Minutes
Quincy, Massachusetts - March 6, 2013
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Regular Meeting
A regular meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday,
March 6, 2013 At the Lincoln Hancock Community School. Present were
Mr. Paul Bregoli, Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Mayor Thomas Koch, Mrs. Emily Lebo,
Mrs. Anne Mahoney, Mr. David McCarthy, and Ms. Barbara Isola, Vice Chair.
Vice-Chair
Presiding
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There was a moment of silence for Mrs. Marie Smith, former teacher at Broad
Meadows and Special Education parent activist.
The Superintendent called the roll and all members were present. Also present
were: Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Secretary; Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk;
Ms. Christine Barrett, Mr. Michael Draicchio, Mrs. Jennifer Fay-Beers, Mrs.
Mary Fredrickson, Ms. Beth Hallett, Mrs. Jane Kisielius, Mr. James Mullaney,
Mr. Kevin Mulvey, Ward 4 City Councilor Brian Palmucci, Mrs. Maura Papile,
Assistant Superintendent Colleen Roberts, Mr. Frank Santoro, Ms. Maura
Shaughnessy, Mr. Lawrence Taglieri, Ms. Judy Todd, Mrs. Ruth Witmer; Ms.
Allison Cox, President, Quincy Education Association, Mrs. Tracey Christello,
Citywide Parents’ Council Representative, and Ms. Jill Gichuhi, President,
Quincy Parent Advisory Council to Special Education.
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Regular Meeting Minutes Approved
2/6/2013
Mr. McCarthy made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Hubley, to approve the Regular
Meeting minutes for February 6, 2013. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Executive Session Minutes Approved
2/6/2013
Mrs. Lebo made a motion, seconded by Mr. Bregoli, to approve the Executive
Session minutes for February 6, 2013. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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Open Forum
Ms. Jill Gichuhi announced the Quincy Parent Advisory Council to Special Education
(QPAC) Resource Fair, which will be held on Monday, March 25 at Quincy High
School; over 45 agencies who provide assistance to students and families will be
there. See www.quincypac.org for more information.
Ms. Diane Hill welcomed the members of School Committee to Lincoln Hancock,
and reminded them about the media specialist petition that was presented at the
January 23, 2013 meeting and noted that additional signatures have been gathered
that will be submitted. She invited the members of the School Committee to tour
the Lincoln Hancock library, home to 17,000 volumes, and currently organized by
dedicated parent volunteers.
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Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent DeCristofaro began his report by introducing Lincoln Hancock
Community School Principal Ruth Witmer, who welcomed the Mayor, School
Committee, Superintendent, and members of the Superintendent’s Leadership
Team to Lincoln Hancock. The Lincoln Hancock Grade 4 Peer Leaders explained
the concept of Lincoln Hancock School PRIDE and the character traits associated
with each letter, including Perserverance, Politeness; Responsibility, Respect;
Innovation, Industrious; Dependable, Determined; and Effort, Encouragement.
After a short recess, the Superintendent resumed his report.
Dr. DeCristofaro then recognized Assistant Superintendent Colleen Roberts, who
shared the news of her planned retirement at the end of this school year. Mrs.
Roberts has been a member of the Quincy Public Schools staff for over 40 years as
a teacher, assistant principal, principal, curriculum director, and assistant
superintendent. She spoke of working with the School Committee and Mayor who
have prioritized education and the Quincy Public Schools, and the Mayors and
School Committees of the past. Mrs. Roberts noted that she is a QPS graduate and
student taught in QPS before becoming a teacher. She thanked the School
Community for the opportunity and the colleagues she has had the pleasure to
work with over the many years.
Mrs. Lebo noted that the School Committee has depended on Mrs. Robert to help
them understand many issues and initiatives over the years. Mayor Koch thanked
Mrs. Roberts for her diligence in every role she has had in the Quincy Public
Schools. Mrs. Mahoney, who first met Mrs. Roberts as the principal of the
Beechwood Knoll Elementary School and was later happy to welcome her to the
Superintendent’s Leadership Tem, wished her the best in her retirement. Ms.
Isola thanked Mrs. Roberts for her ability to simplify complex issues for School
Committee consumption and her common sense. She noted that Mrs. Roberts
must have been a great teacher and wished her a long and healthy retirement.
Superintendent DeCristofaro continued by noting that information about Read
Across America Activities at all elementary schools was shared with the School
Committee. The activities are supported by guest readers from the School
Committee, state delegation, city officials, and business partners. A revised
calendar of Quincy School-Community Partnership events was provided to School
Committee the School Committee and the Superintendent noted that a new event
for this year is the Student Athlete Summit, a joint effort between Quincy Medical
Center, YMCA, and Health, Nutrition, and Wellness Team to work with our high
school student athletic leaders on such issues as injury prevention and awareness
and character development.
Almost 700 student-athletes in middle and high school participated in Winter
Sports this past season. Several teams played in the Division tournaments,
including both Boys and Girls Basketball teams from North Quincy High School
and Quincy High School and the North Quincy High School Boys Hockey team.
The North Quincy High School Boys Basketball team is playing in the South
District 1 Final on Saturday, March 9 at UMass Boston.
The Middle School Swimming Championship will be held on Saturday, April 6 at
the Lincoln Hancock Pool. In partnership with the YMCA, 80 students from
Grades 3-5 at Lincoln Hancock and Sterling are participating in a Learn to Swim
program on early release Tuesdays. Quincy High School student Amelia Wool
initiated a Quincy High School Learn to Swim program where 40 students are
being instructed at the YMCA pool. During February vacation week, Mr.
McGillicudy and swim team members from both high schools coached 30 middle
school students in a competitive skills clinic. Work is underway for developing a
vacation week program for the April recess and also collaboration with the Quincy
Recreation program on enhancing summer Learn to Swim and other programs at
the Lincoln Hancock Pool.
Dr. DeCristofaro noted that additional items shared with the School Committee
include the Health, Nutrition, and Wellness Team newsletter; examples of HomeSchool Connections through Newsletters from Atherton Hough and Beechwood
Knoll Elementary Schools; and the flyer announcing the QPAC Resource Fair on
March 25.
Recent QPS Events include the Go Math! Parent Information night held at the
Clifford Marshall School on Monday, March 4 and attended by close to 100
parents. The Kiwanis Junior Heroes breakfast was held last Saturday, March 2, a
great event recognizing students and families, supported by school administrators
and staff. Course selection information nights were held at both high schools on
Monday, March 4 and Tuesday, March 5 and Kindergarten Registration began on
Tuesday, March 5. Upcoming events include the rescheduled Winter Special
Olympics on Friday, March 8 at 9:00 am at the Squantum School; Central Middle
School’s Fashion Show Thursday, March 7 at 6:00 and 7:30 pm; and the North
Quincy High School production of All Shook Up with performances March 7
through March 9. The Superintendent concluded his report by noting that almost
fifty Grade 10-11 female students from both high schools will be attending a
Leadership in Action conference at Curry College.
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New Business
Gateway Citites Grant
Directory of Assessment and Analysis Mary Fredrickson and Curriculum Coordinator
Beth Hallett presented on the recently received state Gateway Cities Grant.
Mrs. Fredrickson explained that the Gateway Cities were so designated by the state
legislature based on criteria of population, median income, and educational
opportunities. The Gateway Cities education agenda supports the development
and implementation of local strategies, focused on English Language Learners and
closing achievement gaps. Quincy Public Schools wrote a grant proposal for and
was awarded a $214,609 grant for a English Language Learners Academy for the
purpose of engaging middle and high school ELL students. This will be a full-day
summer program, engage partner organizations, measure student progress, and the
emphasis will be on selecting a diverse group of professionals to service this
population.
Ms. Hallett outlined that the program is an 18-day program for low-, middle-, and
high-fluency students, with appropriate instruction and support. The program’s
focus is English language production with a final written project. Speaking and
writing, especially in areas that require academic language, are the biggest
challenge, reading being the more easily achieved skill. English Language
Learners will engage with Quincy’s rich history and marine environment in
Science and Social Studies classes. There will be pre- and post-assessments and
project celebrations. QPS collaborated with English Language Learner (ELL) and
content-area teachers, Quincy Asian Resources (QARI), and the Quincy Historical
Society. A target population was identified (students will be invited), a highinterest program model was created, and performance assessments were outlined.
Each section of the SWELL (Speaking and Writing for English Language
Learners) Academy will be implemented in collaboration with an ELL teacher, a
content-area teacher, and a QARI partner/mentor. The planning process is
underway, as is recruiting facilitators and teachers. Students will be invited in
mid-April and selected teachers will be attending professional development on
WIDA and Curriculum writing. The Quincy Historical Society will be assisting
with planning and curriculum development. A sample schedule was shared and
the connections to WIDA frameworks shown to be opportunities for teachers to
collaborate in ways not available during the standard school day.
Mrs. Lebo complimented the plan and asked for the target number of students.
Ms. Hallett said that 261 students (160 middle, 101 high school) will be invited
and the hope is that 120 students will attend. Mr. McCarthy reiterated Mrs. Lebo’s
compliments and especially the connections to Quincy’s history and marine
environment. Mrs. Mahoney was glad to see the performance assessments being
used as benchmarks. She asked about a student who might move into the city and
would they be able to become eligible for the program. Ms. Hallett said that there
are other assessments beyond WIDA that can be used to screen additional students.
Mrs. Mahoney asked if there would be any effort to carry this forward into the
school year. Ms. Hallett said that data would be shared with each student’s school
so that any gains could be recognized in their work for the new school year. Mrs.
Mahoney asked if the program would interact with the high school Creek to
Harbor program. Mrs. Fredrickson said the focus of that program has shifted and
it will be held in a different location. The staffs of both programs will work
together to share information and curriculum development. The Creek to Harbor
staff from both high schools were very helpful in the development of this grant.
Mayor Koch stated that the city has been very successful in securing other grants
through the Gateway Cities program and thanked Governor Patrick and his
administration for providing these opportunities. The Mayor also complimented
the topic selection and this program as being another step in successfully assisting
our newest citizens to transition.
Ms. Isola asked if this was a single or multi-year grant. Ms. Hallett said the initial
award is for single year, but there may be opportunities for renewal. Mrs.
Fredrickson spoke of the unique opportunity for Social Studies teachers to work
together to develop this curriculum and then bring the innovations back to their
own elementary and middle schools. Ms. Isola asked about family involvement
and Ms. Hallett said there will be a parent orientation and families will be
included in the project celebration. Ms. Isola invited Mrs. Fredrickson and Ms.
Hallett to present at a Fall School Committee meeting on the program’s success.
Dr. DeCristofaro asked Ms. Hallett to expand on Quincy Asian Resource’s many
efforts on behalf of QPS. Ms. Hallett said that among other services, they provide
translation services for parent-teacher conferences and other educational meetings;
host newcomer orientation meetings twice yearly at each high school; staff a
mentor program at Atlantic Middle School; and present seminars for high school
students for career option exposure and college preparation nights including
financial aid seminars in multiple languages.
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Administrative Initiatives
Assistant Superintendent Colleen Roberts presented on the Administrative Initiatives
currently being undertaken by the SLT and Principal Team. Under Leadership/
Governance/Communication is the Budget process, a collaboration between
Principals, the Superintendent’s Leadership Team, and School Committee. Work
is done to assess school population and changing needs for classroom teachers,
academic programs, academic support, and non-academic support and services.
For Curriculum and Instruction, there is the ongoing Common Core State
Standards implementation and the assessment of curriculum, standards mapping,
and pacing. A Literacy Plan Needs Assessment Survey is underway in
collaboration with the HILL for Literacy. There is a new initiative for PreKindergarten called QRIS; NAEYC accreditation will be underway for all
elementary and pre-schools over the next two years.
For Assessment and Program Evaluation, there is a new assessment for
Kindergarten called MKEA which will begin in Fall 2014. Kindergarten teachers
will be evaluating the two assessment tools to choose which to implement. DSAC
Collaboration between regular and Special Education is focusing on Mathematics
at middle school level. New Assessments include the transition from MCAS to
PARCC, ACCESS for ELL students and the accompanying AMAO report, and
potentially developing improvement plans.
For Human Resource Management/Professional Development, the main focus is
the new Educator Evaluation system, training and implementation soon to be
underway. Instruction for RETELL certification has begun with winter and
summer sessions already filled for this rigorous course. Contracts and evaluations
are completed; open positions will be posted for the Quincy High School principal
and Athletic Director positions. The Special Education and English Language
Learner programs are undergoing the Coordinated Program Review (CPR) in
2013-2014.
For Access/Participation/Student Support, in response to new state legislation, new
reporting for School Safety Discipline issues training was held on March 6. The
Positive Behavioral Incentive System is being piloted in three elementary schools;
Health and Wellness initiatives continue with the support of subcommittee,
system-level and school Wellness teams. The Concussion Policy due to be reevaluated in 2014 and the Medical Emergency Response Plans were submitted last
September and are due to be reviewed and resubmitted in 2015.
For Financial Asset Management/Efficiency, the 3-year Technology Plan and
revised Acceptable Use Policy are due to be submitted to DESE in June 2013.
Wireless access points and guest networks to be added to all schools in the next
year; seven schools to be completed by June 2013 and the remaining schools to be
upgraded in 2013-2014 school year. Construction initiatives include the new
Central Middle School, the Massachusetts School Building Authority Statements
of Interest for Sterling and window replacements for Wollaston, Merrymount, and
North Quincy High School. Facilities and Security issues are constantly being
evaluated and prioritized as they arise.
Mrs. Mahoney thanked Mrs. Roberts for the information and noted that the volume
of assessment is increasing and the incredible amount of effort to roll out all of
these initiatives. She asked about the posting for the Assistant Superintendent
position; Dr/ DeCristofaro answered that it should be similar timeline to the other
positions.
Mayor Koch thanked for Mrs. Roberts for the comprehensive report and asked
about the Athletic Director posting. He would like to have a discussion about
changing the type of position to be a part-time position in each building. Dr.
DeCristofaro has sought the input of both high school principals and will be
speaking with Mr. Rendle as well. Mrs. Mahoney suggested that the issue be put
into the Budget and Finance Subcommittee for discussion. Mrs. Lebo suggested
that this be added to the Athletics Rules Subcommittee meeting on March 25. Mr.
McCarthy agreed that this would be an appropriate starting point and then it could
be moved to Budget and Finance. Mayor Koch said that this should be a budgetneutral issue; Mrs. Mahoney asked for financial supporting information to
substantiate this discussion.
Mrs. Lebo asked to recognize the teachers, principals, administrators, and Dr.
DeCristofaro for responding to the incredible number of initiatives and mandates
from the state and federal governments. Mrs. Lebo said that Quincy Public
Schools’ ability to continue to deliver the educational quality that we do in the face
of these constantly-shifting pressures is admirable and thanked Mrs. Roberts for
keeping the School Committee so well-informed.
Mrs. Roberts noted that Aspen, the new student information system, will be
presented on March 20 by Mr. Keith Segalla. Mr. McCarthy asked if Aspen is
replacing the current student information system. Mrs. Roberts confirmed this and
that data mapping and verification is the first piece of the transition.
Mr. Bregoli asked for further clarification of the Athletic Director idea and Ms.
Isola asked to continue the discussion at the Athletics Rules Subcommittee
meeting since this is not an item on tonight’s agenda.
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Out of State Travel
Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the out of state travel of the Bernazzani
Elementary School, Grade 5 students to Canobie Lake Park in Windham, NH on
June 20, 2013. Mrs. Hubley seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes
have it.
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Additional Business
Mayor Koch thanked Mr. McCarthy, Mr. Draicchio, Mr. Kevin Segalla and
spoke of the work done to gather costs and options to handle the global security
issues. Mayor Koch is planning to bring an appropriation before the City Council
to upgrade all of the Quincy Public Schools buildings to address the global security
concerns.
Mrs. Mahoney inquired whether there were security reports for all of the city’s
Public Buildings that could be shared with the School Committee.
Mrs. Mahoney mentioned the letter sent to the Mayor and Superintendent praising
Sterling Middle School secretary Kathy Scribi and her husband, John, a member of
the Quincy Fire Department, for assisting at the scene of a drug overdose. Their
quick actions contributed to saving the victim’s life.
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Reports of Subcommittees
Central Building Committee
Mrs. Mahoney reviewed the Central Building Committee meeting that was held on
Monday, February 25, 2013. The Building Committee had a presentation on the
building materials, including wall colors, tile, furniture, and security. The move
date is tentatively scheduled for mid-August; the building will be substantially
completed with some finish work to ongoing in the fall.
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Joint Teaching & Learning/Policy Subcommittee
Mrs. Lebo reviewed the joint Teaching and Learning/Policy Subcommittee Meeting
that was held on March 4, 2013. The first item on the agenda was an update of the
Quincy Public Schools planning for implementation of the new Educator Evaluation
system in Fall 2013. Mrs. Roberts noted that Level 4 and Race to the Top districts
are in the process of implementing the new Educator Evaluation system this school
year; QPS is scheduled to begin in 2013-2014 and the implementation is phased in
over two years (50% of staff evaluated each year). Mrs. Roberts shared
information from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)
website with the Subcommittees.
An Ad Hoc team with members of the Superintendent’s Leadership Team (SLT)
and School Committee will work with the Quincy Education Association (QEA)
on model contract language to be adopted by the Quincy Public Schools (QPS).
Performance rubrics are very detailed; rubrics are available for superintendent,
administrators, principals, teachers, and will be developed for other professional
staff, including nurses, guidance counselors, and special education staff.
Extensive Educator Evaluation training is required by DESE for all evaluators.
DESE has developed training for evaluators (11 hours) and teachers (a minimum
of four hours). Since the beginning of December, SLT members have been
evaluating model materials and gathering information about how implementation
has gone with districts involved in this year’s rollout. There will be a full
presentation and an update on negotiations, a draft timeline, and model contract
language at the April 3 School Committee.
The next item on the agenda was a discussion about Media Specialists. Mrs. Lebo
shared information from DESE including a Crosswalks/Common Core matrix for
School Librarians, a sample job description, and the DESE standards for licensure.
Mrs. Lebo requested that Ms. Owens research library staffing and budgets in other
school districts, especially the Gateway cities, other cities and towns that are
comparable demographically through DESE’s DART tool, MSBA model school
communities, including Lynnfield and Natick, and neighboring communities.
Superintendent DeCristofaro reviewed that while the rebuilding from the staff
positions cut in FY2010 continues, there are several programs that have not yet
been reinstated, in addition to the Media Specialists: Middle School Reading,
Technology, and Grade 7 Foreign Language; and High School Health. As part of
the recent contract negotiations with QEA, each elementary school will receive a
building support teacher to assist with restoring elementary teacher planning time
and professional development. In addition, this position will provide library
support – during the school day, and possibly after school and open library
opportunities in the summer. The support teachers will be licensed teachers, hired
by each elementary school’s principal. Dr. DeCristofaro and Mrs. Roberts met
with an Ad Hoc team of Elementary principals and they shared ideas about how
these teachers would provide library and technology support.
Mayor Koch made a motion to approve the March 4, 2013 Teaching and Learning
Subcommittee Meeting minutes. Mrs. Mahoney seconded the motion and on a
voice vote, the ayes have it.
The next Teaching and Learning Subcommittee has been rescheduled to Tuesday,
March 19 at 5:00 pm.
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The next item on the agenda was the report of the Policy Subcommittee meeting,
which was postponed until March 28, 2013. A report will be presented at the April
3 School Committee meeting.
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Adjournment
Mayor Koch made a motion to adjourn at 9:00 p.m. The motion was seconded
by Mr. McCarthy and on a voice vote, the ayes have it 7-0. There was no
Executive Session.