Minutes
Quincy, Massachusetts – May 21, 2014
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Regular Meeting
A regular meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday,
May 21, 2014 in the Central Middle School Auditorium. Present were
Mayor Thomas Koch, Mr. Paul Bregoli, Mr. Noel DiBona, Ms. Barbara Isola,
Mrs. Anne Mahoney, Mr. David McCarthy, and Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Vice Chair.
Vice-Chair
Presiding
- - -
The Superintendent called the roll and all were present. Also present were:
Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Secretary; Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk; Mr. Christopher
Cassani, Mr. Michael Connor, Mr. Gary Cunniff, Mr. Michael Draicchio, Mrs.
Mary Fredrickson, Ms. Molly Good, Ms. Beth Hallett, Ms. Cara Keparcik, Mr.
Walter MacDonald, Ms. Lisa McBirney, Mr. James Mullaney, Deputy
Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Mr. Kevin Murphy, Mrs. Ellen Murray, Mrs.
Maura Papile, Ms. Madeline Roy, Mr. Keith Segalla, Mr. Robert Shaw, Mr.
Lawrence Taglieri, Ms. Judy Todd; Ms. Allison Cox, President, Quincy
Education Association; Ms. Paula Reynolds and Ms. Fiona McGarry, Citywide
Parents Council Co-Presidents; and Ms. Deborah Nabstedt, President of the
Quincy Parent Advisory Council to Special Education.
- - -
There was a moment of silence for Mr. Joseph Mahoney, father-in-law of
School Committee member Anne Mahoney.
- - -
Regular Meeting Minutes Approved
5/7/14
Ms. Isola made a motion, seconded by Mr. McCarthy, to approve the Regular
Meeting minutes for May 7, 2014. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
- - -
Agenda Out of Order
Ms. Isola made a motion, seconded by Mr. Bregoli, to take the meeting agenda
out of order and move to the Superintendent’s Report. On a roll call vote, the have it.
- - -
Superintendent’s
Report
National Honor
Society Recognitions
Quincy High School National Honor Society advisor Mollie Good and North Quincy
High School National Honor Society advisor Kara Pekarcik introduced National
Honor Society Officers from both Quincy High School and North Quincy High School
to speak about the pillars of the National Honor Society: Scholarship, Character,
Leadership, and Service.
Dr. DeCristofaro said that of the 91 seniors being recognized this evening, 60% have
been Quincy Public Schools students from Pre-Kindergarten or Kindergarten
through Grade 12; another 20% entered in elementary school, and 10% in middle
school. He noted that their success is the product of hard work and the support of
their parents, teachers, guidance, and deans. Ms. Isola congratulated all of the
scholars and wished them the best.
NQHS National Honor Society Scholars: Nisreen Abo-Sido, Simon Belcher, Katherine
Burke, Nicholas Burt, Katherine Chan, Jing Jung Chen, Sherry Chen, Wilson Chen,
Winnie Ching, Celeste Dang, Ricky Diep, Ka Wo Fong, Yi Fung, Andy He, Perry Huang,
Michelle Kung, Matthew Lau, Jennifer Liang, Stanley Lok, Emily Mai, Refiola Malushi,
Stephan Maranian, Abigail Mayo, Emily Mottolo, Michelle Murphy, Simon Quach,
Carolyn Schwartz, Jason Tan, Sarah Tran, Cynthia Vu, Michelle Zeng
QHS National Honor Society Scholars: Abigail Akoury, Colleen Andrews, Fatmah
Berikaa, James Brennick, Shauna Canavan, Yu Ling Chen, Elio Daci, Xylena
Desquitado, Kelly Dooling, Liam Fitzmaurice, Amanda Flores, Elizabeth Foley,
Marlena Forrester, Stacey Gallagher, Shamus Hill, Jie Xian Huang, Angela Hyslip,
McKayla Johnston, Madeline Kamb, Jorgji Kerthi, Madison Kirby, Matthew
Koslowski, Elizabeth Le, Amanda Lee, Michelle Lee, Jianan Liu, Lindsey Lo,
Dominique Lucier, Kayla McArdle, Leann McColgan, Aidan McMorrow, Hodan
Musse, Trang Nguyen, Taylor Parry, Martha Pham, Michael Pugsley, Courtney Ryan,
Emiri Sato, Lindsay Schrier, Steven Simons, Kenneth Sorenson, Phyliss St-Hubert,
Iqrah Tauhid, Tayle Tervakoski, Kevin Truong, Kelsey Tucker, Bridget Wahlberg,
Bethany Walker, Olivia Wallace, Allan Wong, Jin Yu Xie, Chu Jun Zheng, Yu Yao
Zheng, Yuping Zheng, Diana Zhou, Jia Zhou, Linda Zhou
Mrs. Hubley said that she is proud to recognize these accomplished young men and
women.
- - -
Open Forum
Mr. John Segale, Mrs. Courtney Perdios, Ms. Alexis Veith, and Mr. David Jacobs all
spoke against the possibility of a Grades 4-8 configuration at the new Sterling
Middle School building. A petition with over 500 signatures was presented to the
School Committee.
Ms. Paula Reynolds, Co-President of the Citywide Parent Council spoke in support
of having more options for the study of Foreign Language in middle school.
- - -
Superintendent's
Report (resumed)
Dr. DeCristofaro then resumed the Superintendent's Report by reviewing some
recent events, including National Public Works Week, where over 600 Grade 3
students toured the Department of Public Works facility, Grade 4 students
participated in an essay contest, and Grade 5 students created banners. The
winning banners for each school will be displayed along Hancock Street in Quincy
Center.
The Quincy Public Schools Teacher Mentor program had their concluding meeting
for the year. Over 50 new staff members were paired with mentors to assist with
transition and first year issues. Retired QPS educators Linda Beck and Joe
Mazzarella are part of the mentor team which is chaired by Principal Jim Hennessy
and Senior Curriculum Coordinator Madeline Roy.
The John & Abigail Adams Orchestra performance was held on Monday
evening. Over 75 young musicians play in the two orchestras under the direction of
Michael DeMarco and Jane Aiello.
The Presidents Cup, held on Saturday, May 17, was once again sponsored by Bluefin
Robotics. This competition for 80 middle school students from all five schools was
staffed by over 30 volunteers (high school students; middle and high school
teachers; Bluefin staff). Point Webster is the winner of this year's Presidents Cup.
The 2014 Summer Scene brochure is now available; the brochure is posted online at
www.quincypublicschools.com and was emailed to families via Aspen.
Home School Connections: Atherton Hough, Bernazzani, and Wollaston Elementary
Schools Monthly Newsletters were shared with School Committee, along with an
updated Spring Concert schedule.
Mr. McCarthy made a motion for Dr. DeCristofaro to represent Quincy Public
Schools on the Board of the South Shore Educational Collaborative. Ms. Isola
seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
- - -
Old Business
Policy Update on
Athletic Eligibility
(9.8.5)
Mr. Bregoli read the revision of the Athletic Eligibility Policy (9.8.5) into the record:
To be eligible for high school sports, a student may not have more than one failing
grade during the last marking period preceding the contest. To be eligible for fall
sports, a student may not have more than one failing grade on the previous academic
year final report card. All incoming grade 9 students are eligible for fall sports. The
academic eligibility of all students shall be considered as official and determining only
on the date when the report cards for that ranking period have been issued.
Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the revised Athletic Eligibility Policy as
presented. The motion was seconded by Ms. Isola.
On the motion, Mr. DiBona reiterated that while he supports the revised Policy, he is
still concerned about implementation timeline. Mr. DiBona is concerned that there
will not be enough time for students to address their end of the year grades and
eligibility for Fall sports could be affected. He would like to begin the Policy
September 1, 2014 and have it take effect for winter sports.
On a roll call vote, the ayes have it 6-1. Mr. DiBona voted NO.
- - -
New Business
Public Buildings/
Maintenance
Department Update
Director of Public Buildings Gary Cunniff introduced Walter MacDonald, who
reviewed the Accelerated Repair Program for Window Replacement for North
Quincy High School, Merrymount, and Wollaston. The initial round of bidding was
completed and the estimates were higher than the architect and Owner’s Project
Manager (OPM) had prepared and submitted by $600,000. The Massachusetts
School Building Authority (MSBA) will not reimburse for this overage, so the whole
project must be re-bid. There will be a value engineering process to review the
details and the schedule and the project will be sent out to bid. The lead time to
manufacture windows is 14 to 16 weeks, so these windows will not be installed in
Summer 2014. The original bids called for work to be performed during the school
year after hours, adding to the complexity for the contractor. The OPM will assist us
with preparing revised specifications and we have been notified that other
municipalities are facing similar issues. MSBA is suggesting bidding the project in
Fall 2014, order the windows, and store them for Summer 2015 installation.
Mr. Bregoli asked for clarification on the timeline and Mr. MacDonald said work
could possibly begin during April vacation 2015, but definitely for summer
2015. There are no penalties from the MSBA for delaying the timeline. Mr. Bregoli
asked about the next round of windows. Mr. MacDonald said that we do not know
yet whether we will be awarded another round of windows, although the MSBA
made recent visits to Parker and Lincoln Hancock.
Mayor Koch stated that the delay for these projects would not impact the other
projects in the pipeline. Mayor Koch said that his concern was that we followed the
MSBA procedure; he has suggested to the MSBA that their process should be altered
to hold the financial approval from the City Council after contractor bids are
reviewed. Mayor Koch cannot support the installation being done during the school
year, the interruption to the education process is too great.
For Coddington Hall, substantial completion is on schedule for mid-June. Flooring,
doors and hardware, millwork, lighting, finish plumbing and painting, tie-ins to
mechanical systems are underway on all floors. Exterior caulking is being finished,
enclosures for chillers and dumpsters built, signage is being developed, and exterior
lighting and rough landscaping underway. In late June, the construction trailers will
be removed. Underground utility installation on Coddington Street began today and
should be completed by Friday, May 23. Bids for moving have been submitted; IT
equipment has been ordered and await a dust-free environment for
installation. Public Buildings is collaborating with Superintendent DeCristofaro and
QPS staff to move the project ahead on schedule.
The development of the green space on the site of the former Quincy High School is
underway, with anticipation of a bid package being available the 2nd week of
June. Site preparation work will be done by city Parks employees, fill has been
brought in. Mayor Koch noted that there have been several meetings about the
project, with participants including former School Committee member Mrs. Lebo,
Dr. DeCristofaro, and Principal Taglieri. There are Massachusetts Historic
Commission requirements to memorialize the former Quincy High School building
that will be integrated into the design. Mayor Koch is looking forward to the
completed Coddington Street corridor.
Mr. McCarthy asked for the estimated completion date for the green space. Mr.
MacDonald said the goal is for this to be completed by the start of school, with the
lawn to be seeded for fall growth.
Mr. Cunniff said that at Quincy High School, the facade of the building has been
finished and a retaining wall was completed. The metal and glass curtain wall
system was installed and the only item remaining is trim at the roof edge. The site
fencing will be re-purposed by the QHS metal shop. In addition, there was some
incidental damage to QHS during the demolition of the old building and that has all
been repaired. The re-commissioning process at QHS to improve the efficiency and
comfort level of the building is underway. This year-long effort surfaced issues
about sub-standard performance, including blocked ductwork and malfunctioning
valves that were repaired at no cost. An outside engineering consultant reviewed
the scope of the building and the digital control system already installed in the
building. The consultant's final recommendation was that the installed program
was not open and accessible and should be replaced. Installation of a new system
began in January and moved into testing in March. Once the acceptance phase is
completed in June, active commissioning will begin.
Also at Quincy High School, upgrades were completed to exterior and parking lot
lighting. The timing of the lighting will be adjusted and longer-life bulbs were
installed. Lingering issues include in-ground lighting still to be addressed and the
magnetic holders for the fire doors. This will be addressed over the summer when
the school is vacant as it ties to the fire alarm system. Mr. McCarthy asked about the
new digital control system, the new system is being funded by the Honeywell
settlement money. A Honeywell system that is being replaced, at a cost of around
$35,000. Mr. McCarthy asked about the exterior light retrofitting and whether that
would be extended to other schools. Mr. Cunniff said that Clifford Marshall, Point
Webster, and Lincoln Hancock were also upgraded with LED lamps, timers/
dimmers, and motion sensors to assist with cost savings. This was funded through a
grant, and it is a goal to continue to pursue as these longer-lasting lights will save on
maintenance costs. Shelley Dein, Sustainable Energy manager, has been working to
secure the funding for these projects.
At Central Middle School, we have made significant progress in closing out the
contract. The final documentation for the MSBA is being prepared and a small
punchlist will be addressed in the next few weeks. Final submission should occur in
late June or July, and final payments will be made to the contractor with reductions
for the value of the punchlist items still to be completed. Remaining items will be
handled by Public Buildings through Maintenance and Contractual. Change orders
were 2.6% of the project, well within the industry standards. This is a beautiful
building, one of the better in the Commonwealth; a significant undertaking for the
city and commitment to the students and staff of Central Middle School.
Mr. McCarthy asked if there were significant punchlist items. Mr. Cunniff said
examples are a non-functioning projection screen in the auditorium, a fan motor in a
science lab, and small damaged tiles in a locker room. Some items are not working
satisfactorily, but are working somewhat.
Mr. Cunniff then spoke of the Solar City project potentially installing solar arrays on
21 city buildings, including all 18 school buildings. Solar City is in the process of
evaluating/surveying building roof structures. This green initiative has the goal of
reducing utility costs. An energy subcontractor is evaluating the structures of all
roofs; work is anticipated to begin soon after school gets out in June. All of the costs
for engineering, installation, and maintenance are borne by the contractor. The
energy generated will be purchased by the city at a fixed rate that is 5% lower than
current rates. Solar City receives tax credits and energy credits and depreciation on
their installed equipment.
Several other green initiatives are underway, including installation of variable
frequency drives on fan motors to decrease electric consumption. This is fully
funded by National Grid and reduces electricity costs. Point Webster, Clifford
Marshall, Lincoln Hancock, and North Quincy High School are all in process. Public
Buildings is also looking at building control systems for Point Webster, Clifford
Marshall, Lincoln Hancock, and North Quincy High School funded by the Honeywell
settlement.
Mr. Kevin Murphy then reviewed Maintenance updates on School Improvement
Plan issues; 90% of Maintenance items have been completed. Contractual issues
such as parking lots and remaining painting will be scheduled for summer 2014. At
NQHS, the public bidding process has been initiated to replace control system in the
newer section of the building to address uneven distribution of heating and
cooling. New thermostat devices will be installed in individual rooms in the older
section of the building. Additional projects are to be addressed over the summer as
defined by the Superintendent. Mr. Bregoli complimented Mr. Murphy for his
responsiveness and prompt addressing of issues brought to his attention. Mr.
McCarthy thanked Mr. Murphy, Mr. MacDonald, Mr. Cunniff and asked for
clarification on sprinkler system inspections and whether those are completed
annually. Mr. Murphy said he would follow up on this question.
Superintendent DeCristofaro thanked all three presenters, they meet as part of the
Plant/Maintenance Team every couple of weeks on facility issues, and are always
responsive and address issues in a timely manner.
- - -
Inspire Quincy
Dr. DeCristofaro then introduced an Inspire Quincy video, featuring Treasure Island
at Lincoln Hancock, Squantum Elementary Multi-Cultural Fair, Poetry Month at
Bernazzani, North Quincy High School Art & Photograpy Show, Skills USA chapter at
QHS, Presidents Cup Robotics, National Public Works Week, Mentor Team, and the
Abigail and John Adams Orchestra.
- - -
Parks Department
School Grounds
Update
Mr. Cassani then presented a Parks Department School Grounds Update. Normal
maintenance for the spring calls for each school to be mowed weekly; despite the
rainy weather, the schedule is being maintained and will be followed for the rest of
the growing season. Multiple crews will trim hedges on school properties in July,
followed by preparation for the opening of school and weed whacking. The Parks
Department will take over the management of the Central Middle School property in
June. The 25th annual Cleaner Greener was held in early May and was a tremendous
success because of school principal, staff, student, and parent participation. The
school department’s enthusiasm is a major benefit to the Parks Department and the
city.
The athletics season is coming to the end of regular schedule; the Parks Department
enjoys a great working relationship with Athletic Directors. Veterans Stadium
usage was scheduled this year to take the pressure off Cavanaugh Field to allow for
grass to grow in preparation for the fall athletic season. Fields are being maintained
across the city for high school and community sports. The MIAA is hosting a
baseball tournament at Adams Field that will draw spectators and competitors from
all over the state. Fall scheduling is underway and both athletic directors are
diligent in addressing any issues. The biggest project underway is the
refurbishment of O'Neill field behind Atlantic Middle School. The project’s result
will be a varsity level soccer field with stands. This will assist in transitioning Teel
Field into its refurbishment phase, where artificial turf will be installed and the end
result will benefit athletes at all levels.
Mr. Cassani said that the Parks Department has received a Community Preservation
fund grant of $200,000 for playgrounds on school grounds including new
equipment to address safety compliance. New safety fiber was installed today at
Parker and Montclair. Lincoln Hancock, Wollaston, and Parker will receive
equipment upgrades. Marshall received direct grant funding for a Kindergarten
playground; Atherton Hough’s playground equipment will be expanded to
accommodate older children. The goal is for installation to be complete before
school begins in Fall 2014.
Mr. DiBona asked for a timetable on the completion of Teel Field. Mayor Koch said
the project is with the City Council Financial Committee and expected to move out of
City Council by the end of June. Mrs. Mahoney asked about the source of funding for
the Atlantic field work and it is a City Council appropriation. Mrs. Mahoney asked
for additional communications to be sent to Atlantic parents. Mrs. Mahoney
suggested bike racks be added to the project and a parent has already contacted the
Parks Department. Mayor Koch said that there have been several meetings with the
Atlantic Middle School staff who are very enthusiastic about the project.
Mr. McCarthy thanked Mr. Cassani for his leadership and the way the school
buildings look this season. He asked for clarification on landscaping at Snug Harbor
near the professional development center and the lawn has been seeded. Mr.
McCarthy asked about establishing priorities between the two high schools for
athletic field scheduling and Mr. Cassani said things have gone very
smoothly. League administrators are very cooperative across the city and
deferential to the school priorities when necessary.
- - -
FY2015 Budget
Overview
Dr. DeCristofaro and Mr. Mullaney outlined the two recent Budget and Finance
Subcommittee meetings that have been held to review the draft FY2015 Budget. Dr.
DeCristofaro thanked the Mayor for the city appropriation, the School Committee
for their thoughtful communication of priorities, and the Superintendent's
Leadership Team, Principals, and staff for their work in preparing the budget. All
areas of the budget are reviewed and adjustments proposed to address shifting
population and program needs. As always, students are at the center of the budget
process, with Academic Support Teachers, Academic Programs, Academic Support,
Non-Academic Support, Academic Expenses, and Non-Academic Expenses
addressed in order of priority. Subsidized services (Food Services, Transportation,
Athletics, Building Rentals) were reviewed as well.
The total Quincy Public Schools budget is $97,306,723, a $3.6 million increase over
the FY2014 budget. There are two sources of funding: $94,106,723 from the City
appropriation (3.23% increase) and Circuit Breaker funding of $3,200,000 (25%
increase).
The appropriation allows Quincy Public Schools to meet all contractual obligations,
percentage raises, step and level increases. After these are met, there is $1,675,500
additional funding to address class size and academic programs, including $985,000
of breakage courtesy of 27 retirements in FY2014.
For Academic Classroom Teachers, School Committee class size guidelines are the
deciding factor. Elementary levels are looking at a decrease of two positions across
the 11 schools due to population shifts. For middle school, there is a proposed
expansion of the foreign language program for adding French language instruction
to Grade 8 (2.5 positions). The other middle school restoration is Technical
Education teachers (2.5). An additional ELA teacher is needed for Central Middle
School (1.0), a half-time position at Quincy High School for Physics will become full
time (0.5).
For Academic Programs, the suggestion is for small stipends to be available for
Literacy, Library, Health, Physical Education, Music, and Art to compensate teachers
providing professional development and assisting the curriculum coordinators. The
increasing ELL population needs would be addressed by additional positions (2.0)
and Literacy positions added so that each elementary school will have at least a fulltime Literacy teacher (1.5). An additional instrumental music teacher will be added
(1.0), plus Special Education teachers to address increased needs and state
requirements (2.0).
For Academic Support, the budget calls for an additional school psychologist (1.0),
IT technicians staff (2.0), restores full-time Kindergarten aides to all classrooms
(10.0), and increases Special Education aides (10.0). For non-Academic Support,
the budget has an additional position for Custodial Services (1.0). For Academic
Expenses, grant funding and publisher professional development will allow for a
$13,000 reduction to the professional development, offset by an increase in funding
for purchasing and repairing musical instruments and repairs for $7,500 and
increased funding for testing. Special Education tuitions would be increased by
$300,000, based on projections for student out-of-district placements. For nonAcademic Expenses, proposed increases for natural gas ($100,000), Special
Education transportation ($275,000) would be offset by decreased funding for
transportation purchases. For transportation purchases, the current 3-year lease
purchase agreements are complete; we are looking at purchasing one large bus and
three mini-buses over three years beginning with FY2015.
Under Subsidized Services, the self-funded Food Services department provides
funding for the school meals program. The Federal Bureau of Nutrition sets
guidelines for pricing and reimbursement that School Committee adopts as
policy. This year, prices must increase by $.05 for elementary and middle school
lunches to meet the new guidelines.
For School Building Rentals, rates are established by School Committee and the
funds can be used for salaries, building upkeep, and utilities. Cash balances can be
carried from year to year. The Superintendent’s Leadership Team is
recommending no change to the rental rates.
For the Transportation Revolving Account, revenue consists of fees from students
transported within two miles of school and bus rentals for field trips. Driver
salaries and bus supplies and repairs are paid from this account. The
Superintendent’s Leadership Team recommends retaining the current fee
structure.
The Athletic Revolving Account revenue consists of user fees and gate receipts. The
Superintendent’s Leadership Team is recommending no changes to Athletic User
Fees. Athletic Participation demographics were broken out by individual seasons,
with 1,051 student athletes participated in at least one sport. 270 students
participated in two sports and 105 students participated in three sports.
In summary, the additional funding is allocated 10% for Academic Classroom
Teachers, 22% for Academic Programs, 29% for Academic Support, 2% for NonAcademic Support, 19% for Academic Expenses, 18% Non-Academic Expenses.
Mrs. Mahoney is happy to see increases for musical instruments and repairs;
acquisition is a new line item and repairs were increased by 100%. For furniture,
asked for report on the last 10 years, was money actually spent on furniture or was
it allocated for something else. She also noted increased funding for testing and
data collection, this is a good use of funds to address issues raised in the Teaching
and Learning Subcommittee.
Mrs. Mahoney requested a debriefing on the PARCC field testing process and asked
if we captured information about potential budgetary effects going forward,
especially as it refers to technology performance and test administration.
- - -
Gift: Respiratory
Supplies
Mayor Koch made a motion to approve the gift of respiratory care supplies valued at
$1,900.00 donated by the Alliance for Respiratory Care. Mr. McCarthy seconded the
motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
- - -
Overnight Travel
Mayor Koch made a motion to approve the Overnight Travel of North Quincy High
School AFJROTC to Cannon Mountain, Franconia Notch, New Hampshire on June 24-
26, 2014. Mr. McCarthy seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
- - -
Out of State
Travel
Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the Out of State Travel of F.W. Parker
Elementary School Grade 5 students to Canobie Lake Park, Windham, New
Hampshire on June 11, 2014. Mr. Bregoli seconded to the motion and on a voice
vote, the ayes have it.
- - -
Additional Business
Mrs. Mahoney thanked Dr. DeCristofaro for the information about Principal and
Assistant Principal tenure and requested additional information about professional
experience prior to administrative appointments.
Mrs. Mahoney asked for an update on the Central Middle School principal
position. Deputy Superintendent Kevin Mulvey said the posting will be published
on May 23, a three-week posting internally and externally on SchoolSpring. The
interview process will commence immediately after the closing date. Mrs. Mahoney
asked when Mrs. Fay-Beers gave her notice. Deputy Superintendent Mulvey said he
could not confirm the exact date, but Mrs. Fay-Beers is contracted to remain as
Central Middle School Principal until June 30.
Mrs. Mahoney said the parents who spoke at Open Forum represent the petition of
500 names. A Community Meeting will be hosted by City Councilors Croall and
Palmucci on May 29 at Quincy High School. Mrs. Mahoney said it is unfortunate and
shameful that School Committee did not bring the parents into the process of
discussing grade configurations and suggested approaching the MSBA to delay
finalizing the grade level configuration. The public is still not aware of this issue
and parents will move from the neighborhood once they become aware. The
concerned parents want to send the petition to the MSBA; some consideration
should be given to parents collecting that many signatures in two weeks.
Mr. Bregoli moved the new Student Discipline regulations (Chapter 222 of the Acts
of 2012) into Policy Subcommittee for review at the June 10 Policy Subcommittee
meeting.
- - -
Special Education
Subcommittee
Mrs. Hubley noted that full Subcommittee meeting minutes are posted online on the
School Committee page at www.quincypublicschools.com.
Mrs. Mahoney reviewed the Special Education Subcommittee meeting held on May
15, 2014. Ms. Todd presented the 2012 Graduate Study conducted by the Special
Education department at the request of the Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education. 69% of former Resource Room (81% of graduates) or
Substantially Separate Classroom students (19% of graduates went on to continue
their education at 2- or 4-year colleges or certificate programs; 29% went on to fulltime employment or joined the military.
Ms. Todd then updated on progress towards the Special Education Program
Improvement Plan goals. For the goal of increasing middle school Math scores, all
benchmarks have been achieved, and the success of goal will be known in the fall
when the MCAS scores are available. For the Resource Room goal for Grade 3
students, 9 of 11 schools have already reached the word gain goal and most have
exceeded the goal by far. The third goal is to create a presentation to be shared
with General Education teachers at the opening meeting at each school; this
presentation will be finalized over the summer.
Mrs. White asked for an update on the issue of sharing student accomodation
information with substitute teachers and Ms. Todd said this will be handled through
Aspen Special Education module beginning in Fall 2014.
New QPAC President Ms. Nabstedt presented the QPAC Update; at last week's board
meeting, a new slate of officers was elected: Ms. Beck is Vice-President, Ms. Hurld is
Treasurer, and Ms. Campbell is Outreach Coordinator. Recording Secretary and
Public Relations are open positions. For the 2014-15 school year, QPAC meetings
will be held on Tuesdays at 7:00 pm (September 16; October 7; November 4; and
December 2, 2014; January 6; February 3; March 3; April 7; and May 5, 2015).
QPAC’s Goals for 2014-15 are to continue to improve outreach and to be a resource
for Special Education teachers. QPAC would like to be better connected with the
PTOs and collaborate on issues across the city and will work collaboratively with
Citywide PTO.
Mrs. Mahoney made a motion to approve the minutes of the Special Education
Subcommittee Meeting for May 15, 2014 as amended. Mr. McCarthy seconded the
motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
- - -
Budget and Finance
Subcommittee
Mrs. Hubley waived reviewing the Budget and Finance Subcommittee meetings held
on May 15, 2014 and May 20, 2014 as these meetings were discussed under New
Business.
Ms. Isola made a motion to approve the minutes of the Budget and Finance
Subcommittee Meeting for May 15, 2014. Mr. McCarthy seconded the motion and
on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Mr. Bregoli made a motion to approve the minutes of the Budget and Finance
Subcommittee Meeting for May 20, 2014 as amended. Mr. McCarthy seconded the
motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
- - -
Adjournment
Mayor Koch made a motion to adjourn for the evening at 9:55 p.m. The motion was
seconded by Mr. McCarthy and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.