June 10, 2015 School Committee Meeting

Revised Agenda

Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Wednesday, June 10, 2015, 8:00 pm
Coddington Building

I. Approval of Minutes: Regular Meeting Minutes for May 20, 2015; Executive Session Minutes for May 20, 2015; Public Hearing Minutes for June 1, 2015.

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. Recognitions: Peter Thompson

B. Inspiring Quincy

C. Beyond the Bell Initiative

D. School~Community Business Partnership Events

E. MSBA Projects Update

F. High School Graduations

G. Summer Reading Lists

H. QPAC Parent Academy

I. Retirement Staff Luncheon

J. Special Olympics

K. Summer Professional Development

IV. Old Business:

A. FY2016 Budget (Vote) Dr. DeCristofaro

V. New Business:

A. Sterling Middle School Project - Dr. DeCristofaro, Mr. Timmins

B. CVTE Advisory Board Annual Update - Mr. Keith Segalla

C. FY2015 Budget Transfers - Mr. Mullaney

D. South Shore Educational Collaborative Board (Vote) - Dr. DeCristofaro

VI. Additional Business:

VII. Communications:

VIII. Reports of Subcommittees: Special Education: Mrs. Mahoney to report on the May 28, 2015 meeting

IX. Executive Session: None

X. Adjournment:


Subcommittees of the School Committee

Budget & Finance
Hubley/Bregoli, DiBona, Isola, Koch, Mahoney, McCarthy

Facilities and Security
McCarthy/Bregoli/Hubley

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

  2. Houses on Saville Avenue Referred to Subcommittee at the May 18, 2011 School Committee Meeting. Currently home to the City’s Public Building department, the School Committee and Superintendent see no future educational uses for these properties.

  3. President’s City Inn Referred to Subcommittee at the October 10, 2012 School Committee Meeting. Safety concerns have been expressed about this property that abuts the new Central Middle School. Current construction plans were reviewed at the March 18, 2014 Subcommittee Meeting.

  4. North Quincy High School Campus Expansion/Teel Field Project Referred at the January 22, 2014 School Committee Meeting. A presentation on the proposed enhancements will be scheduled.  

Health, Transportation & Safety
DiBona/Bregoli/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. Science Lab Safety: Referred from the Teaching and Learning Subcommittee at the April 2, 2012 meeting. Monitoring of supplies will be handled by School Safety Teams.

  3. Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Referred to Subcommittee at the September 24, 2012 Special School Committee Meeting. Student Support Services working with Lincoln Hancock, Clifford Marshall, and Parker Elementary Schools on piloting this initiative.

  4. Traffic Concerns at North Quincy High School Referred to Subcommittee at the March 5, 2014 School Committee Meeting. Concerns about East Squantum Street crosswalk/parking lot entrance.

  5. Solar Array Installation on School Roofs Referred from the Facilities & Security Subcommittee on September 10, 2014. Monitoring of the ongoing projects and the educational opportunities.

  6. Learn to Swim Referred at the September 10, 2014 Special School Committee Meeting. Monitoring the ongoing partnership between QPS and the South Shore YMCA.

  7. Farm to School Referred at the September 10, 2014 Special School Committee Meeting. Monitoring the Planning Grant rollout, a collaboration of QPS and the Planning Department.

  8. CPR Certification Referred from the Policy Subcommittee at the September 10, 2014 Special School Committee meeting. Grade 8 students will be certified through Health classes.

  9. Before School Exercise Programs Referred at the September 10, 2014 Special School Committee meeting. Monitoring the implementation of these programs across QPS.

  10. Food Services Technology Referred at the September 10, 2014 Special School Committee meeting. Exploring the options for further publicizing the advantages of these new systems.

Policy
Bregoli/Isola/Hubley

  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; the issue is tabled 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. Further discussion will be held in joint Subcommittee Meetings and Executive Session as it pertains to collective bargaining.

  3. High School Community Service Referred to Subcommittee at the December 14, 2011 School Committee Meeting. In the 2012-13 school year, Grades 10 and 11 completed requirement. In the 2013-14 school year, Grades 11 and 12 completed the requirement. In 2014-15, Grades 9-11 plus any seniors who did not complete their Grade 11 requirement will perform Community Service.

  4. Advertising/Sponsorship Opportunities Referred at the June 13, 2012 School Committee Meeting. Review and discussion of amending the existing policy requested to explore the possibility of raising revenue by accepting advertising sponsorships.

  5. Residency Referred at the September 18, 2013 Special School Committee Meeting. Review of existing policy and expansion to include additional information on verification process.

  6. Review of High School Academic and Extracurricular Programs Referred at the November 13, 2013 School Committee Meeting. A comparison of the offerings at both schools to be analyzed to ensure equitable and parallel opportunities for all students at both facilities.      

  7. Open Enrollment Referred at the October 8, 2014 School Committee meeting for review and discussion to focus on the timeline for placement decisions and communication to parents.

  8. Middle School Grading System Referred at the December 10, 2014 School Committee meeting for review and discussion.

  9. 2016-2017 School Year Calendar Referred at the April 8, 2015 School Committee meeting.

  10. Weather Cancellation Schoolwork Referred at the April 8, 2015 School Committee meeting and shared with the Teaching and Learning Subcommittee. Exploring options for creating Policy for schoolwork during extended periods of weather-related school cancellations.

  11. Concussion Policy Referred at the May 6, 2015 School Committee meeting; as required by law, the policy must be reviewed and amended or reaffirmed every two years.

Special Education
Mahoney/DiBona/McCarthy

  1. Student Information for Substitute Teachers Originally referred to Subcommittee at the January 17, 2007 School Committee Meeting. Aspen Student Information System Special Education module reports will be utilized to share information with substitute teachers beginning in September 2015.

  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
Hubley/Isola/Mahoney

Teaching and Learning
Isola/Hubley/Mahoney

  1. New Educator Evaluations Referred at the September 7, 2011 School Committee Meeting and shared with the School Policy Subcommittee. The 2013-2014 school year is the first year of the new Educator Evaluation process and a collaboration will continue between the School Committee, Superintendent’s Leadership Team, and the Quincy Education Association around issues related to the implementation.

  2. Elementary School Above-Level Students Referred at the May 20, 2015 School Committee Meeting to

Ad Hoc Committees: Channel 22

Sterling Building Committee
DiBona/McCarthy

Sterling/Point Webster Grade 5
McCarthy/Bregoli/DiBona/Hubley/Isola/Koch/Mahoney

Created at the September 10, 2014 Special School Committee meeting to review issues related to Grade 5 being located in middle school buildings.

School District Maps
Isola/Bregoli/DiBona/Hubley/Koch/Mahoney/McCarthy

Created at the September 10, 2014 Special School Committee meeting to review issues related to school district maps.

Minutes

Quincy, Massachusetts – June 10, 2015
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee

Regular Meeting

A regular meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday, June 10, 2015 at the Coddington Building. Present were Mr. Paul Bregoli, Mr. Noel DiBona, Ms. Barbara Isola, Mayor Thomas Koch, Mrs. Anne Mahoney, Mr. David McCarthy, and Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Vice Chair.

Vice-Chair Presiding

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The Superintendent called the roll and Mrs. Mahoney was absent (but arrived at 8:30 p.m.). Also present were: Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Secretary; Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk; Mr. Gary Cunniff, Mr. Michael Draicchio, Dr. John Franceschini, Mrs. Mary Fredrickson, Mr. Walter MacDonald, Ms. Rebecca McInnis, Deputy Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Mr. James Mullaney, Mrs. Maura Papile, Ms. Madeline Roy, Mr. Keith Segalla, City Solicitor James Timmins, Ms. Judy Todd, Mrs. Ruth Witmer; Mr. Scott Alessandro, Citywide Parent Council Co-President, and Ms. Allison Cox, President, Quincy Education Association.

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There was a moment of silence in honor of members of the armed forces serving overseas.

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Regular Meeting Minutes Approved 5/20/15

Mr. McCarthy made a motion, seconded by Ms. Isola, to approve the Regular Meeting minutes for May 20, 2015. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Executive Session Minutes Approved 5/20/15

Ms. Isola made a motion, seconded by Mr. McCarthy, to approve the Executive Session minutes for May 20, 2015. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Public Hearing Minutes Approved 6/1/15

Mr. Bregoli made a motion, seconded by Ms. Isola, to approve the Public Hearing minutes for June 1, 2015. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.

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Open Forum

Mr. Scott Alessandro said that while the funding in this year’s budget allows for expanded technology education and instrumental music programs, in future budgets, he would like to see earlier opportunities for foreign language and expansion of the art and music programs. Mr. Alessandro also asked School Committee to think about student investment in learning at this point in the year when discussing the 2016-2017school year calendar.

Mrs. Hubley asked the indulgence of her colleagues to take the agenda out of order and moved to the Career & Technical Education program update.

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New Business

CVTE Advisory Board Annual Update

Executive Director of Career & Technical Education Keith Segalla introduced Tara Anderson, Yearbook Representative from Jostens Printing and Publishing and CVTE Department Chair Rebecca McInnis. Ms. Anderson shared highlights of the Quincy Public Schools Career & Technical Education Advisory Boards.

QPS Career and Technical Education programs are approved and operate under the regulations of Chapter 74, Section 4.05 of the General Laws governing career vocational/technical education. All seventeen CTE programs at Quincy and North Quincy High Schools have active Program Advisory Boards consisting of representatives from organized labor, business and industry, post-secondary institutions, and parents and students.

This year’s Program Advisory Board meeting was held on October 23, 2014, at which time members had an opportunity to visit and assess program components, including: safety and equipment, student enrollment, Program of Studies, curriculum and instructional materials, review program national standards (if applicable), articulation agreements, receive an update on the previous year’s recommendations, and stablish program goals and share professional development initiatives.

Ms. McInnis then updated on Perkins funds received this year, which totaled $127,000, a 9% increase from the previous year. Following the recommendations of the Program Advisory Boards, the following purchases were made.

Curriculum:
Culinary Arts: 25 ServSafe Text Books and Exams
Business Technology: 25 Entreprenurship Textbooks and 25 Accounting Textbooks
Career Safe, an on-line safety course for 250 Juniors—this is a new requirement from DESE; all students in CTE programs must have a safety credential.

Educational Software:
Automotive: AllData Software
Engineering Technology: PLTW Software Suite
Legal/Protective Services: 911 simulation software
Health Care Technology: Dean Vaughn Medical Terminology Software

Technology:
Design and Visual Communications: 5 iMac Computers
Broadcasting Technology: 5 iMac Computers
Engineering Technology: 25 Dell Computers
Engineering Technology: 3D Printer
Early Education, Health Care Technology: 2 Short-Throw Projectors and Laptops
Information Technology: 2 Cisco Routers

Equipment:
Culinary Arts: Display Case for Bakery
Engineering: 3 – PLTW VEX Kits
Fashion Technology: dress forms
Metal Fabrication and Joining Technologies: Miller AC/DS Dynasty 200 Tig welding machine; Miller 252 Mig welding machine
Carpentry Technology: Powermatic 201 Planer
Plumbing Technology: Storage Bins

Stipends:
Employability Specialist assisted in the development of student portfolios and scheduled interviews with our business partners and QPS administrators.
Curriculum Enhancement: Staff members worked with Future Chefs, SkillsUSA, Fashion Show, National Business Honor Society, Innovative Engineers Program, and other Post-Secondary activities and opportunities.

Of the $127,000 in Perkins grant funds, 75% was allocated for Curriculum, Educational Software, Technology and Equipment and 25% for Professional Stipends for Student Employability and Curriculum Enhancements

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New Business

Sterling Middle School Project

Mayor Koch introduced the Sterling Middle School Building Committee Chair City Solicitor James Timmins. Mayor Koch noted that this is a milestone for the City of Quincy, a new Sterling Middle School has been talked about for many years. Mayor Koch noted that Quincy will receive in the neighborhood of 75% reimbursement for this project and there will be no land acquisition costs.

Mr. Timmins introduced the Sterling Building Committee members present: School Committee members David McCarthy and Noel DiBona, Principals Witmer and Franceschini, parents Rita Murphy and Kristin Perry, and from Public Buildings, Walter MacDonald and Gary Cunniff.

Mr. Timmins introduced representatives from Joslin Lesser Associates (the Owners Project Manager) and Ai3, the Designer. Ai3 was the design firm for the Central Middle School and a unanimous choice based on their presentation to the MSBA Designer Selection panel.

Mr. Scott Dunlap from Ai3 presented a Sterling Middle School project concept, emphasizing the neighborhood connections and the Grades 5-8 student population as the primary considerations for the feasibility study and design process.

Mrs. Mahoney asked whether the existing Sterling Middle School would be torn down and what the time frame might be. Mr. Kerwin from Joslin Lesser said that what was shared tonight from Ai3 was a very early concept of a building that would be constructed immediately behind the existing school. Plans would be made to keep the existing Sterling Middle School in operation during the construction. As we get further into the design and planning process, these details will be finalized and schedules shared with the public.

Mr. DiBona said that the concept presented is beautiful and he would like to see the design incorporate separate entrances for the lower grades. Mr. Kerwin said the planning phase will be the opportunity to surface these concerns and considerations.

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Old Business

QPS FY2016 Budget

Dr. DeCristofaro reviewed the FY2016 budget development process, discussions in Budget & Finance Subcommittee, the review of salaries, expenses, and revolving account.

Ms. Isola made a motion to approve the Quincy Public Schools FY2016 Budget as presented. Mr. McCarthy seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it 7-0.

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Superintendent's Report

Dr. DeCristofaro opened the Superintendent’s Report by recognizing Mr. Peter Thompson for his support of Substance Abuse Awareness for students and parents of Quincy Public Schools. After a short video, Mr. Thompson spoke of his pride in the Quincy Public Schools and that our students know that they are surrounded by caring adults. It is easy to fund these programs, Quincy Public Schools and the City of Quincy have done the right things trying to address the issues of substance abuse. Commended everyone on School Committee, keep focused on the important message. Mr. Thompson is committed to continuing to support Quincy Public School’s efforts every year. Mr. Thompson is proud to say he is from Quincy Point and a Quincy High School graduate. Working with Quincy Public Schools gave him the opportunity to mentor students in the way he was mentored growing up.

Mrs. Mahoney left the meeting at 9:30 p.m.

Mrs. Hubley returned to the New Business section of the meeting agenda.

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New Business (resumed)

Mr. Mullaney reviewed transfers for the FY2015 Budget, $391,000 to address line item deficits and $60,000 to address priorities for curriculum and testing purchases.

FY2015 Budget Transfers

Ms. Isola made a motion to approve the FY2015 Budget Transfers as presented. Mr. Bregoli seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 5-0. Mrs. Mahoney and Mayor Koch were absent.

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SSEC Board Representative

Ms. Isola made a motion that Dr. DeCristofaro continue to represent Quincy Public Schools on the South Shore Educational Collaboration Board. Mr. DiBona seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it. Mrs. Mahoney was absent.

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Additional Business

Mr. Bregoli asked to add discussion about holding Voter Registration at both high schools to appear on a future agenda for referral to the Policy Subcommittee.

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Reports of Subcommittees

Mrs. Hubley noted that all Subcommittee meeting minutes are posted online at www.quincypublicschools.com.

As there were no corrections, the minutes of the May 28, 2015 Special Education Subcommittee meeting were approved as presented.

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Superintendent’s Report (resumed)

Dr. DeCristofaro resumed the Superintendent’s Report with summarizing the Beyond the Bell program, hundreds of teachers created programming for thousands of children, extending the school day with creative enrichment opportunities. Commended Superintendent’s Leadership and Principal Team members for their efforts in working with staff and our many community partners.

Recent Partnership activities include the Student Athletic Summit held on June 3; the Community Service Learning Breakfast on May 27; and today’s Flag Day Celebration at Lincoln Hancock. The Retirement Luncheon will be held on Tuesday, June 16, in partnership with the Quincy Education Association.

QPAC recently held a parent and student Sensory Night, thanks to Cassandra Beck for organizing this community event.

This week’s high school graduations were spectacular for almost 700 students and their families. Thanks to Public Buildings/Maintenance, the Parks and Police Department, who worked with school administrators and teachers to organize the many details that made for successful events.

Home-School Connections for the Atherton Hough and Squantum Elementary School were shared with the School Committee.

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Adjournment

Prior to adjournment, Dr. DeCristofaro thanked School Committee for the many hours of subcommittee and regular meetings, working with the Superintendent’s Leadership Team and Principals on Policy, Budget, and many other issues.

Mayor Koch made a motion to adjourn for the evening at 9:55 p.m. The motion was seconded by Mr. Bregoli and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.