NEWTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE

MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING – JUNE 11, 2001

EDUCATION CENTER, FRAZIER ROOM, 7:30 P.M.

PRESENT: Chairperson Verne Vance, Vice-Chairperson Anne Borg, Susan Albright, Rodney Barker, Susan Heyman, Nancy Levine, Andris Vizulis, Mayor David Cohen

ABSENT: Anne Larner, student representatives

OPEN SESSION

At 6:00 p.m., it was announced that the Committee will 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

maters related to collective bargaining. If passed,

the Committee will reconvene in open session

at 7:30 p.m.

(Vizulis - Levine)

6 – 0 – 3

Absent for vote: Borg

Absent for executive session: Mayor Cohen

Absent for meeting: Larner

ROLL CALL VOTE BY WARD:

Ward I, “yes” (Vizulis); Ward II, "yes" (Albright); Ward III, absent (Larner); Ward IV, "yes", (Levine); Ward V, “yes” (Heyman); Ward VI, "yes"; (Barker); Ward VII, "yes" (Vance); Ward VIII, absent for vote (Borg); Mayor David Cohen, absent for executive session

CALL TO ORDER

Chairperson Verne Vance called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m.

Superintendent Jeffrey Young announced that the administration further analyzed the proposed elimination of the walk-back bus routes and has added those back into the budget.

PUBLIC COMMENT

Amy LeClair and Andrea Kozinetz, PTO Council Copresidents, expressed displeasure that the budget is unacceptable in so many ways and it is difficult to believe they could consider cutting it further. Even if they are able to meet the gap between the Superintendent's recommendation and the Mayor's allocation, class sizes will still be too high, staff will still be cut, and charter maintenance will continue to be underfunded. The budget runs the risk of being underfunded, possibly resulting in freezes similar to what occurred this year. They urged the Committee to hold the line. The PTO is willing to help lobby for additional state funds. While this continues to be an excellent school system, those who have had children in the schools for several years know firsthand the number of programs and services that have been eroded.

Candy Havens and Eileen Mullarkey, Underwood Elementary School PTO Copresidents, urged the Committee to retain the Chinese language program. Approximately 10% of Underwood's population is of Chinese heritage and Chinese families elsewhere in the system choose out-of-district placement to their school because of this offering. The faculty has embraced the program and teachers have been trained in it over the past five years. Nine staff members have even traveled to China as part of the foreign exchange program. Chinese language and culture have been incorporated into the regular curriculum in math, art, music and reading and it has helped foster respect for human differences. Neighboring communities have come to observe the program as a role model and the Department of Education was so impressed that it was selected to be presented at their national conference for bilingual education.

Bette Lupo, President of the Newton Educational Secretaries Association (NESA), talked about how thinly stretched the secretarial staff currently is and how they cannot afford anymore cuts. Their role has expanded greatly over the years. The paperwork and state-reporting documentation alone are enormous. Secretaries are the first people that visitors encounter in the building or on the phone. Their new phone system has the capability of recording the number of phone calls that come into their building. This afternoon she logged 189 calls. Increased enrollment and staffing have exponentially increased the world load. The transportation secretarial position that is slated to be cut is extremely important. If there are issues around safety or concerns about a child being transported to or from school, this is the resource person to remedy any problems.

Matt Hills, 25 Hobart Rd., does not believe the financial problems are going away anytime soon. A long-term plan is necessary and some fundamental policy changes are in order. Fortunately, Newton is blessed with a community committed to education. Hopefully they can review some of the key driving forces behind the large budget gaps and address the problems creatively.

Bonnie Ciambotti, 16 Kingman Rd., Newton Highlands, thanked the Superintendent for keeping children's safety in mind and reinstating the walk-back buses.

Seth Jaffe, 176 Grove St., denounced the Committee's redistricting vote and the comments attributed to the Chairperson in the Newton TAB that the distance from Williams to Brown and South is not really that far. He is insulted that they believe students and families will not be adversely impacted by this decision. Nothing that the administration or parents attempt to do to mitigate the circumstances or smooth the transition is going to provide a positive outcome.

Olivia Dana and Andrea Ferguson, sophomores at Newton North High School, spoke of how important the auto body program is to them and how it keeps them motivated and interested in school. Many students participate in this program because they plan to make it a career. They presented the Committee with a petition in support of retaining this course.

Faye Ruopp, 25 Groveland St., expressed frustration over the continual underfunding of the school budget. She spoke of visiting a counselor at Newton North last week in an office with a partial ceiling due to flooding, plastic on the radiator to capture water, an illegal space heater to keep the room warm, and an outdated computer. There are not enough textbooks for all students. Class sizes are too large. Now they envision freshmen who will not be able to participate in athletics because of the elimination of the no-cut policy and teachers who lack mentors because of the elimination of assistant department heads. Staff will be seeking work elsewhere because of the conditions. A system that was once considered exemplary is now struggling to maintain the status quo. All of the short-term solutions for addressing overcrowding at the high school have been removed from the budget. They cannot wait for the renovations to be completed to get relief. They can no longer treat the two high schools as if they were comparable. The enrollments are much larger at North and yet they have the same number of department heads with equal release time and workload. They continue to lack appropriate communication tools, such as email and sufficient number of telephones. Staff are becoming demoralize. People

will stop moving into Newton for the schools. Parity for students was the goal in equalizing the high school populations and this must begin now.

Terry Yoffie, 363 Waverley Ave., Copresident of the Ward Elementary School PTO, appealed to the Committee to hold the line on any further cuts to the budget. They are working hard at their school to educate parents around the issues and urging them to contact the city and state governments around the importance of adequate funding for education.

Ken Hamilton, President of the Newton Teachers Association (NTA), wonders how they have gotten into such dire circumstances given that they have just come off the longest prosperous economic conditions in a decade. He cannot understand how they have come to the point where they are begging for no more cuts. They are driving an excellent school system to mediocrity. It is time to come together as one community to address how to get more funding rather than pitting programs against one another. Perhaps it is time to vocalize the need for a Proposition 2 1/2 override or some creative funding solutions. The NTA stands ready to assist in whatever way it can to address the issue of working conditions for their members, which translates into learning conditions for students.

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES' DISCUSSION

None.

RECOGNITIONS

The Superintendent recognized Rachel Cohen, Newton North High School, and Jennifer Feller, Newton South High School, who received scholarships from the Newton Art Association for their outstanding portfolios.

APPROVAL OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES

MOTION: It was moved to approve the School Committee

executive session meeting minutes of 2/12/01 and

special meeting minutes of 3/22/01.

(Heyman - Levine)

8 - 0 - 1

Absent: Larner

REPORTS

REPORT FROM OAK HILL MIDDLE SCHOOL

Marvin "Murph" Shapiro, talked about the difficult year they had at Oak Hill because of the terrible bus accident that took the lives of four students. He talked about the process that was followed, the assistance of the crisis teams, and all the help they received not only from the Newton community, but nationwide. The trauma team has continued to work with the school and will do so for as long as necessary in order to help people cope with the situation. Following the memorials, they attempted to return to as regular a school routine as possible. The 7^th grade has had the most difficult time readjusting, as three of the four students were in that grade level. Students felt that the grieving process was being rushed and, therefore, they stepped back and decided to address these concerns. A remembrance bulletin board was developed and counselors returned for further assistance. Teachers did a remarkable job keeping students on tract basically by instinct, since there was no precedent for this type of situation. Then last week they lost another student to cancer, which only added to their very difficult burden this year. At this point in time, some students seem to be managing very well, while others appear to be having difficulty. They have a long way to go in the healing process, but the tremendous support from everyone has been very helpful. They plan to continue to remain in touch with the families of the students and a committee has been formed and will meet in the fall to establish one or more permanent memorials. He has sent updates to the parent body through email and also continues to remain in touch with the families of the deceased students. The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exams helped the students to focus on their work and it had a positive impact. People are exhausted and looking forward to the end of the school year.

Mayor Cohen thanked Mr. Shapiro for his leadership during this terrible tragedy. He asked if he was doing well personally.

Murph Shapiro stated that he is doing as best he can. Everyone's lives changed that morning and nothing will ever be the same. Just like everyone else, he is dealing and coping with the help of others. He is glad school will be ending in two weeks and is sure they will make it through these dark days.

Verne Vance mentioned that the School Committee will be establishing their own subcommittee to discuss the issue of commemorating these

students. The system is very appreciative of the cards, letters, and outpouring of sympathy. On behalf of the Committee, he offered their respect and admiration for the manner in which Mr. Shapiro handled this tragedy.

Jeff Young noted that leaders show their true character in times of adversity and Mr. Shapiro was a role model in this regard. He thanked everyone who pitched in and worked together throughout the ordeal. He offered a particular note of thanks to Bette Lupo, Executive Secretary at Oak Hill, for her extraordinary assistance to Mr. Shapiro.

SUPERINTENDENT'S PERSONNEL REPORT

There were no questions on the report.

SUPPORT SERVICES STATUS REPORT

Michael Pierce, Manager of Support Services, stated that the Building Department has set 8/6 as the completion date for internal work at Williams Elementary School. They continue to be on target for the September opening.

Carol Bock, Director of Capital Planning & Operations, announced that the Design Review Committee met last week to review the plans for renovations to the Memorial-Spaulding Elementary School and made some technical recommendations. They expect the project to be out to bid by 6/30, with a smooth transition into the Carr School.

Michael Pierce noted that summer projects will be limited because of financial constraints. They are currently in the process of prioritizing that work.

Susan Albright noted the large number of custodial overtime hours.

Michael Pierce explained that this is a busy time of year, when there are a lot of school concerts, plays, and end-of-the-year events. This is a typical figure for the month of May.

Rodney Barker wondered why they could not take cuts from the overtime account.

Michael Pierce explained that they constantly struggle in this area because of the number of custodians out sick or on worker's compensation. In addition, there are three vacancies that they have not been able to fill because of the budget freeze. They are always shortchanged in the schools

and overtime is the only way to maintain the buildings. He would not recommend cutting in this area.

Rodney Barker asked about the ceiling problem at Newton North that a previous speaker raised earlier this evening.

James Marini, Assistant Superintendent for High Schools & Operations, explained that if the replacement tiles were not in stock at the time of the budget freeze, they will not be ordered until July 1^st, because of the budget freeze. He reiterated that the charter maintenance issues that will be addressed this summer will be those related to health and safety and theywill be reviewing the rest of the list to prioritize the remaining items.

Verne Vance concluded the discussion by noting that this is Mr. Pierce's last School Committee meeting, as he will be leaving the Newton Public Schools. He thanked him for all his hard work.

Michael Pierce thanked all of his staff, who were instrumental in helping him do his job.

FY01 BUDGET UPDATE

Sandra Guryan, Assistant Superintendent for Business, Finance & Planning, talked about the $600,000 appropriated by the Board of Aldermen to help close the FY01 gap, as well as the budget freeze which remains in place and is bearing fruit. This has not been an easy year and people have been remarkably understanding. She is working on some new reporting methods that should be more clear and will help them in their ability to forecast costs and provide more accurate reporting. She has been meeting weekly with the City's comptroller to review the line items and to discuss budget management issues. While they cannot erase the difficulties of this year, they can learn and move forward with a plan.

Mayor Cohen is optimistic that the City and school administrators have made some real strides in reviewing and revising some of the accounting methods that will help in analyzing future budgets. He thanked everyone involved for their hard work.

DISCUSSION ITEMS

DISCUSSION OF OPTIONAL ZONE POLICY FOR 2001-2002

Jeff Young noted that there are some areas in the City in which prior School Committee's have designated optional zones, where families living

in those areas can choose between certain elementary schools. The redistricting process raised a number of policy issues that need to be addressed and this is the first item to be brought before the Committee. Tonight they are focusing on two zones -- Williams/Burr and Williams/Peirce. There are 31 students in these choice areas next year; 10 of which will be entering kindergarten and 21 which are currently in school. He recommends that the kindergartners be given the choice, as under the current process, of which elementary school to attend and they will follow the appropriate new feeder pattern based on that decision. He further recommends that the remaining 21 students be kept at Williams for the rest of their elementary school career and then be given the option of a north or south feeder pattern at the end of the fifth grade. Next fall he will recommend the Committee take up the formal matter of codifying the entire optional zone policy.

Verne Vance asked if once the choice is made for the 10 entering kindergarten students that stands for the rest of their career.

Jeff Young replied that this is correct under the optional zone policy, which differs from the out-of-district policy that allows people the option to change schools based on space availability.

Susie Heyman supports this recommendation and noted that they also have to take up the issues of other optional zones, as well as grandfathering students, because in the current plan there will be families with children at both high schools.

MOTION: It was moved that with regard to the Burr/ Pierce/Williams optional districts for the

2001-2002 school year, entering kindergarten

students may choose which elementary school

they wish to attend and will follow the designated middle school feeder pattern associated with that choice. Students already attending Williams

School in the optional district will remain at

Williams and will choose their feeder pattern

at the middle school level.

(Albright - Barker)

8 - 0 - 1

Absent: Larner

CONTINUED DISCUSSION OF FY02 BUDGET

Mayor Cohen noted that the gap between the Superintendent's recommended budget and his allocation is approximately $2.44 million. His plan closes that amount by $1.64 million, with an additional $600,000 in potential state aid that remains in doubt. This leaves a $200,000 gap to close and he will meet with the Superintendent around ways to address this final amount. He then outlined in detail the specifics of his plan. There is an additional $558,000 Chapter 70 funds in the Senate budget that he hopes will be passed. He is willing to fund any difference between that and the House's budget if necessary, with "rainy day" funds. Health insurance savings equal $865,000. He will ask the Board of Aldermen to reduce the Public Works Dept. budget by $150,000 in the area of road work because it is anticipated that the State is going to provide additional funding for highway repairs in the upcoming budget. Therefore, they should be able to take this money from this area without compromising public safety. Finally, they will increase the estimate of new growth by $250,000. The area that remains in question is METCO reimbursement funding. The House's budget provides an additional $600,000 to Newton, but the Senate's does not include that amount. Technically there remains an $800,000 if the METCO reimbursement is not forthcoming, but only $200,000 if it materializes.

Jeff Young reviewed the budget reallocation list that was discussed at the last meeting and provided additional information, as requested by the Committee. In terms of the elementary music program, the third grade recorder program remains intact. It will be up to the discretion of the principal, in conjunction with conversations with staff, as to whether specific special programs at the various schools will remain in their current format, if at all. This will largely depend on the flexibility in the tightened schedule in each building. Tonight he is also recommending that the Committee consider the notion of increasing the high school athletic fee by $25 per sport, while maintaining the $300 family cap. They expect to generate an additional $51,000 to offset the budget if they move in this direction. They will be adding a kindergarten teacher to Zervas because of increased enrollments, but have not yet determined where the other position will be placed. As mentioned at the last meeting, the walk-back buses have been put back on the table and will not be reduced, but they will consolidate some routes to save 1.5 buses. Next year they are committed to discussing the subject of transportation in a more comprehensive manner and to reviewing policies, fees, practices, etc. They are proposing the elimination of a custodial position, which is a new item before the Committee this evening. This is a difficult recommendation because they are understaffed in this area, but he felt that the burden should be shared among all staff. They have yet to

determine the location of this position. With regard to the elimination of the auto body program, there are two students this year who are majors in this subject and one anticipated for next year. Given the low enrollment, they are going to try to accomodate those already in the program through the auto mechanics course and will encourage the new student to consider auto mechanics or another area of interest. Their notion of adding varsity sports to the contract gym program is being held for further review and to be revisited as part of next year's budget proposal. The bottom line is that the budget is structurally sound and addresses many of the chronically underfunded areas. However, it is not the budget he would have preferred to recommend. This leaves them with either the $200,000 or $800,000 gap, as explained by the Mayor.

Susan Albright wondered if the custodial cut will mean an increase in the overtime account.

Jim Marini stated that it could put stress in that area.

Jeff Young noted that they could consider simply cutting custodial services and not necessarily a position. This way the administration could review this and determine the best place to take this reduction.

The Committee agreed with this suggestion.

Susan Albright asked how many of the special music programs will be eliminated.

John Michael Gray, Coordinator of Fine Arts, replied that it will depend upon the scheduling at the individual schools. He would estimate approximately 50% will be lost and that is mainly planning time and collaborative work.

Susan Albright wondered if a $25 increase in the athletic fee might be enough to retain all the items in the elementary music program.

Jeff Young commented that they can do the math but he might not necessarily recommend applying those dollars specifically to this area.

Susie Heyman mentioned that even in the best case scenario they will still face a $200,000 gap.

Rodney Barker supports Susan's notion of using increased athletic fees or cutting in that program to full fund the music programs. He is particularly concerned about the possible loss of 4th grade chorus, which is currently in 10 schools.

Verne Vance asked to what extent the retention of the music programs is a fiscal issue vs. a managerial/scheduling issue.

Jeff Young stated that there is no consensus among the principals that everything in the elementary music program should remain and they might not agree that additional funding is best spent here. They are attempting to look at the program in a systemwide perspective.

Nancy Levine reminded the Committee that this issue was partly raised as a result of the need expressed by staff in the elementary schools for greater blocks of uninterrupted time for literacy and math education. While all of these additional programs are excellent and valuable, they also break up the instructional time for the core curriculum. The Committee may be inclined to want to retain everything, but this is not necessarily the opinion of staff. She would not want to overrule what the professionals are saying.

Jeff Young admitted that they have been trying to wipe the slate clean in several areas and it has proven a difficult task. The programs are excellent but there are inequities and the need for more concentrated blocks of time. They plan to review these decisions next year.

Susie Heyman is pleased that the administration has heard the concerns about retaining pieces of the program that people felt were important. An annual assessment will show whether or not they made the right decision and they can make adjustments, if necessary, at that time. She also would consider an increase in athletic user fees, which have remained constant for 10 years. However, she would prefer to hold a vote on this until the next meeting, thereby allowing for public input on the subject.

Jeff Young mentioned that athletics has taken a $25,000 comparable cut as the music program, which eliminated the 9th grade no-cut policy.

Susan Albright suggested they have a full discussion next year around the elementary music program and the elementary school day in general. She has concerns about losing programs that will never return.

Jeff Young agreed on the need for this discussion. The budget has forced many issues to the surface that they have been wrestling with all year. Some have produced good decisions and others require further work.

Anne Borg asked about the impact of the cut to the elementary pilot programs.

Jeff Young stated that the literacy pilot programs were originally budgeted at $50,000. Once implemented, the cost rose to $76,000, which is what they had put into next year's budget. The $26,000 reduction brings it back to the initial amount, which will mean a reduction in some services. This is the only area in the entire budget where they are attempting to take some risks and try new initiatives. It is a minuscule amount for programs that are showing great initial success.

Roseli Weiss, Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education, talked about the creativity in these programs and the models they are developing, which they hope can be duplicated districtwide. Next year's work would be to assess the programs and see if they can be easily replicated.

Anne Borg talked about supporting these type of programs at the elementary level, so as not to have to spend more money for MCAS remediation work at the secondary level.

Carolyn Wyatt commented that this is exactly what is at the heart of the pilot programs, where each focuses on some aspect of literacy and monitoring students' progress at an early stage. In addition, the kindergarten grant has helped fund professional development systemwide so that teachers can better gauge and assess how students are progressing in reading. They are learning new methods of recording and monitoring this progress. The middle school principals have also been working around the issue of literacy and the high school department heads have held discussions about the subject as well. Given the demands of MCAS and alignment of curriculum, they are looking at this issue K-12 and trying to get staff comfortable with the new methods of assessment. These elementary pilot programs are instrumental in learning about this work. They expect this small investment to reap much gain systemwide.

Nancy Levine talked about the importance of having in-house trained staff as role models and teachers for their colleagues. She saw firsthand at Williams a student rapidly progressing within six months as a result of this work.

Carolyn Wyatt added that another positive outcome of the program is its compatibility with the inclusion model and the need for less special education services in later years.

Andy Vizulis wondered if they could access grant money to retain the $26,000 cut.

Roseli Weiss replied that they constantly search for grants but often find it difficult to qualify as many target low-income communities.

Carolyn Wyatt mentioned that grants cannot compensate for what a system should be doing as part of its core program.

Rodney Barker remains skeptical. He believes teaching reading and writing is a basic task that should not require special attention. There should be no excuse for staff not being able to properly teach children how to read and write. He would prefer this money be spent on other programs that he feels are more necessary.

Anne Borg stated that there have always been children who have struggled with reading and writing and one of the positive aspects of MCAS is that it is bringing this issue to light. Rather than spending money once students are at the high school level, she would prefer to put it into a program that will address these problems at an early age. She would support raising the athletic user fee and applying that additional revenue to this effort so that they can retain the $76,000.

MOTION: It was moved to add $26,000 back into the elementary

pilot programs.

(Borg - Levine)

Discussion:

Susie Heyman believes that they are down to the end of a terrible budget process and due to frustration may inadvertently be pitting one important program against another.

The Committee decided to hold a special meeting later this week, once they have learned the outcome of the METCO reimbursement. If there is bad news, they are going to be faced with some serious decision-making and will need to direct the Superintendent with regard to staffing decisions that must be made by 6/15.

Susan Albright asked if the Mayor could search the "rainy-day" fund for additional money for the system.

Mayor Cohen believes that taking from that account would jeopardize the fiscal stability of the City.

Given that they will be meeting Thursday, Anne Borg withdrew the motion.

END OF YEAR REPORT ON SYSTEMWIDE GOALS

Tabled until next regular meeting.

RECESS

The meeting was recessed at 10:20 p.m., t o be continued on 6/14/01, 7:30 p.m.