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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool Comm. 05/18/2021Approved 05-25-21 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, May 18, 2021 Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar An Open Meeting of the Mansfield School Committee was held virtually on Tuesday, May 18, 2021. The open meeting session was called to order by Superintendent Teresa Murphy at 6:01 p.m. Members Present: Administration Present: Kiera O'Neil Teresa Murphy, Superintendent of Schools Lynn Cavicchi Michael Connolly, Assistant Superintendent (Teaching/Learning) Linda Fernando Edward Donoghue, Assistant Superintendent (Finance/Operations) Lauren Scher Jenn Walsh Members Absent: None �� -i H **All votes taken by roll call vote *** .2_ Roll Call: Lynn Cavicchi aye 7 U1 -jm -_IK Jenn Walsh aye�7 c tnrri Kiera O'Neil aye er �i art Linda Fernando aye -P Lauren Scher aye V) = =1 ou n rn Annual Reorganization: Superintendent Teresa Murphy led the committee through the annual reorganization. Jenn Walsh was re-elected during this year's Town Election. Teresa asked for a motion to nominate a chair. Motion to nominate Kiera O'Neil as Chair by Lynn Cavicchi / Jenn Walsh Roll Call Vote Lauren Scher aye Linda Fernando aye Kiera O'Neil aye Jenn Walsh aye Lynn Cavicchi aye Motion Carries 5 - 0 Kiera O'Neil was voted as chair and assumed control of the meeting. Chair Kiera O'Neil asked for a nomination for a vice chair. Motion to nominate Lynn Cavicchi as Vice Chair by Linda Fernando / Jenn Walsh Roll Call Vote Lauren Scher aye Linda Fernando aye Kiera O'Neil aye Jenn Walsh aye Lynn Cavicchi aye Motion Carries 5 - 0 Page 1 of 9 Approved 05-25-21 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, May 18, 2021 Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar Subcommittees were assigned as follows (no vote needed): School Committee Budget Lynn Cavicchi Jenn Walsh Facilities Linda Fernando Lauren Scher Policy Lynn CavicchiJena Walsh Returning and Learning Linda Fernando Lauren Scher Town of Mansfield Audit Kiera O'Neil CIP Kiera O'Neil Lauren Scher District Advisory Committee Health and Wellness Linda Fernando *Requires a motion and vote Chair Kiera O'Neil asked for a motion to nominate a representative to the Health and Wellness Committee Motion to nominate Linda Fernando as the representative to the Health and Wellness Committee by Jean Walsh / Lauren Scher Roll Call Vote Lauren Scher aye Linda Fernando aye Kiera O'Neil aye Jenn Walsh aye Lynn Cavicchi aye Motion Carries 5 - 0 Public Speak: None Communications: None Administrative Reports: Teresa Murphy reported on the following: The World Travel Club to Madrid Spain was cancelled by the EF Tours Company due to continued COVID travel constraints. Information regarding refunds was provided to families. Hopefully we are on target for next summer. On 5/14 we received a notice from NEASC that the MHS Accreditation process has been pushed out one year from 2024 to 2025. Principal Watkins informed Senior families that she is reviewing all information that is being released from the State. The following changes have been made: • Graduation on alumni field: each senior may now have 6 tickets. • Prom: The two night event is being combined into one night on June 9th. Hours are also being extended. The new time is 7:30 - 10:30 pm. Page 2 of 9 Approved 05-25-21 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, May 18, 2021 Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar Senior Awards Night: Will now be held in person with 2 guests per senior allowed. Senior Picnic: This has been changed so that all students may participate together on one field rather than having to split the students between two separate areas. Senior Parade will be held on Saturday June 5th. Time change to 2:00 p.m. The District Wide virtual conference, "Taking on Social Justice," was held on 5/20/21 Chair Kiera O'Neil thanked the high school and district for being so accommodating in making changes in senior events to reflect new state mask and social distancing guidelines. Linda Fernando asked if Class Day would be held this year. Lynn Cavicchi responded that no; it has been replaced by Senior Awards Night. Old Business: Committee Updates. Facilities: Linda Fernando reported that a new custodian has been hired. Currently facilities staffing is tight and we are hoping for more applicants this summer. The district has received $9300 for PPE from the state. The Robinson and J/J window projects are complete. QMS check -in station has been completed. Policy: Lynn Cavicchi noted that there are several policies in progress. Lynn will provide a summary statement for an upcoming meeting. Returning & Learning; Lauren Scher reported on the last meeting. Things are going well across the district. Chromebook collection has started at Robinson. The subcommittee reviewed plans for summer programming; the district is malting good progress. We are still awaiting guidance from DESE on the 2021-2022 school year. There are plans to phaseout this subcommittee as we work toward normalizing our educational delivery. New Business: Consideration of Statement of /n terest for Accelerated Repair Program (MHS and QMS Boilers). Assistant Superintendent Edward Donoghue reviewed our plans for requesting MA School Building Authority (MSBA) funding for two projects. MHS Motion read by Jenn Walsh and Seconded by Linda Fernando: Resolved: Having convened in an open meeting on May 18, 2021, the School Committee of the Town of Mansfield, in accordance with its charter, by-laws, and ordinances, has voted to authorize the Superintendent to submit to the Massachusetts School Building Authority the Statement of Interest Form dated May 14, 2021 for the Mansfield High School located at 250 East Street, Mansfield, MA 02048 which describes and explains the following deficiencies and the priority category(s) for which an application may be submitted to the Massachusetts School Building Authority in the future. Submitted Statement of Interest - Priority 5- the Mansfield High School was constructed in 1967, the building boilers & related components were last upgraded in 1989 and currently do not operate effectively & efficiently. This situation and the environment it creates presents many challenges in delivering the best education possible for the students of Mansfield; and hereby further specifically acknowledges that by submitting this Statement of Interest Form, the Massachusetts School Building Authority in no way Page 3 of 9 Approved 05-25-21 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, May 18, 2021 Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar guarantees the acceptance or the approval of an application, the awarding of a grant or any other funding commitment from the Massachusetts School Building Authority, or commits the Town to filing an application for funding with the Massachusetts School Building Authority. Roll Call Vote Lynn Cavicchi aye Jenn Walsh aye Kiera O'Neil aye Linda Fernando aye Lauren Scher aye Motion Carries 5 - 0 QMS Motion read by Jenn Walsh and Seconded by Linda Fernando: Resolved: Having convened in an open meeting on May 18, 2021, the School Committee of the Town of Mansfield, in accordance with its charter, by-laws, and ordinances, has voted to authorize the Superintendent to submit to the Massachusetts School Building Authority the Statement of Interest Form dated May 14, 2021, for the Qualters Middle School located at 240 East Street, Mansfield, MA 02048 which describes and explains the following deficiencies and the priority category(s) for which an application may be submitted to the Massachusetts School Building Authority in the future. Submitted Statement of Interest - Priority 5- the Qualters Middle School was constructed in 1953, the building boilers are over 25 years old & in poor condition, they do not operate effectively & efficiently. This situation and the environment it creates presents many challenges in delivering the best education possible for the students of Mansfield; and hereby further specifically acknowledges that by submitting this Statement of Interest Form, the Massachusetts School Building Authority in noway guarantees the acceptance or the approval of an application, the awarding of a grant or any other funding commitment from the Massachusetts School Building Authority, or commits the Town to filing an application for funding with the Massachusetts School Building Authority. Roll Call Vote Lauren Scher aye Linda Fernando aye Kiera O'Neil aye Jenn Walsh aye Lynn Cavicchi aye Motion Carries 5 - 0 Consensus Vote of FY22 Town Budget. Assistant Superintendent Edward Donoghue reviewed the FY22 Town Budget. This presentation had originally been provided on April 29, 2021. The other boards provided their consensus votes on that night. However, School Committee did not have a quorum at the end of the evening. Lynn Cavicchi thanked Teresa Murphy, Ed Donoghue, Kevin Dumas and Barry LaCasse for their efforts on balancing the budget. Motion to approve the FY22 town budget as presented during the 4-29-21 Joint Town Budget meeting and to plan a review of funding for the Special Education, OPEB and SMHG stabilization funds for the fall town meeting by Linda Fernando / Jenn Walsh Page 4 of 9 Approved 05-25-21 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, May 18, 2021 Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar Roll Call Vote Lauren Scher aye Linda Fernando aye Kiera O'Neil aye Jenn Walsh aye Lynn Cavicchi aye Motion Carries S - 0 Green Communities: Assistant Superintendent Ed Donoghue provided an overview of this project. The Town of Mansfield hired a consultant from the state to assist Mansfield in the pursuit of becoming a green community. One of the components of this plan is to approve a Fuel Efficient Vehicle Policy. This policy was written by the Town of Mansfield with our consultant. It was then provided to School Committee for their review. Lynn Cavicchi requested changes to be sure that the Mansfield Public Schools were represented in the policy. One question Lynn had was in regards to leased vs purchased vehicles. Ed indicated that it was implied in the policy. Lynn requested that the policy be revised for clarity. This policy will go back to Kevin Dumas and Barry LaCasse for revision; therefore no motion to approve was made. This policy will be added to the May 25th agenda. Health and Wellness Committee Triennial Report. Director of Health Services Christine Dooling provided an update (see detailed presentation.) The mission of this committee is to provide and develop educational resources to address relevant topics. We strive to promote and support the physical and social/emotional health of our school community. Some of the accomplishments were reviewed by Christine: Many improvements and expansions were made to our district gardens. The district welcomed Bentley, our first therapy dog. The committee addressed the many forms of tobacco and nicotine addiction. The high school held a wellness fair focusing on nutrition, fitness and mindfulness. Tim Tichacek, Charlotte Boyd and Marybeth Kennedy were instrumental in helping to plan a similar health fair at J/J. Backpack Buddies (weekend meals program) was devised then paused during COVID while a more expansive food distribution program was developed. Regarding COVID, the district was forced to cancel many health and wellness programs including a course on distracted driving and a teen safety summit. The district created the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren support group which has since been taken over by the Council on Aging. In the upcoming year our plans are to regroup, regain momentum and support our students and staff. Questions & Comments: Linda Fernando thought that all the accomplishments were really amazing and kudos to Christine for her "fantastic, mind-blowing" efforts. Kiera O'Neil was impressed with the list of accomplishments. She suggested virtual presentations in the future which may attract more attendees. Page 5 of 9 Approved 05-25-21 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, May 18, 2021 Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar Lynn Cavicchi noted that some presenters may have clauses in their contracts preventing virtual or recorded meetings. Looking ahead, we need more written content similar to the district improvement plans including goals. The Health and Wellness policy is up for review including representation on the committee, appointment of members annually, identifying members to the public, etc. Christine Cooling will work to update the website content. Lauren Scher thanked the committee for their efforts. She hopes that we can start to analyze data on equity, look at our subgroups including our LGBTQ community and look for opportunities on synergy. Jenn Walsh appreciates the Committee efforts and all the work accomplished. District Wide Initiatives 2021-22: Data Assessment System- Julia Greenstine: This is a cloud based system that collects identified pieces of information such as student information, demographics and assessments to allow for various reporting and analysis to improve the teaching and learning process. A system such as this would be beneficial to the schools because now data collection and storage is split among several different systems, data reporting is not easily accessible, and information cannot easily move with students from year to year. It is also a challenge to coordinate congregate data among grade levels. Our roadmap is to form a team, develop goals, evaluate products, provide a recommendation and then plan implementation. A product has been chosen (Illuminate Education Data and Assessment (DnA) and a three year implementation plan has been recommended. Question and Comments: Lauren Scher: What steps is the district putting in place to evaluate the tool? Julia Greenstine responded that we are using a test and learn process to make changes as we go. Michael Connolly noted that we gathered a team and we are well positioned to do the research and testing. Teresa Murphy noted that Julia has prior experience with data assessment projects. Lynn Cavicchi asked what would happen in year three. Julia noted that we would make final adjustments based on the data review. Mike Connolly noted that we would have, at that point, stronger common assessment capability. Lynn also asked for an update on the technology plan in light of all the changes this year. It was noted that we may be able to provide an update over the summer. NuiV Audit and Professional Development- Michael Connolly: Several factors have contributed to where we are today including annual school perception surveys, Moving Mansfield Forward group presentation to district and ongoing discussions, virtual keynote speakers such as Adolph Brown, a review of many policies, curriculum teams are reviewing and updating curriculum for diversity. During the 2021-22 school year, the district will engage in an equity audit through MA Insights to identify opportunity gaps and then create an action plan for improvement. The district leadership team and staff will engage in cultural proficiency training in order to develop our capacity to interact and deliver education within a community that is becoming more diverse. Mr. Connolly then reviewed key components of the equity audit including data collection and analysis, initial stakeholder interviews and focus groups, administration and review of survey data and a final report, presentation to school committee and communication of findings. In order to support cultural proficiency the district leadership team will engage in four 1.5 hour sessions in topics such Page 6 of 9 Approved 05-25-21 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, May 18, 2021 Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar as micro aggression and implicit bias; how school leaders address modern forms of racism, how to lead conversations regarding cultural proficiency, developing a cultural proficiency vision. All district staff will participate in 1.5 hours of introductory training. Future training will be developed with our vendor. Questions and Comments: Linda Fernando asked for clarification of the timing of the audit. What if we are not pleased with the vendor at the end of the initial audit process? Michael Connolly expressed a lot of confidence in the vendor chosen. We have reviewed final reports of other districts. We have other groups available should we need to change gears. Linda then noted that we must lead to a long term sustainable plan. We cannot lose momentum on this important topic and should make sure we follow up soon after professional development complete. Michael Connolly noted that we need to address equity through multiple methods as Professional development will not be the only avenue available. Lauren Scher respected the thoughts Linda had on momentum. It is important to take steps to follow up on various PD efforts so keep people excited and involved. Does DESE have any grant money available for us to use? Mr. Connolly noted that this was covered as part of our Student Opportunity Act request. However, we are always seeking other opportunities. jenn Walsh is thrilled with the choice of vendors for our professional development. She has seen Dr. Wornum at an MASC conference and thought she was captivating and wonderful. Building on the thoughts of Lauren and Linda, it is so important to "strike when the iron is hot" and build off of what we learn during the vendor presentations. Lynn Cavicchi thanked the district for allowing her to provide input through the evaluation process. She reiterated that the real work comes after the audit when the district commits to the community and implements a plan. We should also shift the culture so we focus on more than just teachers. We should work with all stakeholders who contribute to our educational process. She asked that we make sure we continue to prioritize this effort. Special Education -Jim Leonard: The three Ivey initiatives are dyslexia guidelines for teaching and learning, IEP goal alignment and our McLean partnership. In October of 2015 the US Department of Education issued guidelines on the educational needs for students with dyslexia. In response to that the MA State Legislature passed an act in October of 2018 that directed DESE to consult with stakeholders to develop a comprehensive set of guidelines on screening procedures and protocols. We have been anxiously awaiting this guidance which was recently received in late April. The district is reviewing the guidelines to help the district develop an understanding of dyslexia research and to develop an approach to screening, interventions and instructions. A focus group will be established to review the guidelines in order to research and recommend a screening tool and curriculum resource. Early screening and delivery of services will be Ivey. The Special Education Department recently reviewed and updated the policies and procedures as well as began the steps of the Tiered Focus review. As part of these reviews, we recognized that we want to work on IEP goal development. We anticipate updated guidance from DESE on IEP protocols. We will also align IEP goals with a disability rather than with content. This targets individual disability needs. Page 7 of 9 Approved 05-25-21 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, May 18, 2021 Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar Our McLean Partnership is built on the foundation established during the 20-21 school year and has grown with outreach to faculty, staff and families. We are able to support the emotional/social and mental health of our students. We will expand the in -school clinical consultation provided by McLean to support faculty teams; offer in -person parent workshops and provide student presentations. According to McLean we have become a model school. Questions and Comments: Kiera O'Neil noted that there is a lot to take in for one year. Teresa noted that it will be a multi year goal with new initiatives being added each year. Lynn Cavicchi asked if we have received a time line from DESE on working through the dyslexia guidelines. Jim noted that there is not; schools need time to unpack the information and make a wise choice for a screening tool. What role will SEPAC play in developing our goals? Per Jim, we did request feedback from our SEPAC Board who were enthusiastic about our continued relationship with McLean. The DESE guidelines on dyslexia and new IEP guidelines are new so we have not yet worked with SEPAC but will engage them through these endeavors. Lauren Scher feels that the social emotional needs will be important in the upcoming year post pandemic and appreciates our efforts. Please continue to look for grants. Teresa noted that part of this funding is out of the SOA grant. Educational Space Study -Teresa Murphy Some of the issues facing our district include: aging buildings; declining enrollment but more complicates student needs; Roland Green separate from our main district campus. We would like to explore our science and STEM labs, auditoriums, media studio, open spaces, athletic fields and playgrounds. The district will hire a consultant to lead the project, help us create an educational vision, assess and analyze the district's assets and needs and plan for the future. The timelime will begin during the summer of 2021 with a school committee workshop and planning meeting to discuss priorities, scope, logistics and potential consultants. In the fall, will identify personnel and choose our consultant. From there the consultant will create a project timeline. The committee is thrilled with the strategic vision for our facilities. School Committee Business: None Other- Items not anticipated by the Chair 48 hours prior to this meeting_ EBCFA Face -covering Policy: This week the CDC changed guidelines on Mask wearing. Governor Baker followed with updates to MA guidelines. Given the low rate of transmission, no masks are required outdoors, during outdoor recess or P.E. Outdoor youth sports can be mask free. The MIAA met today and revised mask wearing so that no masks are required for outdoor athletic events. Internal to our district we have our facemask policy and contractual obligations with our bargaining units. The MEA is currently working to "un-tie" masks from the MOAs. Tonight we are asking the school committee to suspend the face covering policy so we have flexibility to move forward with changes to follow CDC and state guidelines. Page 8 of 9 Approved 05-25-21 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, May 18, 2021 Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar Motion to suspend Policy EBCFA Face -covering by Linda Fernando / Lauren Scher Roll Call Vote: Lynn Cavicchi aye Jenn Walsh aye Kiera O'Neil aye Linda Fernando aye Lauren Scher aye Motion Carries S - 0 Documents Referenced: Statement of Interest for MHS Boiler project Statement of Interest for QMS Boiler project FY22 Town Budget Presentation Fuel Efficient Vehicle Policy Health and Wellness Triennial Report District Wide Initiatives Report for 2021-22 Motion to adjourn: At 9:12 p.m., Motion to adjourn the open meeting by Linda Fernando / Jenn Walsh Roll Call vote: Lynn Cavicchi aye Jenn Walsh aye Kiera O'Neil aye Linda Fernando aye Lauren Scher aye Motion Carries S - 0 Respectfully Submitted, Diane Nugent, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent & School Committee Confirmation of Approval: Kiera O'Neil Date Chair School Committee Page 9 of 9