NASHOBA REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING
May 17, 2007
SCHOOL COMMITTEE IN ATTENDANCE: Cathy Giunta, Don Adams, Brian Burke, Monica CampoBasso, Mel Govindan, Richard Fly, David Horne, Laura O’Neil
ABSENT:[Marker] Lynn Colletti
ADMINISTRATION IN ATTENDANCE: Michael Wood, Superintendent of Schools, George King, Assistant Superintendent for Finance, Jeremy Roche, Nashoba Regional High School Vice Assistant Principal,
CALL TO ORDER
Chair Don Adams called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. in the Office of the Superintendent.
ELECTION OF OFFICERS
Mr. Wood addressed the committee and asked for nominations for a new Chair and Vice-Chair of the Nashoba Regional School Committee.
MOTION
Monica CampoBasso made a motion to nominate Cathy Giunta for Chair of the Nashoba Regional School Committee. Seconded by Don Adams IN FAVOR: Don Adams, Brian Burke, Monica CampoBasso, Mel Govindan, Richard Fly, David Horne ABSTAINED: Cathy Giunta VOTED AND PASSED. (7-0-1)
MOTION
David Horne made a motion to nominate Brian Burke for Vice-Chair of the Nashoba Regional School Committee. Seconded by Don Adams IN FAVOR: Cathy Giunta, Don Adams, Monica CampoBasso, Mel Govindan, Richard Fly, David Horne ABSTAINED: Brian Burke
VOTED AND PASSED. (7-0-1)
APPROVAL OF THE WARRANTS OF MAY 18, 2007
WARRANT NO. DATE DESCRIPTION AMOUNT
2777 [Marker] 5/18/0[Marker]7 VENDOR $384,156.91
2778 5/18/07 BENEFIT $ 572,560.76
2779 5/18/07 PAYROLL $ 1,063,141.47
MOTION
Brian Burke made a motion to approve the warrants as detailed in the memo dated 5/17/07 and noted above. Seconded by Mel Govindan[Marker][Marker] IN FAVOR: Don Adams, Brian Burke, Monica CampoBasso, Mel Govindan, Richard Fly, David Horne, Cathy Giunta VOTED AND PASSED. UNANIMOUS (7-0)
[Marker]APPROVAL OF THE April 5, 2007 MINUTES[Marker]
MOTION
Don Adams made a motion to approve the minutes of April 5, 2007, as amended. Seconded by David Horne. IN FAVOR: Cathy Giunta, Don Adams, Monica CampoBasso, Mel Govindan, David Horne, Brian Burke ABSTAINED: Richard Fly VOTED AND PASSED. (7-0-1)
APPROVAL OF THE May 3, 2007 MINUTES
MOTION
Monica CampoBasso made a motion to approve the minutes of May 3, 2007, as amended. Seconded by Don Adams. IN FAVOR: Cathy Giunta, Don Adams, Monica CampoBasso, Mel Govindan, David Horne, Brian Burke ABSTAINED: Richard Fly VOTED AND PASSED. (7-0-1)
CORRESPONDENCE
¨ Letter of appreciation from Brian Burke, thanking the School Committee for hosting the Nashoba Slammers at their previous meeting.
¨ FY08 Senate Ways and Means info regarding newly released Local Aid Chapter 70 info.
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT
Welcoming New Members
Mr. Wood welcomed newly elected member Mr. Richard Fly. He noted that Ms. Lynn Colletti of Stow was also elected to the committee.
Wood told the committee that a Director of Human Resources has been hired for the District. Her name is Monica Visco and she will be starting June 4, 2007. Mr. Wood also told the committee that he has interviewed two finalists for the High School Principal position, Thomas Meade, Vice Principal at Andover High School; and Jeremy Roche, Vice Principal at NASHOBA. Mr. Wood told the committee that Mr. Jeremy Roche has been appointed the position and will begin serving as the Principal of Nashoba Regional High School as of July 1, 2007.
Mr. Wood asked the committee if there is any way to free themselves up from their schedules to be with us on to visit the District professional development program taking place on Friday, May 25th at 1:00 pm at the High School. He said that over twenty five teacher planned presentations will be presented and invited the School Committee to the event.
High School Calendar Adjustment
Mr. Wood reported that Mr. Smith, Mr. Roche and Ms. Calo have asked that the School Committee consider a proposal by the Senior Advisory Committee who have been looking at ways to encourage model behavior as students enter finals week in June. He said they are asking the School Committee to allow seniors to not attend May 25th partly as a reward, partly as a study day in advance of finals, and partly as an encouragement to the under classmen to notice that good behavior is rewarded. Mr. Wood said that Mr. Roche would be addressing the committee regarding this topic later in the meeting.
Mascot Review
Mr. Wood called the committee’s attention to a letter included in their meeting packet which is asking the committee to review the status of its Indian Chieftain mascot, emblem and name of our team. He said this is on the agenda to discuss and to consider action at a future meeting. Mr. Wood added that at this time, action could range from do nothing, establish a
committee, or voting to change.
District Improvement Plan
Mr. Wood told the committee that he has included a draft of the District Improvement Plan in their packet for their review. He said that he had an update on the District Strategic Plan and on the Improvement Plan the District has been working under. Mr. Wood told the committee that he will ask for a vote at a future meeting. Mr. Wood also said that at the next meeting of the School Committee Mr. King would review the long range financial plan that accompanies these goals and factors a range of costs that might be considered as related to these goals.
High School Classroom Space and Office Space Feasibility Study
Mr. Wood reported that he, along with Mr. King and Mr. Spratt met with Michael Pagano of Lamoureux and Pagano Architects out of Worcester to discuss a contract. He said they reviewed the scope of work of the original RFP and he probed for specifics around the Statement of Interest, the Project Manager and the Building Committee. Mr. Wood told the committee that he responded that the District would be writing a Statement of Interest for the Massachusetts State Building Authority, however, we would be moving on a parallel track for this project. He said the district would be hiring a Project Manager, and will need a building committee. Mr. Wood told the committee that he would give them more specifics around each of these at the May 31, 2007 meeting, and that Mr. Pagano would be sharing a draft proposal sometime next week.
CASE Collaborative
Mr. Wood reported to the committee that the CASE Collaborative received a clean audit for the year ending June 30, 2006. He said that he could provide copies for anyone who would like that.
FLLAC Collaborative
Mr. Wood reported that the FLLAC Collaborative met today and finalized direction of its strategic plan which include initiatives around developing a professional development effort that can support districts as needed, space study for its programs, future and current, and developing a finance plan that will support the Collaborative without increases always on tuitions.
Adaptive Leadership
Mr. Wood told the committee that he completed a four day training (which started in January) on Adaptive Leadership. This training was based on Ron Heifitz’s work on adaptive and technical problem solving within an organization. Mr. Wood said that the premise of this work is that there are two main types of problems to solve. Adaptive problems are those that are institutionalized, involve changing habits of mind, and require people to change who they are. Technical problems can be meaty but are more simplistic and usually have a more ‘correct’ fix. He explained that both can be time consuming depending on the time needed to analyze what type of problem being encountered, who should be doing that work and who should be part of the team working on solution. Another component is that you work with teams of colleagues who
provide feedback, which requires you to be very concise about the problem and articulate only the salient points. Mr. Wood said that given that the work is about how to make decisions, he would like to share some readings in the future about this process with the committee and suggest the new committee explore this as one model of decision making they can use during the course of the year.
Technology in Our High School
Mr. Wood said that he recently attended a workshop presented by Ms. Mary Marotta on Tablet Learning. Mr. Wood said that her audience was teachers from Marlborough High School interested in learning how to use Tablets in the classroom. He said Ms. Marotta was a great presenter and it was a very informative and exciting workshop.
Evaluation Sub Committee Update
Mr. Wood told the committee that the Evaluation Sub Committee is working toward a series of recommendations on the Teacher Evaluation Tool. He said that there will be two more meetings scheduled and they hope to have a completed draft that can come before the school committee in June and then the Association in September. (He said there may be interest by the Association to complete the drafts in September.) Mr. Wood told the committee that they have had very progressive conversations of late and that he is pleased with how things are going.
SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
Ex-0fficio Report by Ms. O’Neil
Ms. O’Neil reported the following information regarding current news and activities at the high school.
¨ The varsity softball team is currently 10-5. They have qualified for districts and are only two games shy of claiming the League Championship.
¨ The varsity boys’ tennis team beat Hudson on Tuesday, improving their record to 8-2. They, also, have qualified for districts. Over this past weekend, members of the team competed in individual districts. Sophomore Jeff Stefanis won first and second round matches and has advanced to the Sweet 16 round, which will take place this weekend.
¨ The varsity girls’ tennis team will also be sending members to the next round of individual districts this weekend. Falon Chow and doubles team Rebecca Straney and Andrea Nixon won their matches this past weekend allowing them to advance.
¨ This past Saturday, the boys’ and girls’ track teams competed in the District Class B Championship Meet. The boys, finished second to Oakmont. The boys, had three first place finishes in the two mile, the 100m hurdles, and the 4x100m relay team. The girls, came home with a first place finish (out of 18 teams). Individually, the girls, had four first place
finishes, including the 100m hurdles, the two-mile, and the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relay teams. Both teams competed in the League Championship meet today.
¨ This year’s senior class will be giving the school five Adirondack Chairs for the cafeteria courtyard as their class gift.
¨ The Bands’ Pops Concert will be this Friday, May 18, at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium. The evening will feature the Concert Band, the Advanced Jazz Band, and the Intermediate Jazz Band.
¨ The National Honor Society induction ceremony will be held on May 29th at 7pm in the auditorium.
Facilities SubCommittee, by Ms. Kelly
Nothing to report.
Finance SubCommittee, by Ms. Giunta
Nothing to report.
Personnel SubCommittee, by Ms. Giunta
Nothing to report.
Policy SubCommittee, by Mr. Wood
Nothing to report.
SPED PAC, by Mr. Burke
Nothing to report.
NEW BUSINESS
High School Calendar Change for Seniors
Mr. Jeremy Roche addressed the School Committee regarding the request made by the Senior Advisory Committee to allow the seniors to run a 2nd Annual Senior Field Day on Thursday, May 24th and then have an excused absence on Friday, May 25th, which is an Early Release Day for the District. He distributed a PowerPoint presentation which highlighted the concerns and issues the high school administration believed would be avoided if this proposal were to be implemented. He said that their goal was to develop a more positive tradition for the seniors on their last day of classes, thereby avoiding costly and dangerous pranks. Discussion ensued among the committee. Mr. Govindan asked how it affected the rest of the school. Mr. Roche replied that it would actually have a positive affect
on the rest of the students because the seniors set the mode for the rest of the school, and it has proven to be a rather difficult day in the past. He said that he believed this proposal would benefit the entire school. Mr. Burke inquired about a “senior skip day”. Mr. Roche said that there is a history of this occurring each year. He added that these are not excused absences, but that students are allowed a certain number of unexcused absences so that there is little they can do short of discouraging this. Mr. Burke inquired about sending a letter to students telling them they would be allowed this unexcused absence for Friday, May 25th but that they must not have another “senior skip day”. Mr. Roche reported that although he had no definite information regarding a timeline for such a day for this year, he thought it might be too late to do this.
MOTION
Motion moved by Don Adams to accept the high school calendar change for the 2007 senior class as described in the memo Appendix IX A, entitled 2nd Annual NRHS Senior Field Day. Seconded by Monica CampoBasso IN FAVOR: Cathy Giunta, Don Adams, Monica CampoBasso, Mel Govindan, David Horne, Richard Fly AGAINST: Brian Burke VOTED AND PASSED. (7-1-0)
Mascot Change Request
Mr. Wood called the committee’s attention to a letter from the New England Anti-mascot Coalition asking that the District change its mascot name and symbol. Mr. Wood said the committee really had three choices regarding this request. He said they could choose to leave it alone, decide to appoint a committee to make recommendations, or they could vote to change the mascot at a later point in time, perhaps in 1 or 2 years. Discussion ensued among the committee. Mr. Adams commented that he has 2 family members that have gone through Nashoba and they take great pride in the Chieftain symbol. He said it is seen as a symbol of strength and leadership, and that the Chieftain heritage is taught to area cub scouts. He told the committee that he did not see how a spear with a feather could be less offensive. Mr. Horne said that he was surprised when moving to this area that the District had the Chieftain symbol. Ms. CampoBasso said that she could not completely disagree with the
information in the letter and asked about putting the decision in the students’ hands. Mr. Fly told the committee that his experience with the students is that they are the least prejudiced group and they do not see these symbols in that way. Mr. Fly said his guess is that they would not choose to change it. Mr. Roche addressed the committee and said that from his perspective he see the term of Chieftains as one that denotes respect and leadership and that the students often speak of Chieftain pride. Mr. Govindan said that he was not in favor of giving this decision to the students. Mr. Burke inquired about forming a committee to get parents and students thoughts. Mr. Adams told the committee that this could be a good opportunity for students to learn about the Chieftain symbol, where it came from and what it stands for. Mr. Fly asked if there was an actual mascot at Nashoba games. Mr. Roche responded that there was not. Ms. Giunta said that she would not recommend the
committee do anything at this point. Mr. Fly said it may be worthwhile to consider what other districts are doing. Mr. Govindan inquired about the MIAA’s and said that perhaps the committee should wait to see what their ruling would be on this, as the letter stated they were currently considering the matter. Ms. Giunta said that they need to do more research and find out who this coalition is before making any decisions. Mr. Wood agreed and said that he would speak with his colleagues and do some research to find out who this group is.
MOTION
Motion moved by Richard Fly to refer this issue to the Superintendent for further recommendations as he may see fit. Seconded by Don Adams. IN FAVOR: Cathy Giunta, Monica CampoBasso, Mel Govindan, David Horne, Brian Burke, Richard Fly AGAINST: Don Adams VOTED AND PASSED. (7-1-0)
Draft District Improvement Plan
Mr. Wood reviewed Appendix IX C with the committee. He told the committee that this was the next version of the District Strategic Plan; that these are the improvement areas and focused areas that help us adhere to out strategic goals.
OLD BUSINESS
Nothing to report
Recognition of Mr. Adams
Newly elected Chair, Cathy Giunta, thanked Mr. Adams for his leadership over the last couple of years as Chair of the School Committee.
CITIZEN INPUT
Nothing to report
EXECUTIVE SESSION
8:27 p.m. The committee moved to Executive session at 8:30 p.m.
Motion moved by Monica CampoBasso to move to Executive Session for the purpose of discussing the Superintendent’s evaluation and to include the Superintendent, and that the committee adjourn the regular meeting of the School Committee immediately after. Seconded by Don Adams. IN FAVOR: Cathy Giunta, Monica CampoBasso, Mel Govindan, David Horne, Brian Burke, Richard Fly, Don Adams
VOTED AND PASSED. UNANIMOUS (7-0)
ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Linda DeStasi
Executive Assistant
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