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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool Comm. 01/11/2022` Mansfield School Committee Meeting approve 1-25-22 Minutes for Tuesday, January 11, 2022 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar RECEIVED I -FS OFFICE An Open Meeting of the Mansfield School Committee was held in person andWtAYyZ5 TAsH40 January 11, 2022. The open meeting session was called to order by Chair Kiera O'P e'I dt 61 Lpin. Y dTe Members Present. A m n stration resen . Kiera O'Neil,Chair Teresa Murphy, Superintendent of Schools Lynn Cavicchi, Vice Chair Michael Connolly, Assistant Superintendent (Teaching/Learning) Linda Fernando Ed Donoghue, Assistant Superintendent (Finance/Operations) Lauren Scher Jenn Walsh Members Absent: None ***All votes taken by roll call vote *** Roll Call: Lynn Cavicchi aye Jenn Walsh arrived at 7:27 pm Kiera O'Neil aye Linda Fernando arrived at 6:58 pm (attended remotely) Lauren Scher aye (attended remotely) Executive Session: Cancelled; not needed Public Speak: None Communications: Letter from paraprofessionals to begin contract negotiations Administrative Reports: Superintendent Teresa Murphy reported that we have been dealing with the surge of Covid in the schools as well as in the community. We see increased student, faculty and staff absences. Substitute coverage is still a critical need. We've been fortunate to have college students who are at home on their own holiday breaks and they have worked within the schools. If any listener is interested in supporting our efforts of keeping students learning in -person in our schools, and can make yourselves available during the school day ---not even every school day ---we are always looking for sub support in every job category. The Commissioner of Education has extended the mask mandate through February 28. We are not in a position where we can avail ourselves of the 80% threshold to forgo masks and I don't foresee me bringing that recommendation to you in January or February. Early Release schedule tomorrow, Wed. January 12. Assistant Superintendent Connolly will share a summary of the PD at our next meeting, but I want to highlight one topic and that is a seminar with our Problem Oriented Police unit. Below is some key information. Page 1 of 8 approved 01-25-22 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, January 11, 2022 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar MPD POP Unit Michael N. Fenore Mansfield Police Department W: (508) 261-7300 ext.61309 C: (508) 851-S063 MFenore@MansfieldMA.com Nicole Newport -Archer Mansfield Police Department W: (508) 261-7300 ext. 61325 C: (774) 266-8277 Nnewport.@mansfieldmaxom Heather Devitt - Advocate/Social Worker Manfield Police Department W: (508) 261-7300 C: (508) 261-4099 Hsullivan@mansfieldmacom Approval of Minutes: Family Resource Center Erin Kelley -Green Program Manager, Taunton/Attleboro Family Resource Center Old Colony YMCA 37 Main Street, Taunton, MA 02780 Office: 774-501-2633 Work Cell: 508-944-S598 Office Fax: 774-501-3760 Youth Villages Katelyn Leary MSW Regional Supervisor- Raynham Youth Villages 175 Paramount Drive Suite 102 Raynham, MA 02767 901-351-6001 (cell phone) 508-732-6511 (office phone) CCBC Kelley Michelangelo, LICSW Interim Program Director Senior Care Coordinator Community Service Agency Community Counseling of Bristol County 1 Washington Street, Taunton MA 02780 508-977-813S Motion to approve Open Meeting Minutes dated 12-14-21 by Lauren Scher / Lynn Cavicchi Roll Call: Kiera O'Neil aye Lynn Cavicchi aye Lauren Scher aye Motion Carries 3 - 0 Motion to approve Executive Session Meeting Minutes dated 12-14-21 by Lauren Scher / Lynn Cavicchi Roll Call: Kiera O'Neil aye Lynn Cavicchi aye Lauren Scher aye Motion Carries 3 - 0 Committee Updates: Budget: Met to discuss the FY23 budget which will be presented this evening. Facilities: Met this morning. The district is currently seeking a project manager and design consultant for the boiler project. With supply chain issues it is unlikely that we will be able to complete this effort during 2022 but will continue to push forward. The buildings are handling the Page 2 of 8 approved 01-25 22 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, January 11, 2022 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar cold well. We are seeing benefits of being proactive in many maintenance projects. The district is trying to hire another custodian but it has been a big challenge. Returning and Learning: Met yesterday to discuss various issues. Applied for a Math acceleration grant and are waiting for approval. This effort will occur over February vacation and will target approximately 35 students. The grant would also fund transportation and food during that week. If we receive approval we will start speaking with families. We are not sure how many families will be willing to send students to school on their vacation break. New Business: Consideration of Mansfield Budget Subcommittee Charge: Lynn Cavicchi presented some background on this effort. This advisory committee is formed from three boards (School Committee, Select Board, Finance Committee) but no formal scope or charge was ever created. A draft charge was created and each board has been asked to review. Lynn is looking for input from the committee. Kiera noted that the kicking off the budget season is a yearly challenge. The committee is a positive factor in our process but it needs help getting started each year. Typically there is confusion over who should start it, set the agenda, etc. She suggests that there is rotating responsibility and each year one of the boards assumes responsibility. Lynn mentioned we need to clarify who should be involved in setting the schedule. She will bring these suggestions to the next Budget Subcommittee meeting on January 26th. No motion made. Linda Fernando arrived. Consideration of Mansfield Green Communities Energy Reduction Plan: Matt Jacques presented. This project has been going on for some time. The report was prepared by the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) with support from the Town of Mansfield. The town has identified energy savings measures to reduce usage from FY2020 by 17,377 MMBTUs or 23%. An outside audit was done on all municipal buildings including the schools. The study looked at everything from boilers, windows, doors and weather- stripping. The recommendations for the schools fall in line with our CIP proposals. The audit recommends we start by replacing the MHS and QMS boilers. Lynn Cavicchi asked how we re -align our CIP requests to accommodate the recommendations. Ed noted that he and Matt will meet with the town to make any changes as needed. There should not be many changes. Lynn also asked if every school needed a boiler. Matt Jacques noted that yes, although not all of the boilers have reached the age requirement to apply for MSBA projects. The boilers must be at least 35 years old. Lynn asked if there were any surprises. Matt said no surprises but he was very impressed with their level of detail and therefore is very comfortable with their recommendations. Kiera thought the estimated costs and time frames seemed low. Matt had pointed that out when the report was produced. The report was based on various formulas for their calculations. All are in agreement that actual costs will be higher. He noted that if we cannot finish in 3 years we can continue and still keep the Green Communities designation. The key thing is to show significant and continued progress. Matt thinks the plan is solid and recommends that the school committee approve Page 3 of 8 approved 01-25-22 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, January 11, 2022 in Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar Motion to adopt the Energy Reduction Plan by Linda Fernando / Lauren Scher Roll Call: Kiera O'Neil aye Lynn Cavicchi aye Lauren Scher aye Linda Fernando aye Motion Carries 4-0 FY23 detailed Budget Presentation: Assistant Superintendent Ed Donoghue along with district staff presented the details of the FY23 budget. The budget represents a 3.53% increase over the FY22 budget. For salary and wages we have taken into account the potential for 6 new FTEs as well as potential contract increases since we are negotiating 4 contracts this year and 2 next year. The overall goal is to focus on classrooms and when possible save on other items. Today, Ed Donoghue and Teresa Murphy met with Town Manager Dumas and Assistant Town Manager LaCasse to discuss the numbers. The meeting was positive. Technology costs are up for a few reasons. First, the SmartBoard leases are moving from the school budgets to the technology budget. We anticipate 1400+ chromebook leases to replace outdated items and finally upgrades will be done to support cyber security. Central Office costs will increase due to negotiations scheduled for next year. Athletic insurance has been re -instated into the budget. In December Lori Letendre presented details on our plan to replace SmartBoards. Please refer to that presentation for any questions. Kiera O'Neil asked about the turnaround for the Smart Boards as it seemed very quick. Ed noted that Lori has spoken to several districts and the vendor is true to their word. Lauren asked if we had a final cost for the leases. Ed noted that we are still negotiating the final amount. Jenn Walsh arrived Lauren asked when we would start the bid process for transportation. Ed hopes to place the bid in March and know the final contracted cost in April. Typically only Connolly Bus bids on our town. Facilities (Matt Jacques) are up mostly due to increased supply cost. He did note that our heating repair calls are down by 50% this year showing that our maintenance efforts have paid off. Matt thanked the committee for their past support. Special Education (Jim Leonard) shows a decrease this year primarily due to the aging out of our Out of District placements. He noted that there is new DESE guidance on Dyslexia Screening. We have been working since the fall to understand our obligations and develop strategies/tools. It is a complex process. We plan to have a recommendation by June and then start implementation in the fall. Our Mclean partnership will continue to grow. Our past usage has shown great benefit to us. We hope the partnership will evolve over the next year, continuing to build on the foundation that we started., Lynn Cavicchi noted that there is an overall increased need for our students and likes this partnership. How will we measure success? Jim noted, we are working through that as part of Page 4 of 8 approved 01-25-22 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, January 11, 2022 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar our evaluation process. Lynn asked if she expects tuitions to increase. We factor in a 3% rate increase which is the highest increase that can occur. All increases are first approved by DESE. Mansfield High School (Tim Tichacek) This budget is fairly level. Digital subscriptions are down as we have completed payment on these until the next round is needed. Visual arts laptops were moved from the instructional equipment line to the Instructional Technology Line. This new leasing will be similar to what we are doing for chromebooks and SmartBoards. Student activities cost is up due to the addition of E-Sports where equipment and facilities rental costs can be high. However, we have implemented a fee and we are very excited that this student activity has attracted approximately 24 students, most who had not participated in school activities in the past. Finally there is a large spike in furniture costs. Tim is working with a social studies teacher to purchase more flexible seating. Tim feels that it is important to reward staff who go above and beyond with new ideas and teaching models so he approves this furniture request. Kiera O'Neil asked if there was any concern that participation in E-Sports would dwindle now that fees have been introduced. Tim noted that it is hard to predict but we hope that will not be the case. Students are really excited for this group. Additionally, we offer scholarship to those that need assistance. Kiera asked if we are malting the transition away from text books to digital subscriptions. Tim noted that there is mixed opinion on this so we will continue to look at the best model on a case by case basis. There is no savings in either format as vendors have started to increase digital subscription costs. Tim reported that the increase in athletic funds is primarily due to transportation increases and facility rentals. Qualters Middle School (Dave McGovern): Increase to the budget primarily reflects inflation costs and increase in digital subscription costs. Due to the changing science curriculum we are investing in new and replacement microscopes. Student activities costs have increased which Dave is very pleased about. We have seen a tremendous increase in student participation which reflects the sense of QMS community. Lynn asked if there would be any major changes to the program of studies that may need to be considered in the budget. Nothing major and those changes have been factored in. Linda Fernando asked what would be next regarding text book replacements. Dave feels we will have a break for a few years but then would likely loop at the world language textbooks. Lauren Scher noted that we have no money marked for the purchase of equipment. Dave noted that he has many items he would be happy to purchase including new furniture but kept the budget to essential items. Jordan/Jackson (John Nieratko): We are showing a decrease in the budget this year primarily due to the completed implementation of the literacy program. Library costs are up as we replace aging materials and work with increased software costs. Linda asked about the decrease. Teresa noted that we do make sure to submit what is needed without asking for too much. Robinson (Kerri Sankey): Also a decrease in budget due to the completed implementation of new literacy programs. Robinson is investing in a new kiln for the art program which is reflected in the increase in teaching supplies. Roland Green (Krista DeMello): There has been an increased need in translation services for our students. We recently needed to tape over the library for use in the classroom. We are investing in new storage and shelving to support the library needs. In 2022-23, Krista will be implementing a new curriculum which had been postponed due to COVID. Page 5 of 8 approved 01-25-22 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, January 11, 2022 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar Staffing (Teresa Murphy): QMS Dean of Student Services: This is a school year position. The Dean will hold assistant principal licensure and their responsibilities will include: handling teacher referrals; facilitate 504 initial meetings; manage chronic absenteeism and truancy issues such as the chronically absent bus, the ALC, truancy reduction plans, and if needed, attending court for child requiring assistance cases; do their share of paraprofessional evaluations; administrator support for MCAS; Coordinate the cafeteria support; provide support for the larger investigations involving students; and be the coordinator for Positive Student Recognition. Robinson Assistant Principal: Several years ago, to address the projected trends of declining student enrollment, we reduced the number of assistant principals at Robinson to one. During the past three years, the student numbers have increased and we now see a great need to bring back that lost assistant principal position. Not only are the numbers of children higher, the student needs are more complex and parent/guardian expectations are high. We want to address and intervene with student concerns -- be they academic, behavioral, social emotional -- in a meaningful constructive way. Although our elementary schools are large, the building leaders want to be very responsive to the needs of their faculty and staff who are front and center with students. Finally, this district's administrative structure is such that principals take a lead role in professional development and curriculum initiatives. An additional assistant principal could help to manage some of the day to day issues and tasks to provide support to the principal. This addition would then allow us to provide the same administrative structure as the Jordan/Jackson as Robinson now has a comparable student and staffing enrollment. QMS Special Education moderate needs teacher: The numbers of "inclusion" special education students has increased at QMS. For example, at grade 8 there are 31 students; grade 7 has 38 students and grade 6 has 50 students. Even more significantly, QMS special education teachers are providing more services in the Co -taught model ---that is, the special education teacher is paired with a Math or English teacher and they teach together in the student's regular math or ELA classroom rather than being pulled out into a small group setting. For both of these reasons, the increase in students and for the advantages of the co -teaching model, we are in need of an additional QMS moderate needs special education teacher. Robinson Special Education severe needs teacher. Roland Green is scheduled to transition a higher than usual number of students with severe disabilities to Robinson next year while Early Intervention is projecting that a similar number of three-year olds with severe disabilities will be entering Roland Green. The severity of disability of students requires a lower student to teacher ratio in a specially designed classroom. For this reason, we need to increase the number of severe special needs teachers by one at the Robinson School. District -Wide Transportation Manager: This will be a Key person to manage transportation in the district. We currently have several people in house who have taken on responsibility for different transportation tasks; whether that be as a stipend position or additional duties to a position not related to transportation. The manager would coordinate all of the different facets of our daily transportation including the 29 buses that we contract with Connolly Bus; the special education buses and vans that we own; McKenney Vento contracted vans; athletics and extracurricular buses. Over the past couple of years Ed and his team have continued to make improvements in this Page 6 of 8 approved 01-25-22 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, January 11, 2022 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar department with new software to develop efficient bus routes and an online registration process. The transportation manager will be a person who will oversee and coordinate the needs of student riders, their families, and their teachers and the school office staff. English Learner Paraprofessional: There are currently 71 English Learners and 67 Former English Learners in the district with 4 EL teachers. We would like to pilot the utilization of support with a dedicated paraprofessional who will serve in the areas of greatest need. We haven't finalized the details of the job, but we have learned that in other districts, an EL Paraprofessional can support students and EL teachers in a number of ways. Linda asked if we need to focus on any additional technology staffing. Teresa indicated that we always need additional staffing here but did not request due to other priorities and due to the additions we made last year. She also noted we are now using an outside vendor to handle our networking issues. Ed noted that Lori makes good use of college interns and that we are considering extending a one year appointment currently on staff. Lauren Scher asked if the EL para would be a district floater or assigned to a specific school. We will probably use at the elementary level because our needs are greater there. Lauren also asked about the new transportation coordinator. Does it need to be a full time/ full year position? Ed reviewed some of the new responsibilities while acknowledging it is a cyclical role. This person would be responsible for looking at and revising routes, considering a reduction in buses, manage the registration process, manage both large and special education transportation, as well as field trips and athletics. This person will also serve as the primary contact with parents. Kiera also asked for clarification on this role. Teresa noted that we don't always look good as a district during the first few weeks of school. We get slammed the last week of summer and first week of school with new transportation registrations and it is difficult to manage the routes. One of our goals is to provide a hard deadline for registrations and then work toward a more stable start to the school year. Lynn feels that these staffing requests support the best needs of our district. She encouraged Teresa to be flexible on the QMS Dean of Students position and if needed make a hire as an assistant principal if that helps to open up the candidate pool. Ed summarized the expenses that are currently covered via ESSER or other related COVID grants. We are moving a portion of these expenses into the budget so as these emergency funds run out we are in a good position to incorporate them fully into the budget. Kiera asked about the status of the free lunch program. Ed noted we are still waiting to hear for a federal decision. We do get refunded for all meals that are distributed now. Participation rates are very high. School Committee Business: School Choice vote will be scheduled for 2/15 after the budget subcommittee has a chance to review. On January 25th, we will review QMS and MHS program of studies as well as Teresa's mid -year review. Other- Items not anticipated by the Chair 48 hours prior to this meeting: Documents Referenced: Town Budget Charge Town Energy Reduction Plan FY23 Budget Motion to adjourn Page 7 of 8 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, January 11, 2022 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar At 9:15 p.m., Motion to adjourn by Jenn Walsh / Lynn Cavicchi Motion Carries S - 0 approved 01-25-22 Respectfully Submitted, Diane Nugent, Administrative Assistant to Superintendent & School Committee Page 8 of 8