NEWTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE

MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING - MARCH 25, 2002

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

PRESENT: Chairperson Anne Larner, Vice-Chairperson Susan Albright, Gail Glick, Patricia Kellogg, Marc Laredo, Nancy Levine, Leslie Schneider, Dori Zaleznik, Mayor David Cohen, Zoe Schwab, student representative - Newton South High School

ABSENT: student representative - Newton North High School

OPEN SESSION

At 6:35 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 issues related

to collective bargaining. If passed, the Committee will reconvene in open session at 7:30 p.m.

(Levine - Glick)

7 - 0 - 2

Absent for vote: Zaleznik

Absent for executive session: Mayor Cohen

ROLL CALL VOTE BY WARD:

Ward I, "yes" (Glick); Ward II, "yes" (Albright); Ward III, "yes" (Larner); Ward IV, "yes" (Levine); Ward V, "yes" (Kellogg); Ward VI, "yes" (Schneider); Ward VII, "yes" (Laredo); Ward VIII, absent for vote (Zaleznik); Mayor Cohen, absent for executive session

CALL TO ORDER

Chairperson Anne Larner called the meeting to order at 7:40 p.m.

PUBLIC COMMENT

Ken Hamilton, President of the Newton Teachers Association (NTA), announced that the representative assembly of the NTA unanimously voted to nominate Superintendent Jeffrey Young for the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) "Friends in Education" award. This award is given to a person who has made significant contributions to education and educators in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Some past recipients include Ted Kennedy, Robert Reich, Joe Moakley, and Fred Andelman.

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES' DICUSSION

Zoe Schwab reiterated concern about the library hours and wondered if volunteers could assist, in order to extend the time that it is open. She also mentioned that students seem to be under a lost of stress and many lack an adult with which they can connect. Lowering the student/guidance counselor ratio would be of great help.

Anne Larner mentioned that they will be discussing this topic later in the evening.

RECOGNITIONS

The following students were recognized for their achievement in the 2002 Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards program:

Bigelow Middle School Brown Middle School

Alyssa Belli Nick Brown

She Hyun Lee

Douglas Lim Newton South High School

Amy An

Newton North High School Rebecca Blacker

Gerrit Albertson Jean Duplessis

Leigh Darrell Laura Einhorn

Benjamin Fash Jessica Einhorn

Katy Gorovay Alexandra Hayden

Rebecca Herskovitz Jenny Horowitz

Suzanne Horwitz David Karl

Laura Jekel Rebecca Levy

Beth Marks Avery McCarthy

Kate Pomeroy Lyz Montague

Jacqueline Schon Leetal Platt

Rebecca Schumer Carolin Prinn

Charlotte Sullivan Jane Savikovsky

Kara Urion Laura Slavin

Nicholas Weiss-Richmond Amelia Taylor

APPROVAL OF SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES

MOTION: It was moved to approve the School Committee

executive session meeting minutes of 1/22/02

and special meeting minutes of 1/24/02.

(Levine - Albright)

8 - 0 - 1

Absent for vote: Mayor Cohen

REPORTS

OPERATIONS STATUS REPORT

Michael Cronin, Chief of Operations, stated that the balance in the charter maintenance account is $8,000, which needs to last through the end of the school year. This past month alone they spent $12,000 on emergency and high priority maintenance and repair orders (M&Rs). They have been transferring funds between some of the operations accounts in order to handle these needs. They are still waiting for the $500,000 additional funding from the City, which will allow them to install a boiler at Underwood Elementary School, as well to return some money to charter maintenance to replace the funds that were spent on the Zervas air-quality issue last summer. The Memorial-Spaulding project is ahead of schedule. The custodial overtime account was not updated this month because the Director of Capital Planning & Operations was in a skiing accident and has just recently begun working from home. They expect to have this update in next month's report. The state requirement with regard to integrated pest management (IPM) has been met and all paperwork filed. Newton is one of a few number of communities that have submitted their material to the state. Training will begin for all schools next month. The program's goal is to eliminate the use of any pesticides or chemicals inside or outside of public buildings and to find alternate deterrents to pest management control.

DISCUSSION ITEMS

DISCUSSION ON SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Jeff Young explained how germane this topic is in light of the high school renovation project and how they wanted the program to drive the construction. Several important topics arose out of discussions around this subject, which were discussed at the December 8, 2001 School Committee meeting. These served as directives for the architects, as plans were being developed. Now that construction is underway, they need to step back and ascertain that the structure is meeting the directives.

James Marini, Associate Superintendent for Secondary Education, began the discussion by explaining that Education Reform has changed the structure in terms of time and relationships, with a longer school day, increased course requirements, and different schedules for both students and teachers. The house system at the high schools provides support by allowing for the buildings to be broken down into smaller units, which serves for better communication and development of relationships between students and staff. Earlier this evening the student representative referred to the stress level and the lack of time students have with their counselors. This is a real concern, as there is less unscheduled time for students and staff and they need to find a way to address the problem. Some measures have been taken, such as the establishment of group counseling for the 9^th and 10^th grade. Several staff members are present this evening and will further elaborate on the supports that are in place, as well as additional needs that will allow for more personal and direct contact.

Jennifer Huntington, Principal of Newton North High School, mentioned that the need for students to connect with adults is not a new concept. She quoted from the 1986 Secondary School Symposium report, which talks about the importance of this issue. This remains the pivotal piece in making any high school successful. She mentioned some of the positive activities that are in place, such as extracurricular athletics, theater arts, and Tiger's Loft culinary arts program, just to name a few. There are numerous other clubs and programs that cover a gamut of interests. However, while the majority of students are engaged in these type of programs, they still do not reach everyone in the building, so this is where they need to focus.

Michael Welch, Principal of Newton South High School, stated that his school is going to change dramatically from a three to a four-house structure and a completely different physical layout, which has a lot to do with how people interact. Part of the reason Newton North instills a feeling of more diversity has to do with its layout. Upon entering the building one encounters Main Street, where everyone congregates. Newton South, on the other hand, is more flat and spread out, which promotes a level of isolation. Some of this is going to change, as the renovations occur. At the same time, in one decade they are going to nearly double in size. The stress level is definitely increasing, as increased number of students are apply to more colleges. There is also a different structure between the houses at each school; North's are by grade level and South's incorporate students from each grade. Both have pros and cons associated with their respective models. The staff is currently either veteran or new, with a large gap in between. There has been a movement in recent years to professionalize the role of teachers by taking some of their non-professional activities away, such as cafeteria and hall duty and filling those positions with campus aides. This has had an interesting impact on how the school functions. Many students have never seen a teacher outside of the classroom and their role amounts strictly to delivery of instruction rather than extending to what goes on throughout the building each day.

Carol Kerrissey, Guidance Dept. Head at Newton North High School, talked about the differences between small and large schools. The house system tries to address some of the bureaucratic issues associated with large buildings. However, the key to success is being sure that high expectations are in place and that all students are challenged. This can be difficult in large settings, so they need to find ways to make sure students are connecting with adults in meaningful ways. The emotional well-being of students is not exclusive from the academic piece and the two must be treated with equal attention. She is very impressed with the myriad of structures in place at Newton North to protect students who may otherwise "fall through the cracks." However, a critical period is when a student transitions from middle to high school and specific supports should be in place at this juncture. Students are used to a very supportive and nurturing environment from the middle schools and require assistance in transitioning to a more independent structure.

Vuanita Schnell, Guidance Dept. Head at Newton South High School, stated that she is feeling the impact of larger numbers with the additional 50 seniors this year. Obviously the more populated a building becomes, the more likely students’ needs can be overlooked, so it is very important to play close attention to the structures that are in place. The expectations of students by both themselves and their parents are much greater today and they often deny themselves fun in order to study harder and take on more activities. There is a loss of time to just explore and enjoy. Then there are those on the other end of the spectrum who have very little expectations and, for a variety of reasons, are not motivated. She believes some additional free time would be helpful for students to relax and socialize, as well as meet with teachers and counselors. There used to be places in the building where students could congregate, but given the space shortage, those no longer exist. While these type of things seem rather inconsequential, they contribute to the healthy environment of the school. Homeroom has been a successful opportunity for communication and this has been supported through the house structure. Other types of programs that would help develop connections would be additional clubs and a no-cut policy in athletics. Parental communication is another important aspect, so it is imperative that teachers and counselors have time to return phone calls and hold meetings. She used to have much more time to do preventative work, where she could monitor situations before they became serious. While there is a loss of time for individual counseling, group sessions have helped. However, planning that is a difficult task given the current seven-block schedule. Finally, the college admissions process has become a major part of a counselor’s work, given both the number of students and colleges to which they are applying, and the fact that many apply for early entrance.

Michael Welch wished to add his agreement to Ms. Schnell’s comments with regard to academic expectations of students today. Many families seem to be undervaluing the happiness of students at the expense of academic achievement, which he believes is damaging. He fears that too much stress for students is not healthy.

Zoe Schwab agreed that free time is important for students, but whenever she finds herself doing nothing she feels guilty. From the time she gets up until the time she goes to bed she is scheduled with school, after-school activities, and homework. It would be helpful if students could meet with their counselors once a week, particularly during freshmen year. Extending homeroom might provide time for socializing and getting prepared for the day ahead. Lunch also could be extended by a few extra minutes, as currently it is only a 30 minute block of time, which includes travel between classes. Finally, she suggested organizing some outside school activities for staff and students, such as volleyball or soccer games, which might help develop relationships.

Michael Welch responded that time and connections seem to the overriding themes in tonight’s discussion. He believes they are at a good crossroads for addressing these issues, as they move forward with the high school renovations.

Nancy Levine asked how staff feel about no longer having non-professional duties, which was a way of extending relationships with students.

Jennifer Huntington replied that some of the veteran teachers feel a sense of loss about the connections they were able to make with students during hall and cafeteria duty. Younger teachers have never had these experiences, so they are not comfortable with this responsibility.

Michael Welch agreed that some veteran faculty have told him they miss these interactions, but anyone hired within the past five years has never had these experiences. In addition, the majority of coaches are specialists who do not work in the schools, which also defuses the sense of community.

Susan Albright talked about how times are different today, with increased divorce rates, two working parents, more pressures around sexual permissiveness and drugs and alcohol. Many students are ending up in special education programs, as a result of leading stressful lives.

Gail Glick commented that open campus might also contribute to shifting the focus away from the school.

Michael Welch stated that freshmen and sophomores are not eligible for open campus, and these are the years where they want to place emphasis on making connections and developing relationships with staff. By the time students get to their junior year, some type of exercise of freedom is important. One of the problems is that they do not have the space to house all the students without open campus.

Carol Kerrissey stated that open campus serves an important function for upper classmen, because students need to learn to take responsibility for themselves. Many students do not even take advantage of this opportunity at Newton South because they spend the time meeting with teachers, counselors, or friends.

Vuanita Schnell noted that when open campus began, there were a host of activities and programs that students were involved in to be active during that time, but these are no longer in place.

Marc Laredo believes that extracurricular activities led by members of the faculty are one of the best ways to connect students to the school. He would like to see a plan developed that would foster and improve on that type of program.

Leslie Schneider suggested they start by developing data on student and staff interests.

Dori Zaleznik noted that adults have not learned how to manager their own stressful lives, so they are not serving as good role models for children. Perhaps this discussion should be centering around the family rather than just students. The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exam is a major reason why things are more rigid, rushed, and structured. They need to think creatively about ways they can develop a better environment for everyone in the school community.

Nancy Levine asked if there is any sense of how many students are in this category of not connecting to the school.

Michael Welch commented that this is a good question that leads to others about defining and measuring success. He believes that connections between students and staff should precede academic achievement. It is difficult to define the types of students who fall into this category because it ranges from those who are constantly in trouble, to those who are doing extremely well academically but are disconnected emotionally and psychologically. The school is one of a three-part piece that needs to be in place for success. The other two are the students themselves and the parents.

Jennifer Huntington mentioned the students that work after school. While they may not appear on the surface to be connected to the school, it is difficult to say that they are “falling through the cracks” if they are doing well and holding a job. This is a complicated issue and the School Committee has given them a great deal to think about and discuss at their buildings.

Jim Marini mentioned that if they could find the funding to conduct a study of graduates about what did and did not work for them during their high school years, that could be a very helpful piece. A discreet solution is not going to be found to this issue. Rather, this needs to become part of the environment of the school. It is going to take a lot of time and discussion, with representation of various perspectives to develop their mission and goals.

Jeff Young would like to take tonight’s discussion back to the staff and return with a proposal for how to proceed at a future meeting.

ACTION ITEMS

VOTE TO APPROVE DONATION

MOTION: It was moved to approve the donation of

$650 to the Horace-Mann Elementary

School, as outlined in Attachment C.

(Levine – Zaleznik)

unanimous

COMMUNICATIONS

Anne Larner announced that she, Marc Laredo, and Dori Zaleznik will represent the School Committee at the Newton Schools Foundation fundraiser, “Kidz in Jeopardy.”

PUBLIC COMMENT

There were no members of the public who wished to address the Committee at this time.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 9:10 p.m.