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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool Comm. 03/26/2024Approved 04-09-24 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, March 26, 2024 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar An Open Meeting of the Mansfield School Committee was held in person and virtually on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. The open meeting session was called to order by Chair Lynn Cavicchi at 6:03p.m. Members Present: Administration Present: Lynn Cavicchi (Chair) Teresa Murphy, Superintendent Jenn Walsh (Vice Chair) Michael Connolly, Assistant Superintendent (Teaching/Learning) Jenifer Sellon Ed Donoghue, Assistant Superintendent (Finance/Operations) Steve Schoonveld Vivian Webster (at 6:30 pm) Members Absent: None Chair Lynn Cavicchi called fo; a motion enter into Executive Session under Exception No. 3: To discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining or litigating position of the public body and the chair so declares to discuss the Paraprofessional's contract. Motion to enter into executive session by Jenn Walsh / Jenifer Sellon at 6:04 p`_nn. Roll Call Vote: -05r Steve Schoonveld aye ism Lynn Cavicchi aye�� CD �nrn Jenn Walsh aye r } r D Jenifer Sellon aye CD CD Motion Carries 4 - 0 -1 CD T1 -i 1 n The committee returned to Open Session at 6:27 p.m. W n cr- rn Public Speak: None High School Student Representative Report: Andrew Fleischmann reported on the latest happenings at MHS. Today and tomorrow grade 10 students are taking the ELA MCAS exams on a reverse half day schedule where the testing students arrive at the normal time and other grades arrive at 10:30 AM. Amazingly, the third quarter is coming to an end and Spring sports are kicking off. One interesting note is that both the track and unified track teams will have only one home meet each due to the closing of the track. Everyone is looking forward to the upgraded fields for next year. The Project 3S1 clothing drive has kicked off, model senate will attend a Hockomock competition and the spring Hockomock captain's conference is coming up soon. The student summit group is proposing a morning news show which will be pitched to administration soon. Exciting performing arts events in April include the MICA competition, winter percussion final competitions, Jazz percussion concert, talent show and Disney trip over April vacation. New Business: Consideration ofAunointment of lessica Davis to Assistant Superintendent for Student Services: Superintendent Teresa Murphy introduced Jessica Davis to the committee while highlighting the interview process to date. There were two rounds of interviews with approximately twenty people and Teresa is now bringing Jessica to the committee who appoints based on the recommendation of Page 1 of 7 Approved 04-09-24 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, March 26, 2024 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar the superintendent. Jessica opened with a few remarks. She has spent her career in North Attleboro starting as a preschool teacher, moving to general education and then embarking on her passion of supporting all students. Her growth tools her from team chair to the Assistant Director of Student Services. She accepted a job in Mansfield as Assistant Director of Special Education to continue her journey of growth and support of students. Chair Lynn Cavicchi welcomed her to the meeting and described the process where each member would ask one question of Jessica starting with Jenifer Sellon who participated in the search committee. Jenifer noted that Jessica stood out far above the other candidates and she is very happy to have her here tonight. Jessica responded to the committee members on each of the following questions and provided further insight on her background and thought processes moving ahead. Jenifer Sellon: Please describe your view of 504 Plans within the school system. What is your experience in handling 504 requests and your opinion of the legal responsibilities associated with 504 Plans. Jenn Walsh: Given your prior experience, what would you bring to Mansfield that would be of most benefit to the students within our schools? Vivian Webster: How do you approach the development and implementation of strategies to close the achievement gap for students with disabi►ities, particularly those from low-income backgrounds, students of color, and English language learners? Steve Schoonveld: Please highlight your academic credentials which are outstanding. Parent communication is essential, especially within this community. Please describe how you would be accessible to the needs and demands of the parents. How would you handle parent complaints, requests for mediation, hearings, etc. Lynn Cavicchi: How would you go about assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the current special education program to develop a long-term plan for improvement, what type of data would you use to inform the plan, and how would you measure the success of that plan? Steve Schoonveld: How would you categorize the differences between the title Director of Special Education and Assistant Superintendent of Student Services? Teresa Murphy noted that she wants to make sure parents are comfortable with the direction we are taking with student services. No families should feel that they will be short changed with the larger scope. We will be moving different components into existing process flows, etc. Lynn noted that the move would be helpful as there has not always been a strong process for 504 plans. Motion to approve the appointment of Jessica Davis to the Assistant Superintendent for Student Services by Jenn Walsh / Jenifer Sellon Motion Carries 5 - 0 Approval of Warrant: Page 2 of 7 Approved 04-09-24 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, March 26, 2024 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar Salary & Goods & Salary & Goods & Wages Services Wages Services 2024-16 24032S 2024-17 24034S 2-2-24 2-6-24 2-16-24 2-20.24 General Fund 1,764,722.03 652,769.55 1,740,741.61 774,104.03 Medicare 2,539.20 - 2,539.20 - Capital - 32,000.68 - 82,200.00 Revolving 69,939.69 5,148.29 71,004.25 3,907.73 Food Service 36,792.00 61,635.30 36,514.63 41,447.80 Gifts - 151.69 - 814.15 Student Activity - 7.394.00 - 3,677.08 Grants 81,419.06 8,558.01 82,627.39 21,660.86 Prior Year - 73.77 - - 1,955,411.98 767,731.29 1,933,427.08 927,811.65 Motion to approve the warrant dated 03-13-24 by Jenn Walsh / Jenifer Sellon Motion Carries 5 - 0 Approval of Minutes: Date 1st 2nd Discuss Vote ROB Y N Open Meeting 03-12-24 JW JS Y* Amended as noted below JW JS 5-0 *Steve asked that the minutes be revised to include his request to discuss questions on the Student Opportunity Act at the next School Committee meeting as was agreed to during the meeting. He also noted that it should have been on this evening's agenda. Gifts: Postponed to next meeting Old Business / Committee Updates: Jenn Walsh updated on the facilities meeting held last week. The committee received updates on the track and field as well as discussed potential facilities rental fee processes with hopes of bringing a proposal to school committee on April 23rd. Facilities Director Matt Jacques also provided updates on each of the MASC efforts, water filtration and HVAC system inspection timelines. Steve asked for clarification on the fee structure as he thought we were continuing to provide facilities access to our youth groups despite the improvements. Jenn noted that it isn't a fee change at this time, it is enhancing the rental process to provide access for all. Teresa responded that she sent letters to every youth group explaining the enhancements and letting them know we will promptly let them know as soon as rentals are open again. She encouraged the committee to send any parent or youth group questions directly to her or Matt Jacques. Jenifer Sellon asked when we will break ground on the field. Ed noted that there is a kickoff meeting next week and the track is expected to shutdown Page 3 of 7 Approved 04-09-24 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, March 26, 2024 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar for use on April 15th. This will be subject to change if there is any delay with the contractor. Our scheduled completion date is August 30th which is subject to weather. The QMS boiler will be shut down on May 15th which is the last heating day of the year. Contractors will work night shifts to remove the existing equipment. The high school gym construction will start immediately upon completion of school. The contract for the playground has been signed and a timeline will be available soon. We are also working on some smaller projects with food services. Jelin also provided an update on the budget subcommittee which met last week to discuss CHAMPS fees and the town budget. There is a tri-board meeting tomorrow to discuss the budget. Steve noted that the fees for CHAMPS will come to the committee for approval on April 9di. Lynn updated on policy noting there were several groups of policies being worked on currently. Some of these will coming to the committee soon. Others involved detailed review by various administrators. In addition, the committee reviewed possible options for documenting processes on revolving funds. New Business continued: Presentation on Mansfield Fire Department SAFE (Student Awareness of Fire Education) Grant: Mansfield Public Schools partners with the Mansfield Fire Department to educate our students. Each year Lieutenant Ryan Brousseau writes a grant request for this education. Members of our fire department work on an overtime basis to work with both students and our senior citizens. There are several programs currently active including: Preschool (Roland Green and private daycares): Introducing fire personnel to young children; showing how they appear in street clothes and in full gear. They also get to see a fire truck. The goal is to make students comfortable. Kindergarten: Similar to preschool but the education expands somewhat including viewing a tower truck and the introduction to 911. Grades 1,2: Group presentations reviewing drills, how to act in an emergency, safe play (tools vs toys such as a lighter), memorizing your address, how to react in home. emergencies Grades 3: Exit drills Grade 4: Hunt for Hone hazards in the form of a scavenger hunt Grade 5: Exercise in the SAFE Trailer with simulated heat and smoke. Grade 6: Science of Fire; tobacco use High School: Vaping, Opioid use. Currently there are no programs for grade 7 and 8 but those are in the works. Questions/Answers: Steve Schoonveld: Can we use opioid funds and marijuana tax money? Right now funds are limited to this grant. Vivian Webster: When the grade 5 students do the role play exercise, do any students ever try to run back in for a pet? No, students seem to take our message seriously. Jelin Walsh: Appreciates the enthusiasm and effort of the fire department with these programs. Jenifer Sellon: Do you partner with our SROs? We do not directly work with them but will look into partnership opportunities. Are there special education specific programs? Most of our lessons can be tailored but will look into a more formal approach. Page 4 of 7 Approved 04-09-24 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, March 26, 2024 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar Lynn Cavicchi: Are there documents available for parents? Currently limited, but this is a good idea and one that we can expand to include. Once we have these, we can add it on the website. Lyme also noted that it might be a good idea to partner with MESA, PAC and other groups. Presentation on Southeastern Vocational Technical School: Superintendent Murphy introduced Superintendent Holly McClanan and School Committee Chair Christine Gaze who will present on the partnership with Mansfield Public Schools. Ms. Gaze highlighted the shared goals and vision of Southeastern and Mansfield where the school provides wonderful opportunities for students looking for something different. Mansfield currently has 86 students enrolled. Mansfield has the highest participation in the dual enrollment program as well. Ms. McClanan reviewed the various majors and opportunities; highlighted the co-operative education program, internships, athletics, activities; and discussed the admissions process. Regarding admissions, Teresa asked theta to discuss the importance of discipline in admissions. Holly explained, we put a lot of weight on discipline. Keep in mind that we are an industrial based program and there are significant safety issues. We cannot risk an accident and need to ensure that basic safety instruction can be followed. Questions/Answers: Lyon Cavicchi: It is a challenge to meet the needs of all students across the region. Yes, unfortunately we are limited in our enrollment and last year was able to accept approximately 30% of our applicants. What percent of students go on to college? 76% of our medical students and 60% of our construction students go directly to the workforce. Overall approximately 40% go on to some kind of college experience. Steve Schoonveld: Is the acceptance ratio for Mansfield 1 out of 3 as well? It varies from year to year. There is no fixed formula to dictate this. Vivian Webster: How do we teach our students to best prepare for future admission? Are there programs we can run for our 6t^ graders? Why does Brockton have a higher number of students enrolled- do they do a better job of preparing students? No, there is no difference in preparation for these schools. Brockton has a higher student population which means more applications and more admissions. There is an open house every November. It is geared toward 8th grade students and their families but anyone can attend. Consideration of Revisions to Preschool Director Job Description: Superintendent Murphy asked the committee to consider modifications to this job description. Steve Schoonveld asked who does the evaluation as the position reports to two people. Both administrators will provide input into the evaluation. Do we require or prefer a special education license? It is a requirement of the job. Lynn Cavicchi asked if the candidate has to have the Principal license? Yes, we are required to report to the state that there is principal on board. Steve asked if this would this limit our candidate pool? There was some discussion between the committee and Teresa with Teresa indicating she wants to keep the license as required rather than preferred. Lynn noted that with past practices at the Roland Green, she does see the importance of holding both licenses. Teresa then Doted that Jessica Davis will lead the search team and welcomes the addition of a school committee member. The first meeting will be held on April 4th. Please email Diane Nugent by noon on Friday if interested. Page 5 of 7 Approved 04-09-24 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, March 26, 2024 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar Motion to approve the revisions to the Preschool Director Job Description by Jelin Walsh / Jenifer Sellon Motion Carries 5 - 0 Consideration of CHAMPS Fee Changes: Postponed to a later date Discussion on School Choice for2024-25: Teresa provided an overview of our current school choice numbers and some background on the number of openings and applicants in the past two years. Based on our budget expectations, the district recommendations for 24-25 are: Grade 6: 5 students; Grade 9: 10 students; Grade 10: 10 students. Questions/Answers: Steve Schoonveld noted that income from school choice is a good resource for our budget, could we expand? Teresa agreed about the budget but she needs to balance the revenue against our planned budget, staff numbers, new schedule formats, etc. She does not feel adding a large number of students is beneficial this year. Chair Cavicchi asked if members needed any additional information before voting at the next meeting. There was none. Consideration of request to add MHS Hall Monitors to Paraprofessional Association: Superintendent Murphy reviewed with the committee that 2 MHS hall monitors have requested to be part of the paraprofessional bargaining unit. The unit has officially requested the addition of these two positions. The committee must vote on whether or not they agree to move forward. If so, it will move to our attorneys for MOD language. Motion: I move that Mansfield School Committee voluntarily recognize the MEA Paraprofessional Association's request that the two (2) Mansfield High School hall monitor positions be included as part of the Paraprofessional Association, subject to negotiations on the terms and conditions of employment for the two positions. (Jenn Walsh / Jenifer Sellon) Motion Carries 5 - 0 School Committee Business: None Other- Items not anticipated by the Chair 48 hours prior to this meeting: Chair Cavicchi asked for an update on the QMS Principal search. Teresa began by officially announcing the resignation of Principal David McGovern who has taken a job as an elementary principal in Milford. This is a wonderful opportunity for Mr. McGovern to broaden his experience. Teresa is in the process of forming a search team. The application period ends on April Sw. At that time, we will screen resumes and start with a first around of interviews. This will be a large team of people which will include many QMS teachers. We are looking for a school committee member to participate. Please email Diane Nugent by Friday if interested. Lynn asked if we could get some student involvement. We are in the process of working out some of the student opportunities. Documents Referenced: Minutes Warrant Page 6 of 7 Approved 04-09-24 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, March 26, 2024 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar Jessica Davis Application Package Southeastern Vocational Technical School Presentation and Budget Presentation Preschool Director Job Description School Choice Information Motion to adjourn: At US p.m, Chair Lynn Cavicchi called for a motion return into Executive Session under Exception No. 2: To conduct strategy sessions in preparation for negotiations with nonunion personnel or to conduct collective bargaining sessions or contract negotiations with nonunion personnel and not to return to Open Session Motion to enter into executive session, not to return to open session by Jenn Walsh / Jenifer Sellon. Roll Call Vote: 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 7 of 7