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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool Comm 03/04/2025Approved 03-25-25 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, March 04, 2025 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar An Open Meeting of the Mansfield School Committee was held in person and virtually on Tuesday, March 04, 2025 in room 3AB of the Town Hall. The open meeting session was called to order by Chair Steve Schoonveld at 6:01 p.m. Members Present: Administration Present: Steve Schoonveld (Chair) Teresa Murphy, Superintendent Jenifer Sellon (Vice Chair) Jessica Davis, Assistant Superintendent (Student Services) Lynn Cavicchi Ed Donoghue, Assistant Superintendent (Finance/Operations) Jenn Walsh Vivian Webster (@6:19 pm) Members Absent: None Chair Schoonveld addressed the large audience. He indicated that the committee would exit for a planned executive session and would return at approximately 6:30 pm. He invited those who would like to participate in public speak to sign up. He noted that public speak time would be limited and it would be helpful for staff to group together to choose speakers. The chair asked for a motion to enter into Executive Session under Exception No. 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 regarding collective bargaining of office assistants/clerks; paraprofessionals; buildings and grounds associations AND Under Exception No. 7. To comply with or act under the authority of any general or special law or federal grant-in-aid requirements; specifically, to discuss a civil rights concern per Chapter 151B, Sub Section 4 (2) - H Motion by: Jenn Walsh / Jenifer Sellon ROLL CALL Vote: Lynn Cavicchi aye ", co Jenn Walsh aye Jenifer Sellon aye : �. J cj Steve Schoonveld aye Motion Carries 4 - 0-� —-"' Return from Executive Session at 6:36 pm. r*1 Public Speak (all comments were in reference to the announcement that the Little Hornets program is being eliminated at the end of the year.) Sinead Rogazzo, 69 Warren Avenue: Ms. Rogazzo is devastated by the decision. Have we considered raising tuition? Why can't we use space at the 1/1 as was recommended in the space study? The district is overlooking our educator support system; we should be working to retain and attract highly qualified teachers. She fully supports the move of Roland Green but does not understand why Little Hornets has to close; why it was communicated so late to us. For example, the Roland Green preschool has already closed their application process. Molly Riley, 20 Lancelot Lane: Ms. Riley grew up in Mansfield and is now raising her three children here. One is at Little Hornets and two would be attending soon. She is very concerned about the closure. In last night's Listening Session, Ms. Murphy called Little Hornet's "an extra" service. It isn't just an extra thing. Little Hornet's has had a seismic impact over the last 50 years. For many, it is the deciding factor in taking a job in Mansfield. We did a poll and 59% of responders indicated that they have or planned to use Little Hornets. This impacts 40 educators with Page 1 of 7 Approved 03-25-25 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, March 04, 2025 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar children at Little Hornets and 13 staff members who are now unemployed. The "extra' service is impacting a lot of people. This when teachers are putting in extra time supporting our students after hours. When there were 4000 students at MHS there was room for Little Hornets; why not now? The superintendent showed a lack of transparency; none of this was in previous budget proposals. Did the district consider a tuition hike or renting outside space? Natalie Cress 67 Baybrook Farm Road: Ms. Cress is currently a junior at MHS who is a teacher assistant at Little Hornets after school. She would like to be a teacher and talked about the benefits this program has had toward her career plans. It is an enormous loss to future MHS students. This program provides more opportunities than Roland Green because of the infants. The district needs to dig deeper for a solution. Crystal Miller 792 West Street: Ms. Miller started teaching in 2015 and has supported many students and families in Mansfield. "I care about your children." This will impact every department in every school. Staff will be devastated. Caitlin Komm 1054 Hillside Street, Milton, MA: Ms. Komm has been a special educator for over 22 years. This was an abrupt closure due to a spacing issue but during last night's listening session it was noted that it was due to budgetary issues. She welcomes the Roland Green change but cannot understand the closure of Little Hornets. There have been many difficult budgetary decisions in the past- why is it suddenly a burden now? Finding a space should not be a problem; the space study showed that 1/1 could have space. The district did not review any of the architectural recommendations. The district should be more flexible. Beth Sylvia 20 Old Elm Street: Ms. Sylvia is a Mansfield resident who was an administrator in another district. She expressed concern over the lack of transparency. Is it a space issue or a budget issue? She was concerned that the director was not given a one to one conversation prior to this decision. The district needs to think this through carefully. Little Hornets is a big hook; the program is outstanding. She also noted that there is space in the town hall building that can be used. Kelly Roe 94 Maple Street Norton, MA: Ms. Carey is a Little Hornet's teacher. She expressed her deep gratitude for the support shown tonight. She has been in childcare for 40 years and was thrilled at the opportunity to work in Mansfield. The employees are committed and loyal, providing a long-standing outstanding program. The district did not consider any alternatives. We should all work together to come up with a solution. Michelle Carey 511 Gilbert Street: Little Hornets is an incredible center with lots of hands on support. She is stunned by the last minute staff meeting with no alternatives offered; It was harsh action. Alison Fogerty (Cillian): 9 Lewis Road: Cillian and his mom spoke about the importance of Little Hornets to the young students. Matt Cressi 67 Baybrook Farm: This was an unpopular decision. He had a son in Roland Green right before COVID, the building needed to be shut down then; why is this sudden news? In 2010 there were approximately 4900 students in the district and there are now around 3200 students. There must be room somewhere. We are talking about 40 — 50 kids; two classrooms would work. Do your best and find space. This is very late notice for our staff. Discussion regarding moving the preschool program to the Robinson Building (moved up in agenda:) Superintendent Murphy read from prepared remarks which detailed the following: The purpose of the Roland Green Preschool & enrollment reasons (ie special education needs vs peer models) The spacing needs of the program and concerns of the building The benefits of moving the program to the Robinson School The financial reasons for moving the program The details of the Little Hornet's program which supports our staff Page 2 of 7 Approved 03-25-25 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, March 04, 2025 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar The cost of the Little Hornet's program some of which is funded through tuition and others which are covered by the Town of Mansfield She also answered some of the questions that have come up during the last week: Why can't the district move the program to another school? There is no space currently available; bathrooms and classrooms would need to be reconfigured for small children. Additionally, the preschool belongs at the Robinson and as part of our district campus. Why would the school give up the employer -provided child care tax credit? Schools are tax exempt and therefore do not get a tax credit. Can the district use school choice funds to run the program? No, school choice tuitions by state law must be used within the school(s) that offer school choice and must directly be spent to the benefit of educating students. Can we end the BICO program and use that space? No, Mansfield belongs to the RICO program and uses their services to out place students as needed. In order to be part of that group, we must provide space for one of their programs. Can we use the modular at QMS which are no longer used? No, they were closed because they were at the end of their life. They were not safe for QMS; they would not be safe for a daycare. Why can't we find space if the enrollment is down so much from 15 years ago? MHS had space then, why not now? Our educational needs of students have changed. Classroom space is not configured as it was 15 years ago. There are many different types of programs in place. How will we continue to support our high school students who benefited from working at the program? The official Little Hornets/MHS partnership ended quite some time ago. We do have a few students who participate in Career Pathways that spend some time at Little Hornets. The district will offer the same opportunities but now in the preschool program. The district must prioritize space that best supports student learnings. It is a difficult message to send and for staff to hear but the day care program is not within our state mandated education requirements. Teresa emphasized that she understands the value in the program and the benefit that our staff has had over the many years that Little Hornets has been running. Additionally, we have a remarkable staff that unfortunately will not be returning next year. We have been tasked with cutting a lot out of our budget and these are the difficult decisions that are made. Regarding the notification process. As soon as the decision was made, the announcement plan was discussed. There was no way to notify all impacted at one time and in person. Teresa felt it important to first meet with staff who would be losing their jobs. At the same time that the meeting was being held, parents of Little Hornets children received an email. Then, additional emails went out to staff with the notifications. Question/Answers: Lynn Cavicchi: What is the process for the Roland Green facility now? The plan is to retire its use as an educational facility and turn it over to the town. The school committee will need to take a vote on this. Steve Schoonveld asked when that would occur. The district will review the school committee calendar and select a date. He then reiterated the question as to whether or not we have looked at all our space options. Yes, we do not want to eliminate student -based programming such as STEM programs at 1/J or support services at the high school. Additionally, we would need to consider the cost to retrofit the space. Yes, enrollment is down but there are more specialized needs now. Steve noted that enrollment has decreased by many argue that we haven't reduced the number of teachers to match. He had hoped that our time at Roland Green would last longer but it is time to move; and the benefit to those students will be big. Teresa also noted that the higher number of preschool students is not unique to Mansfield; towns around us are struggling with the same issues. Steve suggested that fees were looked at and raised by 10% back in December. However, those increases would still not be enough. The weekly cost would have to increase significantly. Another consideration was the proposed cost to put an addition on to the Robinson to house the preschool. That cost would exceed $20 million. As the town struggles with pending overrides, this type of construction could not be requested. Meanwhile there are schools with greater needs such as out-of-date science labs at MHS and needs in the QMS building. Page 3 of 7 Approved 03-25-25 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, March 04, 2025 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar Mr. Schoonveld noted, in response to audience questions about the budget documentation in January, that the budget is still not set. Final reductions have not been made and the School Committee has not voted to approve any budget figures. The budget will not be voted upon until March or April after a public hearing. He noted that the loss of Little Hornets would not change if an override is passed. The school committee does not vote on the move of students from one building to another or details regarding a day care program. There was no further discussion. Student representative report: Andrew Fleischmann gave updates on things going on in the schools. First, he extended his support of Little Hornets having been a child in that program at one point. The high school started holding assemblies for course registration. Gymnastics came in 3rd at the state meet and have been invited to participate in the New England Championships in CT. Both basketball teams are in the playoff tournament. The mock trial has made it further than it has in the history of our program. Our percussion group goes to Dartmouth next weekend for WGI competition. The one act play has moved on to the semifinals. Mansfield is the only school fully directed and run by students. The 1/1 fifth grade musical is approaching and third graders are presenting their "People in History" biographies. Students at Robinson and Roland Green are celebrating Dr. Seuss. New Business taken out of order: Consideration of Field Trips- MHS gymnastics team to Connecticut (Item presented within 48 hours): Assistant Athletic Director Michael Redding notified the committee that the gymnastics team placed 3`d in the state competition on Saturday. Based on their placement, the team was invited to participate in the New England Championships on Saturday, March 8'. Some modifications were made to the request. Rather than take place between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM (including travel time); the time will be 9:30 AM and 6:30 PM. Additionally, the location is In Madison, CT rather than Milford, CT. Lynn asked if there would be tournaments after this one. No, this is the last tournament. What about our female wrestler? She came in 2"d in the state and will move on to the next level. However, her parents will take her as she is the only athlete. Motion to approve the MHS gymnastics team to travel to CT as modified by Jenn Walsh / Jenifer Sellon. Motion Passes 4 - 0 (Vivian Webster briefly left the meeting) MHS football team to Ohio/Michigan: Assistant Athletic Director Michael Redding presented the detail of the itinerary, cost and benefits. MHS typically tries to run these trips every 3 years to make sure all players have the opportunity to participate before graduation. While discussing this trip with parents, there was strong pushback to travel by plane rather than bus even though there would be an increased cost. In order to minimize airline costs, travel had to be booked in January. At that time the trip was discussed with Superintendent Murphy and Chair Steve Schoonveld. The chair signed off on the emergency approval to book flights. Tonight, the committee will officially approve the details of the trip. The team will visit Michigan State as well as the University of Michigan. They will have an opportunity to watch a Mansfield alum compete at a Michigan football game. Steve asked what the students will get from the trip academically. Students will go on college tours of each school and speak with current students and staff about academic programs. Lynn Cavicchi reminded Mr. Redding that the Real ID goes into effect this May for students over 18+. Impacted students and chaperones need the real ID or a passport to travel. Motion to approve the MHS football team to Ohio/Michigan by Tenn Walsh / Jenifer Sellon. Motion Passes 5 - 0 Administrative Reports: Assistant Superintendent Jessica Davis provided an update on the DESE integrated monitoring review. The district has received the report of findings. In most cases the district has done very well. In the areas needing Page 4 of 7 Approved 03-25.25 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, March 04, 2025 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar improvement, the district is working toward resolution by the dates given by DESE. This information has been shared with SEPAC and will be placed on the school website. On behalf of Interim Superintendent Julia Greenstine, Superintendent Murphy gave an update on Google Additional Services. In February, Google announced that districts must now require parental approval for use of services not part of their core product. There are several of these apps but only five apply to Mansfield: Google Bookmarks, Google Earth, Google Maps, Google News and YouTube. The following steps have been taken: Message to staff, Message to parent/guardians with a permission form and a message to office assistants with work that will be required on their part. Permission slips were provided to all students grades 3 —12. It is important to note that if a student's parent does not approve, then staff must find an alternate method of providing instruction to that student(s). ASPEN will be updated (new field) with Yes, No or Form not returned. This approval is required annually and become part of our first day packets home to parents. Lynn Cavicchi asked if they could get a presentation on data privacy overall. Approval of Warrant: Salary & Salary & Salary & Wages Goods & Services Wages Goods & Services Wages 2627PS 25028S 2529PS 25030S 2531PS 1/3125 117125 1117125 1/21126 1131/25 General Fund 1,754,323.22 290,333.29 1,736,120.38 579,810.02 1,779,255.01 Medicare 2,615.20 - 2,615.20 - 2,615.20 Capital - 3,000.00 - 23,031.33 - Revolving 76,595.70 4,543.85 78,641.78 4,098.18 94,222.27 Food Service 30,645.09 39,987.03 30,978.86 23,818.91 39,872.87 Gifts - 327.35 - 569.51 - Student Activity 1,787.50 - - 11,956.40 - Grants 84,903.14 625.70 71,602.65 10,819.69 75,240.72 Prior Year - 2,378.89 - - - 1,950,869.85 341,196.11 1,919,958.87 654,104.04 1,991,206.07 Motion to approve the warrant memo dated 2-12-25 by Jenn Walsh / Jenifer Sellon. Motion Passes 5 - 0 Anoroval of Minutes: Date 1st 2nd Discuss Vote Roll Call order/ Y/N Comments 02-10-25 Open Jenn Jenifer N 5-0 Walsh Sellon 02-25-25 Open Jenn Jenifer N 5-0 Walsh Sellon Committee Updates / Old Business: Budget: Steve Schoonveld provided updates on prior budget/triboard, meetings. Working through budget cuts to meet the $1M reduction directed by the town. It is important to think of these cuts as we continue through Page 5 of 7 Approved 03-25-25 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, March 04, 2025 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar upcoming negotiations. We will also be asked to provide thoughts on budget concerns through FY27. Lynn Cavicchi asked if Ed Donoghue or Deb Scott can provide specific information on federal grants that we receive. It is important to understand these and assess risk if these funds are taken away. Job Descriptions for Director of Facilities and Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning: The committee reviewed and noted that more work was needed. Will move to next meeting. New Business continued: Consideration of the dissolution of the Superintendent Search Advisory Committee: The committee entered into agreement with Michelle McKeon to be our next superintendent. Therefore, the committee is no longer needed. Per MASC recommendations, the school committee has the authority to end the advisory committee by vote. Motion to dissolve the Superintendent Search Advisory Committee by Tenn Walsh / Jenifer Sellon. Motion Passes 5 - 0 / The town clerk will be notified. Information on upcoming policies: Chair Schoonveld directed the committee to be prepared to review proposed changes to several policies that will be brought forward on March 25th. These have been on hold while the search for a new superintendent took place. Consideration of an MOU for School Resource Officers: Typically, this MOU is approved in the fall. This year, the process was put on hold while the police department finalized their policies on body cameras. In order to come to an agreement, the police policy was modified slightly to accommodate the body camera usage in schools by the SROs or any officer in the building. Teresa has reviewed the policy with Police Chief Ron Sellon and both are agreeable to moving the MOU forward. Lynn Cavicchi asked for clarification of use (reasonable amount of privacy) in our camera policy vs the police policy. Vivian asked if an individual will be notified if a camera will be turned on. Chief Sellon indicated that yes, the office will verbally announce the camera is being turned on. The expectation that use in the school will be extremely rare. Typically, they would be turned on in pursuit or a contentious interaction. In these cases, the camera use may not align exactly with school policy. Lynn asked if Teresa would send out notifications to staff and families. Motion to approve the School Resource Officer MOU by Jenn Walsh / Jenifer Sellon. Motion Passes 5 - 0 School Safety High Level Overview: Police Chief Ron Sellon along with Frank Archer, Derek McCune, Andrew Kelly and Catherine Jordan were in attendance to provide an overview of the interaction between the police department and school district in regards to protecting our schools. Chief Sellon noted that the Mansfield Police takes a very proactive approach when working with the community. The goal is to reduce the number of incidents rather than just react to them. He explained that there are 4 scenarios: Low Risk / Low Frequency; Low Risk / High Frequency; High Risk / High Frequency and High Risk / Low Frequency. Of all these the most difficult are the High Risk / Low Frequency incidents. Those that are low risk / low frequency can be managed as they occur. With low risk / high frequency items, the district has routines and procedures to handle these situations. Similarly, for High Risk / High Frequency situations, there is past practice, routines and procedures. What is most challenging are those cases where there is high risk, but they do not happen often. These are the situations that we must do our best to prepare for. In doing so, there are many steps. Although many cannot be made public, a few items were discussed. For example, we have made it more difficult to access our schools by removing keys and changing to fob access; adding bollards in front of each entrance, adding welcome windows. The police department continues to work with the schools on 41-s training; collaboration and communication remains strong; a detailed plan of each building has been created for emergency situations. Finally, Chief Sellon and Detective McCune highlighted the wonderful partnerships that exist today including: student interaction with Bentley our therapy dog, attendance at sporting events, dances, prom, theater productions, family fun night, and parent programs. Page 6 of 7 Approved 03-25-25 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, March 04,2025 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar School Committee Business: Steve Schoonveld encouraged members to collect the data needed for the upcoming public hearing. The committee will be asked to vote on the budget and the override. School Committee Questions and Comments: Vivian Webster thanked the Police Department for attending tonight and for everything they do to assist the schools. Other- Items not anticipated by the Chair 48 hours prior to this meetine:(see minutes above) Documents Referenced: Warrant Minutes Field Trips Little Hornet's Letter Booklet MOU for School Resource Officer Motion to adjourn: At 9:31 p.m., Chair Schoonveld called for a motion to adjourn into Executive Session not to return to open session under exception 4 To discuss the deployment of security personnel or devices, or strategies with respect thereto: Detailed review of existing district -wide safety measures. Motion to adjourn and enter executive session by Jenn Walsh / Jenifer Sellon ROLL CALL Vote: Jenifer Sellon aye Vivian Webster aye Lynn Cavicchi aye Jenn Walsh aye Steve Schoonveld aye Motion Passes 5 -0 Respectfully Submitted, Diane Nugent, Administrative Assistant to Superintendent & School Committee Page 7 of 7