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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-06-11-SC-min LEXINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Tuesday,June 11, 2019 Lexington Town Office Building Selectmen's Meeting Room 1625 Massachusetts Avenue CALL TO ORDER AND WELCOME: 7:20 p.m. Chair Eileen Jay welcomed and introduced committee member SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT Eileen Jay, Chairperson Kate Colburn, Vice-Chairperson Kathleen Lenihan, Clerk Deepika Sawhney Scott Bokun NOT PRESENT: Rosanna Jiang, Student Rep SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PRESENT Dr. Julie Hackett, Superintendent Dr. Christine Lyons, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Development Mr. Peter Rowe, Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Operations The minutes were taken by Kristen Cronin, Executive Assistant to the School Committee and Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent School Committee Announcements/Liaison Reports Mr. Scott Bokun attended the LexPride and Race Amity Day this past Sunday as well as the vigil for Shen Cai. Liaison Report: Mr. Bokun read a memo from the Human Rights Committee with recommendations as a follow up to the DEI work that the district has been working on throughout the year. Ms. Lenihan thanked everyone for taking part in Race Amity Day. Ms. Lenihan participated in the discussion part of the day and was disheartened to hear so many people have a discussion on issues that so often do not want to engage on. It was very uplifting. 1 LSC Meeting 6/11/2019 minutes approved 8/27/19 Ms. Lenihan reported that State Representative, Andy Vargas, introduced Legislation in Massachusetts to eliminate the religious belief exemption from vaccines required for school attendance, Docket#HD4284. Ms. Sawhney reported on the Permanent Building Committee meeting she attended on June 5, 2019. There was discussion around the design for the new police station and working with Sustainable Lexington. Ms. Sawhney reported on the SHAC Substance Abuse Task Force meeting she attended earlier in the day. The committee provided a brief review of the work that has been accomplished over the past year. Ms. Sawhney reported that they have increased the number of middle school and high school peer educator students going into classrooms in both elementary and middle school to talk about substance abuse and healthy decision making. Ms. Sawhney reported on a Q&A panel she attended that was provided by the Indian Americans of Lexington on Sunday,June 8, 2019. The discussion was on "smooth transition to middle school". Ms. Sawhney reported the Synthesis Team has been working diligently on a very rough vision and mission statement as well as goals and core values for the Lexington school system. The KLDI workshops are still ongoing. This is work that will continue over the summer. Ms. Colburn echoed her appreciation for the Race Amity Day and LexPride events that were held over the past weekend. Ms. Colburn reported on the Capital Expenditures Committee meeting she attended last week and explained that the CEC reviewed, in detail, the memo that was prepared by the Town Manager's office on various proposals around some of the financial policies. Ms. Colburn suggested discussing the financial policies as a committee in order to know what the position School Committee will have by the fall. Ms. Colburn noted that Dr. Hackett made a request at the last Summit meeting to meet together as a Sumit group to discuss financials. Ms. Colburn would like to follow up during a retreat over the summer or another time in order to know what the School Committee's position is prior to the fall. Ms. Jay reported on the Homework Task Force meetings held recently and noted that some discussion was had around the calendar on homework days vs. no homework days, as well as discussion within that group on various kinds of proposals. Dr. Lyons thought it would be helpful to receive feedback on one of the proposals and sent out a survey to educators as well as parents in the community. Ms. Jay noted it was a "trial balloon" and the survey's intent was to receive a response and reactions to the proposals. No decision has been made on the homework calendar and discussion will continue. CONGRATULATIONS AND CELEBRATIONS Dr. Hackett extended her congratulations to the seventh grade team "Everest." Dr. Hackett noted they had been learning about Migration and Rights through project-based learning for 2 LSC Meeting 6/11/2019 minutes approved 8/27/19 several weeks. The interactive projects focus on certain aspects of migration, such as immigrant experiences in a particular area, climate change and its effects on immigration, current situations like refugee crises, as well as other topics CONSENT AGENDA ACCEPTANCE OF DONATIONS/GIFTS Ms. Sawhney moved to approve donation to Clarke Middle School from Oak Ridge Institute in the amount of$1,000.00 seconded by Ms. Colburn(Approved 5-0) PAYROLL AND ACCOUNTS PAYABLE WARRANT APPROVAL Ms. Colburn moved to approve School Department's payroll warrant dated June 7, 2019 seconded by Ms. Lenihan(approved 5-0) Ms. Lenihan moved to approve the School Department's accounts payable warrant dated April 19, 2019 in the amount of$883,141.66; US Bank Reconciliations dated April 19, 2019 in the amount of$65,424.65& accounts payable warrant dated May 3, 2019 in the amount of $1,352,616.74 seconded by Mr. Bokun (approved 5-0) APPROVAL OF MINUTES Ms. Lenihan moved to approve School Committee minutes from April 10, 2019 seconded by Ms. Colburn (Approved 5-0) COMMUNITY SPEAK: Tina McBride - Ms. McBride spoke on behalf of the Green Team. Ms. McBride wanted to share with School Committee that they are working on an initiative to address the problem of food waste in the Lexington school system. With the guidance of Alison Cross of the Wellsley Food Initiative Program, Kevin Silvia, Whitsons Food Director, and Rent-low of Arlington's food link, they will use guidelines from the FDA to develop a standard of operating procedures document and program protocol. The hope is to begin documenting, recording and preparing rescued food for donations as quickly as possible. Sergey Kheyfets - parent of a 6th grader at Clarke Middle School. Concerned about discipline at Clarke Middle School and would appreciate working with Dr. Hackett on resolving this issue. Superintendent's Report: Superintendent Hackett reported on reflections from her first year in Lexington. She noted, thanks to the efforts of many, there is much to celebrate, but there is always room for improvement and more work to be done. Superintendent Hackett cited the accomplishments in which all can take pride, including a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) effort, a later school start, redistricting, strategic planning, master planning, the submission of the Lexington High School Statement of Interest, building two new schools, successfully settling all collective 3 LSC Meeting 6/11/2019 minutes approved 8/27/19 bargaining agreements, the first community report, and so much more. Superintendent Hackett remarked that she has never been as energized or as highly engaged as a learner or a leader, and she is so grateful to the many people who had a hand in these efforts. Superintendent Hackett reported on the work that remains on her "to do" list: 1. Observations and evaluations 2. Work with Central Administration to reorganize Central Administrative Offices, update the organizational chart, and establish clear guidelines and expectations for collaboration 3. Work more closely with students, teachers, and schools 4. Improve communication and outreach by establishing "Community Conversations" as a natural extension of our DEI work Dr. Hackett noted in closing that she is proud of what the district has accomplished together this year, and looks forward to making changes next year to build upon the efforts of this year. Thank you for your support and for a wonderful first year in Lexington! PRESENTATION: Superintendent's End of Year Evaluation School Committee reviewed Dr. Hackett's end of year evaluation. The evaluation consists of three steps: Step 1: Assess Progress Toward Goals; Step 2: Assess Performance on 4 Standards; Step 3: Evaluator Adds Summative Comments. Ms. Jay reported on the aggregated assessments and comments for each evaluation category and she read the Summative Comments of the evaluation provided by School Committee members as follows: "When it comes to considering all of the attributes one would want in a superintendent, it is immediately apparent that Dr. Julie Hackett is the whole package. She brings to her role an impressive array of intellectual skills, deep insight, wisdom, leadership ability, problem solving acumen, interpersonal skills, positive attitude, moral compass and a caring heart. The depth of her thinking is evident in her ability to size up a situation quickly, understand the nuances, and dig into the heart of the matter with great insight. In many instances, she has been able to problem solve and resolve conflicts in insightful and creative ways. Her approach is always positive, forward-thinking and innovative with a willingness to take risks when necessary. In all of her interactions, her interpersonal skills and collaborative nature contribute greatly to success through strong relationships and communications that are built on trust and respect. Dr. Hackett is one of those special superintendents who leads not only with the mind, but also with a caring heart. She is always guided by her instinct to do what's right -for students and for others. Incredibly, she does all this with confidence and poise. In her first year as Superintendent, Dr. Hackett has been a tremendous asset to the Lexington Public Schools. What she has been able to achieve in just one year is extraordinary: • Spearheading work on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and creating a plan to address controversial issues such as disparities in discipline 4 LSC Meeting 6/11/2019 minutes approved 8/27/19 • Embarking on a system-wide Strategic Plan to create a shared vision of what our schools will be • Leading a Master Planning committee to identify solutions to our space issues at all levels - elementary, middle, and high school • Creating and submitting an SOI to the MSBA for Lexington High School • Addressing specific LPS issues such as late start time, redistricting, homework, enrollment and facilities • Hiring multiple senior administrators • Completing nearly all remaining union contract negotiations • Helping us make School Committee meetings significantly more focused and productive It is commendable and noteworthy that Dr. Hackett has accomplished these results with her team by creating an environment that values collaboration, and is focused on what is best for the student. Her team-building skills are exemplary. Her empathy and relatability allow her to build relationships across all groups and constituencies. She works very hard and is available to all who need to communicate with her. She is thorough in her work and creative in her problem-solving approach and understands the value of process, communication and timeliness. She is calmly professional, easy to communicate with, always available to discuss issues, and has a knack for bringing people together to talk honestly about difficult situations. These skills allow her to build a significant base of stakeholders, thus ensuring greater success. Incredibly, Dr. Hackett has tried to move mountains in her first year by taking on several major, substantive endeavors. Both the DEI and Strategic Planning work are huge undertakings and they have been well organized and orchestrated by Dr. Hackett. Clearly, the groundwork Dr. Hackett has established in her first year will lead to ongoing efforts that are yet to come. The foundation she has set is sound and will be critical for our work ahead. Even though the progress and outcome of these efforts are not yet known, Dr. Hackett is to be commended because of the courage, leadership and steady guidance she has shown in tackling major issues and building the necessary commitment and relational groundwork in her first year. A full copy of the evaluation can be found here: Superintendent's Evaluation It can also be found on the Lexington Public Schools district website. New Business: Vote on 2019-2020 School Committee Dates Ms. Colburn moved to approve 2019-2020 School Committee meeting dates;seconded by Ms. Lenihan (approved 5-0) METCO Transportation Restructuring: Mr. Peter Rowe, Assistant Superintendent for Finance, reported on a meeting he attended with Ms. Hamilton, LPS METCO Director, on an overview of a proposal by METCO Inc. concerning the future management and contracting for transportation service. 5 LSC Meeting 6/11/2019 minutes approved 8/27/19 METCO Inc. has the goal of transitioning away from their current personnel structure for transportation service, while continuing to ensure that children travel safely to and from their homes in Boston. Mr. Rowe noted a final decision was not made at the meeting on specific actions but Milly Arbaja-Thomas, CEO, METCO communicated the following take-aways to the participants: • General agreement that billing and monitoring of buses could be responsibilities of the district, and in many cases are largely managed at that level already • General concern that bidding for bus contracts as separate districts would not be effective because of the belief that bundling bids with the METCO name and reputation serves as an important draw (even if we are not currently securing "group rates") • Some districts expressed that the process of designing bus routes requires some Boston knowledge and support As a next step Ms. Arbaja-Thoms is conducting a follow-up survey of member districts to identify extra steps to meet the needs and concerns of each district. Both Ms. Hamilton and Mr. Rowe agree that a future model with METCO Inc. bidding the transportation service with input into bus routes, but with Lexington taking over managing the billing and assignment of student/service routes is a solution that can work as well as the current model. School Committee had some questions that Mr. Rowe addressed. Ms. Jay on behalf of School Committee thanked Mr. Rowe for all the work that he has provided for the district, as this is his last School Committee meeting with Lexington Public Schools. COMMUNITY SPEAK: Lin Jensen - Member of the Green Team. Ms. Jensen spoke on behalf of the Green Teams and requested to install filtered water bottle filling stations in the Lexington Public Schools. Ms. Jensen reported that recently funding was made available to one school,via a PTA, to install a filtered water bottle filling station, but because of a lack of understanding of what the process should be, the funding was redirected elsewhere. The Green Teams are requesting that the School Committee accept donations from local charitable organizations to purchase the filtered water bottle filling stations when LPS funding is not readily available. The goal would be that funding for the filtered water bottle filling station equipment can be sourced either within the school budget or externally. The DPF could then procure the equipment and install it in the most sensible location in the particular school. Unfinished Business: Amend School Master Planning Advisory Committee Charge Mr. Scott Bokun moved that School Committee accept the amended School Master Plan Advisory Committee charge;seconded by Ms. Lenihan(Approved 5-0) 6 LSC Meeting 6/11/2019 minutes approved 8/27/19 NCTM's Catalyzing Change School Committee members had a long discussion based on the NCTM's Catalyzing Change article that Mr. Kevin Kelly mentioned during his curriculum presentation at the June 4, 2019 School Committee meeting, a copy of the article can be viewed here: https://www.nctm.orE!/cha p e/ Ms. Jay noted this was the last School Committee meeting of the year and wished everyone a happy summer and announced the next School Committee meeting would be August 27, 2019. 9:28 p.m. Ms. Jay made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Ms. Colburn. 7 LSC Meeting 6/11/2019 minutes approved 8/27/19