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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool Comm 01/27/2026(\ Mansfield School Committee Meeting Approved 03-10-26 t-- Minutes for Tuesday, January 27, 2026 In Person room 3AB and Virtually using GoToWebinar10' , f: An Open Meeting of the Mansfield School Committee was held on Tuesday, January 27 2026 in room 34'13'oi}hie Town Hall. The open meeting session was called to order by Chair Jenn Walsh at 6:0 :� /n �,( ?'j A Members Present: Administration Present: Jenn Walsh, Chair Michelle McKeon, Superintendent Jenifer Sellon, Vice Chair Amy Bright, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning i Lynn Cavicchi Matthew Violette, Director of Finance and Operations Diane Ready Open position Members Absent: None 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 the Mansfield Educators Association Negotiations update Motion by: Jenifer Sellon / Lynn Cavicchi ROLL CALL Vote: Jenifer Sellon aye Jenn Walsh aye Diane Ready aye Lynn Cavicchi aye Motion Carries 4— 0 Return from Executive Session at 6:42 pm. Joint Meeting with Select Board to Appoint a new School Committee Member: Present for the Select Board were Walter Wilk, Maureen Doherty, Kostas Loukos and Michael Feck. Student Representative Andrew Fleischman joined the School Committee as a non -voting member. The four candidates for the open position left vacant by Steve Schoonveld's resignation were: Aaron Hyre, Alma Richeh , Michael Robinson, Jamie Vitonis. School Committee Chair Jenn Walsh thanked everyone for coming and explained the process. The following questions were asked of every candidate: Board Member Question/comment Jenn Walsh Jenn will provide a brief overview of procedures. Jenn Walsh Opening Remarks: Tell us about yourself, your background/experience, and your connection to the Mansfield Public Schools. In what school or district activities have you been involved? Why are you seeking a position on the School Committee? Jen Sellon What do you believe are the most important characteristics of an effective school committee? Of an effective school committee member? Lynn Cavicchi What is the biggest strength of our district and what do you see as our top needs? Page 1 of 5 Approved 03.30-26 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, January 27, 2026 In Person room 3AB and Virtually using GoToWebinar Consideration of the 2026-2027 MHS Program of Studies Principal Booth and Director Karidoyanes reviewed the changes made from last year's program. A detailed summary and tracked change document were provided. Highlights are: District Vision and Values used in lieu of Department Mission Statements, Descriptions of College Prep / Honors / Advanced Placement courses updated to reflect expectations of coursework not student abilities, Vision of a Graduate graphic updated, Course level description changes, Advanced Placement course information, Competency Determination, MassCore frameworks and college admission information standards and a GPA grid. Questions and Answers: Diane Ready appreciated the information on prerequisites and expected workloads. She had some recommended cleanup items that she will provide to Tina. Lynn Cavicchi noted that there is some editing required and requested a final proof read before publishing. She had some additional comments including low enrollment notes for AP Music Theory and AP Psychology that could be misleading. Ms. Cavicchi also requested cleanup on AP eligibility requirements/teacher approvals. Can the Digital Photography class include language that cameras are supplied? The Drama 3 class requires students to see a live performance. Is this offered through a field trip or are students required to do so on their own time? Do students need to pay for this requirement? What is the academic portion of the practicums? She requested that the high school consider adding a woman author to the loth grade ELA curriculum. Diane Ready noted that an inclusion of a more modern author should also be considered. For long-term planning, Lynn Cavicchi asked that the document emphasize interdisciplinary courses which may encourage students to expand their learning options Regarding AP classes, Lynn requested a 5-year lookback on AP and MassCore statistics by demographic. Motion to approve the MHS 2026-2027 Program of Studies with recommended edits by Jen Sellon / Lynn Cavicchi Motion carries 4 — 0. Consideration of a change to the 2025-2025 Calendar for MHS reverse half days This is a recurring request as the high school has found the MCAS testing runs more smoothly with fewer students in the building allowing classes to be spread out as needed to support small group testing. In this scenario, Grade 10 students arrive at the regular time and begin testing. Grade 9, 11 and 12 students arrive at 11:00 via their normal modes of transportation. These dates cannot be set until the District receives the MCAS dates from the state. Motion to approve the change to the 2025-2026 Calendar to add 4 reverse half days at MHS by Jen Sellon / Lynn Cavicchi Motion carries 4 — 0. Consideration of the 2026-2027 District Calendar: Superintendent McKeon introduced the calendar. Labor Day falls late this year allowing us, by the MEA contract, to start before Labor Day. Tuesday September 1 will be the first day for staff and Wednesday will be the first day for grades 1-12 with both Friday and Monday holidays. Kindergarten will start on September 81h and Roland Green will start on September 9th. Early releases occur throughout the year for professional development along with a full day of professional development on Tuesday November 3rd. The last day without weather cancellations would be June 17". It was noted that for the first year, the district open house will be held on a Monday (August 31st.) There will be plenty of communication regarding this change. Jen Sellon requested that the bus information still be sent out the week prior giving families plenty of time to review. Motion to approve the 2026-2027 District Calendar by Jen Sellon / Lynn Cavicchi Motion carries 4 — 0. Page 3 of 5 Approved 03-20.26 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, January 27, 2026 In Person room 3AB and Virtually using GoToWebinar $1000 from Bruce Bouck's summer conditioning camp to MHS Science. Mr. Bouck's continued support of the MHS Science Department is very much appreciated. This donation has been deposited in the gift account for future use in the science department. (Janet Hogan) $2000 Mass Association for Applied Behavior Analysis (MassABA) as a recognition of the hard work the Next Steps students did in producing brochures and name tags for their last two annual conferences. These funds will be used to support community outings, events and initiatives. (Heidi Cuneo) $5000 from Bluestone Bank in support of our MHS students. This money will be used to create a dedicated space equipped with a television studio camera, stage lighting and a teleprompter. Motion to accept the five gifts listed above by: Jenifer Sellon / Lynn Cavicchi Motion Carries 4— 0 Committee Updates: None School Committee Business: School Committee Questions and Comments: Welcome Jamie Violette to the Committee. Other- Items not anticipated by the Chair 48 hours prior to this meeting: None Documents Referenced: Warrant Minutes Applications for School Committee List of questions to candidates Gifts MHS presentation FY27 MHS Program of Studies FY26 Calendar FY27 Calendar CIP J/1 Roof Schematic Design with backup CIP 6 year plan Motion to adjourn: At 9:26 p.m., Chair Walsh called for a motion to adjourn. Motion to adjourn by Jenifer Sellon / Lynn Cavicchi Motion Passes 4 - 0 Respectfully Submitted, Diane Nugent, Administrative Assistant to Superintendent & School Committee Page 5 of 5