Regular Joint Meeting of the Amherst and RegionalSchool Committee
Tuesday, May 15, 2007 7:00 p.m.
High School Library
Present: Elaine Brighty, Chair Jere Hochman, Superintendent
Chrystel Romero Rob Detweiler, Dir. of Finance & Operation
Andy Churchill Wendy Kohler, Exec. Dir. of Prog. Dev.
Maureen Ecclestone Ron Bohonowicz, Director of Facilities
Marianne Jorgensen Paul Wiley, Crocker Farm Principal
Kathleen Anderson Nick Yaffe, Marks Meadow Principal
Michael Hussin Karen Lowe, Wildwood Assistant Principal
Michael Katz Public
Press
Debbie Westmoreland, Recorder
Absent: Sonia Correa Pope, Sok Kimeng Chamm (student representative)
1. Welcome 7:07 p.m.
A. & B. Call to Order/Agenda Review—Ms. Brighty called the Regional meeting and Mr. Churchill called the Amherst meeting to order at 7:07 p.m. Ms. Brighty welcomed the newest member of both committees, Chrystel Romero. She then welcomed the public to the meeting and reviewed the Regional agenda.
C. Minutes—Ms. Brighty made a motion to approve the Amherst minutes of April 10 with minor changes. Ms. Anderson seconded and the minutes were approved with one abstaining. Mr. Churchill made a motion to approve the Regional minutes of April 24. Ms. Jorgensen seconded and the motion passed with one abstaining.
2. Announcements and Public Comments 7:11 p.m.
Ms. Greeney asked if there would be an opportunity to tour the school buildings in order to understand the issues described in the letters of intent to the School Building Authority. Ms. Brighty noted that discussion of items already on the agenda is held until the agenda item comes up. Ms. Jorgensen expressed her appreciation to the other school committee members, particularly Mr. Churchill and Ms. Brighty, for the hard work they’ve done on behalf of the Regional budget. Ms. Brighty noted that the Regional Committee relies heavily on the work of the small town representatives and thanked them for their work. Ms. Brighty noted that May 22 is a Regional meeting and an Amherst meeting has been added on May 29. She noted that the June 5 Regional meeting will include the staff appreciation ceremony.
3. Superintendent’s Update 7:15 p.m.
Dr. Hochman reported that the district is in the midst of planning summer programs, building use for the summer, and summer curriculum work that will take place in June. He noted that there will be writing groups in math, language arts, science, and social justice. Dr. Hochman then reported that there was a shelter in place drill at the Middle School/Central Office on Thursday, May 10. He stated that it was a really good eye-opener, especially for the Central Offices, and debriefing is continuing. Dr. Hochman reported that David Slovin, as the school districts’ liaison, has been working with the town on the town/college/university safety team. He then reported that he sat in on a demonstration of the new Kronos human resources software. With regard to MSAN, Dr. Hochman reported that he has met with several state Superintendents with the goal of creating a similar regional network. Mr. Churchill noted that he recently read that Middle School teacher Jennifer Welborn took a team of Middle School students to the state science fair where they performed quite well. He stated that it is good to read about such student successes. Ms. Anderson asked how the social justice commitment will be included in the subject area curriculum work this summer. Dr. Hochman explained that the social justice commitment will include scope and sequence for all subject areas and grade levels. The writing of that scope and sequence will be completed in June, and it will then be ready to give to all teachers to infuse in all curriculum areas. Dr. Hochman reported on the Comprehensive Program Review (CPR), for which the districts have been gearing up for two years. The actual visits from the state Department of Education begin tomorrow and will continue for the next two weeks. He then distributed and reviewed a list of the CPR components and one additional audit, the School Food Service Administrative Review. Ms. Ecclestone noted that the CPR review could not come at a worse time because the opening day of MCAS testing was May 14. Ms. Brighty asked Dr. Hochman to relay the School Committee’s appreciation to district faculty and staff for their work on CPR.
4. Unfinished/Continuing Business 7:30 p.m./9:27 p.m. (Amherst budget)
A. FY08 Budget Update
Regional Budget: Dr. Hochman reported on the current status of the FY08 budget process. Ms. Jorgensen reported on the Shutesbury Town Meeting, noting that the Regional budget and the Regional Assessment passed with very little discussion. She stated that she has a very supportive Select Board and Finance Committee which do their homework. Ms. Ecclestone reported on the Pelham Town Meeting, after thanking Mr. Hussin for all of his hard work. She stated that on the Town Meeting floor Mr. Hussin presented the figure the School Committee agreed upon for the PelhamSchool, and the Town Meeting Members voted overwhelmingly to approve the figure. Pelham also voted to approve the Regional budget at 3%, as well as the Regional Assessment. Dr. Hochman reported that the Regional budget and assessment passed almost unanimously at the Leverett Town Meeting. Ms. Jorgensen noted that the support for the Region is strong in Shutesbury as it is in the other small towns. Dr. Hochman noted that there was a change made to the law in February regarding the required vote for a Regional budget to pass, and he has received varying interpretations of the change. Mr. Detweiler is continuing to investigate the matter. Dr. Hochman distributed and reviewed a document packet prepared by Mr. Detweiler that outlines the possible scenarios that can result from whichever level budget the Amherst Town Meeting votes. He then distributed and reviewed a document outlining his assumptions and recommendations regarding the Regional budget. Mr. Churchill restated Dr. Hochman’s recommendation, which is for the School Committee to vote to approve $150,000 of E & D funds to be used in case the Regional budget passes at a level lower than 3%. By doing so, it would allow the district to move forward with allowing students to enroll in elective courses instead of requiring a second study hall. Ms. Anderson asked how much is currently in the reserves and what E & D funds are. Mr. Detweiler stated that he doesn’t know the exact figure, but it is between $1.2 and $1.3 million. He then gave a brief summary of what E & D funds are and how they can be used. Ms. Jorgensen stated that it’s unfortunate that the School Committee is trying to solve a problem for Amherst before it has had an opportunity to do so itself. She said she would like the committee to continue to hold to their strong support of the 3% budget by authorizing the schools to move forward with only one required study hall. Mr. Churchill stated that E & D is not a pot the district can plan on going to year after year, so at some point the Committee will have to say no to dipping into E & D funds. However, he stated that it is imperative to support the students. Mr. Churchill also noted a 3% budget is still well below a level-services budget so it is not an elaborate one. Ms. Anderson stated that for some students, two study halls can be a good thing, and asked how study halls are staffed and whether the School Committee would be responsible for coming up with alternative activities to study halls. Ms. Jorgensen stated that students who want more than one study hall would still be able to choose them; however, students who want to take classes instead of study hall should be able to. She also stated that it is the job of the schools to teach academic classes and the arts, not to come up with other types of activities. With regard to the other parts of Ms. Anderson’s question, Dr. Hochman explained that teachers have study hall as one of their administrative assignments. He noted that Senior Option is one of the creative alternatives to study halls that have been developed, but such options are not the same as taking a class. After further discussion, Dr. Hochman stated that he has enough information to proceed without the School Committee voting to commit the E & D funds at this time. Ms. Brighty asked that the committee reaffirm that they still support a 3% budget and a 3% assessment. Ms. Jorgensen moved to maintain the School Committee vote of a 3% Regional budget and a 3% assessment for the towns. Mr. Hussin seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
Amherst Budget: Dr. Hochman reviewed his thoughts on the Amherst budget. He noted that the most attractive thing about the override that did not pass was that it was a three year plan that allowed for planning three years into the future. He stated that he does not want to jeopardize future planning and funding or expend political capital for a smaller override that would only be a band-aid this year. He also stated that he would not want a 3% budget at the expense of public safety. Mr. Churchill asked Dr. Hochman to outline what he would like the School Committee to present to the Select Board at their meeting tomorrow night. Dr. Hochman stated that while he would prefer to have the bring backs a 3% budget would allow, we can live with a 1% budget rather than ask for another override vote. Ms. Brighty stated that she does not support another override vote at this time either, but she would like it to be possible at Town Meeting to have the discussion of passing a 3% budget using funds from some other source. Mr. Churchill said that although he stated at the joint boards meeting on Monday night that the schools can live with a 1% budget, but he does not feel good about it. He is concerned about the cuts that have already been made and will have to be made. Ms. Anderson asked if the School Committee has looked at how much privilege the Amherst schools operate with compared to other districts. She stated that she is concerned about people having to move out of Amherst due to rising tax costs. Dr. Hochman clarified that if Town Meeting chose to fund a 3% budget, it would have to be done by rearranging the distribution of existing funds or using reserves, not by raising taxes. After further discussion, the committee did not reach consensus regarding the issue of another override.
B. Accepting Gifts and Donations
Dr. Hochman noted that he has received a number of inquiries about how the schools can accept gifts and donations. He reviewed the ways in which that can happen, including the work of the Amherst Education Foundation (AEF). Anyone who wants to contribute to the districts now could donate the funds to AEF, and any contributions that come to them would be used to put something tangible in students’ hands in an equitable way across the schools. Dr. Hochman noted that donations cannot be used to pay for staff salaries. Dr. Kohler introduced Alison Curphey, noting that she is a very active board member of the Amherst Education Foundation. Dr. Kohler stated that the Foundation’s long-term commitment to maintaining robust support for the schools is wonderful. Ms. Curphey reported that the Foundation is very excited about a program called “Make It Happen: Direct School Support,” which is harnessing the energy in the community since the override did not pass. She noted that some donations have been made in the thousands of dollars range. Ms. Anderson asked what level of control donors have over how their money is used. Ms. Curphey stated that for the Make It Happen program, donors do not have a great deal of say; however, AEF will work with the Superintendent to use the funds in ways that will support students across the board at all of the schools.
C. Handbook Input
This item was tabled.
D. Policies
410.22 Students with Disabilities Requiring 504 Plans: Ms. Ecclestone stated that the policy should use the wording “child find” since that’s a term in the law. Dr. Kohler noted that the purpose of these types of policies is to put on record that the School Committee understands the responsibility to follow the laws. Dr. Kohler stated that if the Committee is willing to vote it as is, she can check to see if that small change needs to be made. Ms. Ecclestone made a motion to approve the policy as written. Mr. Churchill seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
410.23 Students with Disabilities Eligible for Special Education Services: Ms. Anderson made a motion to approve the policy as written. Ms. Jorgensen seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
410.24 English Language Learners: Ms. Ecclestone made a motion to approve the policy as written. Ms. Jorgensen seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
Students: Pregnant Students: Ms. Brighty distributed and reviewed the changes recommended by the Student Services Director to the Pregnant Students policy. After some discussion, Ms. Ecclestone made a motion to approve the revision to the policy. Ms. Jorgensen seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
Policies for Deletion: Ms. Brighty then distributed two policies for deletion: Chemical Health Policy and Physical Education Policy for Athletes in Grades 11 and 12. Ms. Romero asked if there is a chemical health policy for students in the district. Dr. Kohler said there is a policy, which is part of the Discipline Code. Ms. Ecclestone made a motion to delete both policies. Mr. Hussin seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
The Regional meeting adjourned at 8:48 p.m.
5. New Business 8:48 p.m. (Amherst Only)
A. SchoolBuilding Authority Letters—Dr. Hochman reviewed the process that was followed in developing the letters of intent for the School Building Authority to renovate Fort River and Wildwood. He then introduced Ron Bohonowicz, Facilities Director, who reviewed the work of the building committees in developing the proposal for the Massachusetts School Building Authority. He noted that the building committee is required to develop a list of building deficiencies and priorities for improvement as part of the letter of intent, and then reviewed what was developed for submission. Mr. Bohonowicz noted that submitting the letter does not guarantee approval of funding because MSBA prioritizes the requests of all schools throughout the state based on the condition rating of the building. Dr. Hochman noted that the MSBA has already received 173 statements from 88 districts. Mr. Bohonowicz reported that Crocker Farm and Pelham were rated as 1 (highest), Wildwood and FortRiver were rated as 2 and Marks Meadow was rated as 3. Ms. Romero made a motion (full text available on request) to file a statement of interest for FortRiverSchool to the Massachusetts School Building Authority. Ms. Brighty seconded and the motion passed unanimously. Ms. Anderson made a motion (full text available on request) to file a statement of interest for WildwoodSchool to the Massachusetts School Building Authority. Ms. Brighty seconded and the motion passed unanimously. Dr. Hochman reported on the Marks Meadow letter of intent, noting that he has been meeting with the UMass Chancellor regarding the future of the Marks Meadow building. Because they have other buildings in worse condition, it is clear that the Marks Meadow building is not part of any renovation plan at UMass. Dr. Hochman explained that is why it became necessary to submit a letter of intent for Marks Meadow to the School Building Authority. He noted that the Chancellor is writing a letter of support for the project to be submitted as part of the Letter of Intent packet. Mr. Bohonowicz then reviewed the contents of the Marks Meadow proposal. Mr. Churchill asked if the district would renovate the existing structure or build a new building if the project is funded. Mr. Bohonowicz explained that the district would probably propose building a new structure either on the same site or a new one if UMass had other land that could be donated. Ms. Brighty made a motion (full text available on request) to file a statement of interest for MarksMeadowSchool to the Massachusetts School Building Authority. Ms. Anderson seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
6. Reports None
7. Sub-Committee Reports None
8. School Committee Planning None
A. Calendar Review
B. Items for Upcoming Meetings
9. Adjournment 10:04 p.m.
Mr. Brighty made a motion to adjourn at 10:04 p.m. Ms. Anderson seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Debbie Westmoreland
Approved May 22, 2007