Minutes
Quincy, Massachusetts – March 2, 2016
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Regular Meeting
A regular meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday,
March 2, 2016 at the Coddington Building. The Superintendent called the roll
and the School Committee members present were Mr. James DeAmicis,
Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Ms. Barbara Isola, Mayor Thomas Koch, Mrs. Emily Lebo,
Mrs. Anne Mahoney, and Mr. Paul Bregoli, Vice Chair.
Vice-Chair Presiding
Also present were: Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Secretary; Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk;
Mrs. Christine Barrett, Mr. Michael Draicchio, Mr. John Fagerlund, Dr. John
Franceschini, Mr. Daniel Gilbert, Mr. James Hennessy, Ms. Margaret MacNeil, Ms.
Courtney Mitchell, Mrs. Robin Moreira, Deputy Superintendent Kevin Mulvey,
Mrs. Ellen Murray, Ms. Noreen O’Connell, Dr. Maryanne Palmer, Mrs. Maura
Papile, Ms. Madeline Roy, Mr. Keith Segalla, Mr. Stephen Sylvia, Ms. Judy Todd,
Mrs. Ruth Witmer; Quincy Education Association President Allison Cox; and
Citywide Co-President Scott Alessandro.
§
There was a moment of silence for all service members serving at home or
overseas.
§
Regular Meeting Minutes Approved
2/10/16
Mayor Koch made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Hubley, to approve the Regular
Meeting minutes for February 10, 2016. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
§
Open Forum
Mr. Scott Alessandro, Citywide Co-President, expressed concerns about MCAS
being used as a measure of success and improvement district-wide. He would like
to see an expansion of opportunities for student and parent participation in
defining measures of student success and urged parents to contact Citywide
Parent Council to participate in the discussion.
§
Superintendent's
Report
Dr. DeCristofaro then introduced the members of the Paraprofessional staff with
twenty or more years of service in Quincy Public Schools for recognition by School
Committee. Administrative Paraprofessional Staff: Marguerite Califano, QHS
Health Office; Jeanne McQuinn, Point Webster Main Office; Paula Nicholson, NQHS
Health Office; Gayle Patten, QHS Attendance; Deborah Purdy, Atlantic Main Office;
Elaine Sullivan, QHS Attendance; Frances Ward, NQHS Attendance. Kindergarten
Paraprofessional Staff: Caroline Choueiri, Merrymount; Ines Lee, Parker; Lan Fong
(Lana) Liu, Wollaston; Catherine MacDonald, Atherton Hough (45 years); Mildred
Savage, Lincoln Hancock; Maisy Tong, Montclair; Carol Wong, Squantum. Special
Education Paraprofessional Staff: Kowshilla (Carla) Jaggernath, Snug Harbor;
Sharon Jarvie, Snug Harbor; Catherine McSweeney, Atherton Hough; Mary Ann
Morgan, Sterling; Jane Pettinelli, Squantum; Marybeth Phillips, Snug Harbor;
Kathleen Powers, Squantum; Rosanne Ready, Broad Meadows; Po Chu Sham, Snug
Harbor. Academic Program Paraprofessional Staff: Carol Calvert, QHS ELL;
Margery Lyons, QTMP.
Mayor Koch echoed the Superintendent’s introduction about the
paraprofessionals and thanked them for all they do in support of our students.
Mrs. Lebo said the Kindergarten teachers are very appreciative of the full-time
Kindergarten aides, students are benefitting from these focused and caring adults
who work with them full time. Ms. Isola said that as a parent, many of those staff
members recognized tonight made a difference in her own children’s lives, can’t
express how much you mean to us. Mrs. Mahoney thanked the paraprofessionals,
provide so many necessary services for students for making learning fun and
providing support when needed.
Mr. Bregoli said the school secretaries and office paraprofessionals are often the
first school staff that students and families meet. Paraprofessionals are critical to
the development of children and the way our schools run. We have much
gratitude for their service to Quincy Public Schools and the City of Quincy.
Dr. DeCristofaro thanked the paraprofessionals and their families for coming to
this evening’s meeting. Beyond the job description, our paraprofessionals have a
love, passion, and nurturing for the students. Some days may be a challenge, but
they all take the opportunity to make a difference. Thanked all the principals, and
staff who came tonight to be part of the recognitions.
After a brief recess, Dr. DeCristofaro opened the Superintendent’s Report with
Inspire Quincy, featuring the Student Leadership Summit for Grade 5 students;
Lincoln Hancock Literacy Night; Emily Z’s BOKS program at Central Middle and
Atherton Hough Elementary Schools; Quincy~North Quincy Girls Hockey
(tournament qualifiers for the first time in the program’s history); and the All-City
Chorus Festival (middle and high school students .
The high school course selection process will begin on March 14. Parents and
students are invited to attend the High School Course Selection Information Nights
on Monday, March 14 at North Quincy High School and Tuesday, March 15 at
Quincy High School.
Dr. DeCristofaro said that the BOKS program began this week at all elementary
and middle schools, over 600 students and 35 trainers. Quincy Public Schools is
grateful to the Zarnoch family and Reebok International for the grant funding the
program and thanked Mrs. Papile and the principals for the organization to launch
the program.
Ms. Hallett reviewed the All-City Chorus Festival, featuring 300 students from all
five middle schools and both high schools. The two-day festival included a
workshop and rehearsal, and a performance of each school chorus and a group
performance with all students. Thanks to Choral Directors Timothy Carew, Louise
Becam, Amanda Buschema, Christopher Boel, Daniel Caruso, and Amy Rogers.
The first round of MIAA Tournament games are underway: Quincy High School
Boys Basketball, North Quincy High School Boys Hockey, and Quincy/North
Quincy Girls Hockey all have games scheduled for this evening. Quincy High
School Boys Hockey was eliminated in their first game; Quincy High School Girls
Basketball won their first game and play again on Thursday.
Thanks to the Technology & Training Team, School and City IT Departments, and
Maintenance, the additional technology purchases funded through the special
budget appropriation have been installed. Training is underway and the ENO
boards and shorthrow projectors are being utilized in classrooms across the city.
The HYPER Robotics team is in its 21st season with seventy students from both
high schools participating. The district competition will be held on March 18-20
at UMass Dartmouth; thanks to Team Facilitator Ed Smith and Team Mentors
Damian Arrondo, Lynne Byron, Michael Gendron, Donald Long, and Kim Pierce.
Read Across America is taking place at all elementary school sites this week, with
guest readers from the Quincy Retired Teachers Association and other Quincy
School~Community Partnership members. The 8th annual Credit for Life Fair will
be held on March 24 at the Tirrell Room for seniors from both high schools.
Kindergarten registration began on February 23 and is ongoing throughout the
rest of the school year. Dr. DeCristofaro thanked the elementary school
secretaries, student support staff, school nurses, and principals for managing the
registration process.
At the March 16 School Committee meeting, the Elementary and Middle/High
School Digital Learning Teams will present.
Dr. DeCristofaro noted that ELL Newsletter and QHS Think/Work/Share monthly
newsletters were included in the School Committee packet.
§
Old Business
2016-2017 School
Committee Meeting
Calendar (Vote)
Mrs. Lebo made a motion, seconded by Mr. DeAmicis, to approve the 2016-2017
School Committee Meeting Calendar. On a roll call vote, the ayes have it 7-0.
§
Revised Concussion
Policy (Vote)
Mrs. Hubley made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Lebo, to approve the Revised
Concussion Policy. On a roll call vote, the ayes have it 7-0.
§
New Business
Enrollment & Districts
Overview
Dr. DeCristofaro presented an overview of Quincy Public Schools enrollment and
districts. Student enrollment and space analysis guides many system components,
such as budget, class size, staffing, programs, student support, technology,
transportation, and curriculum materials. In reviewing system enrollment
between 2006 and 2015, Quincy Public School has shown growth of 370 students,
with the highest level of enrollment in 2013. Over the ten years of full-day
Kindergarten, enrollment for that grade has ranged from a low of 630 students in
2007 to a high of 808 students in 2013. In looking at transitions, between
Kindergarten and Grade 1, most years there is a slight increase between these
grades. For the Grades 5-6 transition, six of ten years showed an increase during
these transitions. Dr. DeCristofaro shared information of current enrollment for
general and special education, a breakdown of out of district special education
student placements, and information on Quincy school-age students attending
private or other public schools (1,100 students).
For elementary schools, Dr. DeCristofaro shared enrollment history from 2006 to
2015. Over ten years, there is a cumulative increase of just under 500 students.
For each elementary school, class size detail was shared for each grade. Average
class sizes remain between 19 and 20 students for all elementary grades. Dr.
DeCristofaro reviewed enrollment trends at each elementary school, each school
is classified as red, yellow, or green in terms of building capacity, both for
academic classrooms and academic programs. Atherton Hough, Parker, and Snug
Harbor are yellow and Beechwood Knoll, Bernazzani, Lincoln Hancock, Clifford
Marshall, Merrymount, Montclair, Squantum, and Wollaston are all red.
For the middle school level, there is a cumulative increase of 139 students over
ten years. For Sterling and Central, increases in neighborhood enrollment were
seen in 2015. For core academic class sizes, 94% of students are enrolled in
classes with 24 or fewer students. Atlantic and Central are classified as red, Broad
Meadows is yellow, and Point Webster and Sterling are green.
For the two high schools, there is a decline of 220 students over the ten years of
2006 to 2015. For core academic programs, 89% of class sizes are at 25 students
or below. Both high schools are classified as green, with capacity for additional
open enrollment. For the last several years, Open Enrollment has been granted for
all applicants between the two schools.
In conclusion, Dr. DeCristofaro presented the information as an overview of the
last ten years since the inception of Full-Day Kindergarten. At this time, Dr.
DeCristofaro is not recommending any changes to school district boundaries. We
have looked at birth projections from the MSBA and the city census, but the
annual Kindergarten enrollment is not reflective of these projections. Families
move in and out of the city before children reach the age to begin school. If the
need to adjust district boundaries arises, the last slide has suggestions of future
considerations.
Mrs. Lebo thanked Dr. DeCristofaro for the presentation and noted that square
footage data is missing for Central and Quincy High School. She also requested
data on Substantially Separate classrooms at the high school level. Mrs. Lebo
asked about home schooled students, there are 17 (missing from the chart).
Mrs. Mahoney asked that the year that Grade 5 transitioned from Lincoln Hancock
to Sterling be noted on the slides and also the APC students at Central. Mrs.
Mahoney asked about the ELC students, were they part of the Central population
in any years but they were not. She suggested this classroom should be added as
a special program to the Point Webster Middle School information. Mrs. Mahoney
requested a breakdown of Open Enrollment requests by home school.
Ms. Isola thanked Dr. DeCristofaro for the depth of the presentation and said that
even though there is an Ad Hoc Subcommittee on District Maps, she and Dr.
DeCristofaro felt that given the volume of the data, this was best shared at a full
School Committee meeting.
Mr. Bregoli asked about Merrymount’s enrollment, Open Enrollment has declined
since NCLB was overturned. Mr. Bregoli asked about the Grade 8-9 student
transition; this is more difficult to track since some Grade 9 students are retained
for a second year rather than moving to Grade 10 due to a lack of points. Mr.
Bregoli requested to see maps of the district border neighborhoods.
Mayor Koch said that many of our schools are at capacity, but not uncomfortably
so. He suggested that School Committee be cautious about reviewing maps, but
would like to keep monitoring the enrollment and building capacity.
Mayor Koch made a motion to place the Enrollment & District Overview Report on
file.
On the motion, Mr. Bregoli said that it would be responsible to consider a phasedin plan for redistricting if this is a long-term objective. Dr. DeCristofaro suggested
that there is not a timeline attached to the idea of redistricting, as it is difficult to
project future enrollments, especially at the elementary levels.
On the motion, Mrs. Lebo said that some of the schools that are closest to capacity
have special programs and these can always be moved. For example, the new
Advanced class options at the middle school level may cause some students to
choose to stay at their home middle school.
Ms. Isola seconded the motion .
Mrs. Lebo made a friendly amendment that the report be filed once the additional
requested data is added. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
§
New Business
Update on Dyslexia
Legislation
Mrs. Lebo updated on two items of legislation before the Massachusetts House and
Senate on creating a legal definition for dyslexia (rather than the umbrella term it
has become) and suggesting early screening in public school districts. The Quincy
Public Schools Literacy program surfaces students for evaluation, as they do not
respond to standard interventions aimed at increasing literacy and
comprehension. Mrs. Lebo urged her colleagues and parents to write to their
legislators to support this pending legislation.
Mr. Bregoli asked Ms. Todd how dyslexia is diagnosed in the Quincy Public
Schools. Ms. Todd said this is done through independent evaluations, since the
defined categories under state Special Education law do not include dyslexia as a
category. Mrs. Lebo said DIBELS Next prescreens students.
Mrs. Mahoney requested that this be a topic on the Special Education
Subcommittee agenda, this is an opportunity for the Quincy Public Schools to
provide support for these students and families. We have the opportunity to
assess the services we can provide in house vs. outplacement and get our students
the help they need.
§
New Business
Out of the Country
Travel
Mrs. Hubley made a motion to approve the Out of the Country Travel of Quincy
High School to Florence and Rome, Italy, April 14-21, 2016. Mayor Koch seconded
the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Out of State Travel
Ms. Isola made a motion to approve the Out of State travel of Bernazzani
Elementary School Grade 5 to Canobie Lake Park, Windham, New Hampshire,
June 15, 2016. Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have
it.
§
Communications
Upcoming meetings were announced: Regular Meetings on March 16 and April
13, 2016, both at 7:00 pm at the Coddington Building; Subcommittee Meetings for
Facilities & Security on Wednesday, March 9, 2016 at 5:00 pm; Special Education
on Wednesday, March 23, 2016 at 6:00 pm, and Teaching & Learning on Monday,
March 28, 2016 at 5:00 pm.
Mrs. Lebo noted that the Special Education parent links are inactive on the Quincy
Public Schools website.
§
Reports of
Subcommittees
Mr. Bregoli noted that all Subcommittee meeting minutes are posted online at
www.quincypublicschools.com.
Health, Transportation,
& Safety
Mr. DeAmicis reviewed the Health, Transportation, and Safety Subcommittee
Meeting held on February 24, 2016. Mrs. Papile and Mrs. Plaskosovitas
presented on the new Life Skills curriculum being implemented at all middle
schools. Mrs. Papile also updated on the Quincy Public Schools partnership with
DOVE.
Teaching & Learning
Ms. Isola reviewed the Teaching & Learning Subcommittee Meeting held on
February 29, 2016. Ms. Roy, Mrs. Perkins, and Mrs. Witmer presented on the
Rapid Reset initiative underway at Snug Harbor, Bernazzani, and Sterling.
Subcommittee Meeting
Minutes Approved
As there were no corrections to the meeting minutes the February 24, 2016
Health, Transportation, and Safety Subcommittee and February 29, 2016
Teaching & Learning Subcommittee Meeting minutes, the minutes were approved
as presented.
§
Executive Session
Mayor Koch made a motion to go to Executive Session for the purpose of
Contract Negotiations at 9:15 p.m. The motion was seconded by Ms. Isola and on
a roll call vote, the ayes have it 7-0. Mayor Koch noted that School Committee
would be returning to regular session at the conclusion of Executive Session.
School Committee returned to regular session at 10:00 pm.
Mayor Koch made a motion to approve the Memorandum of Agreement between
the Quincy School Committee and the Quincy Education Association, Unit A. Ms.
Isola seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it 7-0.
§
Adjournment
Mayor Koch made a motion to adjourn for the evening at 10:05 p.m. The
motion was seconded by Mrs. Mahoney and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.