Regular Meeting of
the
Tuesday, August 28, 2007 7:00 p.m.
High School Library
Present: Elaine Brighty, Chair Jere Hochman, Superintendent
Kathleen Anderson Rob Detweiler, Director of Finance
Andy Churchill (arrived at 7:24 p.m.) Public
Maureen Ecclestone Public
Michael Katz Press
Marianne Jorgensen Debbie Westmoreland, Recorder
Absent: Sonia Correa-Pope, Michael Hussin, Chrystel Romero
1. Welcome 7:10 p.m.
A. & B. Call to Order/Agenda Review—Ms. Brighty called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. She then reviewed the agenda and welcomed everyone to the meeting.
C. Minutes—Ms. Anderson made a motion to approve the minutes of August 14, 2007. Ms. Ecclestone seconded and the motion passed with two abstaining.
2. Announcements and Public Comments
7:12 p.m.
There were no announcements or public comments.
3. Superintendent’s Update 7:12 p.m.
Dr. Hochman noted that tomorrow is the first day of the new school year for teachers. He stated that the district will monitor legislation issues all year long, particularly discussions about Regional schools and bills about charter schools. Dr. Hochman then distributed a letter from Paul Reville, Governor Patrick’s appointee to Chair the Massachusetts State Board of Education. Dr. Hochman then briefly reviewed the various training sessions that have been provided for staff and administrators over the summer, including extensive training in use of new computer programs in human resources, business office procedures, and new curriculum guides. New teachers began work yesterday with orientation sessions at the district level in addition to work in their individual schools. Dr. Hochman stated that he understands that some inaccurate statements were made at the August 27 Select Board meeting regarding his negotiations with the Town of Amherst for use of the Middle School swimming pool. He reviewed the history of negotiations over the past few years regarding costs associated with the use of the pool, noting that he felt it was necessary to address the inaccuracies.
4. Unfinished/Continuing Business 7:31
p.m.
A. Regional Agreement Subcommittee—Ms. Brighty noted that the primary reason the School Committee planned to establish a Regional Agreement task force is to revisit the E & D cap and elementary transportation as written in the current agreement. She stated that any recommendation for changes to the Regional Agreement must be approved by a two-third majority of the Regional School Committee and passed by majority vote of each of the towns. Ms. Jorgensen, Ms. Brighty, Ms. Ecclestone and Mr. Katz volunteered to serve on the sub-committee as School Committee representatives. Ms. Brighty noted that the sub-committee must include representatives from each of the member towns. It was decided that Dr. Hochman will send a letter to the Chairs of each town’s Select Board and Finance Committee asking for names of two representatives from each town. The representatives should have some background knowledge of the Regional Agreement and the ability to understand the financial aspect of the agreement. The sub-committee will be charged with reviewing the E & D cap and elementary expenses related to transportation, and making a recommendation for action to the school committee. Mr. Detweiler noted that the Department of Education is unhappy with the transportation arrangement of the Regional Agreement; therefore, it is important for the work to be completed as soon as possible.
B. Food Service Contract Discussion—Ms. Brighty noted that discussion began at the last meeting regarding whether to bring food service back in-house or to put out an RFP for a new contract when the Chartwells’ contract expires at the end of this fiscal year. She briefly reviewed some of the findings of the sub-committee that met prior to contracting food services with Chartwells. Dr. Hochman then reviewed the list of pros and cons of the various food services scenarios that Mr. Detweiler developed for the School Committee. The scenarios include a pure contracted services arrangement, an in-house program or a combination of contracted and in-house, which is the current arrangement. As requested at the last meeting, Dr. Hochman reviewed some of the financial shortfall numbers from years in which food services were handled in-house. After brief discussion, it was decided that a small sub-committee of the School Committee will meet one time with Mr. Detweiler to go over finances and participation rates in detail and bring a recommendation to the full committee about whether to put out RFPs. Mr. Katz, Mr. Churchill, Ms. Brighty and Ms. Romero will serve on the subcommittee. Ms. Westmoreland will find a mutually agreeable meeting time and post the meeting.
C. Clubs and After-School Activities—Dr. Hochman
reviewed the reason for the request to charge a High School activities
fee. Ms. Jorgensen made a motion that
the
5. New Business 8:03 p.m.
A. Instrument Rental Fee—Dr. Hochman reviewed the request from Music Department Chair David Ranen to increase the current instrument rental fee from $40 per year to $50 per year. Several issues were raised by committee members including 1) which students are eligible to rent school-owned instruments; 2) how will repair cost overages be covered since the proposed increase would still not cover the full amount; and 3) will increasing the fee put up an additional barrier to participation for socio-economically disadvantaged students. After discussion, Dr. Hochman stated that he will bring more information to the School Committee at their next meeting so they can make a fully-informed decision.
B. Responsiveness Committee Report—Dr. Hochman noted that a full report on the Responsiveness Report and the Social Justice Commitment will be made at a future School Committee meeting, however, he wanted to get the information out the school committee now for their review. He then reviewed the reason for establishing the Responsiveness Committee and the highlights of their work. Trainings were completed in August with all maintenance and transportation staff, and principals will be reviewing the information in their faculty/staff meetings tomorrow. Ms. Jorgensen commended the committee for their work on these issues. Ms. Anderson asked if there is a statement for students similar to the statement in recommendation number eight regarding an emotional and psychological safety net for staff. She also asked if the term “at risk” is being used as a euphemism for students who are traditionally at risk of being discriminated against. Dr. Hochman noted that the purpose of the entire document is to ensure that students have a way to access help from trusted adults anytime they need it. He also stated that he will clarify with the committee chair, but his understanding is that the term “at risk” in this document refers to students who have shown indications of risk to the safety of self or others. Ms. Anderson noted that she would like to see language included in the second bulleted point under recommendation number three that refers to the cultural competency issues that arise in listening and response. Mr. Churchill stated that the portion of the document dealing with areas of strength highlight that some things have already been put in place to deal with some areas of concern from the recent past. Ms. Brighty reiterated the thanks of the School Committee for the quick work that was done to address the “code of silence” that has been a problem in the district. Ms. Jorgensen requested that the School Committee be allowed to participate in the first-responder training.
C. Social Justice Commitment—Dr. Hochman noted again that a detailed report will be made regarding the social justice commitment at a future meeting. He then reviewed the history of why a social justice commitment document was developed. Dr. Kohler then reported specifically on the work of the Social Justice Commitment committee. She noted that the goal is to have the Social Justice Commitment be a living, working document that will be embraced and defined by every member of the school community—both individually and collectively. Ms. Anderson suggested adding three additional resources to the document: Economic Apartheid, The Color of Wealth, and You Call This a Democracy. Ms. Brighty thanked Dr. Kohler and members of the district who worked on the Social Justice Commitment draft for their work, noting that using the term “commitment” reminds everyone of the importance of the work.
D. District Handbook Pages—Dr. Hochman explained that the district pages for the school handbooks include policies and information that applies to all schools and grade levels to ensure consistency at every school. He then distributed copies of the 2007-2008 high school and middle school handbooks for each member of the school committee.
E. Proposed Policy Revision: 420.06 Conduct of Students: Attendance—Dr. Kohler reviewed the proposed changes to Policy 420.06 Conduct of Students: Attendance. Ms. Brighty noted that this is the first reading of this policy and a vote will be requested at the next meeting. She asked that committee members email any questions or suggested changes to her and Dr. Kohler. Mr. Churchill thanked Ms. Brighty and Dr. Kohler for their work on the policy manual.
6. Reports None
7. Sub-Committee Reports 9:08 p.m.
Ms. Brighty reviewed sub-committee assignments that are needed for the upcoming school year.
8. School Committee Planning None
A. Calendar Review
B. Items for Upcoming Meetings
9. Adjournment 9:15 p.m.
Mr. Churchill made a motion to adjourn at 9:15 p.m. Ms. Anderson seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Debbie Westmoreland