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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool Comm. 09/06/2022Approved 11-15-22 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, September 6, 2022 RECEIVED In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWIWW, CLERKS OFFICE IUII NOV I b A 111 50 An Open Meeting of the Mansfield School Committee was held in person and virtually on Tuesday, September 6, 2022. The open meeting session was called to order by Chair d1 Ow 6: 4p.m. KMACHMETTS Members Present: Administration Present: Kiera O'Neil, Chair Michael Connolly, Assistant Superintendent (Teaching/Learning) Lynn Cavicchi, Vice Chair Edward Donoghue, Assistant Superintendent (Finance/Operations) Lauren Scher Vivian Webster Jenn Walsh Members Absent: *** All members in person — Roll call vote not required *** Public Speak: Lynn DiCorpo 879 West Street asked if the district would provide a breakdown of the Equity Audit cost. Chair Kiera O'Neil let Ms. DiCorpo know that we would be in touch. New Business: MA Insight Equity Audit Presentation of Findings: Chair Kiera O'Neil and Assistant Superintendent Michael Connolly introduced members from MA Insight. The district has worked with MA Insight for about a year. Presenting tonight are Anna Braet, Engagement Director; Dr. Carmen Thomas -Browne, Consultant; Dr. Marcia Parrilla, Analyst; Destiny Shantell Woodbury, Consultant. Kiera O'Neil noted that Superintendent Teresa Murphy could not attend the meeting tonight. However, she had attended this same presentation already and MA Insight has her full support. During the course of the presentation, MA Insight will describe the purpose, process and context of the audit; present reflections around the findings and recommendations, and work to support the district and school committee members in understanding the ways in which they can further equity and inclusion. Questions/Answers: Lauren Scher: Who participated in the survey? Did we have any challenges in full representation? What can we do to improve representation or reach out to those groups who are not represented? Michael Connolly recognized that our attempts to get volunteers is not perfect. MA Insight noted that it is impossible to get everyone involved but noted that they can dig a bit deeper into the data. Attempts were made to get participation in focus groups and surveys which were produced in 10 different languages. Carmen Thomas -Browne (MA Insight) recognized that we did not get any response from our EL families. This is part of what will be discussed in our strategy meetings. How do we improve outreach? Vivian Webster asked how many families were interviewed. Only 9 families agreed to be interviewed. She also asked about the identity breakdown of the members. MA Insight did not collect this information so we are currently unable to determine the group. It was also noted by MA Insight that no community members responded to our surveys or focus groups. Again, part of the strategic planning will be to determine how to best reach out to our community. Page 1 of 3 Approved 11-15-22 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, September 6, 2022 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar Jenn Walsh asked if there would be opportunities for other surveys. Anna Braet (MA Insight) noted that there is a follow up survey which will occur in about a year. A lot of time and effort was put into the survey and getting it out to the public. We cannot control the participation rate. The Public will have another opportunity to provide input soon as there will be a meeting the first week of October that is open to all via zoom. Lynn Cavicchi asked how many students responded to the survey. Approximately 1200 from MHS and QMS so that is a high rate of return. Are there student reps on the strategic planning committee? Students are not part of the committee but there will be opportunities for additional feedback. Kiera O'Neil recommended that MA Insight work with us on how to prioritize various concerns. It would seem very daunting to tackle everything at once. What is going to give us the best benefit. Our priorities can be set to build on our strengths for some quick wins and then target root causes. We want community involvement. Lauren Scher noted that MA Insight did not provide a comparison to other districts. MA Insight's efforts did not include comparisons to other districts intentionally as it is difficult to have a one to one match. The Committee appreciated the time and effort that both MA Insight and our District put towards the completion of these documents. Both the presentation and the full report will be available on our website. Consideration of Memorandum of Understanding for Office Assistants/Clerks and Paraprofessionals. Two MOUs are ready for review and approval by The School Committee. Both have been ratified by their respective bargaining units. Ed Donoghue reviewed the changes. Note that these MOUs reflect the contract changes for 2022 - 2025. Members will receive retroactive pay from July 1. Motion to approve the Office Assistants/Clerks Contract Changes MOU by Jenn Walsh / Lauren Scher Motion Carries S - 0 Motion to approve the Paraprofessionals Contract Changes MOO by Jenn Walsh / Lauren Scher Motion Carries S - 0 School Committee Business: At this point in the meeting; Michael Connolly and Ed Donoghue were excused for the remainder of the night. Members of the Select Board came to the table to hold a joint meeting for the purpose of appointing members to serve on the Audit Committee. Michael Trowbridge called the Select Board meeting to order at 8:18 pm. Present at the meeting were Michael Trowbridge, Frank Delvecchio, Jess Aptowitz and Diana Bren. Neil Rhein was absent. There were initially 4 candidates but 2 pulled themselves out of consideration leaving Kris Mousette and Kelly Bussiere. Kris spoke about her background. She has served on the audit committee and has background in finance. Her personal interest is in government finance. She has enjoyed her time on the audit committee and Page 2 of 3 Approved 11-15-22 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, September 6, 2022 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar looks forward to continuing with her passion and knowledge. The Select Board noted that we are very familiar with Kris and are fortunate to have her expertise. Kelly shared her background as a CPA. She has participated in both sides of audits. The Select Board asked a little about her audit experience. Kelly noted that it was mostly healthcare and HUD but many of the same principals would apply. Kiera O'Neil asked for a motion. Motion to appoint Kriss Mousette to a two-year term set to expire on June 30, 2024 by jenn Walsh / Jess Aptowitz Motion Carries 5 - 0 (School Committee) / 4 - 0 (Select Board) Motion to appoint Kelly Bussiere to the remainder of a two year term set to expire on June 30, 2023 by jenn Walsh / Frank Delvecchio. Frank asked for clarification on the terms. The first position is for a full two-year term. This second position is also a two-year term but the position was vacated and this will be for the remaining time. Motion Carries 5 - 0 (School Committee) / 4 - 0 (Select Board) Motion for the Select Board to adjourn by Jess Aptowitz /Frank Delvecchio at 8:26 pm. Motion Carries 4 - 0. Other- Items not anticipated by the Chair 48 hours prior to this meeting_ None Documents Referenced: MA Insight Presentation MOUs Audit candidate resumes Motion to adjourn: At 8:28 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 Page 3 of 3