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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool Comm 02/18/2018Approved 02-27-I8 Mansfield School Committee Minutes for Tuesday, February 13, 2018 Superintendent's Office RECEIVED TOWN CEFRKS OFFICE An Open Meeting - Workshop of the Mansfield School Committee j l loin jhe � gfri2Tndent's office on Tuesday, February 13, 2018. The open meeting session wa n+�ed and c'a led to order by Kiera O'Neil at 6:02 pm. MANSFIELD Members Present: Administration Present: ASACHUSET 1 S Kiera O'Neil Teresa Murphy, Superintendent of Schools Lynn Cavicchi Michael Connolly, Assistant Superintendent (Teaching/Learning) Linda Fernando Edward Donoghue, Assistant Superintendent (Finance/Operations) Jenn Walsh Debbie Scott, Business Office Lauren Scher Members Absent: None District Fees: Purpose: To review the current fee structures at Mansfield Public Schools (MPS) and to discuss possible fee changes. Any proposals will be brought forward to school committee in the spring. CHAMPS- Ed Donoghue and Shawna O'Leary reviewed the various fee structures. There is a lot of inconsistency when considering the number of days per week used; the use of AM care; PM care or both. Discussions were held on all the various CHAMPS programs including Before/After care, After School Offerings, Vacation week care, Summer Institute, Summer of CHAMPS (daycare), Summer Achievement Academy. There are programs heavily attended while others are not. It was noted that while Robinson has a waiting list for after school care, Summer of CHAMPS has very low attendance. One proposal is to better market our programs to the public. Some parents have asked us to look into afterschool care for QMS, particularly for grade 6. Teresa Murphy noted that we would consider the care if there was a big market for it. Kiera O'Neil pointed out that afterschool care is a service we provide our community; it is not part of our required function. The district would need to research the need and cost to see if it were worth considering. It has been tried in the past with little parent interest. At QMS, students can stay after until 3:00 for activities. Also, many parents hire private babysitters as needed for after school. Facilities- Matt Jacques and Ed have reviewed past facilities agreements and the contracts for rentals. There is inconsistency on who gets charged. Kiera pointed out that it has been a long time question. Matt is reviewing each group to identify who should be charged going forward. It was agreed that there maybe exceptions to every rule we establish. For example, in the past the district would not charge town youth groups. However, the definition of a town youth group is very blurry. Ed reviewed all of the current fees including facility rentals; custodial fees; lighting, etc. Questions were asked about the current usage fees. Does QMS and MHS bill at the same rate? How is the number of rental hours determined? Do we always know when groups are using our fields or concession stand? Ed and Matt will continue to review grounds usage, potential rate increases and then put together a new rental agreement. Food Services- Ed has reviewed fees and usage with Dawn Langtry. Mansfield has a very poor participation rate for lunch and breakfast. At QMS only 14 students get breakfast. It maybe that we need to do a better job of advertising breakfast. Many parents think that this is only available for students on free/reduced lunch. It was also suggested that students just are not interested. More Page 1 of 4 Approved 02-27-18 Mansfield School Committee Minutes for Tuesday, February 13, 2018 Superintendent's Office research will be done. It was also noted that students at the high school are buying at a very low rate. Students report quality and time available to eat as issues. Ed does not foresee any increases to fees next year. Again, the committee suggested marketing our breakfast and lunch programs. Ed is also looking for fresh ideas such as food changes such as 'grab and go food. ' Little Hornets- We have a consistent waiting list for this service. At this time fees are ok; but will review again next year. Parking- Fees are charged for seniors. Usage varies year to year based on the number of seniors with cars. Last year the lot was full to capacity; this year there are many spots yet Memorial Park is full. There are different opinions on the use of fees. Some school committee members feel it should be free while others like that the students are charged. Discussions held on the safety and usage of each lot. Ed Donoghue will continue to explore. Preschool- Our fees are very competitive. Our program is integrated ( 51% of the students should be peer mentors.) As a district, we have a difficult time bringing peer students in. Again, the idea of marketing our services was discussed. In summary, Ed Donoghue will continue to evaluate our fees and present any change recommendations to school committee for vote. Revolving Funds: Purpose: To review the current balances of our revolving funds and determine what may need to be spent down or better balanced. Each account was reviewed. There were some questions regarding the gift account. The balance was high and should be drawn down. Debbie Scott explained that the account is for non specified gifts such as money coming in from Target, Boxtops or non-specified donations. There are sub accounts by school and if a certain item is targeted is set aside for that reason. Principals should look at their gift account budget and think about areas that would benefit. Kiera felt that the revolving funds overall looked good for this year and she had no concerns. The district and committee will continue to review annually. Five Year Plan: Purpose: To create a 5 year plan of FTE and CAPITAL expenditures. Teresa discussed the district's approach. It is almost impossible to forecast out 5 years in the education industry. We look at our needs and plan ahead. However, as a district we are constantly adjusting as our educational needs change while keeping to our budget restrictions. There is also a difference between identifying what the school needs and what the school actually requests in the budget. Lynn Cavicchi discussed the purpose of the original request from FinCom. They would like to see what lies ahead for the town. Understanding that we can't always identify our 5 year FTE plan, we could focus on our capital needs which would help the town budget for large projects. Gift Accounts: Purpose: To review how gift accounts are set up and discuss how the funds should be used. Lynn Cavicchi has been working with Ed Donoghue and Mike Connolly on the student activity accounts. These run similar to revolving accounts as it allows schools to track incoming and Page 2 of 4 Approved 02-27-18 Mansfield School Committee Minutes for Tuesday, February 13, 2018 Superintendent's Office outgoing funds by individual activity. Essentially the district is holding these funds "in trust" for the students. Audits occur regularly. Gifts are similar. There is an account setup but it isn't as clear where/how funds are used. To reiterate earlier discussion, the gift accounts must be spent down. The district should look strategically as to how the funds are used. Memorials: Purpose: To discuss past memorials on school grounds; current policy; and how we would like to move forward. Teresa Murphy and Lynn Cavicchi have been reviewing our policies. Last October, the committee voted to limit memorials to scholarship and awards for students. Although the district is very understanding of memorial requests and appreciative of any donations, there are many things to consider. For example: What does it cost the schools to maintain a memorial? Who is responsible for the maintenance? What if a memorial is damaged? Who is responsible for repair or replacement? What if we need to physically move a memorial due to construction? Additionally, psychologists point to research that school districts are not always an appropriate location for memorials. Some students are very upset by having to walk past these on a daily basis. Staff memorials should also be reviewed. The committee and administration would like to take a proactive approach and make some decisions on future recognitions and memorials. These discussions will continue. Crowd Sourcing: Purpose: To discuss various forms of fundraising and how the school committee should oversee requests. There are several forms of fundraising available such as Donor's Choose; Go Fund Me. Currently staff members or parents can create a page without any permission. This could create perceptions that Mansfield cannot fund all of our needs. Debbie Scott explained how fund raising money should be reported. Any money coming in MUST go directly to Mansfield Public Schools. For example funds cannot go directly to a teacher. The committee discussed the pros and cons of various donations. Donors Choose has some benefits. Any donations are made directly to Donor's Choose with their tax id. Once the money has been raised, Donors Choose, sends the materials directly to the school. Unfortunately, principals sometimes do not find out about the effort until the item shows up on the loading dock. One concern is unequal access from class to class. It was suggested that the administration and committee work together to come up with a plan for fundraising. Go Fund Me efforts do not have a defined structure and the money doesn't come directly to the school. Lauren Scher suggested that we include staff members in the conversations to best understand their needs for fundraising efforts. Documents Referenced: MPS District Fees Summary and Regional Comparison CHAMPS Fee structure Page 3 of 4 Approved 02-27-18 Mansfield School Committee Minutes for Tuesday, February 13, 2018 Superintendent's Office Facilities Fee Structure MPS Revolving Funds FTE and Capital Improvement Overview Motion to adjourn: At 9:02 p.m., Motion to adjourn by Linda Fernando / Lauren Scher Motion U.C. 5-0 Respectfully Submitted, Diane Nugent, Secretary to the Superintendent & School Committee Page 4 of 4