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Home My WebLink AboutSchool Comm. 01/07/2020Approved 1-21-2020 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, January 07, 2020 Town Hall, 6 Park Row, Mansfield, MA 02048, Room 3ab RECEIVED :I r FRKS OFFICE An Open Meeting of the Mansfield School Committee was held in room 3AB of the 'IW JA#l�bP A IO: 29 Tuesday, January 07, 2020. The open meeting session was called to order by Vice Chair Lynn Cavicchi at 7:05 p.m. ' � A P J C (- 1 F L p MA- , =t� HUSETTS Members Present: Administration Present: Lynn Cavicchi, Vice Chair Teresa Murphy, Superintendent of Schools Linda Fernando Michael Connolly, Assistant Superintendent (Teaching/Learning) Lauren Scher Edward Donoghue, Assistant Superintendent (Finance/Operations) Jenn Walsh Members Absent: Kiera O'Neil, Chair Video Taping: Chris Moussette, 15 Martha's Way, Mansfield, MA 0208 Public Sneak: None Communications: None Recognition of Mansfield High School Football Team: Superintendent Teresa Murphy congratulated the football team on their recent MIAA Division 2 Super Bowl win. This is a tremendous group of gentlemen that have worked extremely hard from the beginning of August through December. Teresa also read a letter from Representative Jay Barrows. Teresa introduced Assistant Coach Mark DeGirolamo and asked him to speak. Mark spoke very highly of the character and dedication of this group of players. He introduced the senior captains: Vinnie Holmes (unable to attend), Michael DeBolt who came up to speak about his charitable efforts with Alex's Lemonade Stand, Jack Moussette and Nick Marciano. He introduced also a few of the seniors in attendance: Ethan Thevenot, Jack Rivard, Chris Graham, Joe Plath and Dan Rapoza. Photos were taken with the trophy. Recognition of Jacqueline Prester: Superintendent Teresa Murphy congratulated MHS teacher Jacqueline Prester for being awarded the H. Randy Lively Jr. Pioneer Award given to a teacher with an adventurous, innovative spirit who is forging new ground in bringing financial education to life for their students. In addition to acknowledging Jackie, she was gifted a full sponsorship to the 2020 National Educator Conference in Atlanta. In addition, Jackie has just earned a National Board Certification in Career and Technical Education. She is the first Mansfield teacher to achieve a national certification. She completed a very extensive 2 year process which included a content exam and a portfolio of videos, sample student work, lesson plans and evaluation of her teaching practices and learning environment. Teresa presented her with a plaque in her honor. Page 1 of 3 Approved 1-21-2020 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, January 07, 2020 Town Hall, 6 Park Row, Mansfield, MA 02048, Room 3ab New Business: Field Trips (taken out of order): MHS All Night Party for Seniors Mary Watkins reviewed the annual All Night Party held at the Foxboro YMCA for seniors during the last week of school. Motion to approve MHS All Night Party by Jenn Walsh / Linda Fernando Motion approved 4 - 0. MHS Wrestling Team to NH Mary Watkins reviewed the request for the wrestling team to attend a tournament in NH. Motion to approve MHS Wrestling team to the NH tournament by Jenn Walsh / Linda Fernando Motion approved 4 - 0. FY21 Budget Presentation: Assistant Superintendent Edward Donohue reviewed the Budget Assumptions, Consolidated Spreadsheet and Reconciliation from FY20 to FY21. Some of the key differences are as follows: Contractual obligations are up due to salaries and transportation costs. Administrative Initiatives are up due to the continued rollout of chromebooks and associated professional development and a new Roland Green curriculum. Retirement savings decreased due to fewer retirements than last year. Personnel offsets are reduced per the proposed staffing changes to be discussed later in the presentation. Special education costs increased due to new placements and increased tuition rates. Revenue offsets decreased due to changes in circuit breaker, Pay&Ride and the end of the full day kindergarten reimbursement. Central Office and Facilities costs were reviewed and changes were highlighted. Special Education Director James Leonard reviewed the Special Education cost center. Teaching Supplies and Assessment costs increased due to change in process. The department is moving from paper/pen assessments to a new centralized process using online protocols. Lauren Scher asked if this would be an increased cost every year. Jim said that most of the increase is a one-time item for the purchase of new materials. Going forward costs would be offset by a reduction in paper and other supplies that are no longer needed. Lynn Cavicchi asked if the overall special education budget was a conservative estimate as in years past. Yes, although it is always unpredictable. Principal Mary Watkins presented the high school and athletics budget. The biggest increase comes from the need for new science textbooks. Health and Guidance services increased due to the new Bridge and School to Career programs. Additionally there was a move of translation costs from Principal's Office to the Health and Guidance line item. Athletics services increased primarily due to busing costs. Offsite rental fees (i.e. hockey, gymnastics and swimming) have increased. There was also an increase in cost for the Huddle software which allows athletes and coaches to review video tape of their events for evaluation and improvement. The performing arts department has also started to use this for their members as well. Principal David McGovern reviewed the Qualters Middle School Budget. There was an increase in textbook costs for science (to align with new curriculum), math (for expired licenses) and ELA (updated offerings.) Student clubs and activities showed an increased cost due to more students participating, and a move from using PAC funds to finance. Page 2 of 3 Approved I-21-2020 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, January 07, 2020 Town Hall, 6 Park Row, Mansfield, MA 02048, Room 3ab The Jordan/Jackson budget was reviewed by Principal John Nieratko. Textbook costs are down since there was an uptick last year for the new literacy program. Various items were moved from one category to another. Overall, there is a slight decrease in the J/J budget. The Robinson budget was reviewed by Principal Kerri Sankey. The overall budget is down 17% from last year. The biggest increase is due to new math manipulatives and OT equipment. Instructional material is down because we have completed our purchase for the literacy program. Additionally, there has been a reduction in furniture spending. Krista DeMello was unable to attend the meeting so Teresa Murphy presented the Roland Green budget. Currently there is no formal curriculum for Roland Green. Krista has reviewed several programs and has a few in mind. Money has been set aside to purchase anew curriculum in FY21. This will include professional development for staff. Ed Donoghue completed the review of the overall numbers. The FY21 budget as it stands today is $54, 022,363. He also reviewed staffing changes for FY21. The district is proposing 1 new FTE for a technology technician. This will allow the Technology Department to support the increased use of chrome books by students and staff. There is a proposed reduction of 4.5 FTEs with a net decrease of 3.5 FTEs. Lauren Scher asked if we had any indication of the state funding for next year. Ed indicated that it would still be sometime before we get any guidance on this. She also asked about the Student Opportunities Act and if we would gain any funding. For our district, there will not be any significant funds. It may help with some shared busing costs for out of district. A lot of prep work by the district will be needed before we can even apply for these funds. The district will review and present to school committee at an upcoming meeting. Upcoming Agenda Items• Program of Studies (MHS, QMS) Mid Year Cycle Review for Teresa Murphy Mid Year Update from Facilities Technology Update (Chromebooks) DESE requirement for Student Opportunity Act Accelerated Repair Program Review New School Committee Business: None Other- Items not anticipated by the Chair 48 hours prior to this meeting• None Documents Referenced: FY21 Budget Presentation Motion to adjourn: At 8:36 p.m., Motion to adjourn the open meeting by Linda Fernando / Jenn Walsh Motion Carries 4 - 0 Respectfully Submitted, Diane Nugent, Secretary to the Superintendent & School Committee Page 3 of 3