NEWTON SCHOOL
COMMITTEE
MINUTES
OF REGULAR MEETING – OCTOBER 10, 2000
EDUCATION
CENTER, FRAZIER ROOM, 7:30 P.M.
PRESENT: Chairperson
Verne Vance, Vice-Chairperson Anne Borg, Susan Albright, Rodney Barker, Susan
Heyman, Anne Larner, Nancy Levine, Andris Vizulis, Mayor David Cohen, Sharone
Gilon, student representative – Newton South High School
ABSENT: student
representative – Newton North High School
OPEN SESSION
At 6:00 p.m., it was
announced that the Committee would entertain a motion to convene in executive
session.
MOTION: It
was moved, by roll call vote, to convene in
executive
session for the purpose of discussing
matters
related to collective bargaining and
conducting
strategy sessions in preparation for
negotiations
with nonunion personnel. If passed,
the
Committee will reconvene in open session at
7:30
p.m.
(Levine - Larner)
7 – 0 – 2
Absent
for vote: Heyman, Mayor Cohen
ROLL CALL VOTE BY WARD:
Ward I, “yes” (Vizulis);
Ward II, "yes" (Albright); Ward III, "yes" (Larner); Ward
IV, "yes", (Levine); Ward V, absent for vote (Heyman); Ward VI, “yes”
(Barker); Ward VII, "yes" (Vance); Ward VIII, “yes”, (Borg); Mayor
David Cohen, absent for vote
CALL TO ORDER
Chairperson Verne Vance called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. He announced that the Superintendent would not be present this evening because he is attending his daughter’s back-to-school night.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Adam Maleson, 336A
Lexington St., Auburndale, stated that five years ago he predicted the
overcrowding at the high schools and recommended that the 9th grade
be returned to the middle school level.
He also suggested that tenants no longer be allowed to move into the
apartment complexes that were former school facilities, so that the City would
be able to eventually reclaim space by attrition. At that time, he felt that the
Education Center should have been utilized to expand Day Middle School. He believes the money being spent on the
high school projects would be better utilized in inner city schools, rather
than busing Metropolitan Council for Education Opportunities (METCO) students
to Newton.
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES’ DISCUSSION
Sharone Gilon asked about
the possibility of instituting a Hebrew language class at the high school.
Deputy Superintendent
Janet Goldrick replied that the administration will investigate this request.
RECOGNITIONS
Maria Procopio-Demas, foreign language teacher, Day Middle School,
was recognized for
co-authoring the recently published Italian language text, Un’ estate tutta diversa. Samuel Ellison, former student of Ms. Procopio-Demas,
was recognized for having four of his illustrations published in this text.
APPROVAL OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
Discussion was had about
the new truncated format of the minutes and the attempt to provide more
detailed information, but not to the extent of past practice. It was decided that the more detailed
version was more desirable, but that salient pieces of information could be
highlighted with bullet vs. complete sentences, particular during budget
deliberations, when meetings are more frequent.
MOTION: It was moved to approve the School Committee
executive
session and regular meeting minutes
of
9/25/00.
(Levine
– Albright)
unanimous
REPORTS
SUPERINTENDENT’S PERSONNEL REPORT
There were no question on
the personnel report.
REPORT ON 2000-2001 FINAL STAFFING LEVELS
Sandra Guryan, Assistant
Superintendent for Business, Finance & Planning, explained that this report
is a comparison between what was appropriated for staffing in the FY01 budget
and current staffing levels. They are
exactly on budget for staffing the elementary level and have a total of 1.0
unfilled positions at the secondary level.
Susie Heyman asked if they
have any information on possible anomalies in class size data at the various
schools.
Sandy Guryan replied that
from a cursory look at the data, it appears that they have already adjusted for
anomalies at the elementary schools.
More specific information will be available in the class size report.
Janet Goldrick added that
while there are some relatively large classes at the middle schools, she has
not yet had a request from any of the principals for an adjustment. This may be a result of what that would mean
to the team structure and scheduling.
FY01 BUDGET UPDATE
Sandy Guryan provided a
preliminary review of the FY01 budget.
Assuming that the budget will be funded at the level approved by the
School Committee last April, there are a number of areas that represent risks of
deficits. These areas include the budget
gap, utilities (oil), Medicare, special education, and classified advertising
for recruitment of staff. On a positive
note, they have achieved a net savings from the remaining reserve position and turnover
savings. The bottom line reveals a
possible deficit of approximately $325,000, although it is important to
remember that it is still very early in the year.
Rodney Barker asked about
the budget gap.
Sandy Guryan stated that
the City has indicated every intention of appropriating the funds, but this has
yet to become a reality.
SUPPORT SERVICES STATUS REPORT
James Marini, Assistant
Superintendent for High Schools & Operations, began the discussion by
mentioning that the work on the science labs at Newton South High School is not
yet complete. There is a meeting on
Friday, which will include all parties, to attempt to address this very
frustrating issue.
Andy Vizulis asked if this
impacts on program.
Jim Marini responded that
the erratic operation of the heating system has resulted in spikes in
temperature. In terms of space, it is
impacting on teachers rather than students, because the work that remains to be
completed is in the staff room.
There was discussion among
Committee members regarding penalty clauses in the contract and legal
options. The Committee asked that a
request be made of the Building Department to have a representative from the Law
Department at Friday’s meeting and that Mr. Marini provide a follow-up report.
Jim Marini then discussed
the work they are doing on the school-by-school reports. Ultimately, the document will provide
monthly information on each school maintenance project and its associated cost,
as well as a report on how custodial overtime is being utilized.
Anne Borg requested that
the air-conditioning be completed as soon as possible in the Materials and
Resource Center (MRC) at the Education Center.
Rodney Barker requested
more specific information with regard to the summer overtime work, particularly
in the area of cleaning.
Verne Vance suggested an informational
line item be added in the school-by-school reports on outstanding maintenance
& repair (M & R) orders.
EXIT INTERVIEW REPORT
Sandy Guryan provided an
overview of the Exit Interview Report, which depicts the number of students who
left the system in each school and their reasons. There did not appear to be any anomalies and the figures and
reasons remain fairly stable.
There was some discussion
as to the purpose of this report and whether or not Committee members wished to
continue having it generated. It was
agreed that it is a useful tool and that the administration continue to provide
the longer version of the report every other year.
Anne Borg asked if further
analysis could be conducted on the fact that of 55 students at the middle
schools who left the system, 39 were boys and 16 were girls. She wondered if this was an anomaly or if it
points to issues they might need to address.
Susie Heyman mentioned
that the perception of what constitutes large class size varies among
people. While it consistently remains
one of the main issues why people leave the system, parents sited this reason when
class sizes were in the high 20s and continue to do so when they have now been
reduced to the mid 20s. Determining the
needs of a child’s educational experience and what is an appropriate class size
is a very personal and individual decision in families.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
DISCUSSION OF 2001/2002 SCHOOL CALENDAR
The Committee discussed
the proposed calendar, which has been reviewed by the executive board of the
Newton Teachers Association. The
Committee discussed the late June closing and the possibility of making changes
to the calendar. They decided that if
they were to make major changes to the calendar, the public would need more
sufficient notice and opportunity for input.
Also mentioned was the fact that this type of change might be better
conducted regionally vs. in isolation.
HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING PROJECT UPDATE (SCHOOL
BUILDING ASSISTANT PROGRAM LEGISLATION)
Carol Bock, Director of
Capital Planning & Operations, verified the fact that the 60% reimbursement
rate for the high school project remains intact provided they are able to meet
the deadlines.
There was a question with
regard to possible delays in the start of the project due to the impending
referendum ballot, which will be before voters in November.
Susie Heyman stated that a
“yes” vote on the referendum would immediately uphold the Board of Aldermen’s
August vote on design funds.
Verne Vance asked about
new reimbursement regulations if the referendum did not pass and they had to
revise the project.
Carol Bock replied that
the new regulations provide a 42% reimbursement as the baseline percentage, but
each community will be treated individually and can
obtain bonus points for
various things such as hiring a project manager.
DISCUSSION ON CLASS SIZE POLICY
Janet Goldrick noted that
tonight’s discussion will be a preliminary conversation about the issue of
class size and the direction the Committee would like to head in terms of
policies and guidelines and whether they should be specific or broad-ranged.
Included in this evening’s material are samples of policies/guidelines from
other communities. She noted that this
subject has evolved in Newton in a direction toward staffing in more of a
programmatic method. Focus has been on
attempting to reach a lower K/1 ratio and keeping the upper grades in the
vicinity of 23 per class. The middle
schools have moved from a staffing ratio to team structure, which began in the
vicinity of 100 and has been lowered to approximately 90. Contract stipulations have put a glitch in
staffing ratios at the high schools, which they are continuing to address.
Nancy Levine needs some
direction from the educational professionals in order to assist in formulating
her thinking around this issue. There
are questions about whether smaller always means better and how that factors
into specific subjects, programs, and grade levels.
Anne Larner believes there
while there are pros and cons to a firm class size policy, the pros outweigh
the cons. However, she feels it should
be differentiated by level. A
comprehensive yet flexible policy would allow them to look at the system as a
whole and balance all interests rather than focusing on one specific area when
circumstances pressure a particular sector be addressed.
Anne Borg suggested that
an additional teacher in a classroom might be more effective than a set class
size policy, because it would allow for more individual attention and breaking
into smaller groups or co-teaching. One
particular issue that troubles her is the large discrepancy in enrollment
between various schools. They will need
to have further discussion around capacity in terms of space, enrollment, and
class size.
Susie Heyman added that
breadth of program becomes a major factor at the high school level, in terms of
maintaining small class sizes in order to retain these opportunities.
Susan Albright reminded
people that other issues in the system have been neglected as a result of their
focus on this important subject. Some
examples are supplies and materials and building maintenance. Therefore, it will be important to discuss
this subject in a broader context.
Rodney Barker commented on
the huge expense of lowering class sizes and agreed that it needs to be weighed
in context with other issues in the system.
In a system he worked at in Ohio, readers were hired to review essays,
so that students could continue to have a lot of writing experiences without
teachers being over-burdened with work.
This is one example of the type of creative thinking they need to do
around this subject. He requested
additional information with regard to the number of classes high school staff
teach in the other school systems.
Andy Vizulis believes it
is imperative to hear from the teaching staff about this issue.
Janet Goldrick thanked the
Committee for providing a good framework with their questions and comments.
CONTINUED DISCUSSION OF FY02 BUDGET GUIDELINES
Anne Larner would like the
guidelines to attempt a balance of the various needs in the system. While tying the guidelines to the systemwide
goals is an admirable goal, it should not be done at the expense of some of the
basic instructional needs that have been deferred.
Anne Borg would like to
see a long-term initiative for increased allocations for supplies and
materials.
Susan Albright mentioned
that the systemwide goals around curriculum should be addressed, as there will
most likely be a necessity for budgetary support in this area.
Susie Heyman would like to
look at the possibility of reinstituting a public relations position, for
better communication with the community at large. She then mentioned the various items that Ms. Guryan raised
earlier this evening that have been chronically underfunded, as well as the
need for a reserve fund. Funding for
the upkeep of technology is another important issue. She concluded by asking for additional information from other
communities with regard to how they fund charter maintenance.
Verne Vance noted that one
way of addressing the communication piece might be more extensive use of the
new web page, as a vehicle for advertising for new staff and communicating with
the community.
Anne Borg asked if general
maintenance of facilities could be included in the guidelines.
Susan Albright would like
the Committee to examine how the performing arts at the high schools are funded.
Andy Vizulis would like
the Committee to discuss the need for increased staffing or a change in the management
for maintenance of instructional technology. There are currently five
instructional support personnel servicing 15 elementary schools. They spend a great deal of their time
troubleshooting rather than working with teachers to integrate technology into
the classroom.
Anne Larner would like to provide
some flexibility to the Superintendent and his staff around the numerous goals
that the Committee has outlined. Allowing
him to develop some long-range plans to address these many issues would
probably be more helpful than expecting them to all be met in one operating
budget.
ACTION ITEMS
VOTE TO ACCEPT DONATION
MOTION: It was moved to accept the $1,000 donation
to the
Mason-Rice
Elementary School, a piano to the music department at Brown Middle School, and
equipment
to
the Technical Education program, as outlined in
Attachment
I.
(Larner
– Albright)
8 – 0 – 1
Absent for vote: Mayor Cohen
VOTE TO APPROVE GRANTS
MOTION: It was moved to approve the new
grants
totaling $725,978, as outlined in
Attachment J.
(Heyman – Borg)
8 – 0 – 1
Absent for vote: Mayor Cohen
COMMUNICATIONS
Verne Vance mentioned that
the School Committee will need to docket for the next meeting several
resolutions that are being proposed at the Massachusetts Association of School
Committee/School Superintendents (MASC/MASS) conference, in order to give
direction to their voting delegate, Rodney Barker.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Halcyon Mancuso, 34
Rochester Rd., expressed outrage at Mr. Maleson’s earlier statements this
evening with regard to METCO and the Boston Public Schools. She noted that his
remarks do not reflect the opinion of the majority of people in Newton or in
the school system.
Verne Vance commented that
the presentation was so extreme that Committee members may have felt it did not
merit any kind of response.
Susie Heyman added that
with regard to Mr. Maleson’s comments about utilizing previous school
facilities, these buildings have been sold and are no longer available as an
option.
Anne Borg stated that
while Mr. Maleson is entitled to express his opinions, the fact that Committee
members did not respond should not indicate anyone’s acceptance of his
disparaging remarks.
Verne Vance agreed and
noted that the Newton Public Schools has been and continues to be a strong
supporter of the METCO program. The
program not only provides educational benefits for METCO students, but also
benefits the entire Newton community.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned
at 9:50 p.m.