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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool Comm. 11/01/2022Approved 12-13-22 Mansfield School Committee Meeting / Minutes for Tuesday, November 01, 2022 v In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar An Open Meeting of the Mansfield School Committee was held in person and virtually on Tuesday, November 01, 2022. The open meeting session was called to order by Chair Kiera O'Neil at 6:10 p.m. 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 Ed Donoghue, Assistant Superintendent (Finance/ Operations) jenn Walsh Members Absent: Vivian Webster _1 Old Business: -n c Consideration ofNew Digital Scoreboard on Alumni Field: When meeting last week, there were a number of questions on the scoreboac/42 gntt.tant Superintendent Ed Donoghue has worked Charles Megan of Scoreboard Megb,-"nd npde seAtte edits to the contract. Charles Megan virtually attended the meeting tonight to answe�r,questions`-- Key points and questions made during the presentation: cr)=r*i D vi r With the scoreboard media rights there can not be any competing advertise bapper�l9igns in the gym or on alumni field. It will not; however; impact fundraising effortsl _ rl Cn c� co Lauren Scher: If MESA runs a weekly newsletter advertising a local fundraiser at a restauFa%t will this be impacted? NO Lynn Cavicchi noted that boosters, parent groups are not contracted with the district which means they would not necessarily fall under this contract. Can they advertise on the scoreboard? Charles Megan: No, MESA cannot use the scoreboard for advertising. Kiera used an example to get clarity. A business can sponsor a hole at a golf tournament but they cannot advertise on the board regarding that sponsorship? CORRECT. However, MHS will have rights to 10% of the board and could use it, as an example, to announce a 50/50 raffle with a QR code. This may reach more people in the audience and increase the raffle sales. The District just can't advertise for anyone. What is the expected maintenance? Charles Megan noted that it is hard to put a specific dollar amount on this. The company has the longest warranty in the business. There are always potential costs for replacing panels, etc. MHS Football Coach Mike Redding spoke of the potential benefits. He has met with the Gridiron Club who would be impacted the most by potential sponsorship loss. They are happy to have this in place. It provides money to the Club but the work is done by Scoreboard Media. This would also impact the sponsorship book where we get a lot of financialdonations. Again, if Gridiron is going to benefit from scoreboard advertising, then it takes a lot of the work effort from The Gridiron Club. MHS Boosters President Roberta Sullivan noted that The Boosters are relying on program books less and less and moving toward social media. She did ask for specifics on what they can and Page 1 of 4 Approm] 12-13-22 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, November 01, 2022 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar cannot do. For example, can The Boosters still rum a comedy night or event with prize sponsorships? Charlie expected that this would be ok as long as the sponsors were not receiving advertising at the gym or field. He noted that he cannot stop the district from fundraising. However, there is a lot of work on the part of Scoreboard Media to obtain long term sponsorships and it will take 3 years to recoup costs of the board so Scoreboard Media needs to protect its financial interest. As such, they own the advertising rights. Another question: is it ok if a local pizza place donates pizzas to students or staff prior to a game? Yes, we just can't advertise it on the board. Review of contract: Lynn asked if District Counsel reviewed the contract or if they were made aware that we have been negotiating a contract. Ed noted that Town Counsel reviewed and they, not our school attorneys, have the expertise in procurement law. Lynn noted her disagreement with this. Charlie Megan noted that Scoreboard Media works with many high schools and has a clear understanding of what is allowed in the contracts. Kiera asked how much of the board belongs to Scoreboard Media? During an event, most of the board will be dedicated to the game with minimal space for advertising. Charlie does not know the exact percentage. Kiera referenced one of the pictures in the presentation which seemed heavy on advertisements. Charlie noted that it was during half time. Lauren asked if Charlie can explain the process of district approval of ads. At what point does the school get an opportunity to approve? Charlie noted that most schools leave it to Scoreboard Media to review but if Mansfield would like to modify the contract for pre -approval rights then it can be considered. It would add time to the process. He suggested that Mansfield give Scoreboard Media a list of what we would consider inappropriate. Lauren is hesitant to do so because the list can change. Lauren asked where the money goes. Ed felt that the money would go to the athletic revolving account. How would Performing Arts benefit if it is in the athletic fund? We have four years before needing to decide this. Perhaps the district will set up a new separate account. Lauren asked if there was any concern about going against the health and wellness policy. For example any ads for sugary candy or drinks. Teresa noted that it would not be an issue because the ads would not run during the school day and we are allowed to sell candy, drinks, etc. during the games. Additionally, the old scoreboard had a Pepsi sponsorship so this is nothing new. Charlie Megan noted that the district needs to look at how they want to raise finds in the future. The scoreboard can be a long-term answer to us raising money. It is a lot of work for Scoreboard Media to seek out sponsors. Additionally, Scoreboard Media is fronting all of the money for the scoreboard so it is a big commitment on his part. There were discussions regarding who could or could not run ads. There was a lot of confusion between what is being said and what is in the contract. There is still no clarity. Jean Walsh feels this is a great opportunity but is very concerned that school counsel has not read the contract, and town counsel has not read the modifications. Lynn Cavicchi reminded everyone that there are a lot Page 2 of 4 Approved 12-13-22 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, November 01, 2022 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar of questions and it is a ten-year commitment. The district still does not have an advertising policy to guide us. Lynn also expressed concerns about the company's ability to assign the scoreboard ownership and sponsors to another company without consulting Mansfield Schools and the wording regarding Scoreboard Media's right to terminate at any time. Superintendent Murphy summarized where we stand. The Committee has asked the district to look ahead via the strategic plan, S year CIP and the district feasibility study. We know that all of this is going to take money. We look at this as an opportunity to help offset some of those costs. We are engaging our local businesses; we gain a much -needed scoreboard; we build new curriculum in video processing for our high school students, etc. Kiera asked if we can move the scoreboard if we build a new high school or athletic field. The answer is yes. Lynn Cavicchi restated her support for the idea but expressed her concerns about how quickly this has been brought to The Committee with the expectation of approval. Conversations regarding the cost of the scoreboard delved into what it would cost if we tried to do this on our own. It would be expected that a digital scoreboard would be approximately $200,000 at alumni field and $100,000 in the gym plus costs for computers, software, etc. while a basic scoreboard would probably run around $40,000. Our current board at almmni field is approximately 21 years old and the one in the gym around 9 years old. The Committee was hesitant to bring this up for a vote. Charlie noted that we could review the contract; however, he does not see any changes in the actual business plan. He needs to have exclusive sponsorship rights so as to not lose money. He needs to protect his own company. Kiera asked how quickly we can put together a policy? She also asked if we can get school counsel and town counsel to review. Our next meeting is November 15th; can we get all of this done by that time? Lynn and Lauren noted that they would want to see all information well in advance of that meeting so they have time to review. Teresa Murphy, seeing that The Committee was hesitant to vote, wrapped up questions / answers. We will move toward the November 15th meeting. No vote taken School Committee Business: None Other- Items not anticipated by the Chair 48 hours prior to this meeting_ In order to support a recently created deadline by the Town of Mansfield, The Committee is being asked to approve a warrant article for the December 1, 2022 Town Meeting. This article allows The District to continue with technology contracts in a timely manner. Page 3 of 4 Approred 12-13-22 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, November 01, 2022 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar Draft motion: "1 move that the Town vote to authorize the Town Manager, as Chief Procurement Officer, to enter into School Technology contracts beginning January 1, 2023 for a period in excess of three years, but not to exceed six years in length, including any and all options to renew or extend said contract which may be exercised in the sole discretion of the Town." Motion to approve that the technology request warrant article moves forward to Town Meeting by Jenn Walsh, Lauren Scher. Motion Carries 4 - 0. Documents Referenced: Scoreboard Media contract Motion to adjourn: At 8:48 p.m, Kiera O'Neil asked for a motion to adjourn. Motion to adjourn by Jenn Walsh / Lauren Scher Roll Call Vote: Lauren Scher aye Lynn Cavicchi aye Jenn Walsh aye Kiera O'Neil aye Motion Carries 4-0 Respectfully Submitted, Diane Nugent, Administrative Assistant to Superintendent & School Committee Page 4 of 4