Minutes
Quincy, Massachusetts - May 26, 2010
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Regular
A regular meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday,
May 26, 2010 in the City Council Chambers, City Hall. Present were: Mr. Dave
McCarthy, Mrs. Emily Lebo, Ms. Barbara Isola, Mrs. Elaine Dwyer, Mrs. Jo-Ann
Bragg, Mrs. Anne Mahoney, and Mayor Thomas P. Koch, Chairman.
Chairman
Presiding
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The Superintendent called the roll and all members were present. Also present
were: Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Secretary; Mrs. Tefta Burrelli, Clerk; Messrs.
Mullaney, Draicchio, and Keith Segalla; Ms. Roberts, Tenaglia, Todd, and Hughes.
Paul Phillips, QEA President; Ms. Tracey Christello, Citywide, Lawrence
Liuzzo, and Darius Varmahmoodi High School Student Representatives.
The Committee observed a moment of silence for Mr. Dana Smith, a long time
teacher in Quincy High School who recently passed away.
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Reg.Mins Approved 5/12/2010
On a motion by Mrs. Bragg, seconded by Mr. McCarthy, the Committee
approved the regular session minutes for May 12, 2010. On a roll call vote,
the motion passed unanimously 7-0.
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Exec. Session Mins. Approved 5/7/2010
On a motion by Mr. McCarthy, seconded by Mrs. Lebo, the Committee
approved the Executive Session minutes for May 7, 2010. On a roll
call vote, the motion passed 5-0. MRS. BRAGG and MRS. DWYER
ABSTAINED.
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Student Recognition
The National Honor Society students were recognized this evening. Mr. Rob Shaw,
Assistant principal at North Quincy High School, and Ms. Ellen Murray,
Assistant Principal at Quincy High School, introduced staff and students. Students
were recognized with a certificate and congratulated by the School Committee.
They wished them much success in their future endeavors.
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Supts. Report
Graduations for Quincy High School and North Quincy High School are
next week—June 7 and June 8 at the Veterans Memorial Stadium. The
program begins at 6:00 p.m. for both evenings.
Dedication ceremony will be held on Sunday, August 29 from 2:00 p.m. –
6:00 p.m. for the new Quincy High School.
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Open Forum
Emily Hajjar said she was disappointed that graduation was not being held
at Adams Field. Zach Dwyer, Maggie Mahoney, Mark Mountain, Danielle
Woods, Carrie Sunde and Dan Hennessey asked the Committee to keep the
Arts and sports. The theater classes help those students that don’t participate
in sports. Sarah Allesandro and Gail MacDonald asked to keep the literacy
program and all day Kindergarten. Bob Haley spoke to the budget. He offered
three solutions for the Mayor to consider. Maria Schwartz asked to consider
keeping the after school activities. Jacquelene Kelly, Joan Holt, Oanh Vu, and
Tracey Christello were concerned with the proposed elimination of media. Megan
Croake asked to keep the health Career/Tech program. This program provides
a strong introduction into nursing.
Ms. Peggy Ferris asked that they keep the office Para at Beechwood Knoll.
This position is slated to be cut. She asked that they consider security office
aides. It is impossible to expect one person to do everything and to do all
the clerical work. The Paras provide classroom coverage, assist students in
after school van safety, etc. It is an important position.
Janet Shields asked to keep all day Kindergarten. Children learn to read before
the end of the year. With regard to the Paras, you can’t take a 6 hrs. day and put
it into a 2.5 day and increase the number of children without a paraprofessional in
the classroom.
Timothy McNally read his Mom’s letter to the Committee. She asked teachers
to accept the deferment. She also asked the Mayor to look at problems with
DPW, the Maintenance Dept., why does a ladder truck always go to emergencies
and with regard to cutting transportation, no one will walk two miles to school.
Connor Curran-Cross and Kelan Curran Cross, Joshua Gerry, Cindy Conley
asked the members to keep sports. They were concerned with charging fees.
Charging such high fees pits one sport against another sport.
Aliza Schneller asked to keep foreign language in the Middle Schools. This
affects high schoolers trying to get into college. Students learn a foreign
language at a young age. Reconsider keeping these programs.
Olivia Berry spoke to Rachel’s Challenge. A documentary at Quincy High
about Rachel Scott, a student at Columbine High School who was the first
person killed in the shooting disaster.
Karl Roos thanked the teachers who voted for the deferral. However, he
cautioned that this is just a temporary fix. It just bought us time. The cause
of the problem is Beacon Hill. Over the next year, people should let Beacon
Hill knows we need adequate funding for education.
Steve Johnson asked the Committee to reconsider cutting deans. There are
a multitude of issues the deans handle -- bullying/harassment. They provide
a safety net.
Bill Zamzow expressed his appreciation to the QEA for accepting the deferral.
He asked the Mayor to find every single nickel to mitigate cuts to the schools.
The Mayor said that no decisions have been made as yet. The public is
welcome to attend subcommittee meetings and the public hearing. They
appreciate all the input that was shared this evening.
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Bldg. Update Kevin Murphy reports
Maintenance has gone from heating to cooling for those schools offering
summer classes. They have repaired exhaust fans at Merrymount and
Quincy High, repainted stairs at Atherton Hough, removed graffiti from
Marshall and Parker. They have moved 51 file cabinets from Quincy High
School to Codington Hall. New Security cameras have been installed at
Beechwood, Lincoln Hancock and GOALS. At Veterans Stadium, they
rebuilt walls in bathrooms and locker rooms. The Park Dept. has built a
wall and repaved all the grounds. They hope to have it ready for graduation.
Handicap Accessibility @ Stadium
Mrs. Bragg inquired of the three safety issues brought up in the School
Improvement Plans-- potholes at two schools and a birds nest at Merrymount.
The paving hasn’t been done, but the nests have been cleared and nets have
been installed. Mr. Murphy will get back to the Committee when the pot
holes are paved. –
The Mayor added that the money being used in the Veterans Stadium is
left over from closing out the bond work money and not out of any operating
budget.
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New QHS Mrs. Dwyer reports
Mrs. Dwyer reported that the new Quincy high School is on schedule. The
auditorium should be ready in mid-September and the gym the beginning of
October. We hope to have the keys to the building in August. They are
working in the court yard. (Mrs. Dwyer passed out pictures) The Dedication
Ceremony is planned for August 29.
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New Central Supt. Reports
Superintendent reported that on May 4 the Designer Selection Committee
chose Ai3 as the new architect for Central Middle School. The Mayor thanked
Catherine Craven, School Building Authority, for her assistance.
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Open Forum Policy
On a motion by Mrs. Bragg, seconded by Mr. McCarthy, the Agenda will reflect
Open Forum at 7:15 p.m. On a roll call vote, the motion passed unanimously 7-0.
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SC Calendar
On a motion by Mrs. Bragg, seconded by Mr. McCarthy, the Committee
approved the School Committee calendar for the 2010-2011 school year.
The ayes have it.
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Out of State/Country Trips
On a motion by Mrs. Bragg, seconded by Mr. McCarthy, the Committee
approved the following out of state/overnight trips:
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Quincy High School to Baran Institute of Technology, CT
on 5/13/2010
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Atlantic Middle School to Camp Burgess from 6/8/2010-6/11/2010
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Broad Meadows Middle School to Canobie Lake on 6/17/2010
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Snug Harbor to Canobie Lake on 6/9/2010
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Point Webster to New York City on 6/10/2010-6/11/2010
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Parker School to Canobie Lake on 6/16/2010
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Montclair to Canobie Lake on 6/16/2010
The ayes have it.
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Communications Sen. Harkin’s Bill
Ms. Isola inquired about an act presented (Keep Our Educators Working
Act) by Senator Harkin for $23 billion dollars for education. The Mayor’s
office is watching this bill. Mayor Koch said Senator Harkin pulled the
bill however, it has been sent back to the House. The House is re-filing an
attachment to fund the Iraq war effort. There was a concern about a filibuster.
It is a stimulus package but it would be a one year deal. People are free to
call Senator Kerry, Senator Brown, or Bill Delahunt’s office. It is for the
retention of teachers or the hiring of new teachers.
Mrs. Bragg told the audience that she receives their emails, but she is not
allowed to comment on them because of a conflict of interest.
Payroll request
She asked Mr. Mullaney and the Mayor to look into using emails for those
people getting direct deposit. This would save the City and the schools
money. They would just need to take the Social Security numbers off.
Request for Figures from Mr. Puleo
Regarding the City Budget on page 10, Mrs. Mahoney asked the Mayor to
have Mr. Puleo give the actual amounts for the fiscal year revenue. There
are percentages, but no amounts. She also asked that Mr. Puleo share
the information on revolving accounts on the City side.
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Garden @ SH Off Subcommittee
Elaine Dwyer took off the Building Subcommittee the Garden at Snug Harbor
Community School.
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Mrs. Lebo reports Special Ed. Subcommittee
On May 5, the Special Education Subcommittee met. They discussed transportation
issues. Mr. Draicchio and Ms. Gropp were present to answer questions. Bus
Conduct Reports will be going to principals as well as parents.
First Responder Forms and Binders will be reviewed by Ms. Todd and Ms.
Kisieluis. This form is voluntary but all parents should be aware of its value
and invited to use it.
Ms. Perry and Ms. Gichuhi shared the new DESE publication on PAC guidelines.
Easy IEPs are used for in-district students only. The Central office thinks the use
is going well. Parents report that special education progress reports are not being
done at the high schools and some inclusion classes. Ms. Todd will follow up.
There were questions about the potential teacher losses in programs because of the
budget. Ms. Lebo spoke of the devastation the budget will have on the district and
how the effect will be across the district. Many valuable initiatives and programs
will be affected.
On a motion by Mrs. Lebo, seconded by Mrs. Bragg, the committee approved the
Special Education Budget Subcommittee minutes. The ayes have it.
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Retirements
The Committee noted the following retirements:
Teachers: Janet Little, Anne Smith, Margaret Spender
Dean: John Raymer
Resignations
The Committee noted the following resignations:
Security: Joseph C. Barrett
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On a motion by Mr. McCarthy, seconded by Ms. Mahoney, the Committee
Executive Session
voted to go into Executive Session at 9:20 p.m. for the purpose of negotiations.
On a roll call vote, the motion passed 5-0. MRS. BRAGG, MRS. DWYER
ABSTAINED.
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Return from ES
At 9:45 p.m. the Committee came back to regular session.
Agreement reached with QEA
The Mayor said
the Committee has reached an agreement with the QEA and will be signing that
agreement in a couple of days.
Adjournment
On a motion by Mrs. Lebo, seconded by Ms. Isola, the Committee adjourned
for the evening at 9:46 p.m. The ayes have it.