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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1977-08-08-SC-min Page 140 August 8, 1977 The Lexington School Committee met at the School Administration Building on August 8, 1977, at 8:00 p.m. Those in attendance were: Swanson, Gaudet, Brown, Michelman, Hoffman and student representative Miller. Also present were Lawson, Barnes and Spiri.s . It was: MINUTES June 13, 1977 VOTED: to accept the minutes of June 13, 1977, as amended. (Michelman, Brown, Unanimous) VOTED: to accept theminutes of June 27, 1977 as amended. (Brown, MINUTES Michelman, Unanimous) JUNE 27, 1977 VOTED: to accept the minutes of July 11, 1977 as amended. (Michelman, MINUTES Brown, Unanimous) JULY 11, 1977 Upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools it was SCHEDULE OF PAYMENTS VOTED: to accept the following Schedule of Payments. (Michelman, Brown, Unanimous) SCHOOL DEPARTMENT BUDGETS Personal Services July 15, 1977 Professional Payrolls #2P $ 43,852.06 July 29, 1977 #3P 48,087.56 June 30, 1977 Classified Payrolls #26-A 5,044.55 June 24, 1977 #1 3,435.58 July 8, 1977 #2 34,154.55 July 22, 1977 #3 55,602.41 Expenses June 30, 1977 Bill Schedules #196 482.87 June 30, 1977 #197 3,222.18 July 15, 1977 #198 17,676.09 July 27, 1977 #199 60.03 July 22, 1977 #1 2,000.00 July 22, 1977 #2 9,978.05 July 22, 1977 #3 492.45 July 29, 1977 #4 4,507.95 July 29, 1977 #5 4,636.62 August 5, 1977 #6 4,397.22 August 5, 1977 #7 10,992.67 Athletics July 15, 1977 Bill Schedules #1 1,196.91 August 5, 1977 #2 1,526.25 SPECIAL PROGRAMS (Non-Lexington Funds) Driver Education (Adult Education) July 15, 1977 Professional Payrolls 1,240.96 July 29, 1977 1,423.70 Page 141 August 8, 1977 METCO July 15, 1977 Professional Payrolls 37.50 July 29, 1977 1,074.18 July 22, 1977 Bill Schedule 020 1,568.75 LEADS July 15, 1977 Professional Payrolls 856.19 July 29, 1977 851.94 July 22, 1977 Bill Schedules #16 900.00 July 29, 1977 #17 87.91 June 30, 1977 Classified Payrolls 1,266.84 July 8, 1977 825.06 July 22, 1977 1,594.34 Title I - Low Income July 15, 1977 Professional Payrolls 9,296.00 July 22, 1977 9,296.00 July 22, 1977 Classified Payrolls 706.10 The financial statement was discussed. Dr. Lawson noted that there FINANCIAL would be a budget balance at the end of the year to turn back to the STATEMENT Town. Mr. Hoffman stated that it was very critical for the public to understand that when a budget comes in at the end of any year with a bal- ance, the figures sometimes appear to be large, but with a budget at ap- proximately $15 million a balance of approximately $150,00 was phenome- nal. He also emphasized that when expense budgets are over expended, such as in the case of this year's expense budget to uncontrollable fac- tors, that the savings that accumulate to the system are compensated only by savings in personnel. He said that it was a painful way but unavoidable. In summary, he expressed his pleasure and said that he was pleased that the management of the budget was so remarkably close. The consensus of the school committee was in agreement with this. Upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools it was NEW PERSONNEI VOTED: to approve the following new personnel. (Michelman, Brown, Unanimous) Name Salary Page 142 August 8, 1977 Upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools it was PERSONNEL CHANGES VOTED: to accept the following personnel changes (Professional) (Brown, (PROFESSIONAL) Michelman, Unanimous) Correction of Starting Date Sr. Teacher Resignations Appointment as Housemaster Change of Status Degree Change Salary Changes Upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools it was PERSONNEL CHANGES VOTED: to accept the following personnel changes (classified) . (Michel- (CLASSIFIED) man, Brown, Unanimous) Re-elections (Omitted from re-election lists of June 13, 1977) Class No. No.of Hourly School Bldg_. Position Name & Step Hours Rate Resignations Change of Hours (Due to resignation of Gabrielle B. Mazza) Retirement u Page 143 August 8, 1977 The school committee expressed its commendations to ;'illiam P. Casey who is retiring as Head of Maintenance and Custodians, after 24 years of faithful service to the Lexington Public Schools. Mr. Brown stated that he had served on a cuinnittee in the past that SUPERINTENDEA had explored the idea of a superintendent of buildings fro the Town of OF Lexington, and felt that this would be an appropriate time to investi- BUILDINGS gate the matter again. Dr. Lawson said that he was willing to discuss it with other town officials and would pass the information along to Mr. MacInnes upon his return from vacation. Upon the recoumtendation of the superintendent of schools it was PERSONNEL RE-ELECTIONS VOTED: to accept the following personnel re-elections. (Brown, Michelman, Unanimous) Second Election Third Election It was EXECUTIVE SESSION VOTE VOTED: to go into Executive Session at 8:35 p.m. to consider the possible dismissal of a teacher. (Hoffman, yes; Gaudet, yes; Swanson, yes; Michelman, yes; Brown, yes) It was announced that the school committee expected to reconvene in public session in approximately one-half hour. It was RETURN TO Pili SESSION VOTED: to return to public session at 9:30 p.m. Upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools it was BIDS TOILET VOTED: that the bid for toilet partitions at the Fsike School be awarded PARTITIONS to I. G. Morgan Co. , Inc. , in the amount of $2,250 as being the low bid meeting specifications. (Brown, Michelman, Unanimous) Upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools it was SPECIAL NEED; TRANSPORTATIC VOTED: that the special needs transportation be awarded to the following low bidders as indicated. (Michelman, Brown, Unanimous) DAILY RATE OR ROUND TRIP CHAF Rewhit Transp. No. Trans. , Mgmt. Trip Destination Students Co. Corp. 1. Wildwood School, Burlington LABB Pgm. 5 -- $17.38 2. n n 'n n n 6 -- 17.38 3. Pine Glen School, Burlington 1 -- 12.38 4. Stratton School, Arlington 4 -- 12.38 5. St. Anne' s School, Methuen 1 -- 24.38 6. Perkins School for Blind, Watertown 1 8.90 7. B. C. Campus School, Newton 1 8.90 --- Page 144 August 8, 1977 8. Charles River Academy, Cambridge 1 $ 12.38 9. Tufts Children's Center, Medford 1 -- 12.38 10.John T. Berry Rehab. Center, No. Reading 2 -- 12.38 11.Crosby School, Arlington-LABS Pgm. 2 -- 9.38 12.Arlington School-McLean Hospital, Belmont 1 -- 9.38 13.Mass. Hospital Center, Canton 1 -- 12.38 14.SNEC Life Skills Pgm. , Shirley 1 -- 24.38 A request from Town Manager, Robert M. Jutchinson, Jr. , was re- CAPITAL ceived regarding submission of a form for projected capital expenditure IMPROVEMENTS in the next five years. Dr. Lawson said that the capital improvement projections for the next five years would be reviewed. He said the form would he completed and sent to the Town Manager. The Superintendent noted that there would be capital funds needed if a school were conver- ted. into a curriculum resource center or administration building and for energy conservation measures. Dr. Lawson presented a memo from Richard Barnes regarding the re- EQUAL OPPOR- quirement of the Federal Government that a policy be developed which TUNITY POLICY included the assurance that there be no discrimination on the basis of handicap in Lexington Public Schools. The present Equal Opportunity Policy was presented with the proper amendments. Upon the recommendation. of the superintendent of schools, the Equal Opportunity Policy was amended to include the work, handicap, where ap- propriate. (Michelman, Brown, Unanimous) "The purpose of the Lexington Public Schools is the fullest pos- sible development of every child. Consistent with this philosophy, the Lexington School Committee reaffirms its policy on equal opportunity based upon these beliefs and recognition of its responsibility to the laws of the town, state and nation: that our free society is founded in the worth and dignity of all persons that each person is unique. that a free society must nurture and cherish appreciation for in- dividual gifts and talents, while fostering a respect for the rights of others. that a free society depends upon the actions and interactions of its individual members. that all persons have fundamental needs to fulfill their highest potential and to achieve stature in their own eyes. that freedom, justice and equal opportunity are more than mere as- pirations, they are inherent rights accruing to all. that the cultural diversity of our nation has been, is and will continue to be a source of enrichment, stimulation and strength. t. It is the policy of the Lexington School Committee that: No student whether residing in Lexington or accepted on tui- tion shall be excluded from or discriminated against in admission Page 145 August 8, 1977 to the public schools or in obtaining the advantages or privileges of the courses of study, activities, services or resources avail- able on account of race, color, sex, religion, national origin or handicap. 'Personnel actions and practices shall be so conducted that the recruitment, selection, assignment and promotion of new or present staff will be based on qualifications, achievement, ability to work effectively in a school environment and demonstrated excel- lence or promise of excellence. All employees including teachers, principals, extra-curricular supervisors, nurses, secretaries, and other clerical assistants, custodians, maintenance employees, cafe- teria workers, data processing specialists, supervisory personnel and administrators, shall be selected, assigned, promoted or dis- charged in accordance with procedures and standards that are de- signed to protect the right of students and staff members not to suffer discrimination on grounds of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, or handicap. 'It shall be the responsibility of the School Administration to give directions and establish procedures to ensure that all pro- grams, policies, procedures, materials and activities will support the policy of the School Committee and the laws of the town, state and nation which guarantee to students and employees that they shall not be discriminated against on the basis of race, sex, re- ligion, color, age, national origin, or handicap. 'The School Committee recognizes that actions having serious discriminatory effects can sometimes occur unintentionally, for ex- ample, by simple adherence to established or habitual patterns of thought or conduct. Accordingly, the School Committee calls upon all staff members to consider at all times whether any of the methods or practices used in our schools or school system may be having the unintended effect of depriving any student, employee, or prospective employee of equal opportunities or advantages, and to suggest or initiate appropriate corrective action where needed. For example, the staff shall take care in the selection of educational materials, print and non-print, in the total school curriculum (K-12) in all subjects and disciplines. 'The staff is strongly encouraged and will sometimes be required to participate in system-sponsored workshops, in-service programs, and other educational activities to develop an understanding and respect for the experience and needs of the members of each sex, race, religion and culture which will give them opportunities to understand the challenges and problems of inter-group relationships. 'Meritorious contributions by staff members to the full reali- zation of the School Committee's policies on non-discrimination and equal opportunities will be considered by the School Administration and School Committee in determinations respecting leadership awards, salary increases, promotions and the like." Page 146 August 8, 1977 Discrimination-Grievance Procedure Level I Student, parent, guardian or employee meets with school prin- cipal within five school days of filing of complaint to dis- cuss the situation. If there is no satisfactory resolution of the complaint within ten school days from the filing of the grievance, it proceeds to Level II. Level II The Title IX director receives the grievance from the complain- ant. If the complaint is not resolved satisfactorily, within the next ten school days, it proceeds to Level III. Level III The superintendent reviews the grievance. If the grievance is unresolvable at this level within the next tenschool days, it proceeds to Level IV. Level IV The School Committee reviews the. complaint. Action on the complaint will be completed within thirty school days from receipt of grievance. The School Committee will respond in writing to the complainant and inform the Bureau of Equal Educational Opportunity of the nature and resolution of the complaint. Upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools it was DRIVER EDUCATION VOTED: that the tuition fee of the classroom and behind-the-wheel driver education program at the Lexington High School be established at $65 for the school year, 1977-78. Rate change to be effective, September, 1977. (Michelman, Brown, Unanimous) Dr. Lawson presented a memorandum from Geoff Pierson that conm.ented COURSE CHANGES on course changes at the high school which addressed the questionof low (HIGH SCHOOL) enrollments. Dr. Lawson noted that the school committee had requested information regarding the small classes at the high school. Dr. Pierson's memo stated that he and Mr. Wilson discussed a number of questions regard- ing the courses in question. He said that most of the courses to be dropped had enrollments of one to ten.. It was also noted that courses with low enrollments, would be offered next year with hope that enroll- ment would increase. He recommended that courses listed on the July 7, memo be offered in addition to the issue identified that reconsideration be given to scheduling procedures and to courses that would be offered regardless of enrollment due to their importance to the high school pro- gram. Dr. Lawson then presented the listing of courses that were to be dropped, or combined next year, and those courses that were under the present guideline limitations of fifteen students or less in enrollments. He also provided a listing of projected teaching loads at the high school for 1977-78. Mr. Michelman began the discussion noting his concern that the elimi- nation and/or combination of some of the courses being offered in alter- nate years only could pose a serious problem to some students since stu- dents were in the high school for a three year period. Due to declining enrollments, it was obvious there would not be as many choices in the future. He also said options were less due to less staff. Mr. Michel- man then asked if some way could be obtained of getting the low enroll- A Page 147 August 8, 1977 ment courses into some type of planning cycle that would a:,: Lst a stu- dent in his/her long range planning. Dr. Clune said that a plan was be- ing developed to produce a two year course of study booklet rather than the traditional one-year course of study. Dr. Hoffman stated that it was peculiar to ask a student at this age to make decisions two years in ad- vance due to changing interests, and uncertainty as to long range plans. Mr. Michelman then expressed a concern that if Level II & III courses were combined, retaining only Level II courses, some students might suf- fer due to the lack of offerings consistent with their needs. Mr. Michelman added that he was extremely concerned that no courses in Advanced American History and European History were being offered. Dr. Clune siad this was due to low enrollment and lack of student inter- est. Mr. Michelman then responded saying that was a deplorable situation. Mr. Hoffman agreed with Mr. Michelman' s remarks and said the decision not to offer more advanced courses in addition to a survey course in United States History was deplorable. He further stated that perhaps it was not the students that were the problem but perhaps the way the courses were being offered. He said that the existing program of study reflected his concern es ecially in the area of history and had a similar reaction to the English literature area. He then posed the question, "do we under- stand the dynamics of what we are offering versus what students are tak- ing?" Mrs. Swanson said she felt that were were offering what students wanted, and that all had an opportunity to sign up for courses reflect- ing their interests and abilities. She added that combining courses and deleting some were appropriate actions. Dr. Lawson responded say- ing that Lexington needed to review the schedule as well as courses to be offered regardless of enrollment. Mr. Hoffman agreed with the Super- intendent that Lexington may wish to offer specific courses without re- gard to the cultural factor. The consensus of the committee was to look at these questions and discuss the course offerings, deletions and a complete report at a later date. It was suggested that the next school committee meeting would be the appropriate time. In summary, Mrs. Swan- son asked student representative Jonathan Miller for his reaction. Jona- than stated his reaction was only personal and that the course descrip- tion booklet did not contain very useful information. He said that he felt that teacher reputation and word-of-mouth information were criteria in many cases for student selection. Dr. Lawson responded to the request of the school committee for in- KINDERGARTEN formation regarding comments made in a report to the school committee PROGRAM by a Bridge parent which stated that one Lexington elementary school re- sponded to the plight of several families by simply enrolling a student in an occasional kindergarten in both morning and afternoon sessions, and sending him/her to lunch with the first graders. The memorandum presented by the superintendent to the school committee contained re- sponses from the principals having kindergarten sessions. The conclu- sion was stated by Dr. Lawson, as follows: One principal responded to the question that no kindergarten pupil has ever been enrolled in both a.m. and p.m. sessions at their schools, and three principals responded that three special needs students had been permitted to attend both kinder- garten sessions, (It was also noted that this would be true in 1977-78) . He felt that the reasons for these sessions were justified. The school committee agreed. There was no further discussion or action on the matter. Page 148 August 8, 1977 Mrs. Swanson began the discussion by stating that a 0%. increase for BUDGET the budget for 1978-79 was a goal that should be considered. She noted GUIDELINES that due to Chapter 766 coordination, and energy savings/school closings, etc., some savings had occurred this year, and that possible additional review of accounts and programs could save additional monies. She added that rather than assume a certain percentage of increase, appropriate guidelines should be given which would focus on a zero percent increase. She said that it was necessary to justify all programs as well as in- creases in programs in order that the public may understand the reasons. With this in mind, she felt that a 0% increase would provide the proper. vehicle. Mr. Michelman said that he felt that such a goal or guideline was unrealistic, due to inflation, salary increments, cost of living, etc., but he agreed that certainly the school budget should be analyzed in order to have a minimum increase yet to contain enough for equal and quality educational programs. He said per pupil costs might be considered to provide a specific guideline for budget development rather than a 0% increase. He then suggested a per pupil cost estimate of $2300 prior to LEA negotiations He added that this figure would then be reviewed after negotiations and a total budget of $16 million dollars could pos- sibly be realized. Mr. Hoffman agreed with Mr. Michelman saying that the figure seemed one that the school system could operate within a qual- ity manner. Mrs. Gaudet said that she felt that taxpayers would more readily understand the 0% increase approach if explained properly in the begin- ning. The townspeople could then hopefully understand why budget in- creases occur when enrollments decreased. She also noted that many people do want to see budget reductions and no increases at all. Mr. Brown said that he agreed with. Mrs. Swanson's remarks regarding 766, school closing and the declining enrollment. He felt that the admini- stration had done a fine job this past year providing savings as they did. He noted that he would support the philosophy of 07 increase as am initial guideline. Dr. Lawson stated that the school department was returning over a hundred thousand dollars to the Town this year due to savings that had accumulated, through specific actions. IIe noted that though it would not influence this year's tax rate, it would have some impact next year. Committee members agreed that this return was excellent. Dr. Lawson continued by saying that the zero increase guidelines could have spe- cific consequences on the educational and operational program of the school system, and that if he were asked to present such a budget he would have to include statements of consequences that could occur to the school system. Mrs. Swanson replied that this was exactly what she felt would be good to promote understanding of increases and de- creases of the budget. She said the committee could then address them- selves to the direction that they wished to take as a committee. In summary, the committee asked Dr. Lawson to draw up rough budget guide- lines in response to the general tenor of the committee' s discussion. Dr. Lawson agreed to the suggestion and said that he would note constant factors in his presentation. Page 149 August 8, 1977 Dr. Lawson announced the receipt of a $47,280 ESEA, TL, H-?.. VI grant GRANT to finance a special needs project, entitled, Transition to Employment. ANNOUNCEMENT He said that the program would identify special needs students who re- quired extra help to become employable after high school. He added that students would receive a comprehensive occupation evaluation and also appropriate on job training at specific job training sites. In- cluded in the program were provisions to counsel parents so that they may become supportive of their child's increased independence of employ- ment, and informational sessions for local business persons. It was VOTED: to adjourn at 11:00 p.m. (Brown, Michelman, Unanimous) Respectfully submitted, � �'``JJ Richard H. Barnes /k Recording Secretary