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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool Comm Minutes 9/23/2008MANSFIELD SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Michael Trowbridge, Chairman Lisa Losiewicz, Vice Chairman Frank Del Vecchio Steven Greenberg Jean Miller TUESDAY, September 23, 2008 7:00 PM Open Session Adjourn to EXECUTIVE SESSION - 7:00 PM - MBCRoom — Town Hall Adjourn to OPEN SESSION - 7:30 PM - Room 3 A & B 7:00 PM EXECUTIVE SESSION 1.) Superintendent's Evaluation and Contract 2.) Correspondence received / Personnel Enc 7:30 PM OPEN SESSION AGENDA 7:30 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 7:35 CORRESPONDENCE RECEIVED L) QMS Music Program Enc 7:40 SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT 1.) Opening of School Enc 7:45 -7:55 8:00 APPROVAL OF WARRANTS Enc. 8:05 APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1.) Executive Session Minutes of August 26, 2008 Enc. 2.) School Committee Minutes of August 26, 2008 Enc. 8:10 OLD BUSINESS 1.) Superintendent's Evaluation and Contract 2.) Emergency Management Homeland Security Exercise - Update 3.) Audit Committee /Finance Committee proposals 8:30 NEW BUSINESS 1.) Amendment to BICO agreement Enc. 2.) Current Enrollment figures Enc. i Class sizes 3.) Approval of SPED Bus Drivers Contract 9:00 OTHER Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, September 23, 2008 Town Hall, Room 3B & C An Open Meeting of the Mansfield School Committee was held at the Town Hall on Tuesday, September 23, 2008. The meeting was called to order and opened by Mr. Trowbridge, 2 "d by Mrs. Miller. A Roll Call vote was taken and the meeting was called to order by Chairman, Michael Trowbridge at 7:55 P.M. Members Present — roll call vote to open meeting: Mr. Michael Trowbridge, Chairman - yes Mrs. Lisa Losiewicz, Vice Chairman - yes Mr. Steven Greenberg - yes Mrs. Jean Miller — yes Not Present: Mr. Frank DelVecchio Also Present: Mrs. Brenda Hodges, Superintendent of Schools Mr. Edward Vozzella, Director of Finance Correspondence: The Superintendent and Schools Committee received correspondence expressing concern with the decrease in time for the QMS Orchestra and Band Programs and the lack of time allowed for both. The QMS Music Instructor's have restructured the programs to concentrate on like instruments practicing together. The time is reduced, but the quality of the practice time has improved. Mary Ellen Mega believed that the parents concerned had been addressed and resolved.. Superintendent's Report: The Superintendent proudly reviewed the opening of the school year with a brief synopsis for each school. The PPS offices were moved during the summer to the Jordan / Jackson Elementary School allowing Roland Green to increase the classroom space by two. A small conference room was added and the staff lunch room was expanded. The Scott Foresman Reading Program has been implemented and the teachers are very excited to have planning time to work collaboratively to introduce the program to the children. There has been a net gain of 10 students at the Roland Green Pre School. The Roland Green Program is the lowest priced preschool in the area. The Robinson Elementary has also undergone substantial changes over the summer. The Little Hornets Day Care received a resounding welcome at the Robinson School. The administration and staff formalized the goal of successful implementation of the Scott S. C. Minutes PaEe 2 Foresman Reading Program, Pre K -2 at the opening staff meeting. The new Curriculum Coordinator for Pre K -5 is Stephanie Manning. Stephanie will be assisting the teachers to support the introduction of the Scott Foresman Program. Stephanie has extensive experience in training teachers in the Scott Foresman Reading Program with the DOE. We feel very fortunate to have her. The Jordan! Jackson Elementary School began the school year with an orientation program of the Open Circle Sustainability Program for the staff. This program deals with diversity and anti bullying. The Scott Foresman Literacy Program is being implemented in the fourth and fifth grade classrooms. Teachers have received professional development training to support the implementation of the program. Grade three was implemented last year. Students and teachers are excited about the new community partnership with Nations Heritage Credit Union and the Smart Routes to School Program sponsored by the Department of Transportation. On September 16 "', former NBA basketball player Ernie DeGregorio, held a promotional kick off for the children with the Credit Union Savings Program. The Savings Makes Cents Program presented by the credit union staff will begin in October. The goals of the "Safe Routes to School" Program include motivating children to develop healthy habits and encouraging them to walk to school and develop personal safety skills. The Oualter's Middle School held an Open House, which was an over whelming success. The building administration met with teachers and staff to review some of the procedures for evacuations, as outlined in the student and teacher handbooks. The administration also met with Special Education liaisons and guidance counselors to review IEPS, 504 Plans and District Accommodations Plans. School began without a hitch on September 3, 2008 for 1,194 students at the QMS. The QMS administration would like to thank the parents, students and staff for working together to begin the 2008 — 2009 school year on a positive note. The Mansfield High School began its school year with 1,478 students. The most significant change at the high school was the new schedule. The rotating seven — period schedule features six classes meeting daily for a duration of 55 minutes with one class being dropped each day. The order of the periods changes daily. Many thanks to Assistant Principal's Mike Connolly, Dave Farinella and Dawn Stockwell for planning the logistical details of the schedule in order to balance the number of students during each lunch period. S. C. Minutes Page 3 There was a great deal of excitement regarding the imminent opening of the four new modular classrooms. The certificate of occupancy was granted September 23rd, with the anticipated date of September 25`f' as the first day in the new classrooms. During the first two days of school, the administration met with students to welcome them and to review all school policies. The intent was to solict student feedback on the recent changes and to brainstorm regarding student activities and possible privileges for seniors. One of the first changes made, based upon student input, was to increase passing time between classes from four minutes to five minutes. The MHS Leadership Team has finalized a school improvement plan for the current year. The plan features goals such as establishing an active school council as well as an academic council, and professional development opportunities for all staff. The plan also addresses student needs in relation to the increased student population. Approval of Warrants The following warrants were presented and accepted by the School Committee on September 23, 2008, Salary & Wages, # 2009 -1 dated 7- 11 -08, in the amount of $135,282.86; Salary & Wages, # 2009 -2 dated 7- 25 -08, in the amount of $788,230.54; Good & Services, #2009 -3 dated 8 -5 -08 in the amount of $494,220.33; Salary & Wages, #2009 -4 dated 8 -8 -08, in the amount of $889,666.44; Good & Services, #2009 -5 dated 8- 19-08 in the amount of $253,291; Salary & Wages, # 2009 -6 dated 8- 22 -08, in the amount of $793,822.26 Good & Services, #2009 -7 dated 9 -02 -08 in the amount of $219,727.74. Motion to accept by Mrs. Jean Miller, 2 "d by Mrs. Lisa Losiewicz. Motion U.C. 4 - 0 Approval of Minutes: The Executive Minutes of August 26, 2008 were approved as amended. Motioned by, 2 "d by Mr. Steven Greenberg, 2" d by Mrs. Lisa Losiewicz. Motion U.C. 4 — 0 The School Committee Minutes of August 26, 2008 were approved as amended. Motioned by Mrs. Lisa Losiewicz; 2 "d by Mr. Steven Greenberg. Motion U.C. 4 — 0 S. C. Minutes Page 4 OLD BUSINESS Superintendent's Evaluation and Contract: Chairman Michael Trowbridge discussed the final requirements of the board to complete the Superintendent's evaluation and contract for this year. Emergency Management Homeland Security Exercise update: The Full Scale Exercise has been scaled back to a Functional Exercise. The Functional Exercise has the same scenarios with the same supervisors and personnel involved, but it does not disrupt the schools. The Schools, Town Hall, Police, Fire, FBI and ATF will all participate in this exercise. The main objective is to highlight our strengths and weaknesses in order to improve the schools and Town preparedness in case of an emergency situation. The biggest challenge right now is communication. The Town is on Verizon and we are on Nextel. Audit Committee / Finance Committee proposals: The next meeting of the School Committee, Finance Committee and the Board of Selectman will be October 2, 2008 at 7:00 PM at the Town Hall. The purpose of the Audit Committee is to serve as an Oversight Committee comprised of (2) School Committee members, (2 ) Selectman and (1) Finance Committee member with (2 ) citizens chosen by the Selectman. Chairman Michael Trowbridge has asked the School Committee to email him with any questions they would like addressed at the meeting. NEW BUSINESS Amendment to BICO Agreement: The Easton Public Schools has petitioned the BICO Collaborative to become a member of the collaborative. The collaborative now has 14 school districts as members. The Board members of the BICO Collaborative voted unanimously to bring the request forward to the School Committees of the individual districts. It is my recommendation that the Easton Public Schools be accepted into the BICO Collaborative. The Norton Public Schools have petitioned the BICO Collaborative to become a member of the collaborative. The collaborative now has 14 school districts as its members. The Board members of the BICO Collaborative voted unanimously to bring the request forward to the S. C. Minutes Page 5 School Committees of the individual districts. It is my recommendation that the Norton Public Schools be accepted into the BICO Collaborative Current Enrollment Figures The current enrollment numbers as of Octoberl, 2008 are as follows: MHS —1489; QMS — 1219; J/J —1123; Robinson- 1013; Roland Green —111; with a total of 4,955 students. Approval of SPED Bus Drivers Contract: This item was tabled due to the fact that it has not been ratified. Other: The topic of the Electronic sign lead Mr. Greenberg to feel that the sign was changing to quickly and the letters were to small thus making it a possible safety hazard. Dr. Maruszczak, MHS Principal, has been working on the policy and would get a draft to the Superintendent for her approval. Motion to adiourn: Motion was made to adjourn the School Committee Meeting of September 23, 2008 at 9:00 PM for the sole purpose of adjourning. Motioned by Michael Trowbridge, 2nd by Steve Greenberg. Roll call to close: Michael Trowbridge, yes: Lisa Losiewicz, yes; Jean Miller, yes; Mr. Greenberg, yes. Motion U.C. 4 — 0 Respectfully submitted, Mary O. Jackson Secretary to the Superintendent