Southern
Berkshire Regional School Committee
Mt. Everett Regional School
Sheffield, MA
April 14, 2011
Meeting #1429
School Committee Members: Mr. Abelow, Mr. Willig, Mr. Valentini, Ms. Miller, Mr. Flynn, Ms. Mielke
Absent: Ms. Silvestri, Mr. Fetterhoff, Mr. McSpiritt, Mr. Sears
Administration: Dr. Singleton, Mr. Turner, Mr. Hastings, Mr. Devoti, Mr. Thompson
Press: CTSB
Student Representatives: Taylor Garrett
Others: Mr. Michael Farmer, Ms. Kari Giordano, Ms. Jeanne Lemlin, Mr. Tim Schwartz, Mr. Fred Finkle, Mr. Neal Barbieri, Ms. Linda Higgins
1. Call to Order: Chairman Abelow opened the meeting at 6:10 p.m. without a quorum present. He announced that no votes would be taken until a quorum was in attendance.
2. Communications from the Audience Pertaining to This Evening’s Agenda:
A. Mr. Abelow informed the Committee of the passing of former School Committee member and chairman, Mr. Jack Pollitt. He commended Mr. Pollit for his good service on the Committee.
B. Student Representatives to the School Committee: Taylor Garrett reported that the president and vice president of each grade will be putting a group together to participate in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life in June. She said that the group will also be bringing forward ideas to raise funds to help out in Haiti.
C. There were no communications from the audience.
3. Presentation: Dr. Singleton reported on a meeting at MCLA regarding the Common Core Standards. He said that many faculty and administrators had attended, along with other county staff and administrators. Mr. Hastings, Ms. Lemlin, and Mr. Barbieri then further explained the overall concept of the Common Core Standards and the timeline for moving toward putting them into practice in MA schools. Following a question and answer session, the Committee members thanked them for their report.
Ms. Mielke arrived at 6:30 p.m.
4. Approval of Minutes: Hearing no objections or corrections, Chairman Abelow declared the Minutes of Meeting 1,428 accepted as presented.
5. Business:
A. Superintendent’s Report: Dr. Singleton reported the following:
- A memo has been received from Anne Gilligan, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, approving the District’s Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan.
- State Auditor Susan Bump recently visited grades 4, 5, and 6.
- National Honor Society induction will take place on Friday, May 6, at 6:30 p.m. Eight new students will be inducted.
- The high school Robotics Team won two competitions this year, and they placed 5th in regional semi-finals and 2nd in Northern New England.
- Special Olympics will take place on May 4 at 8:30 a.m. at Monument Mountain High School.
- The Mt. Everett School Council recently hosted an evening on bullying prevention. Mr. Devoti added that representatives from the local police and District Attorney’s Office had attended. The cast of “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” also gave a 10 minute presentation to the approximately 25 parents who came out.
- The District has nominated Jeanne Lemlin for MCLA’s 2011 teacher recognition award.
B. Mt. Everett Program of Studies
Mr. Devoti explained changes in the 2011-12 Mt. Everett Program of Studies. Following a brief discussion, Mr. Flynn moved, seconded by Mr. Willig, to approve the 2011-12 Mt. Everett Program of Studies, as presented. It was so voted, unanimously.
C. 2011-12 School Calendar
Dr. Singleton explained that next year’s calendar includes ten snow days, rather than the usual five, per recommendation of the MA DESE. Also, the first two days of school will be half days for students, easing the students into the school year and also allowing the District’s staff members to participate in county-wide full-day inservice training on October 28. Following discussion, Mr. Willig moved, seconded by Mr. Flynn, to approve the 2011-12 school calendar as presented. It was so voted, unanimously.
D. Request for Approval of Summer Theater Arts Camp: Mr. Travis Daly, District Artistic Director, presented a proposal for a summer drama camp. He said that the camp would be “owned” by the school, and he requested that a revolving account be set up to handle the funds. Dr. Singleton further explained that the District would provide the insurance, and all present policies would be in effect. In response to questions from School Committee members, Mr. Daly explained that District students will be given the opportunity to enroll in the camp, prior to offering space to students from outside of the District, and that the focus for this year will be on elementary students.
Ms. Miller moved to approve the request, as submitted. Mr. Flynn seconded the motion, and it was so voted, unanimously.
E. Subcommittee/Representative Reports
Buildings, Grounds & Technology Subcommittee: Mr. Flynn began his report by reading a letter from Mr. Sears stating his objections (and reasons for same) to the inclusion of the following items on the listing of capital repairs and upgrades: 300 computers, 75 notebooks with maintenance plans, work on the “Yellow House”, and purchase/erect campus storage building.
Mr. Flynn reported that Mr. Thompson has completed a detailed analysis of leasing vs. purchasing the computers. Mr. Thompson noted that leases could not be included in the bond, and the interest rate on leases would be significantly higher, and cost the taxpayers at least an additional $10,000 above the purchase cost. Mr. Valentini and Mr. Flynn stated that they had voted for the purchasing option because it would have less of an impact on the taxpayers. Mr. Flynn said that once all the computers were replaced, then the District could budget for maintenance and plan to replace the equipment on a revolving schedule. He also noted that it was planned to pay off that portion of the bond within the first 2 to 3 years.
Mr. Flynn reviewed the proposed items to be included in the bond (listing on file with these minutes). He emphasized that the items would be open to negotiation and change up until the final bonding was approved. The request totaled $2,683,858.67, including a 10% built-in contingency. He requested that the committee approve the items, subject to adjustment.
Mr. Valentini stated that he was in favor of including the yellow house and storage facility because the program housed there could not readily be brought into the main building. He said that he was in favor of making the house a viable education space.
Ms. Miller moved, seconded by Mr. Valentini, to approve the items listed, subject to adjustment.
Discussion took place. It was noted that some in the community fear that another School Committee group could be elected and spend the money in ways other than stated. Mr. Valentini said that he believed that the particular items covered need to be clarified in the motion.
Ms. Miller withdrew her motion. Mr. Flynn then moved to approve the proposed spending plan as submitted to the School Committee on April 14, 2011 by the Buildings, Grounds & Technology Subcommittee, in the amount of $2,683,858.67. Mr. Valentini seconded the motion, and it was so voted, 6-0.
South Berkshire Educational Collaborative: Mr. Willig reported that the collaborative is drafting a regional technology plan to link the technology departments of the four member districts. He presented a draft of a plan for the districts which would provide ways of collaboration and cooperation. He said that all but two districts in Berkshire County have also expressed an interest in being included. He described possible staffing changes that would take place in the next few years, and some of the possibilities for sharing of services. He reported that an informational meeting would take place on May 9 at Lenox Middle/High School.
Policy Subcommittee: The Committee observed the first reading of the Bullying Prevention policy. Ms. Miller requested Committee members let her know of any questions or concerns. A vote will be requested at the next meeting. Ms. Miller and Mr. Flynn commended Mr. Devoti and Ms. Ullrich for their work in putting together the anti-bullying plan and their help in developing the policy.
Executive Evaluation Subcommittee: Mr. Willig reported on the recent meeting of the subcommittee. He noted that Superintendent Singleton had made significant progress on all of his yearly goals.
F. Financial Updates/Transfer Requests: Mr. Turner reported that the House Ways & Means Budget has been released, and the estimated Chapter 71 receipts for the District are within $4,000 of what was budgeted. Also, Circuit Breaker funding estimates are up. He said that the member towns seem to have fared well in the budget, as well.
Mr. Turner requested a transfer of $2,000 from Contingency Funds to the Professional Development Account for the purpose of providing tutoring for a valued teacher in order to successfully pass the MTEL exam. It was noted that the teacher is a foreign language teacher whose first language is not English. It was also noted that such aid has been given in the past. Following discussion, Ms. Miller moved, seconded by Mr. Flynn, to approve the transfer. It was so voted, unanimously.
6. Communication from the Public / Requests for Future Agenda Items
A. Following a brief discussion, the School Committee agreed to hold an informational meeting regarding the proposed bond issue on Wednesday, April 27 at 7:00 p.m., in the auditorium. Letters will be sent home with students and an ad will be taken out to encourage all interested parties to attend.
Mr. Willig moved, seconded by Ms. Miller, to adjourn the meeting. It was so voted, and the meeting adjourned at 8:03 p.m.
Documents presented for this meeting:
- Agenda – School Committee Meeting #1,429
- Minutes –School Committee Meeting #1,428
- Request for Transfer of $2,000 (Memo from David Hastings to Bruce Turner requesting same)
- SBRSD Summer of 2011 Theater Arts Project Proposal: March 11, 2011
- Calendar of District and Area Summer Camps, 2011
- Document entitled “Regional Technology Plan”
- Southern Berkshire Regional School District Proposed 2011-12 School Calendar
- Policy File JICFB, Bullying Prevention and Intervention
- Minutes of April 5, 2011 Executive Evaluation Subcommittee Meeting
- Informational Brochure, “Make A Change: Stop Bullying”
- Listing of Projects to be included in the proposed bond issue, with separate listing of included technology equipment, as approved by the Buildings, Grounds & Technology Subcommittee on April 7, 2011
- Document detailing cost of lease vs. bonding of technology equipment
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