Sept. 30, 2015 School Committee Meeting

Agenda

Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Wednesday, September 30, 2015, 7:00 pm
Coddington Building

I. Approval of Minutes: Regular Meeting Minutes for September 16, 2015; Special School Committee Meeting Minutes for September 29, 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. Inspiring Quincy

B. Partnership Recognition: Rural Lodge of Masons

C. Sterling Building Committee Meeting

D. Fall Parent Academies

E. City of Presidents 5K Walk/Run

F. Preliminary Enrollment/Class Size

G. Program Newsletters: Special Education, Elementary and Middle School Curriculum

H. Home-School Connections: Beechwood Knoll Elementary School Newsletter

IV. Old Business:

V. New Business:

A. Special School Committee Meeting - Mrs. Hubley

B. PBIS Update - Mrs. Papile

C. Out of State Travel: Quincy High School to the University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, October 21, 2015.

VI. Additional Business:

VII. Communications:

A. Upcoming School Committee Meetings: October 14, 2015; October 28, 2015.

B. Upcoming Subcommittee Meetings:

1. Budget & Finance: Tuesday, October 20, 5:00 pm

2. Facilities & Security: Tuesday, October 20, 5:30 pm

3. Health, Transportation, & Safety: Wednesday, October 7, 5:00 pm

4. Policy: Wednesday, October 21, 5:30 pm

5. Special Education: Wednesday, October 21, 6:00 pm

6. Teaching & Learning: Monday, October 5, 5:00 pm; Monday, October 26, 5:00 pm

VIII. Reports of Subcommittees: None.

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.

  12. Voter Registration at the High Schools Referred at the September 16, 2015 School Committee meeting for discussion of implementation with the City Clerk’s Office.

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 – September 30, 2015
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee

Regular Meeting

A regular meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday, September 30, 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 all members were present. Also present were: Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Secretary; Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk; Mrs. Rita Bailey, Ms. Christine Barrett, Mr. Michael Draicchio, Mrs. Mary Fredrickson, Mrs. Renee Malvesti, Deputy Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Mr. James Mullaney, Mrs. Maura Papile, Ms. Madeline Roy, Mr. Keith Segalla, Mr. Stephen Sylvia, Ms. Judy Todd, Mrs. Ruth Witmer; and Student Representatives to School Committee Sarah Clancy (Quincy High School) and Molly Donohue and Nassim Touill (North Quincy High School).

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There was a moment of silence in memory of retired teachers Susan Reilly and Gail Paton, Della Chiesa student Victoria Scheurch, Quincy High School graduate Jason Savage, and parent Paul Andrade.

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Regular Meeting Minutes Approved 9/16/15

Mr. Bregoli made a motion, seconded by Mr. McCarthy, to approve the Regular Meeting minutes for September 16, 2015. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Special Meeting Minutes Approved 9/29/15

Ms. Isola made a motion, seconded by Mr. Bregoli, to approve the Special Meeting minutes for September 29, 2015. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.

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Open Forum

As no one wished to speak at Open Forum, School Committee moved to the next item on the agenda.

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Superintendent's Report

Dr. DeCristofaro opened the Superintendent’s Report by introducing Senior Director of Student Support Services Maura Papile. The Rural Masonic Lodge is being recognized for their many contributions to the Quincy Public Schools: sustainable programs, such as Rachel’s Challenge, holiday assistance, and the PBIS program. For Health and Wellness, two new AEDs were purchased, one for Snug Harbor and the other for Lincoln Hancock, both the kits and wall cabinets. For PBIS, Mrs. Papile introduced Principals Christine Barrett, Stephen Sylvia, Renee Malvesti, and Ruth Witmer who shared video presentations and details of the PBIS implementation at their elementary and middle schools. Through the generosity of the Rural Masonic Lodge, elementary and middle school teams have had multiple days of training provided by the May Institute.

Mrs. Papile presented the Rural Masonic Lodge with a certificate on behalf of the Quincy School Committee and Quincy Public Schools. Dr. DeCristofaro said that with the support of the Rural Lodge of Masons, our phenomenal principals and teachers have swiftly implemented this PBIS system. He also thanked Mrs. Papile for the organization of this PBIS Initiative.

After a brief recess, Dr. DeCristofaro discussed upcoming Quincy School~Community Partnership events, including the Health Symposium, Teacher Mini-Grant Ceremony, and Professional Educator Status Reception.

Quincy Public School’s preliminary enrollment is 9,339 students; average class size for elementary students is 20 for Kindergarten and Grades 4-5; 19 for Grades 1-3. At the middle school level, 87% of class sections are 23 students or fewer. For the two high schools, 76% of class sections are 23 students or fewer. A few sections are in the 29-30 range and the schools are working to remedy that. A full report will be shared at the October 14, 2015 School Committee meeting.

The Sterling Building Committee met on Monday, September 28 to share the Preliminary Schematic Design in advance of the October 1 submission to the MSBA. On October 13, a meeting will be held with Sterling Middle School staff to review this preliminary design. On October 28, the design will be presented to the MSBA Facilities Subcommittee, followed by the full MSBA Board Meeting on November 18. Presentations to School Committee and City Council will be scheduled.

The Full-Day Kindergarten grant which was cut from the state budget last spring has been funded for $250,000. Mayor Koch made a motion to place this into the Budget & Finance Subcommittee for discussion. Mayor Koch suggested one-time needs could be addressed. Mr. Bregoli seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Dr. DeCristofaro noted that the Special School Committee Meeting held on September 29, 2015 emphasizes School Committee’s connection to the District Improvement Plan, attention to the items currently in Subcommittee in the many meetings to come this year. Dr. DeCristofaro thanked School Committee for their throughtful review of goals and initiatives.

Sterling Middle School’s 5K Fun Run/Walk had over 100 participants on Saturday, September 26. Over 40 parent volunteers organized the event and a family fun day to follow, led by Physical Education teacher Kyria DiPietro.

Dr. DeCristofaro noted that Director of Safety & Security Michael Draicchio was at all weekend events from Friday night’s high school football game, to the Sterling event, and the President’s City 5K Run/Walk on Sunday, which drew 450 participants and raised $20,000 to support Quincy Public Schools Health & Wellness initiatives.

Upcoming Parent Academies were announced: two Elementary Report Cards/Aspen Overviews on November 17 at Central and December 1 at Atlantic, 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm Open House for parents to drop in.

Dr. DeCristofaro noted that the Beechwood Knoll Fall Festival has been rescheduled to Saturday, November 7, due to weather forecast for October 3.

Program Newsletters for Special Education, Elementary and Middle School Curriculum and Home-School Connections for the Beechwood Knoll Elementary School was shared with the School Committee.

Dr. DeCristofaro noted that new middle school athletics opportunities include a competitive swimming team, a tennis program, and a wrestling program to begin in January. The Inspire Quincy video highlighted the Medal of Honor speakers at North Quincy High School, Health Screenings, Junior Gardeners at Squantum, Sterling Middle School 5K Fun Run/Walk, Community Service, Middle School Tennis program, Middle School competitive swimming, City of Presidents 5K Walk/Run, Community Service update.

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New Business

Special School Committee Meeting

Mrs. Hubley asked each School Committee member to review the items that were reviewed and added to each Subcommittee. For the Budget and Finance Subcommittee, their goal and purpose will remain as presented.

For the Facilities and Security Subcommittee, Mr. McCarthy removed the Sterling Building Plans item, now that the project is underway and a Sterling Building Committee established and meeting regularly. Mr. McCarthy also removed the Saville Avenue houses item as those are now being used for City of Quincy offices. Mr. McCarthy also asked for an update on the Presidents City Inn from the owner’s Attorney Edward Fleming. At an upcoming Facilities meeting, Mr. McCarthy would like to review school security upgrades completed over the last year. Mr. Draicchio has done a superb job with keeping up with Quincy Public Schools security needs.

For the Health, Transportation and Safety, Mr. DiBona removed School Meal Charges (addressed during last year’s Coordinated Program Review); Science Lab Safety procedures; and Food Services Technology (installations complete). The intersection at North Quincy High School item will remain until all construction complete; for Solar Panels, Mr. DiBona asked for an update from Public Buildings. Mr. DiBona asked to retain the remaining items and to add Peer Mentoring for Grade 9 students, a new initiative this year.

For the Policy Subcommittee, Mr. Bregoli requested information on how many current seniors will take four years of Mathematics and how many of last year’s graduates took four years of Mathematics. Mr. Bregoli removed the New Educator Evaluation, High School Community Service, and Residency items. Mr. Bregoli requested that the Attendance Officers present mid-year and end of year updates on Residency issues pursued. The remaining items will be retained. Mr. Bregoli suggested surveying parents about beginning school before Labor Day in the next year with a September 9 start date, 2021.

Mrs. Mahoney presented for Special Education and requested to remove the program assessment item, as this is part of the PIP review. The item related to substitute information will be reviewed at the May 25 meeting, once the year of Special Education IEPs in the Aspen module is completed.

Ms. Isola reported that the Teaching and Learning Subcommittee agreed to revise the second and third goals and these will be shared at a Teaching & Learning Subcommittee meeting. Ms. Isola removed the New Educator Evaluation item from the items in Subcommittee and asked to rename the second item “Advanced Program Pathways.”

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Out of State Travel

Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the out of state travel of Quincy High School to University of New Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire on October 21, 2015. Ms. Isola seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

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Additional Business

Mrs. Mahoney asked for an update on the fine levied to the City of Quincy for the equalization pipe under Faxon Park and the response to Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection

Communications

Upcoming meetings were announced: Regular Meetings on October 14 and 28, 2015; Subcommittee Meetings for Teaching & Learning on Monday, October 5 and Tuesday, October 27; Health, Transportation, and Safety on Wednesday, October 7; and Special Education on October 21. Mr. McCarthy noted that he would be out of town on October 19 through 21 and requested to reschedule the Budget & Finance and Facilities & Security Subcommittees scheduled for October 20.

Mrs. Hubley announced that the Wollaston School Harvest Festival will be held on Saturday, October 10 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.

Mr. Bregoli announced that the Faxon Field Track dedication will be held on Saturday, October 10 at 10:00 am.

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Adjournment

Mr. Bregoli made a motion to adjourn for the evening at 8:20 p.m. The motion was seconded by Ms. Isola and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.