HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool Comm. 06/14/2022Approved 06-21-22
Mansfield School Committee Meeting
Minutes for Tuesday, June 14, 2022 IECEI VEQ
In Person r,I r RKS OFFICE
An Open Meeting (workshop) of the Mansfield School Committee was held in perso "n "bs0dy, p 3: 10
June 14, 2022 In Superintendent Teresa Murphy's office. The open meeting session was,cplled to
order by Chair Kiera O'Neil at 6:07 p.m. " t Li ��, F� (J
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Members Present: Administration Present:
Kiera O'Neil, Chair Teresa Murphy, Superintendent of Schools
Lynn Cavicchi, Vice Chair Michael Connolly, Assistant Superintendent (Teaching/Learning)
Lauren Scher
Vivian Webster
Jenn Walsh
Members Absent: none
***All members in person —Roll call vote not required ***
Dorothy Presser, Field Director from the MA Association of School Committees attended the
meeting to provide a workshop on several school committee themes. The meeting started with brief
introductions and discussion on where we are as a district and committee.
Ms. Presser provided an overview of the role of the school committee and how to best have an
effective committee. The overarching goal of any school board is to have continuous improvement
in student achievement. Committees should set goals, monitor progress, self -govern and partake in
professional development.
There is a lot of data to assess, review and manage. It is best for a committee to decide which data
elements to focus on in order to move the district forward. It is also important to build
relationships with school administration/staff and with the community.
There are roles for the school committee and the district. Understanding and practicing these roles
build trust and respect thereby gaining trust from the community.
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Approved 06-21-22
Mansfield School Committee Meeting
Minutes for Tuesday, June 14, 2022
In Person
It was noted that there are key differences between the committee as a whole and an individual
member. As a committee, all action is taken at properly posted meetings. The committee governs
through policy and is the employer of record. As individuals, there is no individual authority, no
one person's power is greater than any other. All members contribute to and communicate vision
and goals, ask critical questions and support committee decisions.
The Chair is a servant of the assembly rather than the manager of the assembly. That person guides
the committee's work, protects the committee, focuses on mission, vision, goals and student
achievement. They share leadership responsibilities and help the committee be greater than the
sum of its parts. The chair must have attention to detail, leadership, interpersonal and
communication skills, knowledge of Robert's Rules and of legal obligations such as open meeting
law, collective bargaining, and conflict of interest.
A question was asked as to how the chair interacts with other town boards. There are cases where
we are not included in important decisions or communications. An example was the recent town
meeting citizens petition on divisive concepts. Dorothy noted that the Chair should be able to have
good relationships with other boards and should be able to obtain information critical to the
schools.
Lynn Cavicchi asked how to move forward in creating norms and expectations. We have been
fortunate to have a long-time board who work well together but we need to plan for future
transitions. We will consider another workshop to discuss this.
A high-level definition of school committee work is:
• Establish Goals
• Enact Policies
• Approve & Monitor Budgets
• Hire & Evaluate Superintendent (and some other positions)
• Be the Employer of Record on Collective Bargaining Agreements
Keep in mind that at any given time the school can be working on three budgets at once.
The prior year (closing, reporting, audits)
The current year
The next year (planning ahead for budget approval)
The School Committee's work with the budget includes getting regular updates. The members do
not need to understand every line item or every detail of the chapter 70 money but they should
know by cost center how money is spent, if there are overages and if so, how is money transferred
to help cover.
Should the committee pay attention to every detail of a warrant? The committee should review
and have a general idea of spending. The finance department should provide quarterly reports on
what has been spent, what is encumbered and how money is being used making sure that the
budget is tied back to district goals.
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Approved 06-21-22
Mansfield School Committee Meeting
Minutes for Tuesday, June 14, 2022
In Person
Dorothy Presser then discussed open meeting law at a high level. OML provides balance between
government accountability and government efficiency. It ensures transparency by public bodies.
There was much discussion on open meeting law including:
Do we need to have an open meeting every time we have a discussion? Procedural items such as
the distribution of reports or documents, planning agendas, planning meeting dates for example do
not require open meeting.
Other situations which are not considered a meeting would be onsite inspections or building
walkthroughs, a conference or training, a social event, an invitation to another board as long as
there is no deliberation. However, it never hurts to post (but expect public viewing is possible.)
Does the committee have to post to attend the required Student Advisory Meetings? No. If it is the
students' meeting and school committee members attend to listen to students rather than
deliberating items then no, we do not need to post. Any items brought up then can be added to a
school committee meeting agenda for discussion. The benefit of not posting is that it does not
become a public meeting and students are free to discuss their thoughts.
If there only 2 members on a subcommittee, it an be awkward to make a motion, second and then
approve minutes since it is just the two members. Is it required for us to do this? Yes,
subcommittees must have minutes prepared, approved and released. These minutes must be
approved by the subcommittee itself even if it is just two members.
If we post a meeting but need to change the agenda within 48 hours, is it ok to modify the agenda or
should it be included in the "items not known within 48 hours?" If possible, it is better to go
through the effort of revising the agenda, that way it is clear to the public. If it is late in the day or a
minor item, then add it to the generic 48 hour agenda item. The point is, yes, we can modify the
agenda after it has been posted as long as the change is made public.
Dorothy did note that there is a difference between a subcommittee and an advisory committee. An
example of a subcommittee is a group of voting members, typically a sub group of the committee.
An advisory group may contain a sub group of school committee members but it also is comprised
of other members, all who can vote. An example of an advisory committee is a superintendent
search. The school committee members can vote along with teachers, parents and anyone else who
is part of the advisory group. In the subcommittee, only the two school committee members can
vote.
Can executive session minutes be added to the school committee packet for approval in open
session? Yes. Is it OK that some exec session minutes never get released? Yes, for example, if there
are negotiating minutes that may impact negotiation sessions in the future, you would not want to
release those. Exec session minutes should be written in the same level of detail as open minutes.
If a grievance is being discussed (typically only when it gets to the level of the school committee),
then the person in question should be notified to be given the option of being in attendance. Prior
to this level of the grievance, the superintendent can inform individual members of grievance
updates. No executive session is needed for those updates.
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Approved 06-21-22
Mansfield School Committee Meeting
Minutes for Tuesday, June 14, 2022
In Person
If the committee votes down an item, what is the procedure to bring it back for another vote?
According to Dorothy, a reconsideration is only done within the SAME meeting. Refer to Robert's
Rules on proper procedures for how to do so and who can request a reconsideration.
At any point after the meeting, anyone can suggest an agenda item for review. It would be similar to
introducing a policy change.
Public Speak: Remember that a school committee meeting is a meeting that takes place IN the
public not WITH the public. Recent guidance suggests that committees do not engage at all with
the public. This may be too strict and it is being reviewed. Perhaps there will be some guidance in
the near future. For example, if the question is very simple to answer then it makes sense to give a
quick response. The goal is to not get into any kind of debate. Occasionally it may be helpful to
remind the public what the committee has purview over.
MA Wiretap laws require that we notify the public that the meeting is being taped and if anyone
else chooses to tape it then they must notify the chair.
Social Media: Be very careful of social media so that you do not fall into a trap of appearing to
deliberate. For example, if one member comments on something and other school committee
members "like" or "dislike" a comment, then it is an opinion and therefore a deliberation. If a
member wants to direct to factual statements or documents in order to calm a situation, that is
acceptable. Also remember that if you text during a public meeting and a member of the public
sees this, they can put in a public records request to obtain your cell phone records. That request
would have to be honored.
Other- Items not anticipated by the Chair 48 hours prior to this meeting None
Motion to adjourn: At 8:30 p.m., Kiera O'Neil asked for a motion to adjourn.
Motion to adjourn by Jenn Walsh / Lynn Cavicchi
Motion Carries 5-0
Respectfully Submitted,
Diane Nugent, Administrative Assistant to
Superintendent & School Committee
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