Regular Meeting of
the
Tuesday, March 11, 2008 7:00 p.m.
High School Library
Present: Elaine Brighty, Chair Jere Hochman, Superintendent
Sonia Correa-Pope Rob Detweiler, Director of Finance & Operations
Andy Churchill Kathy Mazur, Human Resources Director
Chrystel Romero Wendy Kohler, Exec. Director of Prog. Dev.
Maureen Ecclestone (arrived at 7:13) Debbie Westmoreland, Recorder
Michael Hussin (arrived at 7:15) Press
Michael Katz (arrived at 7:36) Public
Absent: Kathleen Anderson, Gabriella Booth (student rep), Marianne Jorgensen, Michael Katz
1. Welcome 7:10 p.m.
(A/B)/7:36 p.m. (C)
A. & B. Call to Order/Agenda Review—Ms. Brighty called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. without quorum. She then reviewed the agenda, announcing that the committee will go into Executive Session at the end of the regular agenda. She noted that the committee will not return to open session.
C. Minutes—Ms. Romero made a motion to approve the minutes of February 5 and March 4, 2008. Ms. Ecclestone seconded and the motion passed with one abstaining.
After voting on the minutes, the School Committee recognized and congratulated the ARHS Russian students and their teacher, Jude Wobst, for the outstanding job they did in the National Russian Essay Contest sponsored by the American Council of Teachers of Russian. Ms. Brighty noted how extraordinary it is for 21 of the 28 ARHS participants to receive medals in the competition.
2. Announcements and Public Comments
7:11 p.m.
Joel Wolf, parent, stated that he has heard nothing but the highest praise in the community regarding the principal search process for all of the schools. He said he would like to thank Dr. Hochman and anyone else who worked on the searches for the wonderful process. Ms. Brighty also expressed the thanks of the School Committee, noting that committee members have also heard high praise for the process.
3. Superintendent’s Update
7:12
p.m.
Dr. Hochman apologized for being a few minutes late to the meeting. He explained that he was attending a meeting of the Leverett Finance Committee at 6:00 p.m. to talk to them about the Regional budget. Dr. Hochman then reviewed the interview process for the Middle School principal search and announced that he has appointed Glenda Cresto to the position, beginning July 1. Mr. Churchill expressed appreciation for Middle School finalist Mike Hayes and the service he gave to the district over the past two years as an interim co-principal. He asked what capacity Mr. Hayes will serve in next year. Dr. Hochman explained that a number of people are serving in interim positions at this time, including Fran Ziperstein, the other Middle School Co-principal. He explained that the standard process is for interim employees to return to their previous position when the interim job is finished; however, nothing is decided yet until he has an opportunity to look at all of the openings across the district.
4. Unfinished/Continuing Business None
5. New Business 7:16
p.m.
A. Legislative Action Statement—Dr. Hochman reminded the committee that they received the Legislative Action Statement that was developed by the Legislative Action Committee at their meeting last week. He noted that the Legislative Action Committee is hopeful that the School Committee will endorse the statement to be sent to state legislators. The statement would also be sent to other school committees for their consideration. After discussion, it was decided that the statement should be revised and brought back to the committee with some changes and clarification:
1. Mr. Hussin asked for clarification regarding the $3,000 “floor” on chapter 70 funding. The issue will be clarified and brought back at the next meeting. 2. Mr. Churchill suggested focusing more on increasing circuit breaker funds. 3. Ms. Correa Pope asked for clarification of point number seven regarding extended learning time, which Dr. Hochman provided. 4. Ms. Romero suggested moving point number three to the first position to give it more emphasis.
B. 2008-2009 School Calendar—Mr. Hussin made a motion to approve the 2008-2009 calendar as presented, with a school opening date of Thursday, August 28. At Mr. Churchill’s request, Wendy Kohler reviewed the differences between the proposed 08-09 calendar and the current 07-08 calendar. After brief discussion, Ms. Romero seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
C. School Choice Hearing—Dr. Hochman distributed and reviewed a packet of information regarding school choice students in the Regional Schools. The data included information about school choice students in grades 7-12 at the opening of school in August, an update with October 1 numbers, and a chart showing projected school choice enrollments in grades 7-12 for the 2008-2009 school year. Dr. Hochman noted that the recommendation is to open five seats in seventh grade, five seats in ninth grade, two seats in tenth grade and one seat in eleventh grade. He noted that this recommendation does keep the district on a declining trend in school choice enrollments, but he feels it is a safe approach for now. Dr. Hochman reminded the committee that the process for school choice is to clear any waiting lists on an annual basis and accept new applications for all seats, which will be filled through a lottery system. He noted that the information is presented tonight for the School Committee’s consideration and it will brought before the committee for a vote at a future meeting.
6. Reports None
7. Sub-Committee Reports None
8. School Committee Planning None
9. Adjournment 7:39 p.m.
By roll call vote, the committee voted to go into Executive Session at 7:39 p.m. They did not return to open session.
Respectfully submitted,
Debbie Westmoreland
Approved 3/25/08