget for next year. He 1977-78 said that next year's program was developed with the guideline of a two hundred and eighty student level. He stated that the Governor of the Commonwealth had projected a fifteen percent increase in availability of funds to school systems involved in the METCO Program. Gaylord Saulsberry reviewed other details of the budget. He noted that some increases in budget categories were due to the requirement that fringe benefits be included this year. Dr. Lawson said that the formula which includes fringe benefits would permit these dollars received to go to the Town to pay for hospitalization, retirement, etc. He estimated that the increase next year would be approximately $75,000. Mr. Brown complimented the superintendent and Mr. Saulsberry for the budget break- down and felt that this year's development of the budget was excellent. Mrs. Swanson and Mrs. Gaudet said they had some questions regarding the program but did not relate to continuance of the program. They felt that they would like to discuss them at a future meeting. All members of the committee were in agreement with the continuance of the METCO Program. A vote was called. It was VOTED: to approve the METCO budget as presented. (Brown, Gaudet, Unanimous) At this point the school committee complimented Gaylord Saulsberry for the management of the program during the past two years. The School Committee members said that they were sorry to see him leave the position of coordinator of the program, but expressed delight that he had decided to remain in the system as a teacher. The regular and executive session minutes of March 4, 1977 were MINUTES tabled until the next meeting. 3/4/77 It was MINUTES 3/8/77 VOTED: to accept the minutes of March 8, 1977 as presented. (Brown, Hoffman, Unanimous. It was EXECUTIVE SESSION MIN- VOTED: to accept the minutes of March 8, 1977, as presented. (Brown, UTES 3/8/77 Gaudet, Unanimous) . It was VOTED: to release the minutes of March 8, 1977. (Brown, Gaudet, Unani- mous) Page 104 May 23, 1977 It was MINUTES 3/28/77 VOTED: to accept the minutes of March 28, 1977, as presented, (Hoffman, Brown, Unanimous) . SCHOOL DEPARTMENT BUDGETS Personal Services April 29, 1977 Classified Payrolls #22 (correction) $ 98,605.52 May 6, 1977 Professional Payrolls #24C 420,626.33 May 13, 1977 Classified Payroll #23 71,743.95 Expenses May 13, 1977 Bill Schedule #165 3,030.76 May 13, 1977 #166 1,005.38 May 13, 1977 #167 21,060.26 May 20, 1977 #168 1,010.05 May 20, 1977 #169 3,224,32 May 20, 1977 #170 1,922.97 Vocational Education May 13, 1977 Tuition #12V 2,005.00 May 20, 1977 Transportation #13V 600.83 Out-of-State Travel May 20, 1977 Bill Schedules #28 133.00 Athletics May 6, 1977 Payroll #19 520.00 May 13, 1977 Bill Schedule #34 1,205.18 May 20, 1977 #35 30.00 SPECIAL PROGRAMS-NON-LEXINGTON FUNDS Driver-Educational-Adult Education May 6, 1977 Professional Payroll 688.31 METCO Program May 13, 1977 Classified Payroll 1,520.28 May 6, 1977 Professional Payroll 5,254.81 LEADS Program May 13, 1977 Classified Payroll 2,166.09 May 6, 1977 Professional Payroll 811.53 Title III Administrative Grant May 13, 1977 Classified Payroll 120.00 May 20, 1977 Bill Schedule #9 15.36 M.T.A. Southwick Salary May 6, 1977 Professional Salary 745.38 Upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools it was VOTED: to accept the above Schedule of Payments. (Brown, Gaudet, Unanimous) Page 105 May 23, 1977 Upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools it was PERSONNEL CHANGES VOTED: to accept the following Professional Personnel Changes. (Hoffman, (PROFESSIONAL) Gaudet, Unanimous) Salary Change Change in Contract Resignations Yrs. In Lex Effective Reason Maternity Leaves Leave of Absence Upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools it was RE-ELECTION OF PROFESSIONAL VOTED: to elect the following Professional Personnel at the step and STAFF level indicated for the 1977-78 school year. (Brown, Gaudet, Unanimous) Second Election Subject or Step & School Name Grade Salary Level Page 106 May 23, 1977 Third Election Fourth Election Health - Nurses Upon the reconnendation of the superintendent of schools it was RE-ELECTION t FOOD SERVICE VOTED: to appoint the following Food Service Personnel at the classi- PERSONNEL fication, step and number of hours indicated for the school year 1977-78. (Brown, Gaudet, Unanimous) Salary Gd. Rate Hrs. Per School Name Position Step of Pay Wk. Page 107 May 23, 1977 Salary Gd. Rate of Hrs. Per School Name Position Step Pay Wk. Following the vote Mrs. Gaudet asked if all employees had been made aware of the new agreement and asked if each person had their evaluation. Mr. Maclnnes said that Mrs. Griffin had talked to each manager and each manager should have reviewed the proposal and the evaluation with each employee. Page 107A May 23, 1977 Upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools it was PERSONNEL CHANGES VOTED: to accept the following Personnel Changes (Classified) on Page (CLASSIFIED) 112A as presented. (Brown, Gaudet, Unanimous) . Retirement Resignation Mrs. Swanson requested approval to send a letter of appreciation to Mrs. Grace L. Peabody from the School Committee expressing their gratitude for her many years of excellent service. The consensus of the committee was that this be done. Professional Staff TITLE I SUMMJ READING PROGI Replacement for Above Name School Position Salary Professional Staff New Personnel Position School Salary Upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools it was VOTED: to accept the above staff for Title I, Summer Reading Program. (Brown, Gaudet, Unanimous) . Dr. Lawson infoLmed the School Committee that the Tuition-Based REPORTS TUIT; Summer Program for elementary level had been cancelled due to low BASED SUMER enrollment. He said that low enrollment did not allow the Summer Tui- PROGRAM tion Based Program to be self sustaining, which was the agreement when approved by the School Committee and the understanding with the Appro- priation Committee. Paul Lombard, co-director of the Summer Program said that he would survey parents to find out why the enrollment was low. Dr. Lawson mentioned that Lexington might invite other communi- ties another year, such as Bedford, Winchester, etc. , in order to pro- vide a larger enrollment base which could permit the program to be self- supporting. Dr. Monderer presented a review of the six collaborative programs REPORTS - LAI in which Lexington is a participant. The six programs outlined were: COOPERATIVE PROGRAM Autistic Program - 3 students LABS Vocational Training Program - 3 students LABB Early Childhood Program - 7 students LABB Self-Contained Kindergarten - 2 students Language Development Class - 2 students r= Behavior Intervention Program - 3 students Page 108 May 23, 1977 Dr. Monderer said the four participating coumnunities involved were Bedford, Arlington, Lexington and Burlington. He stated that these pro- t,...,' grams were established for low-incidence special needs students for whom programs could be provided to individual school systems. Mrs. Gaudec asked if it were true that the Bridge program would be phased out next year. Dr. Monderer responded in the affirmative. Dr. Monderer noted that all students butone were Lexington students and could be accommo- dated in Lexington Schools. He said that the tuition student from Cam- bridge would now be a responsibility of the Cambridge School System. He noted that the Lexington program could easily accommodate the young- sters with some extra help. Mrs. Swanson expressed concern with some mainstreaming practices. She said that placing students who have problems in classrooms where all the other students have problems seems to be a violation of the intention of mainstreaming and can compound rather than alleviate difficulties for individual students. Dr. Monderer said he was aware of this. Mrs. Swanson asked if the Minuteman Vocational School could provide a carpentry program, rather than hiring individuals to conduct home pro- grams. Dr. Monderer said that because these students had unique prob- lems they could not be served in traditional settings, such as a school and that the classroom outside of the school setting was most successful. He said his division was trying to develop a model for this type student. Dr. Lawson noted that since we do have excellent industrial arts teachers on the staff, it may be wise for Lexington to consider the possibility of having its own program. He also noted that due to a decline in enrollment Lexington could possibly lose two superior industrial arts teachers. Dr. Lawson said that it was a challenge to staff to retain excellent teachers for stu- dents by trying to develop our own program. Mrs. Gaudet asked if all the students involved in these programs were special needs. Dr. Monderer responded in the affirmative and said that all were in programs as a re- sult of Core Evaluations. Dr. Monderer also noted that some of the stu- dents in the program had been previously referred to Minuteman, but Min- uteman felt that they could not provide adequate supervision for them and felt that they would do better in the LABB Cooperative. The com- mittee thanked Dr. Monderer for his report. Dr. Lawson presented a list, as requested by the School Couuuittee, TASKS containing tasks accomplished by the administration during the school ACCOMPLISHED year. He noted that the list contained three major areas; Tasks Ac- complished, Major Tasks in Process of Completion; Major Tasks Under Study. He said that the items were a result of recoumiendations of the Arthur D. Little Study, Educational Program Study Report, oral suggestions mentioned in his interview for the superintendency, and com- ments made at a variety of staff and public meetings. (See Pages 108A, 108B, 108C) . Dr. Hoffman and other members of the School Committee com- plimented the administration for the accomplishments and efforts. Dr. Hoffman suggested that this list provided an excellent springboard for future discussions by the School Committee. He felt that the School Committee needed to have two discussion sessions, one would be a question- ing session with brief, sharp questions, followed by a second session during which the school committee would make decisions on priorities of the School Committee. PAn a 108-6+ A. Major Tasks Accomplished or Being r, .omplishad by the Ac istration This School Yea 1. Reorganization of the administration 2. Development of an Equal Opportunity Policy 3. Development of a Field Trip Policy 4. Development of Drama Proposals 5. Development of a management system including a new system of budget plan- ning with accompanying accounting procedures 6. Preparation of job descriptions for all administrators 7. Review of and changes in core evaluation procedures 8. Development of policy manuals for all administrators 9. Development of five year capital expenditure plan 10. Review of bus behavior expectations with C & W bus owners 11. Placement of driver education program on self-supporting basis 12. Progress towards placing the food service operation on a self-supporting basis 13. Review of principal, faculty and administration reactions to E.P.S.C. recom- mendations 14. Institution of pilot parent-teacher conference plan at two junior high schools 15. Adoption of goals by all administrators 16. Institution of a formal evaluation system for all administrators 17. Reinstitution of a system newsletter 18. Institution of staffing ratios for counselors and non-regular classroom personnel 19. Improved physical condition of schools 20. Reduction in vandalism costs to system 21. Adoption of systematic plan of school visitations by central office namiaistrat 22. Development of curriculum guides in elementary physical education, science mathematics, language arts and planning for continued development cC Sid- ing, mathematics, science, language arts and secondary English and sathe- matics Page 2 Page 108B 23. Placement of increased emphasis on the importance of teacher-supervision and evaluation 24. Use of coordinator of planning in major system-wide planning functions 25. Broadening of in-service program offerings for teachers and administrators 26. Institution of career center at the high school 27. Revision df all application and employment forms 28. Completion of negotiations with all employee groups 29. Adoption by administration of vacation procedures 30. Adoption of administrative procedures for new leadership program 31. Development of staff ratios for most certified positions 32. Establishment of procedures for administering employee grievances 33. Development of new forms and procedures for assessing sabbatical leave requests 34. Development of new forms and procedures for approval of academic credits beyond the Master's degree 35. Discussions between the Superintendent and each school 's staff 36. Establishment of procedures for possible reduction in use of substitute teachers 37. Establishment of administrative procedures for use of student teachers 38. Revision of guidelines on student transfers 39. Review of tutoring costs and development of tutoring guidelines B. Major Tasks in Process of Being Completed: 1. Development of a community relations plan (R.B. ) 2. Development of a policy on student rights and responsibilities (J.H.L) 3. Study of junior high school curriculum and grouping procedures (C.P.) 4. Reorganization of the pupil services division (J.M. ) 5. Development of policy for school closings (J.H.L. ) 6. Development of policy to pro-rate principal 's time (M.S. /G.P. ) 7. Study of the elementary guidance program (J.M. ) 8. Establishrcnt of a curriculum resource center (C.P. ) A Page 1080 Page 3 9. Development of procedures to recruit minority candidates (M.S. ) 10. Development of a policy on excursions' (J.H.L. ) 11 . 0rganization of a self-supporting summer school (K.D. ,/P.L. ) 12. Mandatory 622 workshops for all school personnel (R.B. ) 13. Development of a comprehensive plan for improved curriculum management (G.P. ) 14. Organization of a summer seminar for all principals and central office ad- ministrators (J.H.L. ) 15. Review of the school rental policy (J.Mac) 16. Revision of the process and form for the evaluation of classified person- nel (J.Mac) 17. Preparations for closing Hancock School including the reassignment of staff and the distribution and transfer of all equipment, books and supplies (Central Office) 18. Development of a policy on students records (J.M. ) 19. Development of criteria for placement of students in special needs proto- types (J.M. ) C. Major Tasks to be Studied 1. The possible movement of the professional library to Cary Library 2. The effects of the reduction in the number of science specialists 3. The adoption of a five year school calendar • 4. The adoption. of a policy on the- cancellation of school for non-weather or non-safety reasons such as the lack of adequate staff or students 5. The development of a profile of the professional staff 6. The adoption of budget guidelines for. 1978-79 7. The appointment of a school committee pre-negotiations study sub-committee Page 109 May 23, 1977 Dr. Monderer presented a plan for the first in a series of steps to PUPIL SERVICES reorganize the Pupil Services Division. He noted that the focus of the REORGANIZATION reorganization was: to provide leadership in developing improved guid- ance and counseling programs; to provide leadership in developing im- proved programs for identification of students with special needs; im- proving delivery services to remedy or ameliorate special needs; and to provide an adequate structure of support services to staff includ- ing supervision, consultation and training. He said the reorganization was especially timely due to the pending arrival of the new special edu- cation administrator, Mrs. Mabyn Martin. He added that the reorganiza- tion would address concerns noted in the reports for better articula- tion and coordination of programs. He felt that all students could bene- fit from a coordinated service plan for a Pupil Services. He said that he was recommending a new position of Coordinator of Pupil Services for the high school level in order to implement this design. Dr. Monderer said he would prefer more administrative staff to do the job and had some reservations about the degree of success without additional help. Mrs. Swanson said coordination of the division was a recognized need, and even though she had some concern about the role description being somewhat fuzzy she noted that the school committee had been on record for giving supportive clerical help for department heads, pupil ser- vices, etc. , but she could not support more administrative assistance. In summary, she said the recommendation was a very good beginning. Mr. Hoffman said that he did question the role. He felt that there was a strange amalgamation of services and skills in the role description. The school committee expressed concern about item #1 in the role de- scription which stated that the Coordinator shall be administratively responsible to the high school principal and professionally responsible to the Director of Pupil Services. It was agreed to change this part of the role description. It was VOTED: to accept the reorganization of Pupil Services Division as one step in the total process in the reorganization of Pupil Ser- vices Division, and accept the reorganization plan and changes recommended on Page 4 of the Pupil Services Reorganization Report. (Brown, Gaudet, Unanimous) Reorganization Plan A. Goals The major goals of the proposed reorganization include the following: 1. To ensure that students are provided with coordinated, quality Pupil Services at the high school 2. To provide an administrative leader representing and having responsibility for special needs at the high school, at the department head level 3. To provide improved supervision, consultation to, and evaluation of special needs staff 4. To provide leadership toward continual improvement of the guidance program at the high school 5. To provide leadership in developing improved programs for the identification of students with special needs, and im- proving delivery services to remedy or ameliorate the spec- ial n at the high school Dago 110 may 23, 1977 B. Changes Recommended 1. Eliminate position: Director of Guidance 2. Create new position: Coordinator of High School Pupil Services a. 10 month position b, include supervisory and primary evaluation responsibility for counselors and 12 additional Pupil Services staff c, include program responsibilities for Lexington High School guidance, health, special needs, social work, psychological services, pupil accounting and records, testing, and attendance compliance (Pupil Services) d. reduce from Administrator of Spec. Ed. , the responsi- bility for supervision; primary evaluation of high school special education staff, and program responsi- bilities for special education e. functions to be assigned to staff other than Coordi- nator of High School Pupil Services 1) implementation of system-wide and college testing program at the high school 2) assume responsibility for interviewing, orienting and schedule making for new high school students transferring from other systems. Ascertain credits. Request records be started by administration. 3) supervise or organize any summer activities of high school counselors, including registration of new students, preparation of college and school recom- mendations; and assistance to the administration 4) coordinate local scholarship procedures 5) make recommendations regarding possible improvements in record-keeping, cumulative records, use of data processing services 6) perform high school counseling duties with assigned counselees, referred students, former graduates, self-referrals and counselor referrals, summer and evening students 3. Provide six weeks of staff time (One week December vaca- tion, one week February vacation, four weeks in summer) . Mrs. Swanson suggested that the school committee review its role. SCHOOL She felt that it was an appropriate time to do this since staff were COMMITTEE being asked to suggest priorities of the school system. Dr. Hoffman REPORT expressed surprise that the topic was under consideration at this time. Mrs. Swanson said that there was no other reason except that the material voted by the school committee for their rules and regulations was ex- tremely outdated (1964) . She asked Mrs. Gaudet to serve on a sub-com- mittee with her to rewrite school committee role. Mr. Hoffman took ex- ception to the fact that the sub-committee had been appointed by the chair- man without asking for volunteers. Mrs.Swanson said she would be happy to have IIr, Hoffman serve on the sub-committee; he accepted. Mr. Michel- man was not in attendance but the chairman said that he felt there was no problem with the rules and responsibilities, however, he would not object if the school committee wished to review the matter. The con- sensus of the committee was to review the rules and regulations. Page 111 May 23, 1977 Mrs. Swanson asked permission to draft a letter to be sent to the P.T.A. Council as a result of their inquiry as to how the Council could be of service to the schools. It was agreed that the chairman would draft a letter and present it to the school committee for review and discussion. Dr. Lawson noted that prior to the beginning of school in September, CONTRACTS additional staff would be hired. He requested permission from the school committee, consistent with past practices, to be able to offer contracts to new candidates due to the limited meetings during the summer months, the school committee would be asked to ratify candidates at future meet- ings. It was the consensus of the school committee to agree to the re- quest of the superintendent. Dr. Lawson said there had been questions regarding "snow day" make- SNOW DAYS up. He said that the elementary schools were precariously near the min- imum but secondary schools were over the minimum number of hours required. He said the total number of hours at each level would be appropriate and would not recommend any make-up. It was the consensus of the school committee not to make up any hours for the '76-'77 school year. It was VOTED: to adjourn at 9:58 p.m. (Brown, Gaudet, Unanimous) Respectfully submitted, // Ric and H. ,$acnes /k Reco rditiVEec re tart'