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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool Committee 08/15/2017Approved 9.12.17 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, August 15, 2017 Superintendent's Office .a' VS Ai,f. An Open Meeting of the Mansfield School Committee was held at the Supert✓ fident s bffi&6n ' ' lC m ' Tuesday, August 15, 2017. The open meeting session was opened and called to Pr b Ki ra O'Neil at 6:05 pm. �d� ai f V ' ! , Members Present: Also Present: Kiera O'Neil Teresa Murphy, Superintendent of Schools Lynn Cavicchi Michael Connolly, Assistant Superintendent (Teaching/Learning) Jenn Walsh Edward Donoghue, Assistant Superintendent (Finance/Operations) Lauren Scher Dorothy Presser, Field Director, MASC Members Absent: Linda Fernando SUPERINTENDENT REPORT: 1. Teresa provided the projected enrollment for the upcoming school year. Numbers are very close to our projections. Vote to authorize procurement card: The school district intends to replace the current American Express cards with new procurement cards. The old method was not easy to process on our budget and accounts payable system. Additionally, they had to be financially secured by the business manager rather than the district. The procurement cards are common in school districts. Ed Donoghue proposes two cards (one in business office and one in superintendent's office.) Typically they would be used for conferences that do not take purchase orders or any last minute travel. The new card will be from Bank of Montreal. It is a Mastercard with no ATM access for cash withdrawals. There are no fees or interest and balance must be paid monthly. The cards will not leave the building. Ed is also looking at the use of an Amazon Business card as Amazon does not take purchase orders. It is possible we can order many of our supplies through Amazon. Motion to approve the use of a procurement card from Bank of Montreal by Jenn Walsh/Lauren Scher Motion Carries: 4 - 0. Policy for Unpaid Meal Balances (EFD) : There have been several reviews of the policy. Tonight's intent is to put in writing what has been our practice for several years. It also provides a statement for the handbook. The policy adds limits to how much debt a family can build. For elementary the max of 5 meals can be charged; at the secondary level a max of 3 meals can be charged. An alternate meal will be provided to those students who have exceeded the limit. The district's goal is to minimize unpaid balances while at the same time keeping students fed. The district also does not want students to be caught in the middle. Communication must be done between the school and parent/guardian. Administrators will make sure that cafeteria staff and teachers are informed of the policy. Families will be notified via the handbooks. Page 1 of 4 Approved 9-12-17 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, August 15, 2017 Superintendent's Office Motion to adopt Policy EFD by Jenn Walsh / Lauren Scher Discussion: The committee asked how the number of meals were decided upon for the unpaid balances. The committee felt that they should determine this amount and a decision was made to change this to 5 meals for all grades. The committee then asked how the process worked once a student's limit was reached. The language was vague as to how long an alternate meal could be provided. To date the district has not had an issue with alternate meals lingering. Each case is handled individually as each case can be different. The committee felt that there should be consistent procedures put in place. Motion to Amend policy to make the maximum debt 5 meals per student across the district by Jenn Walsh / Lauren Scher. Motion Carries: 4 - 0. Vote on policy adoption (open motion) Motion carries 4 - 0. To do: Notify Dawn Langtry of change; post policy on webpage; notify administrators and link food services page to updated policy. Workshop. Dorothy Presser from MASC is attending this meeting to facilitate a workshop specifically targeting communication between the superintendent and school committee. This is the second part of the workshop. Dorothy Presser started by reviewing the last workshop and how goals should align with the big picture. Goals should represent a continuous improvement cycle. All year long we should monitor progress toward goals and adjust as needed. At the end of the year there should be an annual report / recap. Goal setting will be the topic of tonight's meeting. Goal settings frame and provide structure; ensuring an alignment between school committee and superintendent. Goals should be SMART (Specific/strategic Measurable Action oriented / achievable Realistic and Trackable. ) Goals should be identified with outcomes and ways to measure those outcomes. DESE / MASC sample goals were presented: 1. Effective Entry and District Goal Setting 2. Maintain momentum during transition. Keep moving forward district goals. 3. Professional practice goals such as attending new superintendent training 4. Fair and effective classroom evaluation. Teresa asked the committee for some input on what they would like to see. Jenn Walsh: 1. How can CHAMPS best serve the district? Look at improvements and expanded opportunities. Perhaps increase revenue. 2. Social emotional and ADHD professional development improvements Page 2 of 4 Approved 9-12-17 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, August 15, 2017 Superintendent's Office 3. Communication protocol improvements between school and staff for Social Emotional Learning and 504 plans. 7:15 pm Jenn Walsh left meeting. Lynn Cavicchi: 1. High school program of studies (POS). a. Need to look at the level of courses. Not all courses are available at all levels. b. Vocational programming needs to be evaluated. c. Continuity of courses from QMS to MHS needs to be established. 2. Operational side: with new administrative positions, the committee would like to get a sense of who is doing what. Perhaps a "state of the district" presentation. 3. Review Climate Survey results; focus on any needs that are identified. 4. Review superintendent survey technology issue that were identified; determine how to incorporate technology into other goals. S. Note budget drivers: insurance and fees. Kiera O'Neil: 1. Expectations of facilities management. a. She would like to see goal -setting rather than just reacting to what needs to be fixed. b. Are we placing our money in the right projects? c. Create a coordinated vision/ master plan which in addition to classrooms would include playgrounds; auditoriums; buildings. 2. Top level administration: We have had a great opportunity in adding to our management. We can not continue with status quo. We must make measurable progress. 3. Health and Wellness: expand programming (curriculum based and community based); Current programs have been stagnant. Lauren Scher: 1. Make sure 504 plans are being met. 2. Use data to drive decision making. Perhaps setup a framework to measure goals. 3. Social media's impact on students: add to health / wellness curriculum; train teachers. 4. Diversity needs to be addressed. S. Vocational program: There are students who can not get into Southeastern, yet Mansfield does not offer programs for them. Dorothy Presser noted that the input provided was valuable, yet represented too many goals to tackle in one year. She asked the committee to think through what would be the priorities for this year and what would be more longterm. She also asked that everyone think about which would be school committee goals and which would be district goals. Finally, she asked that the committee try to fit these requests into the two overarching goals of "Teaching all students" and "Expanded offerings" 7:45 pm: Jenn Walsh returned to meeting. Teresa asked how we manage a goal that asks the district to improve MCAS scores by a certain percent. Dorothy suggested that setting a goal around MCAS improvements is not wise. The goal should show student growth not specific scores. These scores can vary widely from year to year based on the questions asked, the student population and the testing methods. Page 3 of 4 Approved 9-12-17 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, August 15, 2017 Superintendent's Office Dorothy provided guidelines for effective meetings. She would like to see us work toward improving a meeting process. Teresa would like to provide a "State of the District" by the end of the year. A priority at this point would be to establish the annual operating calendar. This will help set other priorities into motion. At the next meeting Teresa will bring her goals for review and approval. Jenn Walsh and Kiera O'Neil will present a draft of school committee goals. Documents Referenced: Goals Presentation DESE / MASC sample goals Procurement Card background SMART goal review protocols Guidelines for Effective Meetings Motion to adjourn: At 8:41 p.m., a motion to adjourn was made by Jenn Walsh/ Lynn Cavicchi. Motion U.C. 4-0 Respectfully Submitted, Diane Nugent, Secretary to the Superintendent & School Committee Page 4 of 4