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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool Committee 01/24/2017Approved 2-7-17 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, January 24, 2017 Town Hall, Room 3A&B An Open Meeting of the Mansfield School Committee was held at the Town Hall on Tuesday, January 24, 2017. The open meeting session was opened and called to order by Kiera O'Neil at 7:03 pm. Members Present: Kiera O'Neil, Chair Lynn Cavicchi, Vice Chair Linda Fernando Jenn Walsh Lauren Scher Members Absent: None Also Present: Zeffro Gianetti, Superintendent of Schools Teresa Murphy, Assistant Superintendent of Schools Edward Vozzella, Director of Finance and Operations Video Taoine: Dana Hourigan, 15 Evans Circle, Mansfield, MA 02048 COMMUNICATIONS: None SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT: No update ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT: Teresa Murphy met with Neil Rhein of "Keep Mansfield Beautiful." He has developed a program entitled "Trash Talk" that educates students on how our community manages trash. It has been taught to grade 6 and grade 9 students and has been well received. In February, it will be presented to Jordan/Jackson students. Teresa is pleased to be working with the community and the DPW on these efforts. Jordan/Jackson held their grade level sessions. In particular they looked at the next generation science standards. Staff participated in hands-on lesson plans using sand and Monopoly hotels and houses to study beach erosion. These lessons will be brought into the classroom for students. APPROVAL OF WARRANT: Warrants Warrant Vs Dates Amount Salary & Wages 2017-12 12/02/16 1,551,610.94 Goods & Services 2017-1018 12/06/16 487,524.83 Salary & Wages 2017-13 12/16/16 1,414,878.03 Goods & Services 2017-1020 12/20/16 475,291.62 Salary & Wages 2017-14 12/30/16 1,422,138.37 $ 5,351,443.79 Linda Fernando made a motion to approve the warrant. Lynn Cavicchi seconded. Motion carries 5 - 0. Page 1 of 6 Approved 2-7-17 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, January 24, 2017 Town Hall, Room 3A&B APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Open Meeting Minutes of 12-6-16 A motion to approve the minutes was made lstby Jenn Walsh and 2nd by Linda Fernando. Motion Carries 5-0 Executive Session Minutes of 12-20-16. A motion to approve the minutes was made lstby Jenn Walsh and 2nd by Linda Fernando. Motion Carries 4-0-1 (Linda Fernando was absent from meeting and abstained.) Open Meeting Minutes of 12-6-16 Amotion to re -approve the minutes was made lstby Jenn Walsh and 2nd by Linda Fernando. This was to correct a vote from an absentee member. Motion Carries 4-0-1 (Lauren Scher was absent from meeting and abstained.) Open Meeting Minutes of 01-10-17. A motion to approve the minutes was made lstby Jenn Walsh and 2nd by Linda Fernando Motion Carries 5-0 Executive Session Minutes of 01-10-17. A motion to approve the minutes was made 1st by Jenn Walsh and 2nd by Linda Fernando. Motion Carries 5-0 FINANCE AND OPERATIONS REPORT: Edward Vozzella provided a 2nd quarter update. There have been no significant changes or issues. Expenditures are steady. The number of students in special education outplacements is level. OLD BUSINESS: Sub Committee Updates 1. Audit: There are two 'at large' members of the audit committee. Due to an oversight, it was discovered that one of the member's terms had already expired. The audit committee will go tc the Board of Selectmen to determine the next steps in re -appointing a new member. 2. CIP: No updates until the spring. 3. Budget: The full committee will meet on Monday, January 30th. 4. Policy: The subcommittee met today with Zeffro Gianetti, Teresa Murphy and Ed Vozzella. They made good progress and will be meeting again later in the week. New policies will be approved this evening. There area few policies in the works including Wellness which requires an update for new federal requirements as well as changes on advertising; Homework which will be addressed in April, and Gift accounts. There are a number of other policies that will be looked at. Student Advisory Committee: Nithin Lankipalle provided an update on MHS. Itis the end of the first semester and the students are in finals. Nithin said the senior students were very appreciative of this year's final exemption rule. Seniors with an 88% average or above could choose not to take a final and could leave school during that period. Nithin expressed some concern with the start of a Page 2 of 6 Approved 2-7-17 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, January 24, 2017 Town Hall, Room 3A&B new semester that the school would see repeats of hallway logjams. Perhaps teachers could be lenient during the first few days while students try to find their way to class. Basketball going well; talent show was well attended. Seniors are looking forward to events that will start to occur in the spring. NEW BUSINESS: Assistant Superintendent of Finance & Operations Job Description: This item will be tabled in order to fine tune the job description. The goal is to present the job description for approval at the 2/7/17 meeting. If approved, the job will be posted on 2/8/17 with the ultimate goal of having the school committee approve the final candidate at the 3/28/17 meeting. Mansfield High School- School Improvement Plan: Michael Connolly, with support from Mary Watkins and Tim Tichacek, presented the 2016-2018 MHS School Improvement Plan. Timeline of plan: Major themes and school initiatives were developed in the summer of 2016. These were brought to the administrative team and then a draft presented to MHS School Council. The school council worked with administration on the details of the plan. The last step was to bring a draft to both the Student Advisory Council and Superintendent Gianetti. The plan is a mix of specific ideas and broad thoughts which allows the high school to be flexible with the unknown over the next two years. Michael Connolly reviewed demographic data then detailed the four school objectives. These objectives align with NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges)and the district initiatives. 1. We will provide a high-quality curriculum and instructional program for all students. a. Per NEASC, Core Values and Beliefs should be the driving force of all processes and plans. Testing should not be the driver. b. Mary Watkins explained the overreaching goal of NEASC. The intent is that on day one of Freshmen year, students should know what their expectations are during the next 4 years. The goal is student growth over time with measurable data and student reflection. 2. We will utilize instructional technology and digital learning to engage students and parents. a. Some of these goals are intentionally vague as we don't always know where technology is moving in the next few years. b. Mike highlighted the significant improvements that have been made to our foreign language lab which had been extremely outdated. 3. We will provide for the academic, social, and emotional support of all students. a. Action items include refining the guidance curriculum, reviewing current homework practices and developing additional program offerings. 4. We will develop a positive school climate and create opportunities to make our school more personalized. a. Action items include a survey for students and parents, unified sports track program, and a school culture committee. b. We have a very safe environment but are always looking for opportunities to do better. Mansfield High School- Program of Studies: Page 3 of 6 Approved 2-7-17 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, January 24, 2017 Town Hall, Room 3A&B Michael Connolly and Tina Karidoyanes presented the program of studies for 2017-2018. Each year the department chairs review and make recommendations on the courses for the upcoming year. Last year there were many changes in order to support the change from trimesters to semesters. The modifications are reviewed with administration then the superintendent and school committee. Changes include updated AP course information, clarification on credits for some courses, rewriting of some course descriptions. Some modified classes include Anatomy and Physiology, Hispanic Culture, Problem Solving with Technology. A motion to approve the MHS Program of Studies was made 1st by Linda Fernando and 2nd by Lynn Cavicchi. Motion Carries 5-0 2017-2018 District Calendar. Tonight is the first review of the calendar, open for input. The school committee will approve the final draft of the calendar in February. Kiera O'Neil reviewed key dates such as the start of school, vacations and holidays. Discussion was held regarding Veteran's Day which falls on a Saturday. Per the State, this holiday is celebrated on Saturday not Friday. As was done in the past, the district established the Veteran's Day holiday on Friday, November 10tb. Lynn Cavicchi requested that we seek legal counsel. Kiera O'Neil requested that we mark this as draft and post to the website for the public to review. Page 4 of 6 Approved 2-7-17 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, January 24, 2017 Town Hall, Room 3A&B Authorization for the superintendent to submit a statement of interest to the MA School Building Authority for reimbursementfor the high school curtain wall replacement. Superintendent Gianetti is working with Mike Ahern and Bill Ross to submit for reimbursement of this project. On Wednesday, January 181h, the Board of Selectmen approved this same motion. Jenn Walsh motioned the following, with Linda Fernando seconding the motion: Resolved: Having convened in an open meeting on January 24, 2017, prior to the closing date, the School Committee of Mansfield, in accordance with its charter, by- laws, and ordinances, has voted to authorize the Superintendent to submit to the Massachusetts School Building Authority the Statement of Interest Form that will be submitted to the MSBA by no later than Friday, February 17, 2017 for consideration in 2017 for the Mansfield High School of Mansfield, MA located at 250 East Street which describes and explains the following deficiencies and the priority category(s) for which an application maybe submitted to the Massachusetts School Building Authority in the future. The Mansfield High School consists of a two floor 185,322 square foot structure. The masonry and steel framed school building was constructed in 1968 with a major addition completed in 1998. The 1998 addition consisted of two additional two story classroom wings on the south and west sides of the original structure. Windows for the school include a combination of punched and isolated ribbon windows. The majority of the north side of the original main building consists of a two story glass and composite panel curtain wall system approximately 5,000 square feet in size. This curtain wall system, original to the 1968 construction, is thermally deficient and currently exhibits active water infiltration. The water infiltration is likely due to failure of aged sealants and flashings; and hereby further specifically acknowledges that by submitting this Statement of Interest Form, the Massachusetts School Building Authority in no way guarantees the acceptance or the approval of an application, the awarding of a grant or any other funding commitment from the Massachusetts School Building Authority, or commits the Town of Mansfield School District to filing an application for funding with the Massachusetts School Building Authority. Motion to Approve Carries 5-0 Page 5 of 6 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, January 24, 2017 Town Hall, Room 3A&B Citizens Comments: None Approved 2-7-27 School Committee New Business: Kiera O'Neil spoke of Barbara Trombley who recently passed away. Barbara was a long time music teacher in Mansfield and our MHS auditorium is named after her. Close to 75 of her prior students (from 1972 - 2000) attended and performed at this event. School Committee Other Business: None Documents Referenced: MHS 2016-2018 School Improvement Plan MHS 2017-2018 Program of Studies Motion to adjourn by Lynn Cavicchi at 8:52 pm; seconded by Linda Fernando. Motion U.C. 5-0 Respectfully Submitted, Diane Nugent Secretary to the Superintendent & School Committee Page 6 of 6