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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool Comm. 06/11/2024Mansfield School Committee Meeting Approved 09/SO/24 Minutes for Tuesday, June 11, 2024 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar An Open Meeting of the Mansfield School Committee was held in person and virtually on Tuesday, June 11, 2024. The open meeting session was called to order by Chair Steve Schoonveld at 6:30 p.m. Members Present: Administration Present: Steve Schoonveld (Chair) Teresa Murphy, Superintendent Jenifer Sellon (Vice Chair) Michael Connolly, Assistant Superintendent (Teaching/Learning) Lynn Cavicchi Ed Donoghue, Assistant Superintendent (Finance/Operations) Jenn Walsh Members Absent: Vivian Webster All members attended in person; roll call votes are not required. rrt Retiree Recognition: Twenty retirees from Mansfield Public Schools were recognized by Select Board Chair Maureen Doh, School Committee Chair Steve Schoonveld, State Representative Jay Barrows, State Senator Paul Foney and Superintendent Teresa Murphy. Each retiree was given a going away gift as well as certifi�at&s;of recognition. The district is extremely grateful for all their years of service. i Public Speak: None Administrative Reports (Update within 48 hours): (Within 48 hours of meeting) Superintendent Teresa Murphy updated the committee with the branding refresh project. The district worked with Jeff Eagles Design. He performed extensive research and met with many Mansfield stakeholders to learn of our history, our current logos and thoughts for the future. A committee worked with Mr. Eagles to develop a series of logos, colors and fonts to represent Mansfield going forward. The new "M" maintains many of the same proportions of our current "M" but is now unique to us with hints of the hornet's wings with the green, white and black which are familiar to all. The Green color shade has been identified so that use of the green will remain consistent going forward. The new hornet is 'ready and determined but not aggressive'. Hands are ready for action. The wings echo the edges of our new "M." The new arched "Mansfield" and "Hornets" are reminiscent of the radial arch used for decades on uniforms. The edged look and spacing mimic our town train tracks. Many might ask why we are doing this refresh. It is important to us to build uniformity and to support our vision, mission, core values and vision of a graduate. Currently we have many versions of the hornet, and "M" and inconsistent shades of green. Our change will be very apparent while keeping with our history. No longer will we get confused with the logo for other towns in the state such as Marshfield. Questions/Answers: Lynn Cavicchi had the opportunity to work with the committee and found it to be a very engaging and interesting process. The committee was made up of a good mix of parents, alumni, students, staff, athletes, performing arts, and community members. She appreciated our efforts to elevate student voice in this project. Page 1 of 6 Approved 09/10/24 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, June 11, 2024 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar Jenifer Sellon also participated and noted that she learned so much about Mansfield's history. She understands the "why" but asked if Teresa could address the "Why now?" Superintendent Murphy noted this is a great opportunity for us since we are replacing the turf and field as well as enhancing the gym and replacing the floor. We can now incorporate the new logos into the design immediately. Assistant Superintendent Donoghue noted that we have already sent the logos to the design companies. Lynn Cavicchi asked about the rollout process. Teresa noted that the district will roll this out over time. For example, athletic uniforms are replaced on a set schedule. Uniforms will retain the old logo until that sport is due up for replacements. The band is due for new uniforms this year and will take advantage of the timing of our release. Clubs and activities can incorporate the logos immediately. A reminder that the colors and design logos can not be altered. A style guide will be placed on our website. As far as outside organizations, we have chosen not to trademark our logos. We do not intend to police all uses of our logo outside the district. We do hope that local organizations jump on board and use what we have as part of their own logos. Committee Updates / Old Business: Budget: The budget sub met last week with more meetings planned over the summer to make sure we have a good start to next year's budget process. Items reviewed were the causes of our budget strain, the options that we have going forward, the timing of budget proposals and approvals for next year. Lynn Cavicchi requested that the town provide some reports for us, describe the override procedures and build a budget timeline early. New Business: Food Services Update: Food Services Director Dawn Langtry provided an update of this school year. Food Services provides 2000 — 2200 meals per day compared to 1200 —1300 pre-COVID. Although this is good news for our students, it has been a challenge due to staffing issues, limited storage and serving capacity. The participation rates sit at approximately 65% for the elementary schools and 68 — 75% at the secondary level. Another challenge with the increased participation is the increased need to accommodate food allergies. Food Services works directly with school nurses daily. The district has implemented many menu changes which help to provide healthy foods. For example, Robinson has introduced salads and lunch packs (yogurt, fruit and a whole grain). J/J has done the same with the addition of fish sticks and teriyaki dumplings. QMS has added chicken fajitas and tacos. MHS has added steak and cheese subs, salmon and a raman noodle bar. Overall, we have added more fresh fruits and vegetables as we have a great collaboration with local farmers. She did note that we must abide by Federal Government restrictions (food must be U.S. grown) which at times limits availability of products. Dawn is working with the IT department to improve communication to families. One change will be to improve upon the website and add food pictures. We are continuing to work on our staffing issues. On the plus side we have a manager in each kitchen; however, we still have 5 openings across the district. Page 2 of 6 Approved 09/10/24 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, June 11, 2024 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar Other projects in the works are: • Robinson- installation of a dishwashing machine (allowing us to go back to plastic trays) and a new oven • 1/J- lighting renovations, new flooring, new ice machine, repair to the freezer door and upgraded serving line • QMS- on hold • MHS- New serving line allowing two full services at a time, replacement of a freezer and walk-in fridge. Note that MHS is changing from 4 lunches to 3 lunches per day. Tenn Walsh appreciates the hard work to make improvements such as more food offerings. Lynn Cavicchi asked for breakfast participation rates (students / day.) Robinson: 140, J/J: 150, MHS: 140, QMS: 170. Dawn noted that federal regs are changing to further reduce salt and sugar intake. Currently whole grains are required but ironically contain higher sugar rates. Therefore, whole grains will probably be eliminated from the menu along with chocolate milk, some yogurts and cereals. We will have some challenges as we make this transition. Lynn asked about the application rate for free and reduced lunches. Her concern is that since all lunches are free, how are we identifying economically challenged families who need assistance with such things as transportation, athletic fees and field trips. Dawn noted that we have had a drastic drop in paper applications. However, the state gateway program has improved and that is where most of our families are certified for free/reduced lunch. There is some outreach to families but we can work on ways to improve how we reach out to families who were not pre -certified on the state gateway. Consideration of Policy Changes: Revise/ Title Action Notes Motion Motion Vote Code 1 2 ADF Wellness Revise Jenn Jenifer 4-0 Walsh Sellon ECF Food Services Revise Management / Free Reduced Meals EFD Unpaid Meal Charges Revise Consideration of School Nurse Appointment: With the retirement of the school nurse at Roland Green, the district has appointed Debra Idell to the Roland Green Health Office. She comes to us with 22 years of nursing experience in long-term & rehab care, infectious diseases and has been a school nurse in two other districts. State law requires school committee approval of nurse appointments. Motion to approve the appointment of Debra Idell to school nurse by Jenn Walsh and Jenifer Sellon Motion Carries 4 — 0. Page 3 of 6 Approved 09/10/24 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, June 11, 2024 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar Health and Wellness Advisory Council Update: Health Director Christine Dooling provided the three-year update of the council. She reviewed accomplishments of the last three years including work with a wellness coach, grant work, establishment of new initiatives and best practices. For 2022-23 a three -step action plan was developed to update the health and wellness webpage, establish "Harvest of the Month" in elementary school menus and to revitalize the health and wellness advisory council with participation from all schools and partners. Christine highlighted several programs offered such as Healthy Decision Making: Understanding the Risks of Vaping, Dr. Heather DiBlasi: Addiction Specialist, Kathi and Chris Sullivan: Alcohol Awareness Program. A new vaping diversion program was implemented at QMS and MHS as part of our discipline process. Posters encouraging healthy habits have been placed in schools. As part of a recent conference, Mansfield was recognized as a MA School Wellness Champion. Comments/Questions: Steve Schoonveld asked about discipline for students who might vape on the bus. All discipline rules apply as buses are considered part of the district. Regarding the Wellness banner we received for our recent recognition, he asked if that was awarded just to MHS or to the entire district. It is district wide. Steve thought that each school should take turns in displaying the banner. Jenifer Sellon asked if, with the new healthy initiatives, there would be any change to food rewards on student IEPs and 504 plans? Are parents being notified of this impact as it would be huge? Christine noted that we still follow IEP and 504 plans regardless of overall food initiatives. Lynn requested that Christine continue to update the 3-year plan and make notes of any efforts that were partially or fully implemented. What is the status of the new health curriculum? Christine will get an update from department Chair Natalie Johnson. How can parents view the health curriculum? Teresa noted that parents should be able to access it via the website. How will you determine goals for next year? Christine noted that in the past we created goals based on policies that were needed or feedback from our consultant. We have started discussions as a team based on areas where we may be lacking or from feedback on the P.R.I.D.E. survey. How were parents chosen for the council? Announcements went home in newsletters and then names were randomly chosen from each school. Lynn also asked for a couple of changes on the website: Year of Graduation for student members and school association for parents. Facilities Update: Facilities Director Matt Jacques provided a year-end review and summer preview. Facilities has evolved since Matt's time here. The department works closely with each school on every aspect of the building; teams with the school resource officers on school safety; is involved with procurement for every department; works with outside groups on rental use; and even worked with our engineering class at MHS . This year the students were active participants in monitoring the track and field project. Matt is very proud of our facilities. He also reviewed the life cycle of a project which starts with conception, design and design review. We then prepare bids, start the bidding process and finally review and select a vendor. Contractor meetings occur and then the project can actually begin. Page 4 of 6 Approved 09/10/24 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, June 11, 2024 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar He updated the committee on the Robinson playground, QMS boiler, MHS track and field and MHS gym projects. Steve Schoonveld appreciates the use of pictures and videos which help to engage the public. Does QMS have hot water during the project? Yes, but limited. We are using a temporary hot water heater. Lynn Cavicchi pointed out how limited our project time can be as we cannot interrupt the school day. She appreciated the advanced work done to prepare us for being able to start these projects as soon as possible. Release of Executive Session Minutes: As Chair, Lynn Cavicchi reviewed and then new Chair Steve Schoonveld reviewed the unreleased executive session minutes from August 2021 through October 2023. All minutes except those of 9-20-22 (due to security reasons) were released. The committee may consider a review of those minutes to see if there can be redacting done in order to release. End of Year Evaluation of Superintendent Murphy: Chair Steve Schoonveld summarized the process completed. Each member completed their own evaluation noting ratings by indicators and providing comments. The chair then took each individual evaluation and combined it into one overall evaluation. This summary was then presented to Teresa Murphy. The committee spoke very highly of Ms. Murphy. Lynn Cavicchi thanked her for all of her efforts and the progress made on several growth areas. Teresa has improved student supports across the district. Teresa thanked her faculty and staff for supporting her. Jenn Walsh was impressed by Teresa's willingness to commend her team for their work. That is a sign of an excellent leader; one who identifies people's strengths even if they don't see it in themselves. The team that Teresa has built is one of the strongest the committee has seen in a long time. Jenifer Sellon has been able to see "behind the curtain" how the district is run and she sees how hard Teresa works. Steve Schoonveld appreciates Teresa's constant pursuit of improvement. A lot of good things happened this year with diversity efforts, the mission and vision statement and the new branding. Teresa also performed well managing the fiscal crisis that we are facing. Executive Session: Adjourn to enter Executive Session pursuant to MGL c. 30A, § 21(a) 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. Upon completion of this session will return to open session. Motion to adjourn under exception 2 and to return to open session by Jenn Walsh / Jenifer Sellon. Roll Call Vote: Lynn Cavicchi aye Jenifer Sellon aye Jenn Walsh aye Steve Schoonveld aye Motion Carries 4 - 0 Page 5 of 6 Approved 09/10/24 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, June 11, 2024 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar Return from Executive Session Consideration of Superintendent Contract Changes: Chair Schoonveld announced the terms of the new contract. Superintendent Murphy's salary will be $218,500 and another year will be added to the end of the contract making it valid from 7/1/2024 to 6/30/28. Motion to approve the terms of Superintendent Teresa Murphy's contract with a 2024-25 salary of $218,500 and a contract extension until June 30, 2028 by Jenn Walsh / Jenifer Sellon. Motion Carries 4 - 0 Other- Items not anticipated by the Chair 48 hours prior to this meeting: None School Committee Business: Upcoming Meeting Dates for 2024-25: The committee reviewed upcoming dates and discussed potential vacation schedules. Documents Referenced: Program of Events — Retiree Recognition Mansfield Branding Initiative Presentation Health & Wellness Update Presentation Facilities Project Update Presentation Policies List of executive session minutes reviewed and released Summary evaluation of Superintendent Murphy Motion to adjourn: At 9:44 p.m., Chair Schoonveld called for a motion to adjourn Motion to adjourn by Jenn Walsh / Jenifer Sellon Motion Carries 4 - 0 Respectfully Submitted, Diane Nugent, Administrative Assistant to Superintendent & School Committee Page 6 of 6