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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool Comm. 06/18/2023Approved 09-12-23 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, July 18, 2023 In Person Room 2AB An Open Meeting of the Mansfield School Committee was held in person on Tuesday, July 23, 2023. The open meeting session was called to order by Chair Lynn Cavicchi at 6:22 p.m. once a quorum was met. Members Present: Administration Present: Lynn Cavicchi (Chair) Teresa Murphy, Superintendent Jenn Walsh (Vice Chair) Ed Donoghue, Assistant Superintendent (Finance/Operations) Jenifer Sellon --A Vivian Webster Y r CD w. Members Absent: n c� rr: Steve Schoonveld — rah Y,cn -n aM Public Speak: None ,LL D < trri ri CD oa 11 Joint Action with Select Board: `n Select Board Opened at 6:23 with Michael Trowbridge, Maureen Doherty, Diana Bien and BNsenAn Roche. School Chair Lynn Cavicchi introduced Kelly Bussiere as an audit committee member appointment. Kelly had been a one-year replacement appointment in September 2022. Tonight we are considering the re -appointment of Kelly for a two year term to expire June 30, 2025. Ms. Cavicchi then reviewed some of Kelly's background and qualifications. No questions by School Committee. No questions by Select Board though Mr. Trowbridge noted that the audit committee needs a unique set of skills and Kelly's background meets these criteria. We are very appreciative that Kelly is looking to serve again. Jenn Walsh thanked Kelly and Lynn Cavicchi noted she was grateful that Kelly is willing to participate again. Jenn Walsh motioned to reappoint Kelly Bussiere to a two-year term on the Audit Committee for a term to expire on June 30, 2025. Motion second by Mike Trowbridge. Motion passed 8 - 0. At 6:26 pm. Diana Bren requested a motion to adjourn the meeting. Michael Trowbridge motioned with a second by Maureen Daugherty. Select Board meeting adjourned (4 - 0) at 6:26 p.m. ADDroval of Minutes: Date 1st 2nd Discuss Vote Roll Call /comments Y N Open Meeting 06-06-23, 06-13, 23 were not ready for approval Workshop 06-20-23 Jenn Jenifer N 4-0 Walsh Sellon Exec Session 06-06-23 and Jenn Jenifer N 4-0 Exec Session 06-13-23 Walsh I Sellon Page 1 of 9 Approved 09-12-23 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, July 18, 2023 In Person Room 2AB New Business: QMS Boiler (MSBA) Project Update: Assistant Superintendent Ed Donoghue provided an update as follows. The schematic design has been submitted to the MSBA. On August 30th the MSBA will meet to vote on all projects. We hope to keep the same timeline as last year in order to move the project forward for summer 2024 work. Ed noted the project is more complex than first thought so we needed an additional $179,675 in order for the completion of the construction documents. This request was made too late for the spring town meeting. Ed met with Town Manager Kevin Dumas and Assistant Town Manager Barry LaCasse on the best method to fund this request. The district will Float the money from our operating budget and then get reimbursed during the fall town meeting from capital money. Assuming the project is approved on August 30th we have 120 days for the town to approve full funding (fall town meeting). Once the project is complete, MSBA reimburses us for over half of the cost. We will go out to bid with the hopes to get 5 - 6 bids. It should be noted that the estimated cost ($4 million) is significantly higher than the MHS boiler project due to the age of the building, the location of the boiler and the complexity of the system itself. The old boilers must be broken apart and removed in pieces. Likewise, the new boiler will be delivered in parts and built within the QMS building. Questions/Answers: Vivian Webster: have we reached out to state reps for financial assistance? our state reps are already involved with the MSBA program and will be in attendance at the august 30thmeeting. Lynn Cavicchi asked if we will receive notice of the approval right away? Yes, we will be notified during the meeting. Is the additional $179,675 needed to complete the construction documents? Yes, and this process is already in the works. Are you comfortable floating this money in the budget? Yes, we have worked out the best solution and will be ok until Town Meeting. Will the final estimate be more concrete after the construction documents are complete? Yes, we will have a better sense of the cost. The final number will be provided in the bids. Are you keeping FinCom in the loop? MSBA sets the process. Lynn noted that FinCom should still be kept updated on progress and potential costs. Educational Space Study Presentation: Teresa Murphy introduced this item. TBA Architects have been working with district administration on an educational space study for our long-term plans. TBA has spent a lot of time in our buildings, speaking with staff and have put together a comprehensive document for us to start working with. Presenting tonight are Justin Humphreys and Camile Harvanek. Chair Cavicchi noted to the committee that tonight is a very high-level presentation and that everyone will have the opportunity to read through the final documents before moving forward. Presentation by TBA: The ultimate goal is "how do you want to use the schools to advance your educational plan." The TBA team worked with administrators and staff to get a very good view on how the spaces are being used and noted areas where improvements can be made. Space areas were categorized by usage such as administration, classroom, special education, storage, dining, ... Then each area was identified as being one of three grades. Adequately used (green), overutilized (red) or underutilized (yellow). The presentation is broken down by building and the same criteria, slides are used for each building: Site Plan, Space Use, Utilization, Circulation, Summary, Proposals and Page 2 of 9 Approved 09-12-23 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, July 18, 2023 In Person Room 2AB Cost estimates. Starting with Mansfield High School, Justin provided a detailed diagram of the building components for each floor of the building. Also, part of the study were bus loops, parent drop off and parking areas. He noted that the drop off/pickup for our students is run very efficiently. The utilization for the high school shows a lot of red (over utilized in that classrooms are too small or used too often.) He noted that part of this is due to the fact that MSBA in the 1980s changed classroom size requirements. In most old buildings like ours, the classrooms are smaller. However, he did note, that we have more classrooms than needed. Next, TBA looked at circulation (people movement through the building: when, how many, how far.) In preparing this data, TBA reviewed bell schedules, master class schedules, specials, cafeteria and gym use and survey of staff. Based on all of the information gathered a set of proposals was created starting with the simplest solution to the more complex options. For the high school the following proposals were offered 1. Reconfiguration of existing space to maximize space efficiency 2. Expanding reconfiguration to a broader area of the school 3. Reconfiguration and the addition/renovation of the south corner of the building 4. Expanded reconfiguration and the addition/renovation of the south corner 5. New building. Qualters Middle School was up next. Justin provided a detailed diagram of the building components for each floor of the building. The utilization for the middle school shows a lot of red (over utilized in that classrooms are too small or used too often.) Justin noted that MSBA no longer puts auditoriums in middle schools. Next, TBA looked at circulation. He noted that the circulation for the second floor needs improvement as there is a dead end corner. One thing to consider would be what to do with students while construction is occurring. This would be true of any schoo►. The following proposals were offered 1 Reconfiguration of space for specials, special education, administrative spaces and replacement of old modulars. 2 Above plus a second floor addition to improve circulation of second floor 3 In addition the south wing would be demolished and reconfigured with additional classrooms 4 Complete renovation of existing building 5 New building Since the Jordan/Jackson school is our newest building and for the most part, classroom sizes are built to new requirements and are considered adequately used. One option was offered and that would be to relocate some classrooms, reconfigure offices with possible combination of the two and better use of the multipurpose room. The Robinson School was looked at with options that would be combined with those of Roland Green. Many classrooms are adequate though kindergarten classrooms do not meet current standards as they should have more space and have a bathroom per class. It was noted that MSBA does not pay for preschool projects. Therefore the only way to get reimbursed on Roland Green improvements is to include it as part of a kindergarten wing. relocation, reconfiguration of classrooms to provide all kindergarten classrooms with bathrooms. 1 Reconfigure the media and administrative block to improve special efficiencies 2 Combine the efforts of option 1 and option 2 Page 3 of 9 Approved 09-12-23 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, July 18, 2023 In Person Room 2AB 3 The addition of a southwest section to provide adequately sized kindergarten classes with accessible paths connecting the lower and upper levels 4 The southwest addition would be expanded to bring the Roland Green Preschool over. The Roland Green School is our oldest building by far. It is charming but old, small with accessibility issues, limitations in both the number and space of classrooms. The teacher break room, copy room and storage room all occupy one shared space. ANY reservation would require that we bring up to code sprinklers, accessibility, electric and plumbing. In addition to the building, we have issue with parking availability and traffic concerns for neighbors. 1 Renovations to administration and special education areas plus significant addition for classrooms 2 Significant addition to the building major renovations 3 New building on main campus area 4 New building with kindergarten on main campus area 5 Relocate to a new addition at Robinson Lastly, projected costs for each option were provided. Here, Justin noted that overall our buildings are very well maintained and with the exception of Roland Green, are in good shape. The district continues to invest wisely and obtain capital funding to appropriately keep up. He noted that all cost projections are presented with "today's dollars." So actual cost will be higher. At the high school, the science labs will need configuration which will include new cabinetry, plumbing and electricity making these the more complicated areas to reconfigure. Districts can go to MSBA for these major projects similar to the MSBA accelerated repair projects. In this case projects are managed through MSBA core projects. It was noted that last year there were 100 -120 applications to the core group and only 12 were accepted. While working with MSBA, it is important to keep in mind that a project could extend out for 7 years. Jenn Walsh had a lot of questions but felt it be prudent to read through the detailed report first. The presentation is very eye opening. Lynn Cavicchi asked how other districts have moved forward; what should our next steps be? Justin noted that very often the plan is to determine which projects would move forward. It makes sense for the district to internally process priorities and urgencies across the district. For each priority chosen, be sure to determine the impact to the other buildings. Superintendent Murphy noted that she and Assistant Superintendent Donoghue will meet with Town Manager Kevin Dumas and Assistant Town Manager Barry LaCasse. They would also like to discuss with Steve Schoonveld as he was on the committee to plan the new safety complex. This is bigger than Teresa, our district and our school committee. We need community support. We intend to build a committee that would include members of the school committee, planning board, finance committee, select board, parents, community members. The goal is to create a plan that will contain short term and long term goals. Lynn Cavicchi asked if play areas and athletic spaces were considered in the evaluation. Justin noted that those were not included but they did do a very high level review. Locations of fields and Page 4 of 9 Approved 09-12-23 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, July 18, 2023 In Person Room 2AB playgrounds were taken into account when design options were proposed. Upon completion of the presentation, each school committee member was given a copy of the design review. Update on Mansfield Public Schools Vision Working Group: Dr. Rayna Freedman provided the committee with her extensive background with diversity and equity considerations. Superintendent Murphy has requested that Rayna lead a team to develop a new vision statement for Mansfield Public Schools in line with one our diversity and equity focus areas. Rayna developed a website which will serve as a working tool for the new committee which consists of staff, students, parents and community members. She reviewed the contents of the website, steps taken and next steps. (7:50 - 7:53 pm Lynn Cavicchi stepped out to briefly attend to another matter) Consideration of Student handbooks (MHS, QMSand Elementary): First presentation by Principal Ryan Gentili and Assistant Principal Denise DaGraca. Each year, the administration reviews the handbook with the goal of providing clarity and ease of readability. Several housekeeping changes are proposed to meet this goal. Ryan and Denise reviewed changes to the sections on delay schedules due to weather, arrival and dismissal procedures and attendance. The key change for attendance is allowing a nurse dismissal to be an excused absence for the day of dismissal. Use of electronic devices was expanded to include the latest technology trends. Dress code was changed to reflect district wide suggestions. Expectations related to student ID cards were addressed as well as adding reference to the Building Curriculum accommodation Plan. No questions by the committee. Assistant Principal Jim Schliefke presented the changes for QMS. Similar to the elementary schools there are some basic annual housekeeping changes. Dress code was modified to match district wide expectations though had some customization particular to the middle school. Clarity on excused absences were made to identify the potential for school nurse dismissal to be excused if it meets school exclusion guidelines. Language for BCAP will be added. Lynn Cavicchi asked if the nurse dismissals were run by Head Nurse Christine Dooling. Teresa noted that the idea was initiated by Christine. Lynn appreciated the new language but felt that there should be more consistency between schools. Administration will review but some of the differences were necessary based on the age and behaviors of students. Jenifer Sellon noted there were still differences between the high school and middle school regarding dress code. Lynn asked if the schools got together to discuss. Teresa noted that they had but there will always be some differences. For example, the high school allows hats while the idlee school does not. Elementary allows hats on certain spirit days. Vivian Webster asked if the dress code could be changed to include head covering exemption for religious reasons. Language was reviewed and determined correct. Assistant Principal Matt Maguire reviewed the list of changes to the high school handbook. Remove listing of student activities from the handbook due to the amount of space it takes up also allowing staff to make changes to these activities as needed in a document shared on their website. Page 5 of 9 Approved 09-12-23 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, July 18, 2023 In Person Room 2AB Create chemical health violation language consistent with MIAA polices. This will align consequences for athletes and non -athletes. Cell phones will no longer be allowed in classrooms. The use of phones was of great concern to our staff and are very supportive of our plan. It was noted that phones are often used to plan meetups in the bathroom. Most of our investigations include some aspect of cell phone concerns. Additionally, the state is encouraging school districts to restrict phone usage. Grants are available to districts who come up with plans to cut down on cell phones. Phones will be placed in location visible to all within the classroom until the end of the period. Students will be allowed to use their phones in the hallways and cafeteria. At the QMS, students already must keep their phones in their lockers for the day so incoming freshman should adapt well to this policy. Students will not like this and we expect some push back but over time we feel that this is the best solution. Language regarding student IN will mirror that of QMS. Dress code established as possible to a district approach with some individual school changes. MHS referred to DESE language for a template. Credit reductions due to attendance were addressed as the existing process creates a situation where students are unable to dig themselves out of a hole. Through the DEI plan, schools have been encouraged to remove barriers for students. Students with school avoidance issues lose credits per class which makes it difficult to recover. This creates a situation where students feel like there is no point in coming to school at all. Oddly enough some of these students pass their class but don't earn any credits due to the absences. The new process has been simplified so that students, based on the number of absences, lose a number of credits off of their total. The high school will still work students on options for building up credits through summer school, evening school or Saturday make up sessions. Student promotion policies have historically been considered a "social promotion." For example if a student fails freshman English and math, they are still considered a sophomore but must make up those courses. Even though the high school works with students they appear to be surprised at the end of their junior year that they risk not graduating. With the new change, students can be retained. A number of credits have been established for each grade. Students must earn those credits to move on. The number of credits needed to go from grade 9 to grade 10 is somewhat lower allowing students to learn their way around the expectations of the high school. In order to support students under this plan, the high school has set several credit recovery options which are highlighted in the handbook. Class cuts have been addressed to allow students the opportunity to make up class work so that they do not lose credits. Dismissals have been modified to align with the practice of identifying nurse dismmisals as excused if it meets the criteria for school exclusion guidelines. Other changes were identified for class tardies and dismissal procedures. Page 6 of 9 Approved 09-12-23 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, July 18, 2023 In Person Room 2AB Parking has been very difficult to manage. Recently the process was changed to assign each student a parking spot. Once someone parks in the wrong spot it creates a domino effect as student who was supposed to park in that spot then parks somewhere else and so on. The administration spent a lot of time managing this by identifying cars, owners, calling students out of class and so on. It was described as a nightmare. The high school is proposing going back to open parking in the senior lot. Seniors must still have a pass to park there but they can choose any spot. Lynn Cavicchi noted that a few years ago the parking process was changed due to the "nightmare" of managing the open spots so it will be interesting to see which process will work best. Vivian Webster asked about summer school credit recovery. Is there a way to identify the cost of summer school so students/families are aware of the financial cost of skipping classes? She also expressed concern over the phone policy as she expects that many students will use their smart watches instead of phones during class. Jenn Walsh likes the idea of changing the credit reduction policy as there is a better chance of recovery for our students. During the past year, credit loss was one of the concerns brought up by the MHS Student Advisory Committee. Jenifer Sellon asked if there is something in the handbook already regarding chemical usage and consequences as it does not look like it is fully addressed in the new language. Matt noted that yes, this language is in addition to language that already exists in the handbook. Lynn recommended that the high school note this in the handbook. What if parents have a party at home and use of wine, for example, is a cultural tradition. Matt noted we are following MIAA but would make note of possible language change. Lynn Cavicchi noted that the pathway to graduation is very confusing. There is information in the Program of Studies, Handbook and Policy. It seems that graduation is really based on number of credits and the completion of specific courses. Is it possible to do a deep dive into all of these documents and verify how the graduation requirements are worded? Matt agreed; in fact, they have been discussing ways to simplify the path to graduation. Lynn then asked why, in the proposed handbook, MHS waits until August to notify a student of their ability to be promoted. Matt will clarify this language. August is not the first time that students hear; it is just when the final decision is made after any attempts at summer school were or were not made. MHS works with students in danger of retention throughout the entire school year. Lynn also asked if a student is retained in grade 10, are they on track to graduate with their class? Matt indicated that they are not and that is the message we are trying to get to students. There are paths for recovery but the student needs to be willing to work with administration. Matt also noted that this retention policy will be grandfathered in and start with the incoming freshman in 2023. Jenn Walsh asked if a student fails grade 9 English, is there time in the schedule for the student to double up one year to make it up? Yes, the student will have three years to make up the work and get back on track. Vivian asked what happens if a student cannot afford summer school. Jenn Walsh noted that students are never denied education due to financial ability. Scholarships are available. Page 7 of 9 Approved 09-12-23 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, July 18, 2023 In Person Room 2AB Principal Russ Booth noted that with the new credit reduction plan and promotion plans, MHS will vastly reduce the number of students in danger of not graduating. He feels very comfortable with the new plans. Lynn agreed conceptually but noted again that it is hard to follow all of the components needed for graduation and students/parents need to be better informed. Lynn asked if MHS can focus on language for graduation requirements be looked at this year. Lynn asked for clarity of the credit cushion for grade 9; is that the best grade to place the cushion? Matt noted that there was a great deal of discussion on where to place the cushion and administrators felt that grade 9 is where the biggest need would be. He did note that administration will monitor this throughout the year and make any tweaks needed. Russ noted that Matt and Abby had visited many districts for best practices. Lynn Cavicchi asked if there was a replacement fee for student IDs. Teresa noted that it had been discussed but no fees have been proposed yet. Dave McGovern noted that Lifetouch provides the school with several IDs per student for those students who lose their ID. Lynn asked for a slight modification in the first line of the cell phone language by removing the first sentence and replacing it with something less harsh. Motion to approve the MPS handbooks with changes as discussed by Jenn Walsh and Jenifer Sellon. Motion carries 4 - 0 Consideration of IJNDB Responsible Use Policy Changes: Every two years, districts must review their responsible use policy. Modifications were made primarily related to wi-fi and the use of hotspots or devices that would bypass our network firewalls. Chair Cavicchi, along with Superintendent Murphy, Assistant Superintendent Michael Connolly, Technology Director Lori Letendre, Director of Instruction and Assessment Julia Greenstine, staff and union leadership all worked on and/or reviewed language. Teresa noted that changes to the student (age appropriate) versions are being modified to reflect changes. Lynn Cavicchi wanted to confirm that students with medical needs are still allowed to use their devices and connect to the network. That is correct, these students will continue to be able to access the network. Motion to approve the modifications to policy IJNDB by Jenn Walsh and Jenifer Sellon. Motion carries 4 - 0 School Committee Business: Superintendent Evaluation: A draft timeline was established with the goal of completing the evaluation at the August 29th meeting. This date is tentative and if needed will be moved to the first September meeting. Lynn Cavicchi noted that DESE allows committees to pick and choose which focus areas to highlight. The Mansfield School Committee looks at all areas. Next steps: Teresa will complete her year end assessment and start working on next year's goals. Diane will provide the committee with documents needed to complete the evaluation. Members will complete their assessments and provide to Lynn so she can combine them into one evaluation. Other- Items not anticipated by the Chair 48 hours prior to this meeting: None Page 8 of 9 Approved 09-12.23 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, July 18, 2023 In Person Room 2AB Documents Referenced: Kelly Bussiere Audit Committee appointment application Meeting Minutes TBA Space Study presentation and proposal Handbooks (MHS, QMS, J/J and Robinson) Policies IJDNB Timeline for Superintendent Evaluation Motion to adjourn: At 9:22 p.m., Lynn Cavicchi asked for a motion to adjourn. Motion made by by Steve Schoonveld and Jenn Walsh. Steve Schoonveld aye Vivian Webster aye Lynn Cavicchi aye Jenn Walsh aye Jenifer Sellon aye Motion carries 5-0 Respectfully Submitted, Diane Nugent, Administrative Assistant to Superintendent & School Committee Page 9 of 9