Thursday, July 22, 2010

School Committee 7/20/10

Note: this reporting was done from the video archive of the meeting available on the Franklin, MA website here:
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewIndexSessionSL.aspx?indexPointSKU=musuxcGQ9m%2bWe2MfA9h%2bYQ%3d%3d



Present: Douglas, Cafasso, Rohrbach, Roy, Trahan, Glynn
Absent: Mullen

1. Routine Business
Citizen’s Comments - none
Review of Agenda - no adjustments
Minutes: I recommend approval of the Open and Executive Session minutes from the June 22, 2010 School Committee Meetings. - motion to accept, passed 6-0
Payment of Bills Mr. Glynn  - motion to accept, passed 6-0Payroll Mrs. Douglas
FHS Student Representatives - none

Correspondence:
FSC letter to the FEA
This is in regard to the shortened school day. There will NOT be a shortened day. Parents will be notified on teacher assignments in August. Class size will increase. Additional info can be found here:
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/07/franklin-ma-no-shortened-day-for.html


2. Guests/Presentations
Summer Update

Superintendent Maureen Sabolinski provides the update
There were several small Federal grant reductions, programs were adjusted downward accordingly

  • Title 2A (teacher quality) - reduced by $2,000
  • Safe and drug free - reduced by $5,000
  • IDEA Special ed - reduced by $14,000
  • Title 1 - $17,000
All the grant reductions amount to $38,000.


Additional grants have been obtained from
Stop & Shop / Hockomock Area Y Grant for Jefferson Elementary School - funds to help with health education.

ELL Grant / Curriculum Development - awarded $5,000 by State. This resulted from DESE coordinated program review discussed earlier this year. Christmas in June! Working with the state to develop curriculum to meet this need.


Verizon Affinity Grant - grant submitted to obtain netbooks for English Language Learners.


Accommodation plan to meet the ELL requirements was accepted by the DESE.
The report was discussed at the meeting in May
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/live-reporting-dese-report.html


Staff heavily engaged in professional development:

  • 24 teachers participated in mentor training during the summer.
  • A course conducted by two teachers for 30 others on closing the achievement gap was held last week. Becky Mardy (?), Brian Wilderman (?)
  • Two teachers were published this year. Both articles were published in the Choice Literacy Journal. Ann Williams (Kennedy), Brian Kelly (Keller). Ann has a reading blog on literacy.

An active summer of hiring/staff changes. 

  • Hired a young English teacher from Brown for Horace Mann. 
  • Deb Goss retired recently. 
  • Physic teacher for the high school. He really is a rocket scientist for the physics dept to replace a retirement. 
  • Three teachers moving to administration positions in other districts (Wareham, Westwood, and Shrewsbury).  A tribute to the training and opportunities offered here, sorry not to have an opportunity to keep them here.

Bully task force about to begin, middle school principals working on a bullying handbook to be shared at a future meeting. Innovative and user friendly.


On the facilities side: 

  • Relocating alternative learning program from Emmons St to the High School in H wing. 
  • Richard Gaskin's office on the loading doc will be relocated to the DPW and that space will be used for teachers work space.
  • Some machine/maintenance shop will be used for Art space for the Arts Academy at the High School.
  • Installation of security is underway at Keller Sullivan
  • Remington security getting additional cameras
  • A couple of sound proofing projects due to needs of students is underway
  • Carpeting and paving at Parmenter are scheduled to be completed before school starts.

The architect selected to proceed with the Franklin High School renovation is continuing . Four finalists will present on July 27th to select the finalist. Contact the School Administration office for details. It will be held at the MSBA office in Boston at 8:30 AM. They are public meetings anyone interested is invited to attend. One of the questions concerns their partnership in selling the project to the community.


Pay-to-ride :
The deadline ended July 9th, 1420 are enrolled. On target with last year, final number from last year was 1520. 75 families are on the wait list, they did not submit in time. The dept is starting the routing/re-routing the last week of July. Re-routing and changing the bus stops due to the three buses cut is underway. 


MASBO is offering a transportation study. They will examine all aspects of transportation. Some of the data would help to build in efficiencies and help reduce costs. Likely to come out in August or September. Miriam Goodman will be leading this effort. There is no free lunch, the service itself is not free but there should be some beneficial offset to consider.


Q - Does Holmes offer this service? 
A - We have never asked them to see if they provide it.


Q - Will we get some updates on enrollment and bus routes?
A - There is a lot of fluctation. We will get an update on numbers in August. There have been moves in/out, 10 in alone at Davis Thayer.


Technology
Wireless at Kennedy is installed.
Smart boards are being installed.
Further updates are scheduled for the fall.


Food service
Miriam is moving some cheese.
A survey of students, parents and staff will be held in the fall
A salad bar at Annie Sullivan will be piloted. A wrap bar will be at the High School. If it works at Sullivan (where there already is space and equipment) then it will be expanded to the other schools. We need to make sure it is profitable before expanding. 


Miriam has been attending the Tuft Community Leadership for Childhood Obesity Institute in conjunction with the YMCA.  It is a community effort. Need to partner with other organizations within the community. Speaker today was Mark Fenton on transportation via foot, bike or vehicle.  A study in Somerville schools in transforming the program preparing more fresh fruits and vegetables. Returning Weds to continue.


Summer School is underway. FHS Experience registration is still open. It starts August 9th. 
School lunch will be provided for a couple of days to pilot some new things. 175 enrolled to date. A very good number.


Football camp has good enrollment.


School Dept will have a table at the Harvest Fest on Sept 26th. to help meet the community and help market the schools.


3. Discussion Only Items
None

4. Action Items
a. I recommend acceptance of two checks totaling $2,655.00 from the Annie Sullivan PCC to pay for buses as detailed.  motion to accept, passed 6-0


b. I recommend acceptance of a check for $721.39 from Stop and Shop for FHS Scholarships.  motion to accept, passed 6-0


c. I recommend acceptance of a check for $1,200.00 from SEPAC for the supplemental curriculum materials.  motion to accept, passed 6-0


d. I recommend acceptance of a check for $252.00 from Wells Fargo for FHS In House Enrichment.  motion to accept, passed 6-0


e. I recommend acceptance of a check for $200.00 from Mr. and Mrs. Robert Doyle for in house enrichment at the FHS.  motion to accept, passed 6-0



A public acknowledgement to the Doyle's. They were disappointed in the override vote and decided to contribute the difference in their taxes to help the schools.

f. I recommend acceptance of two checks ($1377.00 & $3031.00) totaling $4408.00 from Parmenter PCC for field trips and supplies.  
motion to accept, passed 6-0


5. Information Matters

Superintendent’s Report  (all covered in the summer update above)
a. Stop & Shop / Hockomock Area Y Grant for Jefferson Elementary School
b. ELL Grant / Curriculum Development
c. Verizon Affinity Grant

School Committee Sub-Committee Reports
From Ed Cafasso - Advertising subcommittee; memo from Brad Sidwell, pursuing advertising interested for the football field. There is now interest in advertising on the scoreboards. There is space available on the existing scoreboard and some businesses may help purchase scoreboards for other fields where they don't exist.  Trying to keep it simple. The fence along the field by the flag pole is off limits. More to come on this item.



School Committee Liaison Reports

6. New Business
To discuss future business that may be brought before the School Committee.

Bill Glynn - resolution moving forward for discussion, very similar to the one that Franklin had endorsed. A small difference in the monetary number but it is moving forward. 



7. Executive Session
Contractual Negotiations

Motion to move into executive session, not to return to open forum. Passed 6-0 (assuming this was so, the video actually ends as the roll call is conducted.)




Franklin, MA

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