April 4, 2012 School Committee Meeting

Agenda

Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Temporary City Council Chambers, Quincy City Hall
7:00 p.m

I. Approval of Minutes: Regular Session Minutes for March 21, 2012 and Executive Session Minutes for March 21, 2012.

II. Open Forum: An opportunity for community input regarding the Quincy Public Schools. After giving his or her name and address, each speaker may make a presentation of no more than four minutes to the School Committee. An individual may not exchange their time or yield to others.

III. Superintendent’s Report:

A. Student Recognitions: Career and Technical Education
Student of the Year Kevin Mullin
Skills USA

B. Science Fair Winners from Quincy and North Quincy High School

C. Title I Commendation Grant

D. HYPER Robotics

E. Middle School Swim Meet, March 31, 2012

F. Spring Concert Dates

IV. Old Business: None

V. New Business:

A. Informational/Educational Technology - Mr. Keith Segalla

B. Placement of Textile Bins at Schools – Proceeds to Benefit School Parent-Teacher Organizations - Mayor Koch

C. Out of State Travel:

1. Bernazzani Elementary School to Canobie Lake Park, Salem, NH on June 13, 2012

2. Wollaston Elementary School to Canobie Lake Park, Salem, NH on June 11, 2012

3. Montclair Elementary School to Canobie Lake Park, Salem, NH on June 13, 2012

4. North Quincy High School AFJROTC to Pinkham Notch/Lakes of the Clouds, NH, June 19 through June 21, 2012

VI. Additional Business:

VII. Communications:

VIII. Reports of Subcommittees:

A. Budget and Finance Subcommittee: Ms. Isola to report on the March 26, 2012 meeting.

C. Special Education Subcommittee: Mrs. Mahoney to report on the March 28, 2012 meeting.

C. Teaching and Learning Subcommittee: Mrs. Lebo to report on the April 2, 2012 meeting.

IX. Executive Session: Collective Bargaining.

X. Adjournment:  

Subcommittees of the School Committee

Subcommittee Items


Budget & Finance
Isola/Bregoli/Hubley/Koch/Lebo/Mahoney/McCarthy

School Facilities & Security
McCarthy/Bregoli/Hubley

  1. Sterling Building Plans Referred to Subcommittee by the School Building Task Force in 1998.

  2. Coddington Hall $1.5 million Appropriation Referred to Subcommittee at the May 18, 2011 School Committee Meeting. The City of Quincy has appropriated $1.5 million to refurbish Coddington Hall to serve as the Quincy Public Schools administrative offices. Wessling Architects has been chosen to complete the design phase of the project and construction cost estimating is underway as of February 2012.

  3. Houses on Saville Avenue Referred to Subcommittee at the May 18, 2011 School Committee Meeting. Currently home to the School Maintenance and Public Building departments, the School Committee and Superintendent see no future educational uses for these properties.

  4. Outside Lighting Audit Referred to Subcommittee at the February 8, 2012 School Committee Meeting. To address safety concerns, an audit was requested to look for lights that need repair or replacement and locations that would benefit from additional lighting.

  5. Coddington Hall Parking Lot Rental to Quincy College Referred to Subcommittee at the February 8, 2012 School Committee Meeting. Assess feasibility of managing the building parking lot as rental property during the renovation process.

  6. Acceptance of Provisions of Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 71, Section 37M Referred to Subcommittee at the March 21, 2012 School Committee Meeting. Discuss proposed consolidation of the School Maintenance Department budget with the City of Quincy Department of Public Works.

Health, Transportation & Safety
Hubley/Lebo/McCarthy

  1. School Meal Charges Referred to Subcommittee at the March 21, 2012 School Committee Meeting. New state and federal regulations require formalization of the school meal charges policy.

  2. School Wellness Policy Referred to Subcommittee at the March 21, 2012 School Committee Meeting. New state and federal guidelines will require revision of the existing Wellness Policy.

School Policy
Bregoli/Isola/Mahoney

  1. Graduation Requirements Referred to Subcommittee at the September 7, 2011 School Committee Meeting and discussed at the October 11, 2011 School Policy Subcommittee. The discussion centered around adding a fourth year of Math as a graduation requirement and all agreed to table the issue until more is known about the impact of the new Common Core Standards on the Massachusetts frameworks.

  2. New Educator Evaluations Referred at the September 7, 2011 School Committee Meeting and shared with the Teaching and Learning Subcommittee. Two meetings have already been held to begin exploring the requirements of the new regulations (9/21/11 Ad Hoc Subcommittee meeting and February 13, 2012 Teaching and Learning Subcommittee meeting) and further discussion will be held in Executive Session as it pertains to collective bargaining.

  3. High School Community Service Pilot Referred to Subcommittee at the December 14, 2011 School Committee Meeting. A resolution was introduced proposing a phased-in Community Service requirement and further discussion is needed to create a pilot program for both high schools.

  4. Conflict of Interest: Volunteering, Tutoring, Hiring Referred to Subcommittee at the January 11, 2012 School Committee Meeting. Review and discussion of existing policy requested.

  5. Adding CPR as a Graduation Requirement Referred to Subcommittee at the March 21, 2012 School Committee Meeting. Review and discussion of existing policy requested.

Special Education
Mahoney/Bregoli/McCarthy

  1. Substitute Teachers for SPED Originally referred to Subcommittee at the January 17, 2007 School Committee Meeting. At the Special School Committee Meeting on January 28, 2012 and the Special Education Subcommittee meeting on February 1, 2012, it was agreed that some progress has been made in the way that substitute teachers are informed and educated about accommodations for special needs issues. A form has been developed for classroom teachers to share information and the goal for implementation is the 2012-2013 school year.

  2. Special Education Program Assessment Referred to Subcommittee at the January 28, 2012 Special School Committee Meeting. This will be an ongoing discussion of the curriculum initiatives for Special Education.

Rules, Post Audit & Oversight
Lebo/Bregoli/Hubley

Teaching and Learning 
Lebo/Hubley/Isola

New Educator Evaluations Referred at the September 7, 2011 School Committee Meeting and shared with the School Policy Subcommittee. Two meetings have already been held to begin exploring the requirements of the new regulations (9/21/11 Ad Hoc Subcommittee meeting and February 13, 2012 Teaching and Learning Subcommittee meeting) and further discussion will be held in Executive Session as it pertains to collective bargaining.

Ad Hoc Committees:

Channel 22
Mahoney/McCarthy

Created at the October 27, 2007 School Committee meeting to encourage the greater use of Channel 22 across Quincy Public Schools.

Central Building Committee
Mahoney

Minutes

Quincy, Massachusetts - April 4, 2012
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee

Regular Meeting

A regular meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday, March 4, 2012 at the Temporary City Council Chambers in Quincy City Hall. Present were Mr. Paul Bregoli, Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Mayor Thomas Koch, Mrs. Emily Lebo, Mrs. Anne Mahoney, Mr. Dave McCarthy, and Ms. Barbara Isola, Vice Chair.

Vice Chair Presiding

- - -

There was a moment of silence in memory of William Mitchell, general counsel for the MBTA, who started his professional career as a teacher at the Broad Meadows Middle School.

- - -

The Superintendent called the roll and all members were present. Also present were: Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Secretary; Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk; Messrs. Draicchio, Holmes, McGillicuddy, McGuire, Mullaney, Mulvey, Murphy, Rendle, Santoro, Keith Segalla, Smith, Taglieri, Tully; Dr. Metzler; Ms. Barrett, Mrs. Fay-Beers, Ms. MacNeil, Mrs. Roberts, Ms. Scanlan, Ms. Stukenborg, Ms. Todd; Ms. Allison Cox, President, Quincy Education Association; Ms. Tracey Christello, Citywide Parents’ Council Representative; and Ms. Jill Gichuhi, President, Quincy Parent Advisory Council to Special Education.

- - -

Regular Meeting Minutes Approved 3/21/2012

Mrs. Lebo made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Hubley, to approve the regular session minutes for March 21, 2012. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Executive Session Minutes Approved 3/21/2012

Mr. McCarthy made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Hubley, to approve the Executive Session minutes for March 21, 2012. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.

- - -

Open Forum

As no one wished to be heard in Open Forum, the Committee went on with the business at hand.

- - -

Superintendent’s Report

The Superintendent opened his remarks by introducing Executive Director of Career and Technical Education Keith Segalla. Mr. Segalla introduced Kevin Mullin, the Career and Technical Education student of the year. Mr. Mullin has a 4.6 GPA, is a member of the National Honors Society, and ranked fifth in the class of 2012. He is a member of the Olympic Decathalon, soccer, and baseball teams and has been accepted to six colleges.

The next students recognized were Skills USA medalists from Quincy High School’s Career and Technical Education program, introduced by department head Ms. Gina Scanlan. Skills USA coach/advisor Mr. Edward Holmes spoke of the recent district conference competition, where twenty-nine students competed in seven categories and eleven were awarded medals. Gold medalists: Dan Cunningham, Kayla Neumann, Bryan Stoker, Ben Witunsky; Silver medalists: Lok Fung, Patrick Kelly, Kyle Lally, Dayna Madeiros, Eoin Moriarty, Tyler Wayne; Bronze medalist: Jason Barbosa.

Science Fair winners from both high schools were introduced next by the Science department heads, Ms. Kelly Stukenborg from North Quincy High School and Mr. Edward Smith from Quincy High School. Each high school had over 140 entries at their Science Fairs. For North Quincy High School, the winners were: Nisreen AboSido (1st place), Amanda Lee (2nd place), and Sarah Tran (3rd place). For Quincy High School, the winners were Sarah Ahmed (1st place), Wen Zheng Yu (2nd place), and Christine Tran (3rd place).

Finally, some of the event winners from the recent Middle School Swimming Championships were introduced by coach Mr. Robert McGillicuddy. Atlantic: Katarina Pollattretti, Sara O’Donovan; Broad Meadows: Caitlyn Caggiano, Lauren Gilmartin, Taylor Routhier; Central: Laina Frazier, Lauren Donovan, Maura Crump, Declan Mayo, Bryan McMahon; Point Webster: Stephanie Melnick; Sterling: Megi Macy, Eni Daci, Brendan Hansbury.

At the conclusion of the introductions, Mr. McCarthy stated that these are the best School Committee meetings, where students are recognized for their academic and athletic achievements; Quincy has a bright future with these many talented students. Mrs. Lebo commented that she was looking forward to seeing the middle school swimmers in their future high school meets. Mrs. Mahoney thanked the teachers and coaches for all their extra efforts supporting student achievement. Mayor Koch congratulated all of the students and thanked them for making us proud. Ms. Isola concluded the remarks by speaking of the many opportunities that Quincy provides for students in terms of different extracurricular activities to match their interests. She thanked the parents, principals, department heads, teachers and coaches.

After a brief recess, Dr. DeCristofaro resumed the Superintendent’s Report by noting the recent success of the High School Robotics team who placed 8th out of 53 teams at the recent regional competition at Northeastern University. Twenty-eight members of the HyperRobotics team are traveling to the Nationals in St. Louis during the last week of April.

The Superintendent then spoke of a $50,000 Title I Commendation Grant for professional development and technology recently awarded by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education due to the successes and best practices at the Snug Harbor Community School. He thanked Mrs. Roberts, Mrs. Hughes, and Mr. Gilbert for their work on writing the grant proposal. Dr. DeCristofaro noted that each School Committee member received a copy of the upcoming Spring Concert dates for each school. He also mentioned the recent performances of Fiddler on the Roof at Quincy High School and the work of Mrs. Spencer and her many volunteers in producing the play.

Other student achievements cited include the recent list of Boston Globe All-Scholastic All-Stars, including Boys’ Basketball team players from North Quincy High School: Paul Cunniff, Dan Gould, Tim Liuzzo, Marquis McClendon and Quincy High School: Zerick Fadairo, Tino Goncalves, Jaquan Harris; Girls’ Basketball team players from North Quincy High School: Amber Jones, Maya Umoren and Quincy High School: Nicole Lamie, Caity Lowry, Kiley McDonald, Juli Tomer; North Quincy High School Girls’ Track team member Emily Bryson; and North Quincy High School Wrestling team member Andy Sok.

In concluding, Dr. DeCristofaro talked about the Superintendent’s Summit Conference that he attended last week in Orlando with sixty superintendents from around the nation and his appreciation of the opportunity to participate in the conversations with his peers and hear their different perspectives on issues.

- - -

New Business

Educational Technology Presentation

The Superintendent introduced Mr. Keith Segalla, Executive Director of Information, Technology, who presented on the district’s Educational Technology initiatives, along with Database Administrator Robert Cavallo. The Technology Plan is a component of the District Improvement Plan and follows a structure prescribed by DESE. The current Technology Plan expires in November, so work will begin shortly on new plan, which will then be reviewed and ratified by the School Committee for 2013-2015.

Quincy Public Schools currently has a student to computer ration of 3:1, with just over 3,000 computers installed in classrooms, in computer labs, or available on mobile carts. 85% of these computers are 1 to 4 years old and recent acquisitions include 188 computers for schools, school offices, and Special Education classrooms. Microsoft Office 2010 has been implemented system-wide, as was Study Island for Grades 3 through 8. Technology initiatives are supported by the Quincy Public Schools budget, individual school PTOs, and grants. Recent Professional Development has included training for software, hardware, and expanding email usage to the custodial and security staffs.

The Quincy Public Schools Website was relaunched in Fall 2011; there are ongoing improvements for functionality driven by input from the Education Technology Team, the Information Technology staff, and feedback from members of the community. Upgrades are planned for for Staff Academy; the main site’s translation feature has been enhanced. Community members can follow Quincy Public Schools on Facebook or Twitter by subscribing directly through their own accounts or by subscribing to the RSS Feed.

Quincy Public Schools is also upgrading to a new email system being implemented through the Microsoft Exchange server and all users will have new email addresses: [email protected]. The new email system can be accessed anywhere Internet service is available. The transition has been completed for the NAGE building staff and Quincy High School and North Quincy High School will be implemented by May 1. All elementary and middle schools will have their email upgraded during the summer of 2012.

In conclusion, Mr. Segalla thanked the Mayor, the School Committee, the City’s IT department, the individual school PTOs, and Quincy School-Community Partnership members for making these technology initiatives and enhancements possible.

During the discussion that followed, Mr. McCarthy requested a breakdown down of computer types and projected replacement dates. He also complimented the website upgrades. Mrs. Lebo thanked the Mayor for significant technology boost in previous years’ budgets. She also inquired about whether any students were credentialed on Microsoft Word, which they are not at this time.

Mrs. Mahoney asked if the website complied with handicap accessibility and Mr. Segalla responded that it was; she also suggested looking again at how data can be extracted from the website to analyze usage. Mrs. Mahoney then asked whether an enhanced Student Information System that would allow parents to access more information and comments online has been considered. Mrs. Lebo asked whether the new release of Starbase might fill this role and requested a presentation on that new system. Mr. Segalla mentioned the high cost of implementing this new SIS; Mrs. Mahoney suggested investigating the X2 Aspen software used in some neighboring towns.

Ms. Isola asked whether there is any way to track how many people use the translation feature on the website. Mr. Cavallo responded that he would look into it. She also inquired whether in the course of developing the Technology Plan, was elementary school technology that relates to curriculum specifically addressed? Mr. Segalla clarified that this was not in the existing Technology Plan, but will definitely be a part of the new Technology Plan. She also asked if there were hardware and software recommendations that could be made to parent groups and inform the QPS budget process. Ms. Isola ended by suggested a survey to assess student access to technology. Mr. Segalla agreed and said that teacher needs will be surveyed as well.

- - -

Placement of Textile Bins at Schools

As part of a citywide recycling initiative, Mayor Koch announced a textile recycling. program where small bins would be placed at each school to collect donated textiles. Through a partnership with Baystate Textiles, the individual school Parent-Teacher Organization would receive a share of the pool of money generated from the recycled textiles.

- - -

Out of State Travel

Mayor Koch made a motion to approve the Out of State Travel of Bernazzani Elementary School to Canobie Lake Park, Salem, NH on June 13, 2012; Wollaston Elementary School to Canobie Lake Park, Salem, NH on June 11, 2012; Montclair Elementary School to Canobie Lake Park, Salem, NH on June 13, 2012; and North Quincy High School Air Force Junior ROTC to Pinkham Notch/Lake of the Clouds, NH from June 19 through June 21, 2012. Mr. McCarthy seconded the motion, and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

- - -

Additional Business

Mr. Bregoli announced that there will be a Policy Subcommittee meeting on Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at 4:30 pm in the 2nd floor conference room of the NAGE Building. This meeting will focus on the Community Service pilot.

Mr. McCarthy announced that there will be a Facilities and Security meeting on Wednesday, April 11 on the proposed Maintenance department merger. Mr. McCarthy also requested of Mr. Murphy that information on individual project costs be added to the School Roofing Repair and Upgrade spreadsheet.

Mrs. Mahoney suggested to Mr. Segalla that Google Analytics would be a tool to utilize for assessing website traffic. She also suggested surveying parents about website usage.

Mayor Koch inquired whether the April 11 Facilities and Security Subcommittee meeting would also be about the Coddington Hall renovation project. Mr. McCarthy clarified that a separate meeting would be scheduled shortly for that presentation by Wessling Architects.

- - -

Reports of Special Committees

Budget and Finance Subcommittee

Ms. Isola presented a report of the Budget and Finance Subcommittee meeting of March 26, 2012. At that meeting, Mr. Mullaney reported on the expenditures in the Academic Classroom Teachers, Academic Programs, Academic Support, and non-Academic Support. Surpluses and deficits in various line items align and there is a small projected deficit of $66,000, although Mr. Mullaney feels this will be reconciled by the end of the fiscal year. For the revolving accounts, Food Services and Rentals are projecting surpluses. Transportation and Athletics have small deficits that will be covered by account balances from previous years.

Mrs. Roberts reviewed the plans for spring curriculum purchases, including Go Math! Consumable Pupil Editions for Grades K-2. She is also planning to purchase supplemental workbooks for Math, Grades 4-5 and 6-8 and Agenda books for Grades 4-8 system-wide. From the FY2013 budget, Mrs. Roberts is proposing purchasing Go Math! Grade 3 and supplementing the planned Journeys pilot by adding one or two elementary schools at a cost.

Mr. McCarthy made a motion to accept the minutes of the March 26, 2012 Budget and Finance Subcommittee Meeting. Mrs. Mahoney seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it.

Special Education Subcommittee

Mrs. Mahoney then reported on the Special Education Subcommittee meeting that was held on Wednesday, March 28, 2012. Agenda items included a review of progress towards the collaborative goals with QPAC, including the Special Education Procedural Guidelines, Teacher Resource Guide, and Parent Brochure for Initial Evaluation. Timelines for drafting, review, and finalization of each item were shared. The Substitute Information form was reviewed and will be introduced at an upcoming Principals’ Meeting with a goal of implementing this for Fall 2012 in schools. For Transitions to Adulthood, it was agreed that this will remain as a long-term agenda item as this is an evolving process. There was resolution to older issues involving communication and information sharing; for 504 Legislation, there was no new information to share at this time. The last item on the agenda was Progress Reports; further information will be shared at the next Special Education Subcommittee meeting on May 23, 2012.

Mrs. Mahoney made a motion to accept the minutes of the March 28, 2012 Special Education Subcommittee Meeting. Mrs. Hubley seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Teaching and Learning Subcommittee

Mrs. Lebo then reviewed the Teaching and Learning Subcommittee Meeting held on Monday, April 2, 2012. At this meeting, Mr. Keith Segalla and Mrs. Mary Fredrickson presented on the six Perkins Core Indicators that the Federal government requires reporting of progress towards attainment for Career and Technical Education students. If Quincy Public Schools fails to meet at least 90% of the Local Adjusted Performance Level for an indicator, QPS is required to develop and implement a Local Perkins Improvement Plan for that core indicator. Data is collected for total population, by gender, ethnic groups, subgroups, nontraditional enrollees, and tech prep students.

Mr. Segalla also presented on Educational Technology initiatives and highlighted in particular the Professional Development initiatives. Over thirty courses were offered in this school year, to support QPS’s transition to Microsoft Office 2010 and to support implementation of new hardware such as MimioTeach and instructional software such as Study Island.

Mrs. Roberts reviewed the Common Core and Curriculum updates, outlining plans for purchases and pilots for the 2012-13 school year detailed in the summary of the Budget and Finance Subcommittee meeting. The final item on the agenda was Science Lab safety. Mr. Segalla reported on the work completed to assess and correct any issues at the high school Science labs in collaboration with the Science department heads. Middle School Science Labs are to be evaluated after April vacation. Mrs. Roberts suggested that this item be referred to a different subcommittee for monitoring; Mrs. Hubley requested it be referred to the Health, Transportation, and Safety Subcommittee and all agreed.

Mrs. Lebo made a motion to accept the Teaching and Learning Subcommittee Meeting minutes from the April 2, 2012 meeting. Mrs. Hubley seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

- - -

Adjournment

On a motion by Mr. McCarthy, seconded by Mrs. Hubley, the School Committee went into Executive Session at 8:20 p.m. for Collective Bargaining. On a roll call vote, the ayes have it 7-0. The School Committee did not return to Open Session.