Minutes
Quincy, Massachusetts - September 7, 2011
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Regular
A regular meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday, Regular
September 7, 2011 at Quincy High School. Present were: Mrs. Jo-Ann
Bragg, Mr. Dave McCarthy, Mrs. Elaine Dwyer, Ms. Barbara Isola, Mrs. Emily Lebo,
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; Ms. Laura Owens, Acting Clerk; Messrs. Draicchio,
Mullaney, Mulvey, Murphy, Santoro, Timmins, and Keith Segalla; Ms. Roberts, Papile,
Erler, Fredrickson, and Todd; Ms. Allison Cox, President, QEA.
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Reg.Mins Approved 6/15/2011
On a motion by Mr. McCarthy, seconded by Ms. Isola, the Committee
approved the regular session minutes for June 15, 2011. On a roll call vote,
the motion passed 7-0.
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Superintendent’s Report
The Superintendent recognized Mrs. Tefta Burrelli for her over twenty-five years
years of service to Quincy Public Schools and the Quincy School Committee.
Mrs. Burrelli worked for five superintendents, five mayors and countless School
Committee members. He also mentioned the retirement of Mrs. Joanne McMillen,
another twenty-five year veteran of the Quincy Public Schools who worked as his
secretary and also for Mrs. Maura Papile, Director of Student Support Services.
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Quincy Community Business Partnerships
The Superintendent recognized the calendar of events coordinated by Keith Segalla
in conjunction with the Quincy Community Business Partnerships. The goal is to
have our business partners sponsor specific events in an effort to secure year-to-year
continuity.
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Mini-Grants
There are multiple opportunities this fall for classroom teachers to secure mini-grants
through the generous sponsorship of the David Ezickson Excellence in Education
grants, the Quincy School-Community Partnership Grants, Boston University Grants,
and Street-Works Development Grants. The Superintendent recognized Keith Segalla
and Colleen Roberts for their work in securing this grant funding for the elementary,
middle, and high school levels. Those receiving grants will be invited to a formal
ceremony/reception on Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 3:00 pm at North Quincy
High School.
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Backpack Initiatives
Through the generosity of our business partners, over 2,700 backpacks were
filled with school supplies and donated to each of the elementary and middle schools.
At Clifford Marshall, Lincoln Hancock, and Snug Harbor all students received these
backpacks; assemblies were scheduled for Thursday, September 8 and the business
partners are invited to participate.
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Preliminary Enrollment
The Superintendent presented a preliminary Quincy Public Schools enrollment
figure of 9,440 students, an increase of 136 students from last year. He noted
that these are early figures and will be reviewed in advance of the state’s October 1
deadline for submitting enrollment figures.
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Summer Professional Development
Over 200 teachers, principals, and assistant principals took part in Professional
Development opportunities over the summer. Mrs. Roberts, Hughes, and Hallett
were recognized for their work in coordinating these opportunities and the report
presented also highlights the funding source for each Professional Development
course.
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Professional Staff Orientation
New Professional Staff Orientation was held on Wednesday, August 31 and
Thursday, September 1. Around twenty-five new staff members heard presentations
from members of the Superintendent’s Leadership Team. Mr. Mulvey,
Mrs. McCarthy, Mr. Keith Segalla, and Mrs. Roberts were recognized for their efforts
in organizing these two informative days.
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Open House Dates
Assessment Calendars for the school year and Fall Open House schedules were
distributed in School Committee member’s packets. All are invited to attend
the Open Houses as their schedules allow.
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District Improvement Planning
Development of the District Improvement Plan is underway. This is a three-stage
process of Planning, Implementing, and Assessing; we are currently in the Planning
stage and working on the component plans: School Improvement Plans, Team
Alignment and Goals, Technology and Professional Development Plans, Annual
Statistics, and new to be approved by the School Committee this year, Program
Improvement Plans. These will be shared with the School Committee in upcoming
Policy Subcommittee Meetings. All the components work towards the goal of
incremental improvements in our school system.
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Open Forum
Ms. Jill Gichuhi, President of the Quincy Parent Advistory Council to Special
Education, spoke about the group’s upcoming meetings, presentations, and other
special events, all of which are open to the public. Maureen Lynch, Vice President
of QPAC, followed and spoke of the Resource Center at Quincy High School,
which will open September 13. QPAC also hosts a monthly support group and the
members of the board are looking forward to working with Ms. Todd and her staff
in the Special Education department.
Mr. John Segale, parent of a Lincoln-Hancock student and President of the LincolnHancock Parent-Teacher Council expressed disappointment in the fact that the roof
repairs had not been completed in the classroom wing of the school over the summer
months and questioned why the pool and gym wing had been completed first.
Ms. Linda Perry urged members of the School Committee to avail themselves of the
knowledge and experience of Mrs. Bragg and Mrs. Dwyer and to learn all they can
from them before they leave the School Committee at the end of December.
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Mr. Santoro
Mr. Santoro addressed the School Committee, welcoming them to Quincy High School
and noting all of the activities that took place at the school over the summer. Quincy
High School has become a community school: Central Registration moved into the
building, ELL Category training and New Staff Orientation were both held here, along
with Summer Scene classes including Raise the Curtain. In addition, the custodial and
maintenance staff worked hard to clean and prepare the building for the opening of
school and delivered a great opening day for the freshman class.
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Bldg. Update Mr. Murphy reports
The maintenance staff had a very busy summer, completing almost every item from
last year’s School Improvement Plans, including new rugs, tile installations,
refinishing of gym floors, and multiple painting projects. In addition, there were over
60 moves completed as well as daily work slips. Roofing projects at sixteen schools
have been completed, are underway, or are out for bid. All but two will be completed
this fall; the other two are metal roofs on Bernazzani and the Early Childhood Center
Mrs. Bragg added two minor issues at Lincoln-Hancock the the maintenance list that
she was made aware of by parents and thanked Mr. Murphy for the department’s
efforts. Mr. McCarthy also complimented Mr. Murphy’s team for their work and
inquired about the installation of the donated tot lot at Snug Harbor and whether the site
preparation work has been completed by the Parks Department. Mr. Murphy replied
that this project is not yet completed, they do not have the schematics for assembly and
have safety concerns. Mr. McCarthy yielded to Mrs. Mahoney who inquired about why
it has taken over two years to find out this information.
Mr. McCarthy asked about the Lincoln-Hancock roofing issues raised during Open
Forum. Mrs. Dwyer requested addressing the topic during the School Facilities report
later on the agenda.
Mr. McCarthy inquired about the leaks at the Sterling Middle School and Mr. Murphy
replied that the repairs have been completed, along with the water-damaged areas from
previous leaks.
Mrs. Dwyer thanked Mr. Murphy for the Maintenance Department efforts, especially
the contruction at Lincoln-Hancock to build classroom walls and cited the amount of
work completed within the budget constraints.
Mayor Koch also thanked Mr. Kevin Segalla and the Custodial Staff for their efforts
over the summer.
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School Facilities Subcommittee
Mrs. Dwyer reports
Mrs. Dwyer took out of order the School Facilities Subcommittee report. She noted
the same concern that had been raised at Open Forum about the order of roof repairs
at Lincoln-Hancock at the September 1 subcommittee meeting. Mr. Cunniff (not
present) had presented a spreadsheet of the roofing projects in order or priority. Mayor
Koch spoke to the complexity of the projects, time spent on researching appropriate
materials, and the goal of completing these projects before the onset of winter. Mrs.
Dwyer reminded the School Committee that no roofs are being completely replaced and
that Mr. Cunniff has been asked to add more information to his chart detailing exactly
which sections are being replaced and the warranty information.
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Quincy High School
Mrs. Dwyer spoke to the new Quincy High School punchlist and reviewed that almost
all items have been completed, with just a few items remaining to be resolved. The
warranty period for most items is now up, so items that need replacing have been
requested. A review of the landscaping was completed and several trees and shrubs and
some grass will be replaced under the warranty.
Mrs. Bragg was concerned that some of the technology items on the punchlist were
warranty issues. Mr. Santoro clarified that it was more that issues surfaced once the
products were in use in the classrooms. Mrs. Dwyer noted that these issues have all
been satisfactorily resolved.
Mr. McCarthy asked about the kitchen floor and whether it would be refinished and
what was the priority vs. the auto shop floor. Dr. DeCristofaro said that both floors
were on the priority list; the issue with the kitchen floor is that it must be cleaned every
day and in a different way than originally thought.
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old Quincy High School
Mrs. Dwyer reviewed the discussion from the School Facilities Subcommittee meeting
in reference to the old Quincy High School building. At that meeting, Gary Cunniff
reported that the planning for the demolition of the building was proceeding. Due to
the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the City, the Army Corps of
Engineers, and the Massachusetts State Historic Preservation Office that was executed
in 2006 when the City was contemplating reuse of the building, there will need to be
further negotiation with the other two parties. Mr. Timmins was asked to come forward
to speak to the issue and he clarified that the City has not yet petitioned either party
about the building’s demolition; the City is considering hiring Epsilon as a consultant to
help with the negotiation, based on this being the only financially feasible approach for
the City. The MOA was part of the alternatives analysis completed by the Public
Building Department in 2010 which surfaced the $40 million cost for full renovation,
$30 million for partial renovation, and $7 million cost for demolition. Mrs. Dwyer
asked for clarification that the MOA specifically prohibits demolition and Mr. Timmins
responded that since it specifically refers to mothballing the building, it does preclude
demolition according to officials at both agencies. After inquiries from Mrs. Bragg and
Mrs. Lebo, Mr. Timmins and Mayor Koch clarified that the building is eligible for
historic designation due to proximity to a historic district, its architectural features, and
its unique manifestation of design style. However, this designation cannot be imposed
without the City’s consent, it would have to be agreed to.
Mrs. Dwyer inquired about timeline and Mr. Timmins responded that given the two
agencies involved, it could take some time. Mrs. Dwyer and Mrs. Mahoney expressed
frustration that the City did not have this issue resolved before the School Committee
voted to turn the building over to the City. Mr. Timmins responded that the MOA was
signed under very different economic and political circumstances, in the interim, the
School Building Administration also rejected the site’s use for the Central Middle
School project. The change of circumstances needs to be negotiated with both agencies
and we have complied with many parts of the MOA in terms of documentation and
salvaging of bricks. Epsilon should be able to provide a projected timeline for this
negotiation.
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Coddington Hall
Mrs. Dwyer reported on the status of the Coddington Hall project. The Request for
Qualification (RFQ) process for the design phase is complete; after a review of the
eleven proposals, Wessling Architects was submitted. Initial meetings have been
held and negotiations for the fee agreement are underway. The Coddington Building
renovation project consists of over 20,000 square feet on two floors. The projection
is that the design phase of the project will take between 12 and 16 weeks. A total
project timeline is needed.
At the conclusion of her report, Dr. DeCristofaro thanked Mrs. Dwyer for her
leadership of the School Facilities Subcommittee and Quincy High School Building
Committee. The safety, climate, and culture of the schools is so important during
these construction and renovation projects and she has been especially responsive to
concerns.
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Mrs. Isola made a motion to take the next item out of order. Mrs. Lebo seconded
the motion. The ayes have it.
Summer Programs
Mrs. Erler presented an overview of the recently completed summer programs.
One thousand students from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 participated in
academic and enrichment programs at multiple sites across the city, some tuitionbased, and others grant-funded. These courses were taught by Quincy Public
Schools teachers and supported by nurses, secretaries, paraprofessionals, custodial
staff, food service workers, and bus drivers. Mrs. Erler introduced Allison MillerGowan, Courtney Mitchell, and Julie Krieger, program facilitators, who each gave
an overview of their respective programs, followed by a slide show.
Mrs. Erler concluded by highlighting the upcoming Fall Scene program: Saturday
morning Fall Institute, the DESE-funded STEM programs at Sterling and Atherton
Hough, and extended-day learning through the 21st Century Grants program and
multiple school sites.
Dr. DeCristofaro thanked Mrs. Erler and all the facilitators for their work. Mrs.
Lebo also thanked everyone and asked for clarification of students who paid tuition
vs. grant-funded. Mrs. Erler said that approximately 20% of the students paid
tuition, with the balance of the students being in grant-funded programs. Mrs. Isola
inquired about whether there are scholarships for the tuition-based programs and
there are not. She also asked if there is any follow-up with the Summer Success
students to compare them to peers who have not taken advantage of program in the
next school year; there is not at this time. Mrs. Dwyer thanked all of the facilitators
and teachers for their efforts year after year. Mr. McCarthy reiterated thanks to all
who work on the program; these programs are invaluable for getting students
involved with school activities and making friendships in a different context.
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A motion was made to return to the regular order of business by Mr. McCarthy,
seconded by Mrs. Bragg. The ayes have it.
Central Middle School
Mrs. Bragg reports
Mrs. Bragg reported that certification was received from the state certifying
the 80% reimbursement rate. Central Building Committee met on September 6,
2011. Key items that happened recently: budget was approved by City Council in
June; 50% construction documents were sent to School Building Authority; 100%
contract documents are due to SBA within 60 days. Demolition bids received
August 11; demolition contract will be awarded September 9, 2011.
Mrs. Bragg noted that the demolition will be from the inside of the building out.
QPS Maintenance and Principals were allowed to retrieve items from within the
buildings; the heating oil was transferred to Bernazzani. Neighborhood meetings
will be held and letters mailed to the neighborhood in advance of the start of
demolition. Information will also be posted on the website. The project is 100%
on track for completion for a September 2013 school opening.
RFQs for subcontractors are being reviewed; contractor RFQs are due September
15, 2011. Mrs. Mahoney qualified a point that neither bids for contractors or
subcontractors have gone out yet; the current process is a request for qualifications.
The project is 100% on track for completion for a September, 2013 school
opening. The next meeting will be on Monday, October 17 at 4:15 pm in the 2nd
Floor Conference Room in the NAGE Building.
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Mr. Mullaney presented FY2011 year-end transfers of account for items totaling
$270,000. Mrs. Dwyer expressed concern that FY2012 budget will not reflect these
account totals accurately. Mr. Mullaney said FY2012 budget does reflect these changes
for all line items.
FY2011 Transfers of Accounts Approved
On a motion by Mrs. Bragg, seconded by Mr. McCarthy, the Committee approved
the Transfers of Accounts as recommended. On a roll call vote, the motion
passed unanimously 7-0.
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New Educator Evaluator Regulations
Mr. Mulvey presented on the new regulations for educator evaluations, which
were approved by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)
on June 28, 2011 and will need to be in place by the Fall of 2013. Mr. Mulvey
developed an outline to summarize the purpose and key elements of the new
regulations. A Quincy Public Schools-specific policy will have to be developed and
negotiated with the Quincy Educators’ Association and approved by the School
Committee. Dr. DeCristofaro thanked Mr. Mulvey for his work on this and all of the
other work he does as Executive Director of Human Resources and Business. This
will be a large task to develop this new policy and suggested an Ad Hoc
Subcommittee that will meet to begin the process of gathering information on QPS’s
current evaluation process and exploring the new regulations. Ms. Isola and Mrs.
Lebo both expressed an interest in serving on the Ad Hoc Subcommittee.
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New QPS Website
Mr. Keith Segalla presented on the new Quincy Public Schools website that launched
in August. Mr. Segalla reviewed the goals of the website redesign: new content and
improved functionality for students, staff, and parents. He thanked the website
redesign committee, comprised of IT staff, Principals, and School Committee
members for all of their work. He then highlighted some of the new features,
including the Google Calendar of events, translation features, social media feeds, the
virtual backpack, and a redesigned and enhanced Staff Academy site for QPS staff.
Mrs. Isola complimented the Google Calendar feature and inquired about whether
schools would still be giving out paper notices, which they will. Mrs. Dwyer also
complimented the calendar feature and the translation feature, as did Mrs. Lebo. Mrs.
Lebo expressed concern about the social media features, but Mr. Segalla explained
that those are one-way feeds with no opportunities for comment. Mrs. Bragg also
inquired about users adding comments in response to posts and blogs and that feature
is not enabled.
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Appointment of School Nurse
On a motion by Mrs. Lebo, seconded by Mrs. Dwyer, the Committee approved
the appointment of Georgina Sullivan, R.N. as School Nurse at the Clifford Marshall
Elementary School. On a roll call vote,_the motion passed 7-0.
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Additional Business
The chair recognized Mrs. Bragg, who reviewed some items from the Policy
Subcommittee. On the CPR/ADE Training issue, 67 students at North Quincy High
School have been trained, the Health Care Students at both high schools are trained,
as are the students in Early Education and Protective Services. Every school has
certified staff members; additional opportunities will be coming up for training
where recertification is needed. Mrs. Bragg requested to have this item removed
from the Policy Subcommittee.
On the issue of polling places, both Mrs. Bragg and Dr. DeCristofaro have spoken
with the City Clerk about moving polling places. There will be no changes for this
fall’s elections; the Bernazzani polling place may be moved downtown next year.
Mrs. Bragg would also like to remove.
Mrs. Bragg added the following items to the Policy Subcommittee: Program
Improvement Plan reviews will be September 26 and September 29, 2011 in the
Superintendent’s Conference Room, NAGE Building. Also, NCLB Federal
Mandates are affecting School Committee policies and discussion is needed to
amend policy. The final item is Graduation Requirements.
Mayor Koch respectfully noted that these items should be under Reports of Special
Committees rather than Additional Business.
Mrs. Mahoney asked Mr. Mullaney to come up and present items related to a revised
proposal for replacing vehicles and repairs and maintenance needed for the LincolnHancock pool. The Mayor noted that the $57,500 for the Lincoln-Hancock pool will
come from an account that was created and is to be funded by a portion of
Recreation Department and School Facilities rentals. These funding obligations
haven’t been kept up in recent years and there will be a meeting scheduled to discuss
it. Mrs. Dwyer suggested raising the fees for pool rental as part of this review of the
fund. Mrs. Dwyer also inquired about the vehicle replacement spreadsheet details,
because the $90,000 line item cut in the budget has had the net effect of reducing the
lease proposal by two large buses, 1 mini-bus, and 1 van.
Mr. McCarthy inquired as to why these items are Additional Business, rather than
being Agenda items. Mayor Koch agreed with Mr. McCarthy that given the changes
in the Open Meeting law, the Committee needs to be careful about items being on
the Agenda and not brought up under Additional Business.
Mrs. Bragg noted that future School Committees could add additional vehicles into
future budgets. Mrs. Lebo noted that we have obligations to the next two year’s
budget related to this proposal.
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Mrs. Lebo asked about access to the Massachusetts Association of School
Committees website. Information was sent to all School Committee members earlier
in the day with their logon and password information.
Mrs. Lebo asked about the Professional Development plan and specifically about the
Curriculum Alignment work that took place over the summer. Mrs. Roberts spoke
to the work that was done and the forty-five teachers that participated and will
continue to do so through 4 or 5 days of additional work over the course of this
school year. New curriculum framework books were distributed to all staff for the
beginning of the school year and the new Go Math! series has been purchased for
Grades Kindergarten, 1 and 2.
Mrs. Dwyer reiterated the School Committee’s appreciation for the business partners
for providing 2,700 backpacks and named partners Cradles to Crayons, Quincy
Credit Union, Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare, South Coastal Bank, W.B. Mason.
Mr. McCarthy revisited the roof issue at Lincoln-Hancock and asked the
Superintendent to stay focused on the roof repairs and completion dates. He also inquired about the Quincy Fire Department golf tournament for freshmen sports at
the two high schools.
Mrs. Mahoney asked about the additional information that the Public Building
department will provide about the roofs and which sections will be replaced and also
confirming the timelines.
In closing, Mayor Koch reminded everyone about the Open Meeting law and being
careful about adding items to the agenda rather than raising them under additional
business.
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Retirement
The Committee noted the following retirements:
Confidential Secretary Superintendent/School
Committee
Tefta Burrelli; Paraprofessional Bridget Cloonan; Confidential Secretary
Student Support
Services Joanne McMillen; School Nurse Doreen Schonbach; Dispatcher/Driver Maryellen Steen
Appointments
The Committee noted the following appointments:
Teachers: Rebecca Baharian, Kevin Barrett, Louise Becam, Meghan Carthas, Christine Chang, Gregory Conklin, Christina Conley, Molly Considine, Amber Dame, Deborah Durkin-Finn, Teuta Hajrizaj-Beqaj, Elise Higgins-Steele, Kendell Ingram, Michael Joyce, Cheryl Kelly, Sarah Kerns, Jessica Lee, Allison Levin, Natalie Marcinkowski, Stacey Maydak, Colleen Meskell, Tiffany Murphy, Meghann Murray, Evan Pepe, Patrick Sanchez, Kristen Smeriglio, Amy Walls
Speech Language
Pathologists: Susan Carrillo, Erin Rinella, Erin Turbacuski
Special Educational
Paraprofessional Anna Eltoury
School Psychologist Kristine Ferreira
Resignations
The Committee noted the following resignations:
Teachers: Matthew Cotter, Stacey Shanahan, Debra Zawacki
Guidance Counselor Heather Holet
Junior Clerk and Typist Maureen Pitts
Speech/Language
Pathologist Tracy Razzano
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Adjournment
On a motion by Mrs. Lebo, seconded by Mrs. Dwyer, the Committee
adjourned at 10:10 p.m. for the evening. There was no executive session.
The ayes have it.