Town of Princeton, MA
Meeting Minutes
Thomas Prince Middle School Enrollment Study Committee
October 12, 2010
Town Hall Annex
Members present were Toryn Bright, Laura Gal, Larry Greene, Matt Lindberg, Larry Pistrang, Dawn Sulmasy, and Carla Volturo. Also: Selectman Edie Morgan and Town Administrator John Lebeaux. Chairman Pistrang called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM.
Acceptance of Minutes
The Committee accepted the minutes of September 21 and 29, 2010 by unanimous vote.
Public Hearing - summarize, moving forward
The Committee discussed testimony from the Public Hearing. Larry P. stated that the Committee needs to explain the problem clearly. That spurred discussion if the situation should rather be described as an opportunity. The Committee noted that the majority of residents think favorably of the K-8 model but was split on the idea of Thomas Prince School becoming a magnet school. The Committee discussed the question of development/zoning issues that have contributed to the present situation. It concluded that there is little to no appetite to make changes in these areas by the Selectmen, Planning Board and Town Meeting, and even if some were made it would not change school population by 2014. The Committee plans to review the Town Plan for general background. The Committee also discussed the fact that the population decline may
be the result of an overall post-baby boom nationwide trend that especially affects small communities. Toryn circulated a newspaper article describing a declining school population in Provincetown.
Survey Development
The Committee discussed the purpose of the survey. Is it to receive comments similar to testimony at the Public Hearing or to gauge reactions to options? If the latter is the case the options must first be developed through research. The Committee agreed that the survey should be distributed January-early February 2011. The Committee will look into using the online Survey Monkey tool. It discussed inclusion of a hard copy in the PMLD bill vs. a separate mailing.
Working Groups and Research Topics
The Committee agreed that one or two members would study the following topics and be prepared to summarize their findings to date at the next meeting
- Costs and revenue (Larry P.)
- Certification requirements and waivers (Toryn)
- Legal requirements of regional agreement (Laura and Matt)
- School choice (Larry G.)
- Enrollment projections (Dawn)
- Magnet/Essential/Theme curriculum models (Carla)
Brainstorming Session
The Committee asked John to check availability of Thomas Prince cafeteria on November 16 or 17 for the brainstorming session.
Other Business
The Committee set March 1, 2011 as a deadline for a completed draft report to the Board of Selectmen. All Committee action must feed into this timeline. The Committee thought it better to delay inviting Superintendent Pandiscio to a meeting until it did more study in order to better create its questions.
Public Comment
Edie suggested that the Committee keep in mind the town hall newsletter to promote its activities. She also requested that the Committee examine the Essential School Model.
Future Meeting Dates
The Committee set 7 PM meeting dates of October 26 and November 10 in the Annex, and pending availability November 16 or 17 at the Thomas Prince School for the Brainstorming Session.
The Committee unanimously voted to adjourn at 9:07 PM.
Respectively submitted,
John Lebeaux
Town Administrator
Referenced Documents
“Provincetown's global approach to education”, Cape Cod Times, October 10, 2010
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