NASHOBA REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING
October 19, 2006
School Committee in Attendance: Don Adams, Ellen Sturgis, Tricia Kelly, Brian Burke, Monica CampoBasso, David Horne, Mel Govindan, Cathy Giunta
Absent:[Marker] Laura OfNeil
Administration in Attendance: Michael Wood, Superintendent of Schools, George King, Assistant
CALL TO ORDER
Chair Don Adams called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. in the Office of the Superintendent.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
MOTION
Motion moved by Don Adams to enter into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing a legal matter and to include the superintendent and assistant superintendent and also attorney, Mr. Cloherty. Seconded by Cathy Giunta. IN FAVOR: Tricia Kelly, Cathy Giunta, Don Adams, Brian Burke, Ellen Sturgis, Monica CampoBasso, David Horne, Mel Govindan VOTED AND PASSED. UNANIMOUS (8-0)
APPROVAL OF THE WARRANTS OF OCTOBER 19, 2006
WARRANT NO. DATE DESCRIPTION AMOUNT
2725 10/20/06 VENDOR $ 478,524.68
2726 10/20/06 BENEFIT $ 564,344.64
2727 10/20/06 PAYROLL $ 994,538.60
MOTION
Brian Burke made a motion to approve the warrants as detailed in the memo dated 10/18/06 and noted above. Seconded by Monica CampoBasso. IN FAVOR: Tricia Kelly, Don Adams, Brian Burke, Ellen Sturgis, Monica CampoBasso, David Horne, Mel Govindan, RECUSED: Cathy Giunta VOTED AND P ASSED. (7-0)
APPROVAL OF THE OCTOBER 5, 2006 MINUTES
MOTION
Cathy Giunta made a motion to approve the minutes of October 5, 2006 as amended. Seconded by Monica CampoBasso. IN FAVOR: Tricia Kelly, Cathy Giunta, Don Adams, Brian Burke, Ellen Sturgis, Monica CampoBasso, David Horne, Mel Govindan VOTED AND PASSED. UNANIMOUS (8-0)< /SPAN>
CORRESPONDENCE
League of Womenfs Voter letter regarding a forum on Open Meeting Law
Letter from Ann Van Tine of Stow Access TV regarding designating the Warren Room at Stow Town Building as the temporary meeting place for School Committee
Letter of invitation from attorneys Murphy. Hesse, Toomey and LeHane
Reporting to Parents Policy
NEW BUSINESS (This report was moved up on agenda)
Nashoba Regional High School Guidance Department
Jodi Specht, Nashoba Regional High School Director of Guidance, presented the Guidance Department Annual Report to the School Committee. Included in Ms. Spechtfs report were the following highlights regarding the Class of 2006 college application activities.
202 seniors in the Class of 2006 had postgraduate plans
192 students generated 980 applications to 235 different institutions in 30 states plus Canada (between Oct and May)
Acceptances were received in 185 different post high school programs located in 34 states
71 Early Action applications were submitted by 42 students in 32 different institutions
12 Early Decision applications were submitted to 12 institutions
Also included in the presentation by Ms. Specht was information regarding the 2006 class profile on GPA & SATs, as well as trends in the application process. Ms. Specht told the committee that often guidance counselors recommend that students look at two sets of alternatives regarding their college applications. She said this is especially important for students who are considering attending a graduate school. She told the committee that one plan may involve the student attending a tier one college right from high school, and the other plan would be to attend a tier two school from high school and focus on a tier one school for graduate school. She told the committee that with the second plan, the student would then be able to focus more on maintaining the higher grade point average needed for acceptance into a tier one graduate level
school. Ms. Specht also told the committee that the new posi tion of Career Counselor, which Clare Heffernan holds, has been a much needed addition to the high school Guidance Department. She told the committee this position has really helped many at risk students, and said it has enabled many students to continue on to 2 year college programs and also other programs offered by Minuteman. Discussion ensued. Mr. Horne asked Ms. Specht what could be done to help students who are heading off to four year schools. Ms. Specht said that one thing she would suggest would be to add more internship projects. She told the committee that a few have been done and that this is a great opportunity for students.
SUPERINTENDENTfS REPORT (This report is available on the District website at www.nrsd.net)
Nurse Administrator of the Year
Mr. Wood reported to the committee that NRSD Nurse Leader Ann Farrell has been awarded the School Nurse of the Year award. Mr. Wood told the committee and those in attendance that Ms. Farrell is an avid supporter of school nurses in our schools and works tirelessly on behalf of health and wellness in the district and across the state. He added that Ms. Farrell is widely respected by the nurses with whom she works and is well deserving of this honor.
Early Release on Friday
Mr. Wood told the committee that Friday, October 20, 2006 would be an Early Release Day, with staff focusing on MCAS analysis.
District Budget Process Begins
Mr. Wood reported that he has outlined the budget process for administrators and they will have a kick off meeting on Tuesday, October 24th. He told the committee the financial model is Zero Based Budget (ZBB) and that Mr. King has updated the budget format for the upcoming budget process. Mr. Wood said that all administrators have been asked to review all expenditures requested and proposed, and assign a value based on district, personnel, or student goals or performance targets. He told the committee he will ask the School Committee to approve a calendar for budget hearings at a future meeting.
Calendar Committee Volunteers Needed
Mr. Wood reported that the Calendar Committee will be meeting in December and January to put together recommendations for the 2007-2008 academic calendar. He asked that anyone interested in participating please submit their contact information, including email address, to ldestasi@nrsd.net. Mr. Wood said that those selected for the committee will receive an invitation to the first meeting.
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) Grades 3-8
Mr. Wood reported that the Spring 2006 MCAS results have been received and parents should be receiving a personalized letter with their childfs scores. He told the committee the MCAS tests were expanded this year to meet the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirement of testing in grades 3-8 for mathematics and reading. He said that overall the district performed well at the lower grades and the scores improve over time, which, he said, suggests the district adds value to a studentfs ability and overall knowledge when they stay with Nashoba.
SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
Ex-0fficio Report by Ms. OfNeil
The following report was forwarded to the committee from Ms. OfNeil.
College Day: Last Friday the classrooms and halls were full of college-wear, as it was College Day for all staff. The intent: students, particularly juniors and seniors, are given the opportunity to ask questions about certain schools that their teachers previously attended.
Clubs/Sports: The varsity math team came in 7th out of 20 teams at their first match last Tuesday. The girlsf soccer team has improved their record to 12-0-2 with wins against Quabbin, North Middlesex, Marlboro, Hudson, and Westboro. Kylie Ricker broke the school record for total career goals, which was around 85. The football team beat Gardner 21-10 and Marlboro 21-19, improving their record to 3-3. The golf team concluded its season Tuesday at the League Championship Tournament at the Marlboro Country Club. The team was the recipient of the 2006 Sportsmanship Award.
Alison J. Murphy School Days Road Race : On Saturday, Nashobafs athletic teams, staff, students, and parents paid their respects to and honored Alison Murphy and her family by running in the Alison J. Murphy School Days Road Race in Lancaster. Joe Doyle, of Lancaster, and Lindsey Horowitz, of Stow, top runners on the boysf and girlsf cross country teams won the race and graciously donated their winnings to Alisonfs memorial scholarship fund.
German Exchange Program: The Germans have arrived! Twenty students from Germany landed in Boston on Sunday and have not had any free time since. On Monday, they attended classes with their host siblings. On Tuesday, they went on a Whale Watch in Gloucester, followed by a day in Boston on Wednesday (North End, Freedom Trail, and Quincy Market) and a trip to Honeypot Hill Orchards (Stow) and Concord and Lexington today. During the next two weeks, they will be experiencing a variety of American activities such as shopping at the Wrentham Outlets and on Newbury Street, tours of Harvard University and the Statehouse in Boston, and trips to the Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Science, the Witch Museum in Salem, and the National Historic Center, as well as additional time with their host families and a t Nashoba.
Class Rings: The sophomore class ordered their class rings from Jostens today.
School Newspaper: Tomorrow, under the guidance of Mr. Kendall, an English teacher, the student-written, edited, and produced school newspaper, The Arrow, will make its first appearance this year. The issue includes various articles about the German exchange program, the increase of Snack Shack prices, homecoming, and spirit week, along with sports coverage, and reviews of the new hit movie The Departed and a Red Hot Chili Pepperfs concert. Copies of the newspapers will be distributed for free during English classes.
Facilities Subcommittee, by Ms. Kelly
Minutes from the October 12, 2006 Facilities Subcommittee were distributed. Ms. Kelly reported to the committee that the Facilities Subcommittee reviewed the RFP Draft for Architectural Services and discussed options. Mr. Adams mentioned that he noted the Superintendent is the Awarding Authority on the Request for qualifications document and that he would check on that.
Mr. Govindan mentioned a security issue regarding the high school. Mr. Govindan said his wife was able to walk into the high school without being stopped at 7:30 a.m., and that there seemed to be no one present watching the door. Discussion ensued regarding security of the high school entrances. Mr. Wood told the commit tee that all doors except the front entry are supposed to be locked immediately after the start of school and told the committee he would check into this.
Finance Subcommittee, by Ms. Giunta
Minutes from the October 12, 2006 Finance Subcommittee were distributed. Ms. Giunta said that the Finance Subcommittee reviewed the budget format at their last meeting. She also told the committee that a discussion of long term planning took place, and said that Mr. King reviewed the control accounts. Ms. Giunta told the committee that it was discussed whether to combine some of them for more effective management, but that the subcommittee recommended the accounts remain the same.
Personnel Subcommittee, by Mr. Adams
Nothing to report.
Policy Subcommittee, by Ms. Kelly
Nothing to report.
NEW BUSINESS (Continued)
Report of Operations First Quarter FY07:
George King presented and called the committeefs attention to the spreadsheet of the budget status for the first quarter of FY07, which was part of the meeting packet. He told the committee that the health insurance line item is a volatile area but that he has calculated the current number of subscribers and corresponding plans they are enrolled in and that the line is properly funded. He also said that special education
out of district tuition lines are in deficit, caused by encumbrances, not actual spending. He said as the bills are paid, a portion of the premiums will be offset by circuit breaker proceeds which will eventually bring the line items to balance. Mr. King also told the committee that the hardware line item in the technology budget also appears in deficit. He said this is awaiting reconciliation with a financing agreement the district has in place, allowing the district to pay it off over 3 years. He told the committee as good business practice a purchase order has been entered, but that the purchase will be financed over 3 years. He said that upon financing, the purchase order amount written on the districtfs system will be rescinded and the line item will be in balance.
District Space Solutions Task Force:
Mr. Wood presented a draft of a memo to Principals, Assistant Principals and School Advisory Council Members, from him, regarding the formation of a Space Studies Task Force to conduct a survey that could be distributed to all members of the communities and tallied. The memo also stated that the task force would develop a set of recommendations for the School Committee to present to Tri Town in February 2007. Discussion ensued. Ms. Kelly told the committee that she did not feel the committee should take on this task and that she believed this was the responsibility of the individual towns. She also said she thought it would be a waste of time because the survey would likely be outdated by the time plans would actually start to be discussed seriously. Committee member Ellen Sturgis said she did not think this would be a good use of the
committeefs time. Mr. Gov indan raised concern that this had been mentioned at Tri Town and now felt as though the committee should follow through. Ms. Giunta said she would not mind doing this but that some things would need to be changed. She told the committee she could not support the last line, gDevelop a set of recommendations for the School Committee to present to Tri Town in February 2007.h She said it was her understanding that the committee would put questions together for the towns to send out with their census, and the towns would then report back to the committee their findings. Ms. Giunta added that she has no problem going back to the towns and saying the committee is not doing this right now. Mr. Adams told the committee that one of things that he was excited about with this proposal was that they would be getting ahead of the process, and that it would bring everyone together to plan. He told the committee that this is not supposed to be a large project, but
rather an opportunity to look at enrollment and brainstorm. Committee member David Horne said he was not sure this would be the best way to do that. Mr. Wood said he wanted to explain a couple of things. He told the committee that it was his feeling that those at Tri Town thought this was a good idea. He said he wanted the committee to vote on this because he does not want the perception to be that he is leading the initiative for a regional middle school. He also told the committee that if they decide to do the survey then they would be presenting it to Tri Town. Ms. Kelly told the committee that the district already knows their space needs and that the towns should be doing their own surveys because they are the ones who will be going to their taxp ayers and raising taxes. Chair Don Adams told the committee that this was something they were supposed to be doing together with the towns. Mr. Govindan said he did not think it would be a waste of time. He added that many of the
community population has no idea what the district is on the brink of regarding filling up schools and that this may be very informative for them. Discussion continued.
MOTION
Motion moved by Cathy Giunta to approve the request for a District based task force to address District space solutions. Seconded by Ellen Sturgis. IN FAVOR: Don Adams, Mel Govindan OPPOSED: Brian Burke, Ellen Sturgis, Monica CampoBasso, David Horne, Tricia Kelly, Cathy Giunta, VOTED AND FAILED. (2-6)
MOTION
Cathy Giunta made a motion to continue business after 9:00 p.m.. Seconded by el Govindan. IN FAVOR: Tricia Kelly, Cathy Giunta, Don Adams, Brian Burke, Ellen Sturgis, David Horne, Mel Govindan, OPPOSED: Monica CampoBasso VOTED AND PASSED. (7-1)
MASC Resolutions:
The committee voted on the MASC Resolutions.
Resolution 1:
MOTION
Motion moved by Monica CampoBasso to support Resolution 1, gIncluding Transitory Student Enrollment in the Calculation of Aid under Chapter 70.h Seconded by Cathy Giunta IN FAVOR: Tricia Kelly, Cathy Giunta, Don Adams, Brian Burke, Ellen Sturgis, Monica CampoBasso, David Horne, Mel Govindan VOTED AND PASSED. UNANIMOUS (8-0)
Resolution 2:
MOTION
Motion moved by Ellen Sturgis to support Resolution 2, gProtection of Individual Committee Member Performance Evaluation Comments.h Seconded by Monica CampoBasso IN FAVOR: Tricia Kelly, Cathy Giunta, Don Adams, Ellen Sturgis, Monica CampoBasso, David Horne, Mel Govindan OPPOSED: Brian Burke VOTED AND PASSED. (7-1)
Resolution 3:
MOTION
Motion moved by Cathy Giunta to support Resolution 3, gAdequate Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 Public Education Funding.h Seconded by Monica CampoBasso IN FAVOR: Tricia Kelly, Cathy Giunta, Don Adams, Brian Burke, Ellen Sturgis, Monica CampoBasso, David Horne, Mel Govindan VOTED AND PASSED. UNANIMOUS (8-0)
Resolution 4:
MOTION
Motion moved by Tricia Kelly to support Resolution 4, gReinstatement of the Legislaturefs Funding Local School Transportation Costs at 100%.h
Motion amended by Cathy Giunta to include transportation of all local and regional school districts. Amendment seconded by Tricia Kelly.
Motion moved by Tricia Kelly to support Resolution 4 as amended, gReinstatement of the Legislaturefs Funding Local School Transportation Costs at 100%h, provided that it is amended to include transportation of all local and regional school districts. Seconded by Cathy Giunta IN FAVOR: Tricia Kelly, Cathy Giunta, Don Adams, Brian Burke, Ellen Sturgis, Monica CampoBasso, David Horne, Mel
Govindan VO TED AND PASSED. UNANIMOUS (8-0)
Resolution 5:
MOTION
Motion moved by David Horne to support Resolution 5, gFunding for Unbudgeted Transportation, Fuel, and Electrical Costs.h Seconded by Mel Govindan IN FAVOR: , Don Adams, Monica CampoBasso, Tricia Kelly, Mel Govindan OPPOSED: Cathy Giunta, Brian Burke, David Horne, Ellen Sturgis MOTION FAILED. (4-4)
OLD BUSINESS
Letter to Board of Education
MOTION
Motion moved by Brian Burke to take off the table the agenda item of recommendations to the board of education on proposed regulations. Seconded by Mel Govindan IN FAVOR: Tricia Kelly, Cathy Giunta, Don Adams, Brian Burke, Ellen Sturgis, Monica CampoBasso, David Horne, Mel Govindan
VOTED AND PASSED. UNANIMOUS (8-0)
Mr. King explained the letter to the committee and discussion ensued regarding accuracy of alternative assessment.
MOTION
Motion moved by Ellen Sturgis to approve the letter to the board of education regarding a proposed regional school district.
Brian Burke offered an amendment to the motion to add the words goption forh. Amendment was accepted by Ellen Sturgis.
Motion moved by Ellen Sturgis to approve the letter to the Board of Education regarding a proposed regional school district as amended, to include the words goption forh to the letter. Seconded by Brian Burke IN FAVOR: Tricia Kelly, Cathy Giunta, Don Adams, Ellen Sturgis, Monica CampoBasso, David Horne, Mel Govindan OPPOSED: Brian Burke VOTED AND PASSED. (7-1)
CITIZEN INPUT
Bill Joss of Stow asked if there was any grade information broken down by gender. Mr. Wood said there is information that the state has done regarding this. Regarding the upcoming election, Mr. Joss asked how soon the district would feel the effects of any changes in funding. Mr. Wood responded that the Governor would need to have the new budget done by January, so it would be soon after that.
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION
Motion moved by Brian Burke to adjourn. Seconded by Monica CampoBasso. IN FAVOR: Tricia Kelly, Cathy Giunta, Don Adams, Brian Burke, Ellen Sturgis, Monica CampoBasso, David Horne, Mel Govindan VOTED AND PASSED. UNANIMOUS (8-0)
The meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Linda DeStasi
Executive Assistant
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